Poppythe Piano

Fairy

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Special thanks to

Narinder Dhami

If you purchased this book without a cover, you should be aware that this book is stolen property. It was reported as “unsold and destroyed” to the publisher, and neither the author nor the publisher has received any payment for this “stripped book.”

No part of this work may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission of the publisher. For information regarding permission, write to Rainbow Magic Limited c/o HIT Entertainment, 830 South Greenville Avenue, Allen, TX 75002-3320.

ISBN: 978-0-545-10624-5

Copyright © 2008 by Rainbow Magic Limited.

All rights reserved. Published by Scholastic Inc., 557 Broadway, New York, NY 10012, by arrangement with

Rainbow Magic Limited.

SCHOLASTIC, LITTLE APPLE, and associated logos are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Scholastic Inc.

RAINBOW MAGIC is a trademark of Rainbow Magic Limited.Reg. U.S. Patent & Trademark Offi ce and other countries. HIT and the HIT logo are trademarks of HIT Entertainment Limited.

12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 11 12 13 14/0

Printed in the U.S.A.

First Scholastic Printing, January 2010

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“Ooh, I love to dance!” Rachel Walker sang along to the radio, pretending her hairbrush was a microphone. “When I hear the music, my toes start tapping and my fi ngers start snapping!”

Kirsty Tate, Rachel’s best friend, grinned and grabbed her own hairbrush.

A Musical Message

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“I can’t stop dancing!” She joined in on the chorus.

The girls tried to do a complicated dance routine as they sang, but Kirsty went left and Rachel went right and they ended up bumping into each other! Laughing, they collapsed onto Kirsty’s bedroom carpet.

“It’s really hard to sing and dance at the same time,” said

Rachel as the song ended.

“I know,” Kirsty agreed. “I don’t think we’d be very

good in a band, Rachel!”

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“That was The Sparkle Girls with their new single, ‘Can’t Stop Dancing,’ ” the radio DJ announced as Kirsty and Rachel sat up. “And if anyone out there thinks they could make it big as a pop star, too, why not come out and audition for the National Talent Competition next weekend?”

Rachel and Kirsty glanced at each other.

“That sounds cool!” Rachel said.

“One lucky singer or band will win a recording contract with MegaBig Records,” the DJ went on. “So remember — come out to the New Harmony Mall next weekend, and maybe one day I’ll be playing your songs on my show!”

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“The New Harmony Mall is only a few miles from Wetherbury,” Kirsty said dreamily. “I’m sure Mom or Dad would take us to watch the competition if we asked them.”

“That would be great,” Rachel replied eagerly. “We’re pretty lucky that the contest takes place before I go home.” Rachel was staying with Kirsty during school break, and her parents would be coming to pick her up at the end of the following weekend.

“And now here’s Leanne Roberts with her new song, ‘Magical Moments,’ ” said the DJ.

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“Oh, I love this one,” Rachel said, turning the radio up a little.

“Me, too,” Kirsty agreed. She smiled as Rachel began dancing

around the room. “Maybe we should enter the Talent

Competition ourselves!”Rachel laughed. “I’m a horrible singer!” she

said, making a face. “But I bet we’d have a lot of fun singing along

with our friends in Fairyland, wouldn’t we?” Kirsty nodded. She and Rachel shared a very

special and magical secret. They were good friends with the

fairies! They had visited Fairyland many

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times. But the girls had never told anyone about their fairy adventures, not even their parents.

“Life is special, life is fun,” Kirsty sang along to the radio as Rachel twirled around their beds. “Look for the magic in every one!”

Then, unexpectedly, the music changed. Kirsty and Rachel stared at each other in surprise as the bouncy tune of “Magical Moments” suddenly became a

much sweeter and softer melody.

“Kirsty and Rachel!” a tiny,

silvery voice sang from the radio. “Can you hear

me, girls?”

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Rachel and Kirsty could hardly believe their ears.

“There’s a fairy speaking to us through the radio!” Kirsty gasped.

“Yes, we can hear you!” Rachel declared, breathless with excitement.

“Girls, I’m so glad you were listening to music. That made it possible for me to contact you immediately!” the fairy said, sounding very relieved. “My name is Poppy the Piano Fairy, and I’m one of the seven Music Fairies.”

“Hello, Poppy!” said Rachel.“Is every thing OK in Fairyland?”

asked Kirsty.

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“Oh, girls, we’re in terrible trouble!” the fairy went on anxiously. “We need your help right away. Jack Frost and his goblins are invading Fairyland’s Royal School of Music!”

Rachel and Kirsty were horrifi ed. Jack Frost was a very mischievous fairy. He and his goblins were always causing trouble in Fairyland, and the girls often helped their fairy friends outsmart them and prevent them from making mischief.

“What’s Jack Frost up to now?” Rachel wanted to know.

“Well, the school’s a very special place because it’s where all the fairies come to

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learn music,” Poppy explained. “And it’s where we Music Fairies keep our magical musical instruments. They’re important because they make music fun and harmonious in Fairyland and in the human world. We think Jack Frost wants to steal the magic instruments, and we need help to stop him from getting his icy fi ngers on them! Can you come to Fairyland immediately?”

“Of course we can,” Rachel declared.

“We’ll be there in a fl ash!” Kirsty added.

“Thank you so much,” Poppy replied gratefully. “Please hurry!”

Instantly, the fairy’s

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voice faded away. Rachel and Kirsty quickly opened the gold lockets the Weather Fairies had given them after one of their adventures together. Each girl carefully took a pinch of the glittering fairy dust from inside the locket and then sprinkled it over herself.

A whirl of sparkling

rainbow colors surrounded the girls, and they

suddenly felt themselves

tumbling through the air. With each turn

they shrank smaller and

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smaller until they were fairy-size. They even had wings!

“I just hope we’re in time to stop Jack Frost!” Kirsty cried.

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