Barbie Fall 2015 Chapter Book

by Molly McGuire Woods

  Special thanks to Venetia Davie, Ryan Ferguson, Charnita Belcher, Tanya Mann, Julia Phelps, Sharon Woloszyk, Nicole Corse, Rita Lichtwardt, Carla Alford, Renata Marchand, Michelle Cogan, Julia Pistor, Rainmaker Entertainment and Patricia Atchison and Zeke Norton.

  BARBIE and associated trademarks and trade dress are owned by, and used under license from, Mattel.

  Copyright © 2015 Mattel. All Rights Reserved.

  www.barbie.com

  Published in the United States by Random House Children’s Books, a division of Penguin Random House LLC, 1745 Broadway, New York, NY 10019, and in Canada by Random House of Canada, a division of Penguin Random House Ltd., Toronto. Random House and the colophon are registered trademarks of Penguin Random House LLC.

  ISBN 978-0-553-52435-2 (trade)

  ISBN 978-0-553-52436-9 (lib. bdg.)

  ISBN 978-0-553-52437-6 (ebook)

  randomhousekids.com

  Random House Children’s Books supports the First Amendment and celebrates the right to read.

  v4.1

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  Contents

  Cover

  Copyright

  Title Page

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  In the backseat of a limousine, Princess Courtney fiddled with the magic royal scepter in her lap. She was eager for her two weeks at Camp Royalty to begin! Learning insider princess tips and living on the camp’s private island would be amazing. Plus, she would meet other royals her age. Best of all, there would be no official duties—just fun. Courtney couldn’t wait!

  Behind Princess Courtney, an SUV raced along the same road.

  “I was supposed to be there, like, five minutes ago!” Erika complained from the backseat. As a world-famous pop star, Erika was used to traveling. But somehow she was always late.

  “I’m not the one who slept through her alarm,” the driver joked. “Why did you cancel your tour to go to Camp Pop anyway?”

  Erika brushed her blue-streaked hair out of her face. “Being in the spotlight can get kind of lonely,” she admitted. “I’m surrounded by people, but no one really feels like a friend.”

  The driver nodded in understanding.

  “Don’t get me wrong,” Erika continued. “I love performing. But maybe things will be different at camp.” Pop stars from all over the world came to Camp Pop to learn about music—rock ’n’ roll, country, hip-hop, you name it. They also came to learn cool dance moves. Erika was sure she would fit in. New tunes and new friends—what could be better?

  The limo pulled into a parking lot. Princess Courtney nervously smoothed her poufy pink gown. All around her, she saw other princesses in beautiful dresses and glittering crowns. She also saw kids in trendy outfits and big sunglasses. Many carried musical instruments. Those must be the pop stars, Courtney thought.

  Camp Royalty and Camp Pop were located on the same private island. But the camps were more rivals than friends. The camp directors didn’t get along, so rock and royalty didn’t mix anywhere on the island.

  Courtney looked beyond the crowd. Two fancy yachts were docked in the water. One would take the royals to Camp Royalty. The other would sail to Camp Pop. Now Courtney had to figure out which line to join!

  A man near one yacht called out the names of the royalty. He checked them off a list as they boarded one of the boats. “Princess Aubray of Allanbrooke! Princess Olivia of Bellmere!”

  This looks right, Princess Courtney thought as she joined the line.

  “Erika of…” The man looked at her. “That’s odd.” He studied his list. “There’s no kingdom listed. Are you Erika?”

  Courtney shook her head.

  A girl with blue-streaked hair rushed over. She carried a beat-up guitar case. “Here!” Erika shouted. “Sorry I’m late.”

  Courtney frowned. Erika certainly didn’t look like a princess. But if her name was on the list, she must be.

  Erika hurried on board the royal yacht. Then it pulled away from the dock.

  “Wait!” Princess Courtney shouted. “You forgot me. I’m Courtney!”

  But it was no use. The yacht was already gone.

  Just then, Princess Courtney heard a voice. “Did you say ‘Courtney’?”

  A lady with short spiky hair pointed at her.

  Princess Courtney nodded.

  “Come with me,” the woman said. She hurried Courtney onto the other yacht. It was going to Camp Pop.

  Uh-oh.

  A short boat ride later, Princess Courtney arrived at Camp Pop. The camp director welcomed everyone.

  “I’m Finn Oxford,” he said. “Who is ready to rock?”

  There was no doubt about it: Courtney was in the wrong place. She made her way through the crowd.

  “Watch where you’re going,” a girl with wild punk-rock hair snapped.

  “My apologies,” Courtney said. “I am a bit…lost.”

  “No kidding,” the girl said. “Looks like Cinderella took a wrong turn at the ball.”

  Courtney felt stung.

  “Don’t worry about Sloane,” said a younger boy. He nodded toward the mean girl.

  “Yeah,” said a girl who was with him. “She’s super talented and super grumpy.”

  Courtney smiled. “Would you two mind pointing me toward the office?”

  The boy and girl showed her the way. At least not everyone at Camp Pop was mean.

  In the office, Courtney explained her situation to Finn Oxford and his assistant, Stevie.

  “It looks like there’s been some type of clerical glitch,” Finn said. “But it’s kind of late. Stevie will set you up with lodging for one night…two at the most!”

  Courtney forced a smile. She followed Stevie across camp to a sleek modern building. She heard music pumping. Stevie pointed to a room with a glass door. Two girls were inside, surrounded by musical instruments. “Hello?” Courtney called.

  A girl wearing glitzy pink cowboy boots looked up from her guitar. “Come on in!” she said. “Make yourself at home. I’m Rayna, and this is Zia.” She pointed to the girl next to her, who was wearing headphones.

  “Pleased to meet you,” Courtney said. She could feel her new roommates checking out her gown.

  “What’s your music style?” Zia asked.

  “I don’t really have one,” Courtney admitted. “I’m a princess.”

  “Whoa,” Zia said. “Am I supposed to bow or something?”

  Courtney smiled and shook her head. It was going to be a long night.

  On the other yacht, Erika noticed that the passengers all wore fancy gowns. None of them had musical instruments. Something is wrong here, she thought.

  When they docked, a woman wearing a large pearl necklace welcomed them. “I am Lady Anne, owner of Camp Royalty,” she said with a curtsey. “Here you will learn to serve your kingdoms with style and elegance. A magical experience awaits!”

  Oh no. Erika slapped her forehead. She was at the wrong camp! She needed to find the office and correct this mistake!

  Erika set down her guitar case. A passing princess tripped over it.

  “That thing is in my way!” the princess huffed. She looked at Erika’s outfit. “What kind of kingdom allows its royalty to dress like that?”

  “Princess Olivia, hurry up!” someone called. Erika watched the mean girl dash away. And she thought being onstage was lonely.

  Erika found the main office. She told Lady Anne and her assistant, Clive, that there had been a mix-up.

  Lady Anne said it would have to wait until tomor
row. “Clive will find you a place to stay tonight.”

  Clive led Erika to a tree house castle. It looked straight out of a fairy tale! Erika climbed to the balcony and opened the door. Inside, she saw dazzling golden furniture. Velvet drapes hung from the windows. It was a room fit for princesses.

  “May I help you?” asked a girl in a long red dress.

  Another girl in the room wore a green gown.

  “Lady Anne said I could stay here,” Erika told them.

  Her roommates introduced themselves as Princess Genevieve and Princess Aubray.

  “Are you a pop star?” Princess Genevieve asked. She stared at Erika’s blue leggings and sequined shirt.

  Erika nodded. Tomorrow couldn’t come soon enough.

  The next morning, Princess Courtney’s roommates were getting ready for their first full day at Camp Pop.

  “This year we get to learn about special effects!” Zia exclaimed.

  Rayna looked at Courtney. “I’m guessing that’s not a princess’s kind of thing,” she said. “Unless you want to check it out…”

  Courtney bit her lip. She needed to see how her transfer was going. But special effects sounded fun. Courtney stuffed her scepter into her pocket. Then she raced after the girls.

  Over the next couple of days, Princess Courtney had a blast! She rocked out on a microphone and tried country dancing. She even met some other super-nice campers, like hip-hop star Marcus.

  A princess had so many rules. But at Camp Pop, everyone wanted to be free and stand out. No one was afraid to try new things. It was such a nice change! Princess Courtney didn’t even mind when Finn Oxford explained that her transfer would take a few more days. She wasn’t a pop star, but she was having a royally good time pretending she was!

  Across the island, Erika watched princesses Aubray and Genevieve get ready for their first day at Camp Royalty.

  Genevieve waved her magic royal scepter through the air. A shimmering class schedule appeared before them.

  Erika gasped. “How did you do that?” She had seen many special effects onstage, but none as cool as that!

  “With my scepter, of course. All royals have one,” Genevieve replied. She looked at the schedule. “We have scepter training first. Then tea party etiquette. Then unicorn grooming. I suppose we could bring you with us,” she said, looking at Erika. “Unless you need to get going?”

  Erika frowned. She wanted to go to Camp Pop. But how many chances would she have to see real unicorns? “Wait for me!” she cried.

  Over the next couple of days, Erika discovered that being royal wasn’t as boring as she thought. She made rainbows with a magic scepter. She brushed a real unicorn.

  She also played in the royal orchestra. That was very different from her solo act. Erika had to admit, being part of the group felt nice. She even daydreamed about how things could be if her transfer to Camp Pop never got approved! Lady Anne said it should only take a couple more days. But Erika was having too much fun to notice!

  One afternoon, she had singing class. Erika was excited to finally do something familiar. In the choir room, she listened as the royals sang. She took a deep breath and began to sing, too. Slowly, all the royals around her stopped to listen. Erika’s voice was beautiful!

  Just then, Lady Anne and her assistant, Clive, passed the choir room. They stopped to listen. Lady Anne liked what she heard.

  “I have never heard such a magnificent voice!” Lady Anne whispered to Clive. “Pity it will go to waste at Camp Pop.” Then she had an idea. She had often thought about hosting a singing competition between Camp Royalty and Camp Pop. Now, with a real pop star at Camp Royalty, she would have the upper hand. She whispered her plan to Clive.

  That afternoon, the leaders of each camp made a surprise announcement. In two days, Camp Pop and Camp Royalty would host their first-ever sing-off competition! Each camp would perform one song. Judges would decide the winner. Rehearsals began first thing in the morning.

  What none of the campers knew was that the sing-off was part of Lady Anne’s plan to get rid of Camp Pop and expand Camp Royalty. It was no secret that Camp Pop and Camp Royalty always tried to outdo each other. But this time, Lady Anne had raised the stakes. The sing-off winner would own the entire island! The other camp would be forced to close.

  Lady Anne planned to use Erika as Camp Royalty’s secret weapon. Finn Oxford figured his whole camp of pop stars would put up a good fight. But only one thing was certain: the campers had a lot more to lose than they realized.

  The next morning, Princess Courtney’s roommates picked out their rehearsal outfits.

  “This sing-off is going to be awesome!” Zia said as she looked through her closet.

  “Those royals aren’t going to know what hit them!” Rayna cried. She glanced at Courtney. “No offense, Courtney.”

  Courtney shrugged. “I’m not offended. I’ve never even been to Camp Royalty. You guys will be amazing.”

  Zia raised an eyebrow. “Don’t you mean we?”

  Rayna nodded. “As long as you’re here, Princess, you’re one of us!”

  Courtney smiled. A part of her wished she really belonged at Camp Pop.

  “But we should work on your wardrobe,” Zia added.

  Courtney had a better idea. She whipped out her magic royal scepter. She waved it over her dress. Sparkles flew as her gown changed into a glittery skirt. Her tiara vanished. A funky bow sat on top of her head instead. She was ready!

  Zia and Rayna clapped. “Now, that’s an outfit!” Rayna cheered.

  “Me next!” Zia cried. The girls giggled.

  Meanwhile, Erika’s roommates were also preparing for rehearsals.

  “You must be psyched about going head-to-head with Camp Pop,” Erika said.

  “Well…not really,” Princess Aubray confessed.

  “We’re good, but not that good,” Princess Genevieve admitted.

  “You can do this,” Erika encouraged them. “If you need any help while I’m still here, I’ll do what I can.”

  “You would do that for us?” Genevieve asked.

  “Of course!” Erika replied. “That’s what friends do.”

  Genevieve and Aubray threw their arms around her. Erika grinned. It felt wonderful to help her friends. Maybe that was why the thought of transferring to Camp Pop now made her sad.

  The next day, Finn Oxford found Courtney rehearsing.

  “I haven’t been able to make any headway with Camp Royalty about your transfer,” he admitted.

  Courtney smiled. A few days ago, she would have been upset at that news. But now she felt excited. “It’s fine, really,” she replied. “I’m having a good time here. Nobody’s afraid to stand out or be different or just be silly. It’s so much fun. I’d actually love to stay! Is that okay?”

  Finn looked shocked. Then he said, “Certainly, Princess.”

  Courtney was ready to rock!

  Across the island at Camp Royalty, Erika was modeling a new gown for her friends, when Lady Anne entered the room.

  “Erika, your transfer to Camp Pop has hit a snag,” she said.

  “That’s okay,” Erika replied. “I’ve made some great friends here.”

  “Lovely,” Lady Anne replied. “You know, I heard you sing yesterday. A talent like yours is a rare find.” The director narrowed her eyes. “I only wish you could remain here and compete in the sing-off as a member of Camp Royalty.”

  Erika was flattered—and excited. “Wow! Thank you! I could stay.”

  “Splendid!” Lady Anne exclaimed. Her plan was coming together so easily.

  Later that day, Courtney took out some sheet music. She began to sing a new song she had been working on.

  As she sang, Marcus, Rayna, and Zia walked in. They couldn’t believe their ears. Courtney sounded amazing! Who knew Courtney could sing like that—or write her own music? They picked up their instruments and began to play along with her.

  Suddenly, Sloane barged into the room. “What was that?” she asked ang
rily. “We have a competition coming up. Maybe you should practice the actual number we’re performing.” She turned toward Courtney. “Okay with you, Princess? You are out of your league. Maybe you should go back where you belong.”

  Courtney’s eyes filled with tears. Was Sloane right? Was it a mistake to stay?

  “I need some fresh air,” she said, and raced out the door.

  Meanwhile, Erika was practicing with the royals. Princess Olivia, the strongest soprano, led them in the chorus. Erika raised her voice to add more harmony.

  “Cut! What was that?” Olivia snapped. She glared at Erika. “You can solo all you want at Camp Pop. But at Camp Royalty, we do things as a group. Perhaps you should go to Camp Diva.” She put her hands on her hips.

  Erika felt her cheeks turn red. She hadn’t meant to outshine the others. Maybe she would never really fit in here…or anywhere. She dashed out the door before anyone could see her tears.

  Courtney walked along the shore, sadly singing to herself.

  “That’s beautiful,” a voice said.

  Startled, Courtney stopped singing. She looked at the girl with blue-streaked hair standing in front of her. “Sorry, I didn’t see you there.”

  “Hey, I know you,” Erika said.

  Courtney nodded. “We met on the dock.”

  “Right! When I was trying to make the boat…the wrong boat, that is.”

  “Wait—you’re the one who’s supposed to be at Camp Pop?” said Courtney.