by Holly Anna
Well, that can’t be good, I think. I am sure Yesop saved the worst for last.
Chapter Eight
Under the Rainbow
I was right. So. Very. Right.
Our next stop is the Stinky Forest! And it lives up to its name!
“Do you know why it’s so stinky?” Yesop asks as he takes a deep breath of the foul air. “It is full of rotten cheese, old moldy socks, and skunks that spray for fun!”
I can’t help it. I begin to back away.
“Please!” I beg. “No more of your five-star bad luck! I’m tired and very uncomfortable.”
Yesop’s face falls. “Oh dear, have you had too much of a bad thing?”
I nod wearily.
“I understand,” Yesop says. “Let’s rest on this slimy rock that’s covered with ants.”
I sit down because who cares? I’m soaking wet already. And no sooner do I get settled than something catches my eye. It’s Posey! The real Posey. He’s peeking out from behind a tree and trying to tell me something.
He puts a finger to his lips, which I know means Don’t say anything. Now he’s pointing at something on the ground in front of me.
I look down and notice a shiny penny at my feet. I pick it up.
Yesop notices it too.
“Is that a… lucky penny?” he asks.
I hold the penny so he can see it, and Yesop gasps. At the same time, the sun comes out—even on me! And there’s a rainbow!
The sun makes Yesop yowl, and he covers his eyes with both hands. He’s not used to bright lights.
Then Posey rushes in and grabs my hand. “Quick!” he whispers. “We have to run under that rainbow.”
I get up and stumble behind Posey, clutching the lucky penny in my free hand.
“But what about Yesop?” I ask.
Posey keeps running. “We will talk about him later!” he says.
So I keep running because I really want to leave the Land of Bad Luck. Obviously. But I also feel bad about ditching Yesop without saying good-bye.
Then we zip right under the rainbow.
ZING!
The next thing I know, we’re back in the hallway outside my classroom. I pat my hair and my clothes. Everything’s dry, and even my shirt is clean!
“That was close!” Posey says. “You had better hang on to that lucky penny. It will keep Yesop from bothering you.”
I look at my lucky penny. I’m happy to have it, but I still wished I could’ve said good-bye to Yesop.
Chapter Nine
The Art Show
Nobody has noticed I was gone—that’s because no time has passed while I was in the Land of Bad Luck. Whew! The rest of my school day is neither lucky nor unlucky, which is okay by me.
But one thing bothers me: Was it really just bad luck that brought Yesop and me together, or was there something more to it?
Soon the end-of-the-day bell rings. Today we get out of school early to go to the art show. Jasmine and Lily left early to finish setting up.
Mr. Roberts whistles to get our attention. “Time to make a line!” he announces.
Chairs scrape across the floor as we hop from our seats to line up. Then the class shuffles down the hall to the gym with the rest of the school. We pass under an archway of colorful coffee filters. The coffee filters have been decorated to look like spring flowers. It’s truly magical!
The inside of the gym looks like a real art gallery! The walls are covered with masterpieces from every grade. The portrait gallery is called The Faces of Weaverley Elementary. I spy my own self-portrait hanging on the wall! I like how it feels to be a true artist. Then I admire my classmates’ art.
In the middle of the gym is a pottery exhibit with swirly bowls, painted mugs, and all kinds of figurines. Lined up against one wall are tombs filled with Egyptian mummies made from brown wrapping paper. Next I go on an art safari and see paper animals: a tiger, a monkey, a giraffe, and an elephant! There’s even a giant paper dragon hanging from the ceiling!
As I round a corner, I spy Jasmine and Lily standing beside their art projects. Jasmine designed a beautiful butterfly made of colorful tissue paper. It’s called On Rainbow Wings. Lily has created a collage with tiny mirror tiles and glitter. Her artwork is titled Shiny Dreams.
“Wow, I love your artwork!” I tell my friends. I also tell them how much I love the whole gallery. We share a hug but not for long because Jasmine and Lily are going to be interviewed for the school newsletter.
After they leave, I take time to really admire my friends’ art. Then I notice my face reflected in one of the tiny mirrors on Lily’s artwork… only it’s not my face! It’s Yesop’s! I step closer and notice something else. Yesop’s face looks very sad.
“Yesop!” I whisper. “Are you okay?”
Yesop looks away.
“Please don’t be sad,” I say. “I’m so happy to see you! And I’m really sorry I didn’t get a chance to say thank you or good-bye.”
Yesop looks at me now, so I keep going.
“I wish I could give you a hug for sharing the Land of Bad Luck with me!” And it’s true, even if I didn’t have fun—it was an interesting adventure.
Well, before you can even say “broken mirror,” Yesop bursts out of an itty-bitty mirror and gives me a great huge hug. The hug happens so fast, we both lose our balance and bump right into the wall.
“Oh no, Daisy!” I say, because I also always say “Oh no, Daisy” whenever I knock something over. Obviously.
Jasmine’s and Lily’s art projects fall onto the floor. I try to catch them, but the two pieces land propped up against each other. Now Jasmine’s butterfly looks like it’s seeing itself in Lily’s collage—and the lights shining from above create a colorful burst that reflects all around the gym!
“How pretty!” I cry. “These work even better together!”
Yesop admires the new art too.
“See?” he says, looking at me. “Sometimes a little bad luck can lead to something beautiful!”
A warm, happy feeling washes over me.
“Lucky us,” I say.
Then we share a smile. And this time, when we say good-bye, it’s perfect.
Chapter Ten
A Blue-Ribbon Day
Lily and Jasmine come back and see what’s happened. Jasmine covers her mouth with her hand. Lily gasps. I shift my feet uncomfortably.
Do they like what they see? Or are they mad at me? I look from one friend to the other and back again. Then a smile spreads across Jasmine’s face.
“I love it,” she says.
Lily grins too. “Same here,” she agrees. “I just wish we’d thought of it.”
I feel my shoulders relax, and I breathe a sigh of relief. I put one arm around each of my besties. Then our teacher, Mr. Roberts, comes over with a black zippered case in his hand. He stops and studies the fallen artwork.
“Stunning,” he says. Then he unzips his black leather case, and I can’t help myself. I peek right inside. The case is full of colorful satin ribbons—blue, red, yellow, and white. Mr. Roberts pulls out a blue ribbon.
“This is a dazzling first-place display!” he declares.
Jasmine, Lily, and I pose for a picture.
“This is all thanks to you, Daisy!” Jasmine says.
“Yeah, you are our good luck charm,” adds Lily. “Without you, our art could’ve fallen on the floor and been ruined!”
Then I share what I learned from Yesop. “Sometimes a little bad luck can lead to something beautiful!”
As soon as I say it, I hear some familiar giggles. I look over at the window, and there in the reflection I see Posey and Yesop waving. I sneak a little wave back at my imaginary friends.
Then I wipe my brow because it’s been quite a day! And I’m so thankful everything’s back to normal. Well, at least as normal as it can be for me, Daisy Dreamer!
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Book 2
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The Not-So-Pretty Pixies
Book 4
The Ice Castle
Book 5
The Wishing-Well Spell
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Keep reading for a preview of
The Newest Princess
by
Melody Mews
It was a beautiful, sunny afternoon in Lollyland. Itty Bitty Kitty and her best friend, Luna Unicorn, were playing in the field of flowers behind Itty’s home, the royal palace of Lollyland.
“I spy with my little eye… a fairy!” Luna exclaimed.
“A fairy?” Itty giggled. “Good one, Luna! We are more than a hop, skip, and a jump from Fairy Forest. There are no fairies in this field!”
“She’s right, Itty!”
Itty turned to the sparkling flower that had just spoken.
“Really?” Now Itty believed it. Flowers rarely spoke. When they did, it was because they had something very important to say.
Continue Reading…
The Newest Princess
Melody Mews
About the Author and Illustrator
Holly Anna has always had a wild imagination. When she was little, she used to doodle drawings that would transport herself and her friends to a wonderful world of make-believe. Now she visits other worlds through writing. Holly lives in San Jose, California, with her family. They have four cats: Rocket J. Squirrel, Le Mew, The Honest John Wookenchops (a.k.a. “Wookie”), and Noel.
Genevieve Santos is an illustrator born, raised, and living in San Jose, California, and sole proprietor of a small stationery company, Le Petit Elefant. Her love for animation started at a young age, and is what drives her to draw the slightest observations. She also has an insatiable weakness for ice cream.
Visit us at simonandschuster.com/kids
www.SimonandSchuster.com/Authors/Holly-Anna
www.SimonandSchuster.com/Authors/Genevieve-Santos
Little Simon
Simon & Schuster, New York
IntheMiddleBooks.com
This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and events are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
LITTLE SIMON
An imprint of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing Division
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First Little Simon hardcover edition November 2019
Copyright © 2019 by Simon & Schuster, Inc.
Also available in a Little Simon paperback edition.
All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form.
LITTLE SIMON is a registered trademark of Simon & Schuster, Inc., and associated colophon is a trademark of Simon & Schuster, Inc. For information about special discounts for bulk purchases, please contact Simon & Schuster Special Sales at 1-866-506-1949 or [email protected].
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Jacket design by Laura Roode
Jacket illustrations by Genevieve Santos © 2019 by Simon & Schuster, Inc.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Anna, Holly, author. | Santos, Genevieve, illustrator.
Title: The bad luck day / by Holly Anna ; illustrated by Genevieve Santos.
Description: First Little Simon paperback edition. | New York : Little Simon, 2019. | Series: Daisy dreamer ; #11 | Summary: “Every kid in the world has had a Bad Luck Day, but Daisy Dreamer’s might be the unluckiest Bad Luck Day ever”—Provided by publisher.
Identifiers: LCCN 2019011406 | ISBN 9781534442641 (paperback) | ISBN 9781534442658 (hardcover) | ISBN 9781534442665 (eBook)
Subjects: | CYAC: Luck—Fiction. | Art—Fiction. | Schools—Fiction. | Imaginary playmates—Fiction. | Magic—Fiction. | BISAC: JUVENILE FICTION / Imagination & Play. | JUVENILE FICTION / Humorous Stories. | JUVENILE FICTION / Readers / Chapter Books.
Classification: LCC PZ7.1.A568 Bad 2019 | DDC [Fic]—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2019011406