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Overview
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781925162899 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Fremantle Press |
| Publication date: | 02/26/2015 |
| Series: | Waarda Series for Young Readers |
| Sold by: | Barnes & Noble |
| Format: | eBook |
| Pages: | 48 |
| File size: | 2 MB |
| Age Range: | 7 - 9 Years |
About the Author
Read an Excerpt
The Magic Fair
By Sally Morgan
Fremantle Press
Copyright © 2010 Sally MorganAll rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-925162-89-9
CHAPTER 1
Enter but Beware!
Kayla felt excited when she woke up. The Magic Fair was in town! She had heard so many wonderful stories about the Fair. She could hardly believe she was finally going to see it for herself.
When Kayla arrived at the Fair with Uncle Mike and her cousin Peter, she was more excited than ever. But when she saw the sign hanging over the entrance gate, she shivered.
The sign said:
What does it mean? she wondered.
Kayla looked at her Uncle Mike. The sign didn't bother him. She turned to her cousin. He pulled a nasty face at her.
'Scared, Kayla?' Peter sneered.
'What do you think the sign means?' Kayla asked.
'I think it means you're a scaredy cat,' Peter said, and he started to chant, 'Scaredy cat! Scaredy cat!'
'Stop it!' cried Kayla.
Uncle Mike spun around. 'No fighting!' he growled. 'This Fair is magic. It has its own special rules. Don't upset anyone while you're here — especially not you, Peter!'
Kayla smiled to herself. The only rules Peter followed were the ones he made up.
Kayla knew she had to walk beneath the sign. But she didn't want to. What if something strange happened to her? Maybe coming to the Magic Fair wasn't such a good idea, after all.
Suddenly, it was their turn. Kayla hesitated but Uncle Mike grabbed her hand and pulled her through the entrance gate, into the fair grounds.
Nothing weird happened. Kayla breathed a sigh of relief.
Uncle Mike turned to Kayla and Peter. 'I have a few things to do here. I want you and Peter to stay together, Kayla. You enjoy yourselves and we'll all meet up at the end of the day. Have fun!' Then he strode off.
Kayla didn't want to be stuck with her cousin.
'Please, Peter,' she said, 'don't play any of your tricks today.' She had a feeling magical eyes were already watching them.
'Sure, scaredy cat,' Peter spat. Then he pinched her. Hard.
Kayla dropped her purse in pain. Peter grabbed it and ran off laughing.
'Come back!' cried Kayla. 'It took me all year to save that money!'
But Peter had disappeared into the crowd.
It was her mother's birthday soon. Now she had no money to buy her something special from the Magic Fair.
What am I going to do? Kayla sobbed.
CHAPTER 2Looking for Peter
I have to get my money back, Kayla thought. But where would Peter go?
She looked around at the brightly coloured stalls. They were all wonderful. Some of the stalls had starry fireworks hovering over them, while others had magical animals — like giant horned kangaroos, huge hairy wombats and talking magpies.
But then Kayla spotted a stall selling delicious meat pies.
'Peter's so greedy,' she muttered. 'I bet he went there first.'
'Get your lip-smacking pies here!' a man sang out.
Kayla was shocked when the man threw a pie into the air. But instead of splattering to the ground, the pie sprouted wings and fluttered down to rest on a plate.
'Would you like to buy a pie, little lady?' asked the man.
Kayla felt embarrassed.
'I'm afraid I don't have any money,' she said. Quickly, she moved on to another stall a little further away.
This stall was selling cakes. The fanciest, yummiest cakes Kayla had ever seen.
'There's no cream like magic cream!' said the lady at the stall. 'It tastes divine and makes your hair shine, all at the same time!'
A cake in the shape of a bullfrog jumped towards Kayla.
'Aaah,' said the lady, 'so would you like to buy my bullfrog cake?'
'I'd love too,' Kayla said, 'but I can't buy anything yet.' Not until she found Peter, anyway.
All around her the magic and music of the Fair was in full swing. Until she found Peter though, Kayla knew she wouldn't be able to enjoy it. Her stomach rumbled as she walked. And she'd be starving by the end of the day.
Where to next? she wondered.
And that was when she spotted it.
A smaller stall, set a little away from the other amazing ones, half-hidden by the drooping branches of a tall gum tree. What was it selling? Curious, Kayla moved towards it.
CHAPTER 3The Lollipop
Lollies!
Kayla had never seen so many lollies in all her life. They were all shapes, sizes and colours. There were chewy koalas with cherry eyes; sugar-coated trees; a hill made from pink marshmallows, and the most mouth watering iced lizard.
'Do you want to see something special?' asked the man at the stall.
'Watch!'
He patted the lizard on the head. Its mouth opened and out poured little chocolates in the shape of honey bees.
'Buy this one,' he said, 'and you'll have chocolate honey for the rest of your life.'
How Kayla longed to buy the lizard! Her mother loved honey. But it was expensive to buy, so they didn't have it very often. And this was magic honey in a chocolate coating. What could be more special than that?
Deep in thought, Kayla jumped when a cheery voice said, 'Forget about that lizard! Take a look at me!'
The most luscious looking lollipop was gazing up at her! It had two cheeky eyes, a grinning mouth, and across its face was a scrumptious raspberry swirl. Kayla's stomach began rumbling all over again.
'I'm every child's dream,' said the smug lollipop. 'Five licks of me and whenever you dream of a lolly, it will appear when you wake up.'
That sounds wonderful, thought Kayla.
'Would you like to buy the lollipop?' asked the man.
'Oh yes!' replied Kayla 'but someone stole my purse, so I have no money.'
'No money to spend at the Magic Fair?' said the man. 'That's terrible! I tell you what, as a special treat, you can have one lick of the lollipop.'
Kayla's mouth watered.
'Go on!' said the lollipop. 'I'm the sweetest sweet here!'
Kayla couldn't believe her luck. 'That's very kind of you,' she said.
Carefully, she bent down and took one tiny, heavenly lick.
BLING!
'What's happening?' Kayla cried.
BLING!
Before she knew it, she had tumbled inside the lollipop!
BLING!
CHAPTER 4A Strange Situation
Kayla looked out of the lollipop's eyes. She gasped when she saw her own body, standing frozen at the sweet stall with a silly grin on her face.
Kayla almost laughed. But then she thought — I'm trapped! How am I going to escape?
'Don't worry,' said the man. 'Just watch and wait.'
Watch and wait — for what? thought Kayla.
Then she saw her missing cousin, Peter.
Bits of popcorn were stuck in his hair and his shirt was covered in iced bun crumbs.
'I bet Peter's spent all my money!' Kayla said to the man.
'Hmmm,' he replied, watching Peter carefully.
Peter looked over. He saw Kayla's body standing at the sweet stall.
'Hey — Kayla!' he yelled.
But she didn't respond. Her body stood silently.
Peter stormed over. 'Didn't you hear me?' he yelled again.
He looked at the silly grin on Kayla's face and went red. 'Are you laughing at me?'
Then Peter spotted the lollipop. It was the most luscious looking lollipop in the whole world! And it was starring up at him like it knew him.
'Would you like a free lick of the lollipop?' said the man.
Kayla almost cried out — say no, Peter! But then she decided not to. The man had told her to watch and wait. And that was exactly what she was going to do.
Peter bent down and slurped the lollipop.
BLING!
Kayla tumbled back into her body.
BLING!
Peter tumbled into the lollipop!
BLING!
'Where am I?' he screamed. 'What have you done to me?' The man just laughed.
'Listen spewface!' yelled Peter from the lollipop. 'Set me free or I'll brain you!'
'And how will you do that,' asked the man, 'when you're just a sweet on a stick?'
Now it was Kayla's turn to laugh.
CHAPTER 5A Debt to Pay
Kayla felt someone take her hand. It was Uncle Mike.
'Kayla,' he said, 'have you seen Peter?'
'I'm down here, Dad!' Peter screamed. 'Get me out of this idiot place!'
'Aah,' said Uncle Mike, 'in trouble again, I see!'
'I'm afraid he is!' said the man.
'Didn't you read the sign, Peter? The Magic Fair — Enter but Beware! This is the Keeper of the Fair. He sees everything that happens here.'
I was right! thought Kayla. Someone has been watching us. Perhaps he even saw Peter steal my purse.
'I didn't think the stupid sign meant anything!' whined Peter.
'That's one of your problems,' said Uncle Mike. 'You don't think!'
'Okay, okay!' Peter shouted. 'Now get me out of here!'
'Keeper,' said Uncle Mike to the man behind the stall, 'what is his punishment?'
'He owes the Magic Fair a debt,' the Keeper replied.
'But I paid for everything!' cried Peter.
'Yes, but with your cousin's money,' said the Keeper. 'And there is something you haven't paid for: spoiling Kayla's fun. No-one is allowed to do that here.'
Kayla felt glad she hadn't spoiled anyone's fun.
'He's a big, strong boy,' said Uncle Mike. 'I should imagine there'd be a lot of cleaning up to do, after the Fair.'
'Rubbish bins,' said the Keeper, 'twenty of them. It will take him all night to scrub them out with a toothbrush.'
'NO!' cried Peter.
'I'll pick him up in the morning,' said Uncle Mike.
'Dad! Kayla!' Peter begged. 'Don't leave me here!'
But they just walked away.
CHAPTER 6A Surprise
It felt strange leaving Peter behind. But Kayla hoped that when she next saw her cousin, he wouldn't be such a bully. She still felt sad about her mother's birthday. She had nothing to give her. Glumly, she pushed her hands into her pockets. To her surprise, there was something there.
What is this? she wondered.
She pulled it out. Her purse! She opened it and found it filled with coins — more money than she had saved!
Uncle Mike grinned down at her. 'That will be from the Keeper.'
Kayla was amazed. Then she had a strange thought.
'Uncle Mike, did you want Peter to get caught doing something mean?'
Uncle Mike grinned. 'Well, I did wonder what would happen if he tried his mean tricks at the Fair. That reminds me, Kayla — I've got something for you too.'
He stopped and opened his backpack.
'Take a peek,' he said.
Kayla looked inside. The lizard!
'Is that from the Keeper too?' she asked in awe.
'No,' said Uncle Mike. 'It's from me, for you to give to your mum. I thought it might be just the kind of special thing you wanted for her.'
Kayla felt so happy she spun around in circles. What a funny, frightening, magical day it had been. The best day ever!
(Continues...)
Excerpted from The Magic Fair by Sally Morgan. Copyright © 2010 Sally Morgan. Excerpted by permission of Fremantle Press.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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