Mini Sweets Read online

  Contents

  Map of the Candy Kingdom

  CHAPTER 1 Sweet Sun Dip

  CHAPTER 2 Fairysitters

  CHAPTER 3 A Royal Sleepover

  CHAPTER 4 Red Sour Cherry

  CHAPTER 5 Dr. Spice & Everything Nice

  CHAPTER 6 Chocolate Trick

  CHAPTER 7 Fruit-Chew Hopes

  CHAPTER 8 Fruity Patience

  CHAPTER 9 A Sweet Talent

  CHAPTER 10 Sugar Bowl Surprise

  About Helen Perelman

  For all the Candy Fairies fans!

  Sweet Sun Dip

  Berry the Fruit Fairy flew across Sugar Valley. She had been in the Sour Orchard picking fruit gems for her latest dress design and hadn’t realized how late it had gotten! Sometimes Berry got caught up in her fashion designs and lost track of time. The sun was sliding quickly toward the top of the Frosted Mountains. Soon it would be Sun Dip, the time of day when Berry and her Candy Fairy friends got together at Licorice Lake to watch the sunset. They liked to catch up with one another and eat sweet treats.

  “There you are!” Melli the Caramel Fairy exclaimed as Berry landed on the red sugar sand at the lake.

  “I was getting worried!” Raina the Gummy Fairy said.

  Berry smiled. “I wouldn’t miss Sun Dip and Melli’s fresh caramels,” she said. “And I want to see Princess Dash.” A smile spread across her face. “I’m still not used to saying that,” she said, giggling.

  Their friend Dash the Mint Fairy had been crowned Peppermint Princess when it was discovered she was from a line of Mint royalty in Peppermint Kingdom. Dash’s great-great-grandparents were king and queen of the frozen Peppermint Kingdom on Ice Cream Isles. Long ago, when an evil ogre threatened their palace and candy, the royals moved to Peppermint Grove in Sugar Valley for safety. Now Dash split her time between Candy Kingdom and the Ice Cream Isles. She tried to get back for a few Sun Dips each month. Berry loved seeing her Mint Fairy friend and hearing all about princess life in the frozen Peppermint Kingdom.

  “Hello!” Dash called to Berry. She flew to her friend and gave her a tight squeeze. She peered over Berry’s shoulder to get a look into Melli’s basket. “And Melli made my favorite caramels! What an extra-sweet Sun Dip!”

  Melli lifted up the basket. “Yes,” she said. “Fresh caramel for the princess.”

  “Oh, stop calling me princess,” Dash said. She sat down on the blanket. “But I will take a caramel candy!”

  “But you are a princess,” Melli told her.

  “I’m still Dash the Mint Fairy, and your friend.” Dash stood tall and stuck out her chest proudly.

  Berry laughed. “That’s for sure,” she said. She sat next to Dash and opened her bag. “Wait till you see the sugar-tastic  gems I found in Sour Orchard today.”

  Dash rolled her eyes. The sporty Mint Fairy was not so enthusiastic about sugar gems. Even though Dash was now a princess, she was still the same minty sports-loving Candy Fairy she had always been.

  “Dash, even you will be impressed,” Berry said. She unwrapped her package with care. “These gems will make any outfit shine for Mini’s ball!”

  The royal ball was the talk of Sugar Valley. It was a grand party for Princess Lolli and Prince Scoop’s baby, Princess Mini, to celebrate her first birthday. The whole kingdom was preparing for the event.

  “You were getting gems for your outfit?” Cocoa the Chocolate Fairy asked.

  “My outfit and all of your outfits too,” Berry replied with a wink. “This is going to be a delicious party. There will be fairies from all the kingdoms there. Everyone wants to celebrate Princess Mini’s first birthday. And we are all going to look sugar-tastic!”

  “I’m more interested in the sugar bowl touch,” Dash said. “When the sugar bowl is put in front of Princess Mini, I want to see what kind of candy she makes with her touch.”

  “Everyone in Sugar Valley is waiting to see what her talent will be,” Raina said. At a Candy Fairy’s first birthday, a sugar bowl was placed in front of the baby. When the baby fairy touched the sugar, a candy would appear, and at that moment everyone would know what type of Candy Fairy the young fairy would become. For a royal baby, the sugar bowl touch was a much bigger occasion.

  “Candy Fairy or Ice Cream Fairy?” Raina asked. “What do you think?”

  Dash popped a mint chocolate in her mouth. “I have no idea!” She licked her fingers. “But she is a supersweet baby fairy princess.”

  The five Candy Fairies loved being with Princess Mini. Because they were so close with Princess Lolli and Prince Scoop, they had already spent a lot of time with the little princess.

  “I hope she is a Candy Fairy,” Berry said.

  “Me too,” Melli said. “But being an Ice Cream Fairy like her dad would be pretty sweet.”

  Cocoa nodded. “That is true,” she said. “But she could be like her aunt Princess Sprinkle and make cupcakes and cakes.”

  Dash laughed. “No matter what, sure as sugar, she is the sweetest!”

  “We can agree on that,” Raina said. “And this ball is going to be sweet-tacular! Berry, let’s see your drawings of the dresses.”

  Berry rolled out her dress drawings on Melli’s blanket. She showed her friends the new styles she was creating for the royal ball. “See the space on the collar? That is where I am going to put these sugar gems,” she told her friends.

  “Sugar-tastic!”   Raina exclaimed. She reached for a bright red cherry gummy flower that was sticking out of Berry’s bag. “This is beautiful,” she said. “What’s the gummy flower for?”

  “I picked this fruit flower to give to Princess Mini when we see her next,” Berry said. “Remember, we grew these in Fruit Chew Meadow?”

  Raina clapped her hands. “I do!” she said. “Mini will love that.”

  A sugar fly buzzed by Dash’s face and dropped a note in her hand. “Oh, look,” Dash said. “It’s a note from Princess Lolli and Prince Scoop!”

  “Read it to us,” Cocoa told Dash.

  “The letter says,” Dash said, unfolding the note, “ ‘Please come to tea tomorrow at Candy Castle, with love, Princess Lolli and Prince Scoop.’ We’re going, sure as sugar!” She wrote a reply back and sent the sugar fly on its way.

  Raina tapped her chin with her finger. “Hmm, I wonder what they want to ask us.”

  “What makes you think they want to ask us something?” Dash said. She reached over for another one of Melli’s caramels. “These are so good, Melli!”

  “Thanks, Dash,” Melli said. “It’s a new candy I am trying out.”

  “I bet this invitation has something to do with the Mini Ball,” Berry said.

  “Maybe,” Cocoa replied. “This is going to be one huge celebration for all of Sugar Valley.”

  “And we’re going to look sparkly and delicious,” Berry added. She rolled up her dress drawings. “I am going to make sure of that.”

  “No matter what,” Raina said, “this is going to be a happy celebration for the delicious royal baby.”

  “That is the sugar-honest truth,” Berry said, grinning. She gathered up her new gems and put them safely in her bag. She couldn’t wait to get started on designing the dresses for the royal ball.

  Fairysitters

  Tea at Candy Castle was a grand event. The gold and rainbow royal teacups were set out on an extra-long dining table with trays of fancy candies from all over Sugar Valley. The five Candy Fairies were sitting on the edge of their seats as they waited for the royal family to join them.

  “Everything looks almost too pretty to eat!” Raina exclaimed. “Look at those chocolates and caramels!”

  “Don’t be shy,” Dash said, reaching for a treat from the nearest tray. “Teatime is about eating the sweets!”

 
“And about having good manners,” Berry added. “We should wait for Princess Lolli and Prince Scoop before we eat.”

  “Why do you think Princess Lolli asked us here today?” Cocoa said. She kept her eye on the door.

  Dash licked her fingers. “I don’t know,” she said. “But I love tea at the castle.”

  “Oh, Dash,” Berry said, laughing. “You just love sweet treats.”

  Princess Lolli flew into the room with Princess Mini in her arms and Prince Scoop by her side. “Hello,” she said as she entered.

  The five friends gathered around Princess Lolli. They wanted to take a peek at the baby. Princess Mini was fast asleep in a bundle of pink cotton candy blankets.

  “She looks scrumptious!” Berry exclaimed. “And much bigger than last week when we saw her.” Mini’s strawberry blonde hair was just like Princess Lolli’s and her eyes were the same color as Prince Scoop’s. She was the perfect blend of both her parents.

  “She’s growing fast,” Prince Scoop said. “She’s even saying a few words now.”

  Berry wanted Mini to wake up from her nap. She wanted to give her the gummy flower and hear her new words.

  “Come sit down and have something to eat,” Princess Lolli said. “I’m going to let Mini sleep.” She placed the baby in a crib in the corner of the room.

  Prince Scoop sat next to Dash. He pushed a plate toward her. “Try the chocolate mint squares,” he said with a wink. “They were just delivered this morning.”

  “Yum,” Dash said, taking one. “Thank you!”

  “We’re so happy to have you all here,” Prince Scoop said, looking around the table. “We’ve asked you here because we need a favor.”

  Berry jumped up. “We’re happy to help!” she exclaimed.

  Princess Lolli smiled. “Thank you,” she said. “Prince Scoop and I are counting on your help.” She nodded to the sleeping princess. “We need to go to Cake Kingdom for three days and we’d like you to stay here at the castle and be fairysitters while we are gone.”

  “A castle sleepover?” Melli asked. She dropped her chocolate-covered strawberry on her plate.

  “Yes,” Princess Lolli told her. “The Castle Fairies will help out, but Mini knows you all the best and loves being with you. It would make us feel better knowing you were here to look after her and play with her. Would you do it?”

  “Sure as sugar!” Raina said, answering for all her friends.

  Dash giggled. “A royal sleepover!”

  “Sweet strawberries,” Berry said. “That sounds perfect.”

  Just then Princess Mini began to cry. Berry was the first one to her crib. “Look what I have, Mini,” she said. From her bag Berry took out the cherry-red gummy flower she had showed her friends at Sun Dip. The bright red got Mini’s attention and she stopped crying. She reached for the flower and started giggling. “Gummy!” Mini said.

  “You see,” Princess Lolli said. “I feel much better with you all staying here with Mini.”

  Berry returned to her seat. “I’m glad she likes the flower. Raina and I planted those together,” she said.

  Prince Scoop picked up Mini and brought her to the table. “I’d say she loves it,” he said. “Thank you.” He snuggled his daughter. “The whole kingdom is talking about you, Mini.” He looked up at the Candy Fairies. “What’s your guess about her sugar talent?”

  Raina pulled out a copy of the Daily Scoop from her bag. “There is a whole page here about Princess Mini and the sugar bowl,” she said. She lifted up the paper. “Everyone wants to know, including us!”

  Princess Lolli sighed. “I know this is important to everyone, but I think there is too much attention on what her talent will be,” she said. She flew to Princess Mini and touched her forehead. “Whatever Mini’s talent is will be supersweet and we will be very proud.”

  “We all will be,” Raina added.

  “We have another favor to ask of you,” Prince Scoop said. He looked over at Princess Lolli. “Can you five get the sugar for the sugar bowl?”

  Dash shot up in the air. “Sure as sugar!” she exclaimed.

  “What an honor,” Berry added. “We’d love to.”

  Princess Lolli smiled. “I was hoping you’d agree to that,” she said. “Thank you.”

  Berry wondered if Princess Lolli was hoping that Princess Mini would be a Fruit Fairy like her. Berry was definitely hoping the new royal would be just like her, but she didn’t want to say anything to her friends. If Mini were a Fruit Fairy, Berry imagined how they would spend time together in Fruit Chew Meadow or Lollipop Landing.

  “Berry!” Cocoa said, tapping her arm. “Please pass the tea.” She nudged her friend. “What were you thinking about? I was trying to get your attention.”

  “Sorry,” Berry said. She passed Cocoa the teapot, smiling to herself about her secret thoughts.

  A Royal Sleepover

  The Candy Fairies arrived at Candy Castle early the next morning. Nothing was better than a royal sleepover! The five friends couldn’t keep their wings still. They were buzzing with the excitement of being fairysitters for the next two days.

  Two castles guards showed them to their guest room. The friends were sharing a room on the same floor as Princess Mini’s nursery. The room was very big and very pink. Berry loved all the prints of candy on the wall and the sweet smell of cotton candy. “This is sugar-tastic!” she exclaimed.

  “Royal living is sweet,” Raina said.

  Berry dragged the last of her large, over-stuffed bags into the room. “That’s all of it,” she said, sinking down into a chair.

  “We aren’t staying for a month,” Melli said. She looked down at the one bag she had packed for the sleepover.

  Berry shrugged. “You know I have to be prepared,” she said. “A fairy needs outfit choices.”

  “And sweet snacks,” Dash said, pulling open her basket of minty treats.

  Raina unzipped her bag and took out a huge stack of books. “I brought a couple books for Princess Mini,” she said.

  “A couple?” Cocoa said, laughing. “You’ll have to read to her every hour for the whole time we’re here! You brought an entire library.”

  “I’d be happy to read her these books,” Raina said. “I already know she loves stories.”

  Dash rolled her eyes. “You know there is a library in the castle,” she said.

  Raina patted her books. “I know,” she said. “But these are some of my favorites. I wanted to be sure to read her these. Especially at bedtime.”

  Melli took out her licorice stick from her bag. “And I brought my music,” she said. “I know Mini loves when I play songs. I’ve been practicing a lullaby.”

  “I have art supplies,” Cocoa said. She pointed to a bag. “Mini may be little but I know she loves art.”

  Berry smiled. “We are the best fairysitters ever!”

  “I hope Mini will be happy with us watching her while her parents are away,” Melli said. She twirled a piece of hair around her finger. “I know she is used to seeing us, but I’m still worried she might cry.”

  “Babies cry,” Princess Lolli said. She flew into the room and hugged them all. “I know Mini is going to love having you here to entertain her. Just look at all the stuff you have to keep her busy!”

  “We’re excited,” Raina told her.

  “Wait till Mini sees you all here,” Princess Lolli said. “She is going to be so happy. Prince Scoop is getting her up from her nap. They will be here any minute.”

  Berry kept her eyes on the door. She couldn’t wait for her fairysitting responsibilities to begin.

  “The Castle Fairies are here if you need them,” Princess Lolli told them. “They are busy with preparations for Mini’s ball, so you are on Mini watch. You’ve done this before, so I know you know Mini’s routine and what she likes and doesn’t like. Your responsibility is to make sure she is safe and happy.”

  “Sure as sugar, we’ll watch her and make sure she has the sweetest time,” Dash said.

>   “I know,” Princess Lolli said. “That is why we picked you for the job.”

  Prince Scoop flew in with Princess Mini. She was squirming around in his arms. “Look who is up and ready to play,” he said.

  The five friends flew over to see the little royal cutie.

  The prince kissed his daughter on the forehead and placed her on a blanket. “We have to be on our way, but we’ll see you in two days!”

  Princess Lolli gave Mini a tight hug and whispered in her ear. Berry could tell it was hard for her to leave her baby.

  “Be a sweet,” Princess Lolli said. “And have fun being fairysitters,” she called to the Candy Fairies. “We will be in touch.”

  “Have fun,” Prince Scoop said as he took Princess Lolli’s hand.

  When the royal couple left, Berry looked to her friends. Raina took out one of her books and Mini clapped her hands. She recognized the pictures and story. Raina gave Mini a gummy flower with a chocolate petal to chew on. Princess Mini clapped again and eagerly ate her snack. “More, more,” she said, pulling at the book.

  Raina grinned. “See, I told you she loved books.”

  “And sweet treats,” Dash added, smiling.

  As Raina read the story about a baby gummy bear, Princess Mini licked the chocolate petals. At the end of the story, she sneezed. Three times. The last one was the loudest!

  “ACHOOOOO!”

  “Are you all right?” Raina asked the baby princess. She closed the book and looked at Mini.

  “More, more,” Mini said. She pointed to the book and went back to nibbling on her gummy flower.

  “I guess she’s fine,” Dash whispered. “Keep reading.”

  “Achooooo! Achooooo! ACHOOOO!”

  Princess Mini’s nose was red and her sneezing got louder and louder with each sneeze.

  “Oh no,” Melli moaned. “What do we do if Princess Mini is sick?”

  Berry looked over at Mini. “I hope she isn’t getting sick!” She looked into the baby’s blue eyes. “Are you feeling okay?”