Wish Upon a Friend
Page 3
The puppy wagged his tail, and tried to take the ball in his mouth. It was too big, so he pushed it with his nose. The kids all laughed and headed off in different directions.
Just then, Bert walked up to the cotton candy stall, leading Coco the donkey. “Thank you for helping me today, Cassie,” he said. “Did you have fun?”
“Oh, yes!” cried Cassie. She was relieved that Bert hadn’t spotted them flying through the air! “We had a great afternoon. Now it’s time for us to go home.”
Alex carried Comet’s present, and the three of them headed up the hill toward Starwatcher Towers. Cassie couldn’t stop smiling. She’d helped Bert with the cotton candy, and she’d helped Rosie get over her fear of dogs.
Her heart skipped a beat. She’d helped two people, hadn’t she? Then maybe . . . ? She spun her bracelet around on her wrist.
But there was no new charm.
“What’s so interesting about that bracelet?” Alex asked. “You keep looking at it.”
“It’s hard to explain,” Cassie said. “All I can say is that it’s important for me to help people — like I helped Rosie not be afraid of dogs.”
Alex frowned. “What does the bracelet have to do with that?” he asked.
Cassie changed the subject. “Look, we’re home.” She opened the gate. “Let’s see if Mom’s been baking.”
Alex unclipped the puppy’s leash and dropped his driftwood ball. Comet’s tail wagged madly. “Ruff! Ruff!”
“He’s scaring Twinkle!” said Cassie.
In the nearby garden, the cat arched his back. His fur stood up like brush bristles.
Comet wasn’t afraid of him. He nudged the driftwood ball with his nose. It rolled toward Twinkle. When it stopped, the cat reached out a paw to pat it.
“He likes it,” whispered Cassie.
Comet dashed forward and pushed the ball again. This time, Twinkle chased it and batted it with his paw.
“They’re playing,” said Cassie. “I can’t believe it! Twinkle doesn’t usually like strangers.”
Alex watched the puppy and the cat chase the ball around the garden. “They’re not strangers anymore — they’re friends.” He looked down, scuffing the grass with his shoe. “I wish I had a new friend, too.”
Cassie remembered how she’d thought Alex was unfriendly at first, but now she knew he was just shy. She was about to say something when it dawned on her — Alex had made a wish. And she was making it come true!
She grinned. “You do have a new friend,” she said. “Me!”
Alex looked up and gave Cassie an enormous smile.
“Wait here,” said Cassie. She ran into the kitchen, where she found trays of freshly baked cookies. Cassie took two cookies out to the garden. “One for me, and the biggest one for you,” she said to Alex, “to celebrate our friendship.”
A tingle ran up her arm.
“Huh?” Alex pointed to her wrist.
Her bracelet was glowing!
“Wow!” Cassie was so excited to see a new charm appear there — a crescent moon! Its beautiful shimmer reminded her of the real moon she’d seen as they flew among the clouds.
Alex’s eyes widened. “What’s happening?” He looked at the bracelet, then at Cassie.
She decided to let Alex in on her secret. He was her friend, after all. “Sit down, and I’ll tell you all about it. It’s not science — it’s magic!”
She explained about Stella Starkeeper, and how the charms were part of becoming a Lucky Star.
“They help me make wishes come true.” Cassie looked at her new charm. “The bird charm gave me the power to fly, and we had such a good time up in the clouds that now we’re friends — and your wish came true!”
They nibbled their cookies quietly for a moment, watching Comet and Twinkle play with the driftwood ball.
“So we really were flying?” said Alex.
“Yes, really.” Cassie smiled. “It must be hard for you to believe in magic.”
He nodded, looking thoughtful. “I’m used to finding logical explanations,” he said.
Cassie nudged him. “Well, you can use your super-scientific brain to help me make the next person’s wish come true.”
Twinkle was carefully licking Comet’s floppy ears clean.
“I’m really glad you and Comet are staying at Starwatcher Towers,” said Cassie.
Alex grinned. “Me, too!”
Later, when Mom and Dad had kissed Cassie good night, she slipped out of bed and picked up Twinkle. She rose with him toward her glass ceiling and floated there, gazing at the stars.
“Who will make a wish next, Twinkle?” she wondered. “And what power does my new moon charm have?”
As she drifted down to bed, the soft, clear voice of Stella Starkeeper floated across the twinkling sky. “Good night, Lucky Star!”
You can make your own sparkly star wand, just like Stella Starkeeper’s! Here’s how:
You Need:
• A pencil
• Scissors
• A piece of sturdy cardboard
• Glue
• One wooden dowel rod, about 12 inches long
• Silver aluminum foil
• Ribbon in your favorite color
1. Draw a star on the cardboard and cut it out. Using that star as a stencil, trace it on the remaining cardboard and cut it out, so you have two identical cardboard stars.
2. Lay one star facedown and spread glue on the side that’s facing you. Place your wooden dowel flat in the center of the star, with 10 inches of the dowel sticking out the bottom. Place your other star on top and push, so it sticks to the glue on the bottom star.
3. Take a sheet of silver aluminum foil and wrap it around the star, molding it to fit.
4. Finish your wand by tying a ribbon below the star, or wrapping it around the dowel. Now you’re a Lucky Star!
Cassie’s magical adventures are just beginning! Can she make another wish come true? Take a sneak peek at
Wish Upon a Pet!
Lucky Stars #2
Wish Upon a Pet
“Wow! That wind is strong!” Cassie said. She laughed as a star-patterned pillowcase blew off the clothesline and into her face.
The two charms on Cassie’s silver bracelet jangled as she hung the pillowcase back on the line. She glanced at the charms — a tiny bird and a crescent moon — and smiled. Their magic helped her make special wishes come true! I hope I meet someone with a wish today, she thought.
“When we offered to help your mom hang up the laundry, I didn’t expect to have to chase it around the yard!” called her friend Alex.
Cassie looked up to see him collecting three socks that had blown into an apple tree. She laughed.
The catflap in the back door clattered. Out ran Alex’s fluffy white puppy, Comet, followed by Cassie’s cat, Twinkle. The pets had become friends, too — just like Cassie and Alex!
Cassie stroked Twinkle’s black fur.
“Meowwww,” he yowled.
“Ruff!” barked Comet.
Cassie brushed her long hair out of her eyes. “You two should stay inside,” she told the animals. “You might blow away!”
“Only if the wind’s strong enough,” said Alex, stroking his chin. “I’ll get my anemometer, so I can measure the wind speed.” He ran inside. The wind banged the door shut behind him.
Cassie threw another towel over the line. As she held it down with a clothespin, she noticed a bright light shining through the clouds overhead. Is that a star? Cassie wondered. In the morning?
Cassie’s dad had taught her a lot about the stars. She knew that you couldn’t usually see them in daytime, because the sun was too bright. But as she watched, this star seemed to be whirling down toward her!
With a whoosh and a whiz and a fizz-fizz-fizz, the star was suddenly next to her in a flurry of silver sparkles. It grew into a column of dazzling light and then changed into —
“Stella Starkeeper!” cried Cassie. “You’re back!”
#1: Wish Upon a Friend
#2: Wish Upon a Pet
#3: Wish Upon a Song
#4: Wish Upon a Party
#5: Wish Upon a Superstar
#6: Wish Upon a Gift
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e-ISBN 978-0-545-44301-2
Text copyright © 2012 by Working Partners Limited
Cover art © 2012 by Scholastic Inc.
Interior art copyright © 2012 by Karen Donnelly
All rights reserved. Published by Scholastic Inc., 557 Broadway, New York, NY 10012, by arrangement with Working Partners Limited. Series created by Working Partners Limited, London.
SCHOLASTIC and associated logos are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Scholastic Inc. LUCKY STARS is a trademark of Working Partners Limited.
First Scholastic printing, July 2012
Cover art by Jo Taylor
Cover design by Yaffa Jaskoll