Rainbow Swirl

by Helen Perelman

  READ ALL THE CANDY FAIRIES BOOKS!

  Chocolate Dreams

  COMING SOON:

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  ALADDIN

  NEW YORK LONDON TORONTO SYDNEY

  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.”

  This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real locales are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  ALADDIN

  An imprint of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing Division

  1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020

  www.SimonandSchuster.com

  First Aladdin paperback edition January 2010

  Text copyrightright © 2010 by Helen Perelman

  Illustrations copyrightright © 2010 by Erica-Jane Waters

  All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form.

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  Designed by Karin Paprocki

  The text of this book was set in Berthold Baskerville Book.

  Manufactured in the United States of America

  1209 OFF

  2 4 6 8 10 9 7 5 3 1

  Library of Congress Control Number 2009019981

  ISBN 978-1-4169-9455-8

  ISBN 978-1-4169-9870-9 (eBook)

  For Emily Lawrence,

  an editor sure as sugar!

  Contents

  CHAPTER 1 Gummy Dreams

  CHAPTER 2 Sun Dip Treats

  CHAPTER 3 Candy Spirit

  CHAPTER 4 Sweet Sign-up

  CHAPTER 5 Bitter Words

  CHAPTER 6 A Sour Sight

  CHAPTER 7 A Berry Surprise

  CHAPTER 8 Candy Fair

  CHAPTER 9 Tasty Tastings

  CHAPTER 10 The Sweetest Award

  CHAPTER 1

  Gummy Dreams

  Raina, a Gummy Fairy, grinned as she flew over Gummy Forest. Sweet, fruity smells filled the air as she glided down into the forest. She loved the colorful gummy trees and gummy wildflowers that filled her home. From the sky above, the forest was a beautiful rainbow patchwork.

  “Lunchtime!” Raina sang out. She swooped down to Gummy Lake in the middle of the forest.

  Raina was in charge of taking care of the gummy animals. All of the animals, from the adorable gummy bears to the mischievous gummy fish, loved her. Her kind and patient nature made her perfect for the job.

  “Come and eat,” Raina called. She flew over Gummy Lake, sprinkling flavor flakes in the water for the fish.

  A swarm of bright red, green, yellow, and orange gummy fish surfaced and gobbled up the food.

  Every day at the same time Raina would give the gummy fish their flavor flakes. The Fairy Code stated that gummy fish needed one serving of flavoring a day. Raina had memorized the Fairy Code Book. Some of her fairy friends made fun of her for following the rules so closely. Berry, a Fruit Fairy, and Dash, a Mint Fairy, were not big on following codes and rules. But Raina liked order and rules.

  After giving the gummy fish their lunch, Raina poured the rest of the flavor flakes into a hollowed-out gummy log for the gummy bears. Then she poured in some sweet syrup to make a sticky mixture. She rubbed her hands on her dress. A few more flavor flakes stuck on her dress wouldn’t matter. Her dress already had every color of the rainbow!

  Raina was named after the Great Rainbow that appeared the day she was born. Because she was born under the rainbow, she loved bright colors—which was part of the reason she loved Gummy Forest so much.

  She blew a few notes on her red candy whistle, and the little gummy bears came out of their caves. The cheerful little bears all lined up at the tree to get a scoop of their sticky treat. Raina made extra sure their food mixture was as sweet as honey.

  The bears all reached out their paws to get their share. A little red bear slurped down his portion quickly.

  “Slowly,” Raina said gently. She patted the little red cub on the head. “Nokie, I know that you’re hungry, but there’s plenty here.”

  The red bear took his scoop and then waddled over to the gummy tree to lick his paws.

  Raina smiled at the line of cute bears. Of all the gummy animals, she liked the gummy bear cubs the best. With their plump bellies and jolly personalities, the bears were fun to be around. Especially little Nokie.

  Raina looked over at the tree behind her to see the young cub eating. Nokie was always first in line for feedings. Raina smiled at the bright red cub. Then she tucked her long, straight dark hair behind her ears and began to scoop out the food for each of the bears.

  “Hi, Raina!” Berry called out. The Fruit Fairy flew down through the gummy trees and landed next to her friend. “I thought I would find you here.” She pointed to the line of bears. “I see it’s feeding time,” she said, smiling. Berry liked the gummy cubs too.

  “Right on schedule,” Raina replied happily. She grinned at the beautiful Fruit Fairy. Berry’s raspberry-colored dress wasn’t stained or creased, like Raina’s dress. And sparkly sugarcoated fruit-chew clips held her hair in a perfect bun. Berry always looked her best.

  “What brings you to Gummy Forest?” Raina asked.

  Berry reached into the bag that was slung around her shoulder. “I am delivering some fresh strawberry syrup,” she replied. She held out a jar. When the sun hit it, the red liquid inside glowed. “I just made the syrup this morning. It’s berry fresh,” she said, giggling.

  “Perfect,” Raina replied. “I’m sure Miro will be happy to have that. She’s over by the gummy flower patch.” She pointed to the young Gummy Fairy watering a bunch of seedlings. “She’ll be glad to get the new flavor for the flower garden.”

  “Thanks,” Berry said. She put the jar back in her bag for safekeeping.

  When the last gummy bear had his serving, Berry helped Raina clean up. Together, they carried the gummy bears’ feeding log over to the lake to wash it.

  “Have you decided what you are going to make for Candy Fair this year?” Berry asked as she scrubbed the inside of the log clean.

  Raina nodded her head quickly. Candy Fair was all she had been thinking about! She had been doing research, trying to find just the right new candy to make for the fair.

  “I want to make a new candy,” Raina replied. “Something extraordinary!”

  Candy Fair was a spring event that was held every four years at the Candy Castle. All the fairies throughout Sugar Valley displayed their candy in the Royal Gardens. White tents were set up, and each fairy had a booth to show her candy. Fairy Princess Lolli was the fairy who ruled over Candy Kingdom, and she sampled all the candy. The princess and her Royal Fairy advisers gave the fairy with the best candy the honor of the sugar medal. They had a difficult job, but they each had a very good sense of taste and were extremely fair.

  This year Raina wanted that medal more than anything. It would be the first year that she was competing. Four years ago s
he was not old enough. But this year was a different story. This year she not only wanted to show candy, she wanted to win.

  Raina had another reason for wanting to win so badly. No Gummy Fairy had ever won the sugar medal. In all the books that Raina had read, she couldn’t find one time that a Gummy Fairy had received the first-place honor. The medal usually went to a Chocolate Fairy, and there were a few years that other fairies had won. But never a Gummy Fairy. This seemed unfair to Raina. This year Raina vowed to make the outcome of Candy Fair different.

  “I want to be the first Gummy Fairy to win the sugar medal!” Raina exclaimed. She grinned at her friend. She hoped her dream of winning would come true. “What about you? Have you decided what you are going to make?”

  Berry spread her pink wings. “I’m not sure,” she said. She looked down at her sparkly shoes. “We’ll see.”

  “We always said that we’d all make candy for the fair,” Raina said. She shook her head in disbelief. “How could you not make something?” she asked.

  Berry looked down at the ground. She didn’t answer Raina’s question. She didn’t have the right words. She knew how Raina felt about Candy Fair. The problem was that she didn’t feel the same way.

  Berry lifted up the end of the log and placed it on the ground. “So what are you going to make?” she asked, changing the subject. “You need to decide soon.”

  “I’m still doing research,” Raina said. “But you can be sure as sugar that this year a Gummy Fairy is going to win Candy Fair!”

  CHAPTER 2

  Sun Dip Treats

  A few days later Raina flew quickly toward Red Licorice Lake. The large yellow sun was beginning to dip below the Frosted Mountains. Raina couldn’t wait to see her friends. She was excited about a new gummy candy she had grown. She was carrying a sample of her new candy to Sun Dip.

  Sun Dip was a time for all the fairies to nibble on candy and rejoice in another day in Sugar Valley. And maybe today try a new gummy candy that would win first prize at Candy Fair. Raina hoped her friends would like the new sweet treat.

  The sky was full of swirls of orange, pink, and a touch of lavender. Sun Dip was Raina’s favorite time of day. All the scents in Sugar Valley were the strongest in the early evening. The gentle winds blew sweet smells from all areas of the valley. Sun Dip was the perfect time for fairies to come together and visit. Work was done for the day, and all the fairies enjoyed the quiet time with their friends.

  Raina and her friends gathered at the hill on Lollipop Landing near Fruit Chew Meadow. On the hill the friends could sit and watch the sun dip below the mountains. Between the colorful lollipops and the rolling meadow full of fruit chews, the area was a favorite spot for the friends.

  “Hi, Raina!” Melli called out, waving to her. The Caramel Fairy was sitting on a large, round purple fruit chew.

  “Hi,” Raina said. She landed next to her friend and held out her basket. She couldn’t wait for Melli to have a taste.

  “Oh, what did you bring?” Melli asked. She looked into the basket.

  “Try some of my new gummy berries,” Raina told her. She took the cloth off her basket to show Melli. The basket was full of all different colors of strawberry-shaped gummy berries.

  “You grew these?” Melli said, and gasped. “Raina, these look sensational. I’ve never seen so many different colors of berries.”

  “Taste one,” Raina said. “I hope you’ll like them.” She handed Melli a bright blue berry.

  As soon as Melli popped the berry in her mouth, her eyes grew wide. “Sweet sugar!” she cried. “This is delicious!”

  Raina beamed with pride. She knew the strawberry-shaped candy looked pretty. But in order to win the sugar medal, the candy had to taste good too.

  “Is this what you are going to show at Candy Fair?” Melli asked. “They look like strawberries, but they don’t taste like strawberries. And so many colors! This one was very tasty.”

  “Thank you,” Raina said. “I’ve been researching, and I can’t find any other gummy berries in the Fairy Code Book.” She pulled a stack of books from her bag. “Actually, I haven’t been able to find any gummy berries in any of these books.”

  Melli glanced at the pile of books in front of Raina. She kept pulling more and more books out of her bag: Fairy Foods, The Joy of Sugar, Gummy Gigi’s Treats, and Berry Delicious Sweets.

  “You’ve certainly done your research,” Melli said, nodding her head. She stared at the tall stack of books in front of Raina.

  “Where’s Cocoa?” Raina asked. She looked around for the Chocolate Fairy.

  Cocoa the Chocolate Fairy would never sugarcoat the truth. If she didn’t like the candy, she would tell Raina.

  “Right behind you,” Cocoa said, laughing. She tapped Raina on the shoulder.

  Raina should have known that wherever Melli was, Cocoa wasn’t far behind. The two fairies were always together.

  “Hi, Cocoa,” Raina said. She loved Cocoa’s long dark curls. Her own dark hair was just as long, but it was stick straight.

  Cocoa peered inside Raina’s basket. “What did you bring?” she asked. “Gummy berries?”

  “Yes, they are all different-flavored berries. I changed strawberries into flavored gummy berries!” Raina declared.

  “She’s going to show them at Candy Fair,” Melli added.

  “Chocolate sprinkles, Raina!” Cocoa ex-claimed. “Melli and I haven’t even thought of what we’re going to do yet. And you already have your candy!”

  “Well, I’ve been trying out some new things,” Raina confessed. She held out the basket to her friend. “Try one.”

  Raina waited as Cocoa popped one in her mouth. She watched as Cocoa swished the candy around her mouth and then swallowed.

  “Well?” Raina asked. She couldn’t stand waiting!

  “Choc-o-rific!” Cocoa shouted.

  Fluttering her red wings, Raina raised her feet off the ground. “Really? You like them?”

  Cocoa nodded her head. “Good work,” she said. “Did you find these in one of your books?”

  “No,” Raina said. “I wanted to make sure no one had ever created these candies before. The best chance for the sugar medal is to come up with something totally new.”

  Melli and Cocoa shared a look. When Raina got focused on a task, she had a one-track fairy mind.

  “Hello, fairies,” Dash greeted her friends. Most Mint Fairies were small, but Dash was the smallest in Sugar Valley. Though she was tiny, she had a big personality—and appetite. She straightened her white dress and settled down to snack on some of Cocoa’s chocolate squares.

  “Slow down,” Cocoa said, laughing. “I brought those for everyone to share.”

  Dash giggled. “Sorry!” she said. She licked her fingers. “These are my favorites, you know.”

  “Dash, you say that about every candy!” Melli said, smiling. Then she noticed a small rip in Dash’s dress. “Dash, what happened to your dress?” she asked.

  “Oh, it’s nothing,” Dash said. She fluttered her silver wings. “I just got it caught when I was testing out my new sled.”

  “Sled?” Cocoa asked. “It’s springtime, Dash! Haven’t you noticed?”

  “Winter is a long time away,” Raina added.

  Dash shrugged. She loved marshmallow sledding. She had won the Sugar Valley sledding competition two years in a row. Winter couldn’t come fast enough for her.

  “Yum, what are those?” Dash asked. She peered inside Raina’s basket of gummy berries.

  “Try one,” Raina said. She held the basket up for Dash to take a berry.

  “Holy peppermint!” Dash cried after she ate one. “These are yummy. Where’d you find them?”

  Spreading her wings proudly, Raina smiled. “I grew them especially for Candy Fair.”

  “Nice job,” Dash said, reaching for another.

  Raina looked up in the sky. “Where’s Berry?” she asked. “I wanted her to try one.”

  Usually Berry was the last fair
y to arrive since she took the longest to get ready. But the sun was already down. Sun Dip would be over very soon.

  “I’m sure she’ll be here soon,” Melli said. She put her hand on Raina’s shoulder. “You know Berry is always late.”

  “Can I have another one of those berries?” Dash asked.

  Raina smiled. She held out her basket. She was feeling good about her candy, but she wanted one more opinion. She looked to the sunset sky, hoping to see Berry … soon.

  CHAPTER 3

  Candy Spirit

  I see Berry,” Raina said, squinting. She pointed up in the darkening sky.

  “I wonder what she’s got in her basket?” Dash asked, looking up. “Maybe she has a new candy for the fair too.”

  “Oh, Dash,” Melli said, laughing.

  “Or maybe she’s bringing some fruit leather!” Dash said excitedly. She jumped to her feet. Her large blue eyes were sparkling. “Those are my favorite.”

  Melli, Cocoa, and Raina all laughed. Every candy was Dash’s favorite.

  “Hi, everyone,” Berry said cheerfully. “I’ve got to show you these amazing fruit chews.” Before she even landed on her feet, she was showing off her sparkling candy jewels. “This new crop is the best ever. Look at these!”

  “Oh, Berry,” Melli said, looking at the candy. “These are beautiful. You’re right. These are all supersparkly.”

  “Are you going to show those at Candy Fair this year?” Raina asked.

  Berry started to laugh. “Sweet sugar!” she cried. “These are not for eating.” She scooped up the candy and placed the jewels back in her basket. “These are going to be the jewels in my new necklace.”

  “I don’t know,” Dash said, looking over. “They look good enough to eat.”

  Berry rolled her eyes, and then a smile spread across her face. “Everything looks good enough for you to eat, Dash!”

  “I’m serious,” Raina said. “The rules of Candy Fair aren’t only about the best-tasting candy. You can get an honorable mention for color and shape as well.”