Brooke had just done the first coat of rainbow polish on Giovanna and was getting ready for round two when Giovanna looked down at her. “I love how this looks,” she said. “Maybe I’ll keep coming even after soccer season.”
Brooke looked up. “I didn’t even know soccer girls liked sparkles until Jenica came to the salon.”
“Just because we’re good athletes doesn’t mean we don’t like sparkles,” Giovanna said.
“Exactly,” said Jenica.
“Definitely,” said Mia, who was in Aly’s chair now. “Girls can be smart, strong, and sparkly.”
Aly liked that idea. Smart. And strong. And sparkly. She made a brain note to work on that.
After Giovanna and Mia were done, it was finally Anjuli’s turn.
“I can do hands while you do feet,” Brooke said to Aly.
“Fine,” Aly said.
“Which color did you pick for your manicure?” Brooke asked Anjuli.
“Power to the Sparkle,” she said, handing over a bottle.
“The multicolor glitter is really cool,” Aly commented from where she was crouched, painting Anjuli’s big toe.
“So,” Anjuli said, “are you guys going to do this for us each week, for luck?”
Aly stopped polishing. “Well, as long as you guys want to keep coming, sure.”
“As long as we keep winning, we keep coming!” Jenica said from the couch.
“Totally!” Bethany said.
“Power to the Sparkle!” Anjuli shouted.
“Power to the Sparkle!” Mia repeated.
Then they all started chanting, “Power to the Sparkle! Power to the Sparkle!”
Aly looked at Brooke and smiled. Brooke was grinning too. They didn’t need any Secret Sister Eye Messages to know that their salon was off to a spectacular start.
That night the girls sat in their bedroom, counting the money from the donation jar.
“Seven dollars and thirty-one—no, thirty-two—cents,” Aly announced.
After the soccer team had left, Lily and Charlotte showed up for manicures and pedicures, and then Brooke’s friend Sophie and a few other third graders had come in for just pedicures. And then a couple of people who saw the sign in the True Colors window for the grand opening of a kids’ salon.
“Do you think we’ll have regulars now?” Brooke asked, tucking the donation money into a glittery zippered pencil case.
“Well, the soccer team probably,” Aly said. “Jenica invited us to watch them play sometime.” She slid the elastic off Brooke’s braid.
“Ooh, that would be fun,” Brooke said, scooting closer so Aly could brush her hair out. “I hope they won today.”
“They’re really good. I bet they did,” Aly said, reaching for the hairbrush that was on her bed. “But really, I bet they could win without our sparkles.”
“Maybe ‘sparkle’ should be in the name of our salon,” Brooke said, squirming. “Ouch, Aly. I think I have a knot over there.”
“Sorry,” Aly said, putting the brush down and working on the knot with her fingers.
“How about Power to the Sparkle?” Brooke suggested.
“That sounds like a nail polish color,” Aly said, “not like a salon.”
“The Sparkle Sisters’ Salon?” Brooke asked. Then she shook her head a little, but not enough to mess up Aly’s unknotting. “That’s not right either.”
“How about . . . how about . . . Sparkle Spa.”
Sparkle Spa. Sparkle Spa. Actually, it sounded perfect. Just like she’d done by choosing Lemon Aid for Heather’s nails and suggesting two-person polishing during busy times, Brooke had the right idea at the right time.
“I love it!” Aly said.
Brooke twisted around and gave Aly a huge hug. The grand opening had been a grand success. And with a name like Sparkle Spa, Aly hoped things would only get better.
The Tanner sisters were smart. And strong. And sparkly. And their spa was too.
How to Give Yourself (or a Friend!) a Rainbow Pedicure
By Aly (and Brooke!)
What you need:
Paper towels
Polish remover
Cotton balls
Clear polish
Red polish
Orange polish
Yellow polish
Purple polish
Pink polish
What you do:
1. Put some paper towels on the floor so you don’t have to worry about spilling polish. (Once, Aly spilled while she was painting my toes, and Mom got so, so mad and we still have a purple splotch on our carpet!)
2. Take one cotton ball and put some polish remover on it. If you have polish on your toes already, use enough to get it off. If you don’t, just rub the remover over your nails to get off any dirt that might be on there. (Even if you can’t see it very well, there still might be dirt!)
3. Rip off two paper towels. Twist the first one into a long tube and weave it back and forth between your toes to separate them a little bit more. Then do the same thing with the second paper towel for your other foot. You might need to tuck it in around your pinkie toe if it pops up and gets in your way while you polish.
4. Open up your clear polish and do a coat of clear on each nail. Then close the clear bottle up tight. (Aly usually starts with my big toes and works her way to my pinkies. You might want to do that too.)
5. Open up the red polish. Do a coat on each big toe. (When you’re finished with each color, be sure to close the bottle up tight.) Open up the orange polish. Do a coat on each pointer toe. Open up the yellow polish. Do a coat on each middle toe. Open up the purple polish. Do a coat on each ring toe. Open up the pink polish. Do a coat on each pinkie toe.
6. Fan your toes a little to dry them a tiny bit, and then repeat step five. (This is when your colors start to look very bright—and sparkly if you have sparkle polish!)
7. Fan your toes a little again, and then open your clear polish. Do a top coat of clear polish on all your toes. Be sure to close the bottle up tight. (You can go in the same order you did last time!)
8. Now your toes have to dry. You can fan them for a long time, or sit and make a bracelet or read a book or watch TV or talk to your friend. Usually it takes about twenty minutes, but it could take longer. (After twenty minutes, you should check the polish really carefully by touching your big toe super lightly with your thumb. If it still feels sticky, keep waiting so you don’t have to redo any nails!)
And now you should have a beautiful pedicure! Even after the polish is dry, you probably shouldn’t wear socks and sneaker-type shoes for a while. Bare feet or sandals are better so all your hard work doesn’t get smooshed. (And besides, then you can show people how fancy your toes look!)
Happy polishing!
JILL SANTOPOLO is a big fan of sparkles. She’s also a big fan of sisters. And spas. And writing. In addition to the Sparkle Spa books, she’s the author of the Alec Flint Mysteries. You can find her online at www.jillsantopolo.com. Or you can find her in person in New York City, where she likes getting her nails painted with Good as Gold nail polish.
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Read more Sparkle Spa books!
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ALADDIN
SIMON & SCHUSTER, NEW YORK
Meet the author, watch videos, and get extras at
KIDS.SimonandSchuster.com
authors.simonandschuster.com/Jill-Santopolo
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.
An imprint of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing Division
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www.SimonandSchuster.com
First Aladdin hardcover edition February 2014
Text copyright © 2014 by Simon & Schuster, Inc.
Jacket
illustrations and interior spot illustrations copyright © 2014 by Cathi Mingus
Jacket designed by Jeanine Henderson
Jacket illustrations copyright © 2014 by Cathi Mingus
Book design by Jeanine Henderson
All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form.
ALADDIN is a trademark of Simon & Schuster, Inc., and related logo is a registered trademark of Simon & Schuster, Inc.
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The text of this book was set in Adobe Caslon.
Library of Congress Control Number 2013949501
ISBN 978-1-4424-7381-2 (hc)
ISBN 978-1-4424-7380-5 (pbk)
ISBN 978-1-4424-7382-9 (eBook)
All That Glitters Page 6