The Amazing Stardust Friends #1: Step Into the Spotlight! (A Branches Book)

Home > Other > The Amazing Stardust Friends #1: Step Into the Spotlight! (A Branches Book) > Page 1
The Amazing Stardust Friends #1: Step Into the Spotlight! (A Branches Book) Page 1

by Heather Alexander




  HEATHER

  ALEXANDER

  STEP INTO THE SPOTLIGHT!

  THE AMAZING

  STARDUST

  FRIENDS

  STEP INTO THE SPOTLIGHT!

  By Heather Alexander

  Illustrated by Diane Le Feyer

  READ ALL ABOUT

  THE AMAZING

  STARDUST

  FRIENDS

  1

  2

  1: Big, Sparkly Dream . . . . . . . . 1

  2: Home, Sweet Train . . . . . . . . . 8

  3: The Pie Car . . . . . . . . . . .14

  4: The Stardust Girls! . . . . . . 19

  5: Let’s Make a Deal . . . . . . . . . 25

  6: Crazy Circus School . . . . . 29

  7: Lunch Bunch . . . . . . . . . . .36

  8: Let’s Dance! . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

  9: Who Are You? . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

  10 : Rainbow Fairy Clown . . . . . . 51

  11 : Flip, Flop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .58

  12: Downward Dog . . . . . . . . . 67

  13 : Add Sparkle . . . . . . . . . . . . .73

  14 : Bump a Nose . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79

  15: AMAZING! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84

  For my sparkly niece, Marlo — H.A.

  To my sweet, sweet darling Gaïa — D.L.

  All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. No part of this

  publication may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in

  or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether

  electronic or mechanical, now known or hereafter invented, without the express written permission of

  the publisher. For information regarding permission, write to Scholastic Inc., Attention: Permissions

  Department, 557 Broadway, New York, NY 10012.

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

  Alexander, Heather, 1967-

  Step into the spotlight! / by Heather Alexander ; illustrated by Diane Le Feyer.

  pages cm. — (The Amazing Stardust Friends ; [1])

  Summary: Bella, Carly, and Allie live and work at the Stardust Circus,

  and when Marlo arrives, eager to make friends and become part of the show,

  she tries aerial arts, juggling, and even dog training as she tries to find

  her own special talent, with lots of help from the other girls.

  ISBN 0-545-75752-5 (pbk.) — ISBN 0-545-75753-3 (hardcover) —

  ISBN 978-0-545-76090-4 (ebook) [1. Circus—Fiction. 2. Ability—

  Fiction. 3. Friendship—Fiction.] I. Le Feyer, Diane, illustrator. II. Title.

  PZ7.A37717Bri 2015

  [Fic]—dc23

  2014017063

  ISBN 978-0-545-75753-9 (hardcover) / ISBN 978-0-545-75752-2 (paperback)

  Text copyright © 2015 by Heather Alexander, L.L.C.

  Interior illustrations copyright © 2015 by Scholastic Inc.

  All rights reserved. Published by Scholastic Inc.

  SCHOLASTIC, BRANCHES, and associated logos are trademarks and/or

  registered trademarks of Scholastic Inc.

  First Scholastic printing, January 2015

  Illustrated by Diane Le Feyer

  Book design by David DeWitt

  Edited by Katie Carella

  L ook! That girl is flying!” I cried.

  She soared over my head. Her shiny blue

  leotard sparkled in the spotlight. Her dark hair

  was pulled into a glittery bun.

  She was up so high. Almost at the ceiling!

  Loud music filled the big tent. I bounced to

  the beat.

  1

  Big, Sparkly Dream

  My mom sat next to me. She looked up at

  the flying girl, too. “I love the trapeze, Marlo!”

  she shouted over the music. “It’s my favorite

  part of the circus!”

  I had waited for weeks and weeks to see the

  circus. And I had waited for weeks and weeks

  for what was going to happen after tonight’s

  show.

  That’s when I was starting a new life.

  A whole new, sparkly, amazing life for me—

  Marlo Sophia Sommer!

  I was joining the famous Stardust Circus! For

  real!

  Living with the circus would be exciting, and

  a little scary.

  I took a huge bite of my pink cotton candy. I

  let it melt on my tongue.

  “Ladies and gentlemen!”

  Liam the Ringmaster

  called into a

  microphone.

  His job was to

  introduce each act.

  He wore a red silk

  top hat and a red

  vest. Liam gave my

  mom her new job at

  the circus.

  “Are you ready for

  BIG fun?” Liam called

  to the crowd.

  “Yes!” everyone cried.

  “Then put your hands together for the

  last act in tonight’s show. The fabulous

  Stardust Circus parade!” Liam called.

  The crowd clapped and cheered.

  “Whoo-hoo!” I stomped my feet.

  A girl my age galloped in on a

  snowy-white horse. The horse’s

  mane and tail were braided with

  pink and purple ribbons.

  The girl had ribbons in

  her superlong

  hair, too.

  The girl stood up on the horse’s back.

  While the horse was moving!

  Then she flipped into a backbend.

  And she stayed like that—on top of the

  moving horse!

  “Do you see her?” I grabbed Mom’s arm and

  pointed. “And her?”

  A girl clown in a

  pink satin dress and

  striped tights danced

  around. She had hot-

  pink braids and fake

  butterflies around

  her head. Pink glitter

  covered her freckles.

  A pink star was painted

  on the tip of her nose.

  She looked eight years

  old, just like me.

  She smiled and

  waved to the crowd.

  I waved back.

  Then that trapeze

  girl did so many back

  handsprings that I lost

  count.

  Next, the girl with the

  superlong hair jumped off her horse. She held

  hands with the clown girl and the trapeze girl.

  “Meet the Stardust Girls!” called Liam.

  The three girls danced and led the parade.

  Suddenly, I wanted to wear a sparkly outfit.

  I wanted to dance and flip and fly and make

  people laugh. I wanted to be friends with these

  glittery girls. And, more than anything, I wanted

  to be in the big circus parade!

  The parade finished. The circus was over.

  Liam the Ringmaster met up with Mom and

  me. We walked down many streets. I had a

  fluttery, scared feeling in my belly.

  I’d always lived in our same house. I’d always

  had the same friends. Until now.

  “Our Great Adventure is
starting,” Mom

  whispered. “You and me. M and M.”

  2

  Home, Sweet Train

  M and M is what we call ourselves. For

  Marlo and Mom. My dad left when I was a bitty

  baby. I really don’t feel sad about it anymore,

  because Mom and I are super-close. We always

  stick together. We look alike, too—blonde hair,

  green eyes, and pointy nose and chin.

  We stopped at the train tracks. I twisted my

  neck, trying to find the end to the longest train

  I had ever seen. The train was painted purple

  with

  stardust circus in big gold letters along

  the side.

  “I read that each part of a train is called a

  car,” I told Liam. “And everyone from the circus

  lives here. Even all the horses and dogs!”

  “You know your stuff.” Liam stepped up.

  “Climb aboard!”

  My belly stopped fluttering. We were going

  to live on a train! No one in my old town lived

  on a train.

  We walked through the train and stopped at

  a gold door.

  “Welcome to your awesome new home!”

  said Liam.

  I liked how Liam said things were amazing

  and awesome and fabulous.

  Our door had a doorbell—just like in a real

  apartment.

  I buzzed it a few times. Then a few more.

  We stepped inside.

  Carly's Family

  ACROBATS’

  APARTMENTS

  MISS

  ROSS

  SCHOOL CAR

  DANCE CAR

  BAND APARTMENTS

  WARDROBE

  CAR

  GYM

  TENT & GEAR

  CIRCUS CARS

  AND TRUCKS

  LIAM

  MUSIC ROOM

  Allie's Family

  THE STARDUST CIRCUS TRAIN!

  Belly's Family

  LOCOMOTIVE

  ENGINE

  HORSES

  PERFORMERS’

  APARTMENTS

  PIE CAR

  DRESSING

  ROOM CAR

  CREW & STAFF

  CIRCUS OFFICE

  PROPS CAR

  MEDIA &

  GAME CAR

  ACTING CAR

  Marlo & Mom

  Wow! It’s quite cozy,” Mom said, looking

  around.

  I knew that meant Mom thought it was small.

  But it was perfect. Our new home had a mini-

  kitchen, a bathroom, and bunk beds for me and

  Mom.

  “I call the top bunk!” I yelled. It would be fun

  to share with Mom.

  3

  The Pie Car

  The boxes we’d packed were stacked in a

  corner. Next to the boxes stood my hula-hoops.

  I love to hula-hoop.

  “Now, where will these fit?” Mom asked,

  picking one up.

  I looked around. Then I had an idea. “Why

  don’t we hang them on the wall—like art?”

  “Perfect!” Mom likes my crafty ideas.

  The train let out a loud whistle. I grabbed on

  to a stool as the train began to move.

  “We’re off to the town of Scarlet for our

  next show,” said Liam. “Are you hungry? After

  a show, the performers all head to the Pie Car

  for food.”

  “Let’s go!” I wasn’t hungry, but I was curious

  about the Pie Car.

  When my mom first told me about it, I had

  pictured a car filled with apple and cherry pies.

  But the Pie Car is the name of the restaurant

  on the circus train. My mom used to be the chef

  at De-Lish, a restaurant in our old town. Her

  French toast with powdered sugar was famous.

  (The mountains of powdered sugar were my

  idea!) But De-Lish closed.

  So Mom had said it was time for something

  exciting and a little bit scary. And she joined

  the circus as a chef!

  Liam led us inside the Pie Car. It was right

  next door to our apartment. The walls were

  painted pale olive green. Booths lined both

  walls. The tabletops were old

  and chipped.

  “Yuck!” I said.

  “Shhh,” warned Mom. But I knew she didn’t

  like it, either. The Pie Car was not pretty.

  Liam nodded. “Marlo is right. It needs work.”

  “Hey, I can fix up the Pie Car,” I said.

  Mom smiled as I began making a list.

  Hummmmmmm. I heard a noise.

  Then I heard the tooting of a trumpet.

  And the crash of a cymbal.

  The door opened, and I gasped.

  Men and women tooting trumpets and

  banging drums entered the Pie Car. I had seen

  them in the parade.

  4

  The Stardust Girls!

  The brass players and drummers sat on

  swivel stools at the tall counter. Mom’s kitchen

  was on the other side of the counter. The tuba

  player found a small booth. His tuba sat across

  from him.

  Would the Stardust Girls be coming, too?

  I chewed my thumbnail nervously. Back

  home, I had been best friends with Kira. We

  both loved strawberry ice cream and hated

  mushrooms. But I didn’t really know anything

  about the Stardust Girls.

  Would they like me? Would I like them? I

  hoped so.

  I heard laughing. The clowns came in. Happy

  clowns. Funny clowns.

  And then I saw her. The girl clown with the

  pink braids!

  She rushed over to me. “Hi! You’re the new

  girl, aren’t you? I’m Carly Bruni.”

  “Yes, I’m Marlo,” I said. “You were great in

  the parade. You made me laugh.”

  Carly’s blue eyes twinkled. “I love making

  people laugh.” She turned. “Oh, good! Allie’s

  here.”

  The trapeze girl walked in on her hands!

  Totally upside down.

  She stopped next

  to me and stayed

  upside down. “I’m

  Alejandra Padillo

  Falto. My friends call

  me Allie. I’m eight.”

  “Hi! I’m Marlo.”

  I had never talked

  to anyone who was

  upside down before.

  She turned right

  side up.

  Then the girl who rode the horse skipped

  over. Little jewels shone in the shape of a heart

  on her cheek.

  “And here’s Bella Lu!” Carly hugged her.

  Carly had lots of pep. That’s what my mom

  calls it when I’m bursting with energy.

  Bella held something furry in her hands.

  “What’s that?” I asked.

  “Boris the guinea pig,”

  she said softly. “I’m

  teaching him to ring

  a bell and play a song.”

  “Bella is crazy for

  animals,” said Carly.

  “She taught ballet to the dogs.”

  “Dogs can dance?” I asked. Boris sniffed my

  hand.

  “Sure they can,” said Allie. “Didn’t they have

  dancing dogs in your old circus?”

  “My old circus?” I said. “I’ve never been in

  a circus.”

  Allie tilted her head. “If you’re not a circus

  person, why a
re you here?”

  I chewed my nail again. Then I pointed into

  the kitchen. “My mom is the new cook. I’ll help

  sometimes, too. I bake yummy brownies.”

  “I so wish I could cook,” said Carly.

  “I could teach you,” I said. “And I have a

  great plan to make over this Pie Car. We can do

  it together, okay?”

  “Oh, that would be fun!” Bella smiled.

  “Marlo!” Mom waved me over.

  “I have to go,” I said.

  “See you in school tomorrow,” said Carly.

  School? On a circus train?

  The next morning, I picked at my toast with

  strawberry jelly.

  “Ready for school, Marlo?” Mom asked.

  “I don’t think I’m going to like it. Kira won’t

  be there.” I had always gone to school with Kira.

  I wouldn’t know anyone at this new school.

  5

  Let's Make a Deal

  “Moving is hard. But remember, it’s a Great

  Adventure, too.” Mom smoothed my bangs.

  “What about those girls you met yesterday?”

  I pressed my nose against the window.

  The train rumbled on the tracks. Green fields

  whizzed by. And a cow! “Those girls all do

  amazing things.”

  “You do amazing things, too. You bake.

  You’re crafty,” she said.

  I shook my head. Mom didn’t get it. “I want

  to do amazing circus things, Mom. I want to be

  in the parade with those girls.”

  “You’ll need to ask Liam about that,” she

  said. “And maybe you will learn circus things

  in school.”

  “Will I learn to walk on my hands? That

  would be so much better than math.”

  Mom put her arm around me. “Let’s go find

  out.”

  Mom and I walked down the narrow halls.

  “There’s Liam!” I rushed over to him. His top

  hat nearly touched the train’s ceiling. “Liam,

  can I be in the circus parade?”

  He raised his thick eyebrows.

 

‹ Prev