Mini Sweets
Page 4
“You’re right,” Berry said. She looked at Princess Mini. The baby wrinkled her nose and pointed at Berry. “Beeerrrry!” she said, stretching out her arms.
“I think she wants to play,” Princess Lolli said. She flew over to Mini and then placed her down on a blanket. Mini picked up her fairy doll and gave it a big hug. “She loves this doll you made her, Berry.”
Berry laughed. She watched how Mini played with the doll. She sat down on the blanket and played with her.
“Princess Lolli, is the ball still happening?” Melli asked. “We were wondering.”
“Sure as sugar,” Princess Lolli said, reaching down and scooping up the baby. “This little one has a big day ahead of her tomorrow.”
Berry glanced over at her friends. With all the sneezing and candy messes to clean up, they had forgotten their promise of getting the sugar for the sugar bowl!
Sugar Bowl Surprise
Berry signaled to Raina and Cocoa to get Dash and Melli’s attention. In a flash, the five fairies were out the window of Princess Mini’s nursery.
“Princess Mini should rest, so we’ll be going,” Berry called over her shoulder. “We’ll be back soon!”
“What is the big emergency?” Dash asked when they were outside.
“The sugar for the sugar bowl!” Berry exclaimed. “We forgot to get the sugar!”
“Holy mint!” Dash exclaimed. “How could we have forgotten such an important task?”
Cocoa shrugged. “We have been a little busy,” she said.
“We’d be in sticky syrup if we showed up to the ball without the sugar for the sugar bowl!” Raina said.
Berry waved her friends on to follow her. “We have to get to the sugar mines now,” she said. “Only the cleanest sugar should be used.”
“You’re right,” Raina said. “Let’s go.”
The five friends flew to the sugar mines at the end of Caramel Hills. They each took a sack of the finest sugar.
“What kind of chocolate do you think she’ll make?” Dash asked.
“I made chocolate squares,” Cocoa boasted. “But in time, Mini will learn all different kinds of chocolate candies.”
Berry couldn’t help feeling a tiny bit sad. She wished that she could be imagining the type of fruit candy that the princess would make at her party. But then she watched her friends giggling and talking together: none of them had the same talent, and yet they were all such good friends. She felt her wings relax and she flew over to join in on the fun.
They delivered the sugar to one of the castle guards. Now that it was midday, Berry knew Princess Mini would be ready to take a stroll in the gardens.
“Let’s go see if we can take Princess Mini out before she needs to get ready for the party,” Berry said.
“And before we have to get ready!” Melli exclaimed. “I’m going to need time to get dressed.”
“Me too,” Berry said, giggling.
Princess Lolli was happy to see the Candy Fairies in the nursery. “I would love you to take Princess Mini outside for a little while,” she said. “Now that Mini is feeling better, she should get some fresh air.” She wrapped Mini in her new purple cape.
Berry was full of pride. She felt good that Princess Lolli had chosen Berry’s cape for Princess Mini to wear at the ball. She went to help her with the royal carriage.
“You know,” Princess Lolli said softly to Berry, “she may not be a Fruit Fairy, but that doesn’t mean you can’t teach her things.”
Berry smiled. “Thank you for saying that,” she said. “I guess my hopes for another Fruit Fairy royal were a bit too high.”
Princess Lolli put Mini in her stroller. “You have a special place in her heart already,” she said. “Thank you for taking such great care of her.” She turned to the others. “Have her back before her midday nap,” she told the fairysitters.
“Sure as sugar,” Berry sang out.
They flew out the nursery window with the carriage and went down to the Royal Gardens.
“Let’s go to Red Licorice Lake,” Berry said. “The red sugar sand on the north side of the lake is my favorite place in Candy Kingdom.”
Princess Mini grinned. “Me go!”
“Yes, you go,” Berry said.
At the lake, Melli spread a blanket out along the red sugar sands. The Candy Fairies sat with Princess Mini on the shore and watched the water.
“How many Sun Dips have we watched here?” Berry asked.
“I’ve lost count by now,” Dash said. “There have been so many Sun Dips here.”
“Supersweet times,” Raina said.
“Do you think Princess Mini will come here to watch Sun Dip with her friends?” Cocoa asked.
“I hope she has friends like all of you,” Melli said.
“Me too,” Berry added.
Cocoa looked toward the Frosted Mountains. “It feels funny to be here when it’s not Sun Dip.”
“It feels special,” Berry said. “And it’s a special day, right Mini?”
Mini sat up and waved her cupcake rattle.
“She already looks like a princess,” Melli said.
The friends laughed together and enjoyed the view of the Frosted Mountains.
When the five fairysitters returned to the nursery, Princess Mini was asleep in her stroller. Prince Scoop lifted her up and placed her in her crib.
As a special treat, Princess Lolli had a Candy Fairy come to do the five fairysitter’s hair for the ball. Fancy twists and lots of sugar sparkle were used. And when the fairies put on Berry’s dresses, Berry stood back and admired how her friends looked.
“Sweet strawberries!” Berry exclaimed. “You look sweet-tacular!”
“We look great, don’t we?” Raina said, gazing at her reflection in the large mirror.
“Sure as sugar,” Berry said. “You are the sweetest Candy Fairies. And you wear those dresses very well.”
After the last sparkle hair clips were put in and the buttons on Berry’s dress were all fastened, the five friends headed down to the ballroom in Candy Castle.
The room decorations were colorful candies and lollipops. All the tables were covered in bright fruit leather cloths. The room looked—and smelled—extra sweet.
“This is going to be a grand party,” Berry declared.
“Holy peppermint!” Dash exclaimed. She pointed to the stage in front of the room. “Look at the size of that sugar bowl!”
“Wow,” Cocoa gasped. “That is a royally big bowl.”
The golden sugar bowl was placed on a long table at the front of the room. The sugar in it was sparkling like jewels.
Soon the room started to fill up and the ball was in full swing. Berry loved seeing how happy and proud Princess Lolli and Prince Scoop were as they greeted all the guests. Mini’s royal grandparents, Queen Swirl and King Cone, and Queen Sweetie and King Crunch, were there as well as Princess Sprinkle from Cupcake Kingdom. Princess Mini looked beautiful sitting in her royal highchair on the stage. Berry smiled when she noticed that Mini was holding the fairy doll she had made for her.
Two Castle Fairies blew trumpets and the crowd quieted down. It was sugar bowl time!
“Good thing we didn’t forget the sugar,” Dash whispered to Berry.
“I know!” Berry exclaimed. “I am so excited for the big moment!”
Princess Lolli carried Mini over to the golden bowl. Her tiny crown sparkled. Prince Scoop stood next to Princess Lolli with a huge grin on his face. Mini reached her hands toward the sugar. There wasn’t a sound in the large ballroom as everyone waited. In an instant, the plain sugar changed to chocolate.
“Mini chocolate chips!” Prince Scoop announced when he saw what was in the bowl. “That’s perfect for candy and ice cream!” He held up the bowl for all to see.
“A sweet talent for the sweetest princess,” Princess Lolli said, hugging her baby.
“She fits in just perfectly with the royal family,” Berry said, watching the three happy royals.
The room was filled with cheers.
“She’s a doubly sweet fairy!” Princess Lolli declared. She looked over at Berry and winked.
“Princess Mini is the perfect addition to the royal family and to Candy Kingdom,” Berry said. “I can’t wait to taste her chocolate and to see what she creates.”
The Candy Fairies all continued to celebrate. It was a festive day in Sugar Valley for all fairies. Everyone’s hearts were filled with sweet pride for the newest Candy Fairy and the Chocolate Chip Princess.
Helen Perelman enjoys candy from all parts of Sugar Valley, but jelly beans, red licorice, and gummy fish are her favorites. She worked in a children’s bookstore and was a children’s book editor . . . but, sadly, she never worked in a candy store. She now writes full time in New York, where she lives with her husband and two daughters. Visit her online at www.helenperelman.com.
Aladdin
Simon & Schuster, New York
Visit us at simonandschuster.com/kids
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READ ALL THE CANDY FAIRIES BOOKS!
Chocolate Dreams
Rainbow Swirl
Caramel Moon
Cool Mint
Magic Hearts
Gooey Goblins
The Sugar Ball
A Valentine’s Surprise
Bubble Gum Rescue
Double Dip
Jelly Bean Jumble
The Chocolate Rose
A Royal Wedding
Marshmallow Mystery
Frozen Treats
The Sugar Cup
Sweet Secrets
Taffy Trouble
The Coconut Clue
Rock Candy Treasure
A Minty Mess
The Peppermint Princess
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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First Aladdin paperback edition January 2017
Text copyright © 2017 by Helen Perelman
Illustrations copyright © 2017 by Erica-Jane Waters
Also available in an Aladdin hardcover edition.
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Cover designed by Karina Granda
Interior designed by Nina Simoneaux
The text of this book was set in Baskerville Book.
Library of Congress Control Number 2016953370
ISBN 978-1-4814-4684-6 (hc)
ISBN 978-1-4814-4683-9 (pbk)
ISBN 978-1-4814-4685-3 (eBook)