Chocolate Challenge Read online

  Welcome to ALADDIN QUIX!

  If you are looking for fast, fun-to-read stories with colorful characters, lots of kid-friendly humor, easy-to-follow action, entertaining story lines, and lively illustrations, then ALADDIN QUIX is for you!

  But wait, there’s more!

  If you’re also looking for stories with tables of contents; word lists; about-the-book questions; 64, 80, or 96 pages; short chapters; short paragraphs; and large fonts, then ALADDIN QUIX is definitely for you!

  ALADDIN QUIX: The next step between ready to reads and longer, more challenging chapter books, for readers five to eight years old.

  For Captain Nathan —H. P.

  Cast of Characters

  Princess Mini: Royal fairy princess of Candy Kingdom

  Sir Nougat: Teacher at Royal Fairy Academy

  Princess Taffy: Princess Mini’s best friend

  Prince Frosting: One of Princess Mini’s cousins from Cake Kingdom

  Lady Cherry: Teacher at Royal Fairy Academy

  Gobo: Troll living in Sugar Valley

  Princess Cupcake: Prince Frosting’s twin

  Princess Swirlie: Princess Cupcake’s best friend

  Butterscotch: Princess Mini’s royal unicorn

  Beanie: Royal chef

  Princess Lolli: Princess Mini’s mother and ruling fairy princess of Candy Kingdom

  Toomie: Gobo’s older brother

  1 Choc-o-rific Playdate

  “Princess Mini,” Sir Nougat said. “Your chocolate squares look perfect. Well done!”

  “Thank you,” I said to my teacher.

  Sir Nougat was teaching the first-year students at Royal Fairy Academy how to decorate chocolate. Princess Taffy, my best friend, used taffy pieces. Prince Frosting, my cousin, put icing all over his pieces. And I carefully lined white mini chocolate chips on my chocolates.

  “Students,” Sir Nougat said, clapping his hands. “Please finish up.”

  Lady Cherry, our classroom teacher, flew into the room. She smiled as she looked around at our chocolates. “Nice work,” she said to the class. “After you clean your area, please line up for dismissal.”

  I turned to Taffy. “I am going to bring these chocolates to Gobo’s house today.”

  “You have a playdate at Gobo’s house?” Princess Cupcake asked. Cupcake was Frosting’s twin, but she was much more sour and sometimes mean.

  “Yes!” I said. I tried to ignore her look of surprise.

  Gobo was a troll who lived in Sugar Valley. I met him on the first day of school and helped him out of a sticky situation. He got stuck in a caramel bush! After that day, we became fast friends.

  Princess Swirlie, Cupcake’s best friend, came over to me. She wrinkled up her nose. “I have never been to a troll’s house.”

  “Me neither!” Cupcake exclaimed. “Imagine a playdate not at a castle!”

  Cupcake and Swirlie flew to the door. Taffy leaned over. “Don’t pay attention to them,” she said.

  “I know,” I said. “I am excited to go to Gobo’s house.” I wrapped up my chocolate squares and put them in my basket. “My mom spoke to his mom and the plan is set.”

  “You’re lucky,” Frosting told me. “It’s not every day a Candy Fairy gets to visit a troll’s house.”

  “That’s for sure,” Taffy said. “I bet you will have a really good time.”

  “Thanks,” I said, smiling at my friends. I patted my basket. “Do you think his family will like these chocolates?”

  “They look sugar-tastic!” Taffy exclaimed. “They will love them!”

  The final bell of the day rang. Lady Cherry dismissed our class. Outside in the courtyard, my unicorn, Butterscotch, was waiting for me. She is the best royal unicorn. I said goodbye to my friends and climbed up onto Butterscotch’s back.

  When I arrived home, Beanie was waiting for me in the castle kitchen. She is the royal chef and makes the best after-school snacks. I showed her my chocolates.

  “Well done,” Beanie said. “You are doing very well at school, Princess Mini.”

  She gave me an extra fruit roll.

  My mom, Princess Lolli, flew into the kitchen. She is the ruling fairy princess in Candy Kingdom. I showed her what I made in class.

  “Oh, sweet sugars,” she said. “You are learning so much at Royal Fairy Academy. These chocolates are perfect!”

  “I am going to give these to Gobo,” I said. “I want to give his family a chocolate surprise.” I put the chocolates in a box and tied red licorice rope around the middle. “How does this look?”

  “Delicious!” Beanie exclaimed. She flew over to the counter by the door. “A sugar fly dropped this letter off for you.” She handed me a tiny envelope.

  “It’s from Gobo!” I said.

  Sugar flies were so helpful and flew messages to fairies and trolls around Candy Kingdom. I hoped nothing was wrong.

  I quickly read Gobo’s letter. He wrote that I should meet him in Peppermint Grove instead of at his house. “I have a surprise for you!” he wrote.

  I showed the letter to my mom.

  “It looks like you both have surprises,” she said. “Butterscotch will take you once you are ready.”

  I wondered what Gobo’s surprise would be. Sure as sugar, we were going to have a super choc-o-rific playdate!

  2 Sweet Sailing

  Butterscotch’s wide purple wings beat up and down as we moved quickly through the kingdom. High in the sky, I spotted Chocolate River. The river twisted through the middle of Candy Kingdom.

  I held the box of the chocolates I made in my hands.

  Butterscotch landed on the soft sugar sands near the river in Peppermint Grove. “Thank you for the ride, Butterscotch,” I said. I flew off her back. “This is where Gobo said to meet,” I added.

  Only, I didn’t see Gobo anywhere.

  “Hello?” I called. “Gobo?”

  I looked over at Butterscotch. Her ears were raised. She seemed a little nervous too.

  “The sugar fly message said to meet here,” I said to Butterscotch. “We are right on time.” I scratched my head.

  Butterscotch swooshed her tail and looked left and right. Her ears were straight up, listening for clues.

  “Gobo?” I called again. I flew up above the trees. I saw peppermint bushes and lots of candy canes, but not Gobo. I flew back down to Butterscotch.

  Just then I heard, “Princess Mini!”

  It was Gobo.

  I spun around. I didn’t see him.

  “Where are you?” I yelled. “Are you stuck again?”

  “Look over here!” Gobo answered.

  Butterscotch moved closer to Chocolate River. We stood on the sand and looked out into the rushing water.

  Gobo was on a boat!

  “Wow!” I exclaimed.

  “Are you surprised?” Gobo asked. He sailed the boat to the shore.

  “Yes!” I said.

  Gobo jumped out onto the sand, pulled the boat closer, and tied it to a nearby tree.

  “When did you get a boat?” I asked, smiling.

  Gobo stood proudly. “I built this with my dad,” he said.

  “Gobo, this is sugar-tastic!” I told him. “You must have worked really hard.”

  “Stitching the sail was the hardest part,” Gobo said. He looked up at the large sail. “We had to sew the fruit leather together, and that was pretty sticky.”

  “This sure is a surprise!” I cried.

  “The boat’s name is Mint Magic,” Gobo said. He pointed to the back of the boat where the name was written in black letters. “We hung extra mints on the sides of the boat and got the largest candy cane for the mast.”

  “Choc-o-rific!” I said. “This is the nicest boat I have ever seen.”

&nbs
p; Gobo blushed. “Thank you,” he said. Then he looked up at me. “Do you want a ride to my house?”

  I didn’t know what to say. I had never been on a boat before.

  “Don’t be scared,” Gobo said.

  “You knew I was scared?” I asked. “How did you know?”

  Gobo laughed. “Your wings flutter very fast when you are nervous,” he said.

  My wings were moving fast. I didn’t realize I was off the ground! “I’m used to being in the air, not on the water,” I told him.

  Gobo puffed out his chest. “I am a really good sailor,” he said. “Come aboard!”

  I told Butterscotch to meet me later at Gobo’s house. She nodded her head and then flapped her wings to lift off. I flew onto the boat.

  “Have a seat,” Gobo instructed me. “Stay here in the middle.” He pointed to the fruit-leather straps on the side of the boat. “And hold on here.”

  “I’m ready,” I said. I held on very tightly. The box of chocolates was in my lap.

  Gobo pushed the boat off the sand.

  The boat rocked back and forth in the water. I looked up and saw the sail puff out from a gust of wind. Gobo held the rope tight, and we moved down the river.

  “And away we go!” Gobo said.

  I held on to the strap—and held my breath!

  3 Strong Winds

  The wind filled the sail and blew my hair back. I stretched out my legs and took a deep breath. The water made swishing sounds against the boat, and I started to enjoy the ride.

  “Sailing is fun,” I said, grinning at Gobo.

  “I’m glad you like the ride,” Gobo said.

  “How long did this take you to build?” I asked.

  “My dad and I worked together for months. He built a boat with his dad when he was young. He also built one with Toomie, my older brother. Toomie races his boat. He named it Fast Flyer!”

  “Are you going to race your boat?” I asked.

  Gobo shrugged. “Maybe,” he said. He looked down at the water. “Toomie is the racer in the family.”

  “Why can’t there be two racers in a family?” I asked.

  Gobo let the sail out a little. We moved faster. “Toomie has lots of trophies,” he said.

  “Maybe you will win some trophies,” I said. I watched Gobo’s face. “Do you want to race?”

  Gobo slowly nodded his head. “I think I would like to,” he said. “There is a race next week. But I’m not sure.”

  I remembered hearing about the Chocolate River Race at the castle. “Gobo! You should enter!” I said.

  Gobo shifted the rope in his hand. “I’m not sure,” he said. “What if I don’t get a trophy?”

  “Maybe you won’t win this race,” I said. “But maybe you will. You have to try.”

  “I guess,” Gobo said. He looked up. The wind was rippling the sail, so he pulled the rope tighter. “For now, maybe I should just sail with friends,” he said.

  “I’m happy to sail with you,” I replied.

  Gobo blushed. “Actually, Mini, you are my first passenger,” he said.

  “I am very honored,” I answered.

  I looked around at the shore. The view of Chocolate Woods from a boat was different from the sky. “You can see anything from the boat that you can’t see when flying above the woods,” I told Gobo. “I didn’t know so many chocolate flowers grew on the shore.”

  Gobo steered the boat closer to the flowers.

  “The flowers are delicious,” Gobo said. He leaned over and plucked two for us.

  Gobo was right. The flower was yummy. As I ate, I looked down at the water. A few gummy fish were swimming alongside the boat. They were red, green, and yellow. I had never seen so many! “I didn’t realize how many fish there are in the river,” I said. I leaned over to get a better view.

  “Be careful, Mini!” Gobo called.

  “Oh, I am,” I answered. “A fairy never wants to get her wings wet. You can’t fly with wet wings!”

  When the boat sailed around the next bend, it started to move a little faster. A cold wind was blowing, and the branches on the trees swayed back and forth.

  “Grab the straps!” Gobo called.

  Large black clouds filled the sky, and the daylight vanished.

  “Oh no!” I cried. “There is a storm blowing in!”

  “Hold on!” Gobo yelled.

  The sail on the boat was flapping in the strong wind.

  Gobo pulled the rope hard, tightening the sail. Suddenly, it felt as if we were in a race!

  “My wings!” I cried. “They’re going to get wet!”

  Gobo threw me a blanket he had on the boat. I wrapped it around my shoulders to protect my wings before the rain started. I tried hard not to flutter them. I scrunched down low and held on to the gift for Gobo’s family.

  “Don’t worry,” Gobo yelled. “This storm will move quickly.”

  “This storm came out of nowhere!” I yelled back.

  The gusts pushed the sail, and the boat sailed faster and faster down the river. If we were in a race, we would definitely win! I could barely breathe!

  Gobo didn’t let go of the rope once. He didn’t seem scared at all, even though the wind continued.

  I closed my eyes and pulled the blanket over my head. I hoped the storm would end soon.

  4 Chocolate Mess

  After a couple minutes, it felt like the wind and the boat finally slowed down. I lifted the blanket off my head and opened my eyes. “Did the storm pass?”

  “Yes,” Gobo said. “Are you okay?”

  “I was so scared!” I said. I kept the blanket wrapped around me.

  “Me too,” Gobo admitted.

  “You didn’t seem scared,” I said. “You were very brave.”

  Gobo stood on the edge of the boat. He was still gripping the rope, but he relaxed a little now that the wind wasn’t blasting.

  I looked down at the box in my lap. It was dripping with melted chocolate!

  “My surprise is ruined!” I said. “I made special chocolates for your family, and now they’re all messy and melted. I must have squeezed the box too tightly when I was under the blanket!”

  “Oh no!” Gobo said. He handed me a cloth to wipe my hands.

  “What a mess!” I said.

  “I like messes,” Gobo said. “Especially if they are made of chocolate!”

  I shook my head. “I wanted to bring your family a special treat,” I said. “I just learned how to decorate these chocolates.” I looked down at the box of melted chocolate. “This is not the gift I wanted to give.”

  “Wait,” Gobo said. He snapped his fingers. “I have an idea!”

  “You do?” I asked.

  “You can make a different kind of candy,” he said. “Let me show you.”

  The boat moved along the river, and Gobo slowed down at the edge of Chocolate Woods.

  “Over there,” he said, pointing. “Do you see that caramel bush?”

  “Is that the bush that you got stuck in?” I asked.

  Gobo laughed. “Yes!” he said. “This is the spot where we first met. Remember how I couldn’t move?” He rubbed his backside and smiled. “I was so happy to see you that day! You helped me out of a very sticky situation.”

  Gobo tossed the rope out to a tree stump and pulled the boat to shore. “Now I can help you out of a gooey situation!” He jumped off and pulled a caramel off the bush. “We can dip these in the melted chocolate,” Gobo said.

  “That is a choc-o-rific idea!” I exclaimed.

  “Let’s try it out,” Gobo said.

  I opened the box. Gobo dipped a caramel into the chocolate and set it down on a large chocolate banana leaf.

  “Maybe we should try one,” I said, popping it into my mouth. “Mmmm!” The caramel and chocolate tasted delicious together.

  Gobo had one too. “Yum,” he said, smiling. “I love these! Let’s make more.”

  One by one we dipped the caramels into the chocolate. I found another chocolate banana
leaf and folded the tiny chocolates inside. I took some gummy flowers from the riverbank and tied them in the middle.

  “This looks much better now,” I said. “Thank you, Gobo.”

  “And they taste good, too!” he said, licking his fingers.

  We returned to the boat. I sat in the middle, and Gobo stood at the front.

  I watched him set the sail and head back out on the water.

  “You really should race this weekend,” I said. “You knew just what to do when the wind was blowing hard. You are ready.”

  “Maybe,” Gobo said.

  When Gobo didn’t answer right away, I thought I had a chance to convince him. He should race his Mint Magic!

  5 Fair Trade

  Large purple rocks lined the edge of Chocolate Woods. I knew Gobo lived there, but I had never been inside the caves. I walked with him through a long rocky tunnel. At the end I saw his front door, which was made of licorice logs. There was a large welcome mat in front of the doorway.

  “This is sugar-tastic,” I said.

  Gobo opened the door. “Hello,” he announced. “I’m home!”

  His parents and Toomie were there to greet us. Gobo looked like a combination of his parents. He had his mom’s eyes and his dad’s head shape. His brother, Toomie, was a little taller and had red hair, but he looked similar to Gobo.

  “Welcome to our home!” his mom greeted me.

  Gobo’s father grinned at me and said, “This is the first time a Candy Fairy has come to visit.”

  I thought of what my mother might say. “I’m happy to be the first,” I said, with a royal smile. “Thank you for inviting me.”

  I felt Toomie staring at my wings. I knew they were fluttering fast. I took a deep breath and stayed put with my feet on the ground.

  “Nice to meet you,” Toomie said.

  “Thank you,” I said. “Nice to meet you, too.” I walked over to Gobo’s mother and handed her the gift.