Star-Bubble Trouble

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Text copyright © 2012 by Cecilia Galante

  Cover art and interior illustrations copyright © 2012 by Kristi Valiant

  All rights reserved.

  Published in the United States by Random House Children’s Books, a division of Random House, Inc., New York.

  Random House and the colophon are registered trademarks and A Stepping Stone Book and the colophon are trademarks of Random House, Inc.

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  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

  Galante, Cecilia.

  Star-bubble trouble / by Cecilia Galante; illustrated by Kristi Valiant.

  p. cm. — (Little wings; #3)

  “A Stepping Stone Book.”

  Summary: While on her first school “cloud trip,” young cupid Willa Bean tries to get a replacement for her baby brother’s lost ball but makes some big mistakes that nearly spoil everyone’s fun.

  eISBN: 978-0-375-98354-2

  [1. Behavior—Fiction. 2. School field trips—Fiction. 3. Lost and found possessions—Fiction. 4. Brothers and sisters—Fiction. 5. Cupid (Roman deity)—Fiction.]

  I. Valiant, Kristi, ill. II. Title.

  PZ7.G12965St 2012 [Fic]—dc23 2011021884

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

  v3.1

  For Mrs. Lyons’s second-grade class—

  the best teacher and kids in the world! —C.G.

  For Rhiannon and Kennedy,

  two wonderful big sisters —K.V.

  Cover

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Dedication

  Willa Bean’s World

  1. Babies Are a Disaster!

  2. Cloudtrip!

  3. A Baby Blare!

  4. Where Does a Missing Voice Go?

  5. Polka-Dotted, Silver-Knotted Arrow

  6. Cloud Nine Is Mighty Fine!

  7. A Super Gift Store!

  8. Upside Down and Inside Out

  9. Time-Out

  10. Let’s Trade

  Willa Bean Skylight is a cupid. Cupids live in a faraway place called Nimbus, which sits just alongside the North Star, in a tiny pocket of the Milky Way. Nimbus is made up of three white stars and nine clouds, all connected by feather bridges. It has a Cupid Academy, where cupids go to school, a garden cloud, where they grow and store their food, and lots and lots of playgrounds.

  Willa Bean lives on Cloud Four with her mother and father, her big sister, Ariel, and her baby brother, Louie. Cloud Four is soft and green. The air around it smells like rain and pineapples. Best of all, Willa Bean’s best friend, Harper, also lives on Cloud Four, just a few cloudbumps away.

  When cupids are ready, they are given special Earth tasks. That means they have to fly down to Earth to help someone who is having a hard time. Big cupids, like Willa Bean’s parents, help Earth grown-ups with things like falling in love. Little cupids, like Willa Bean, help Earth kids if they feel mad, sad, or just plain stuck. Working with Earth people is the most important job a cupid has. It can be hard work, too, but there’s nothing that Willa Bean would rather do.

  Are you ready for a peek into Willa Bean’s world? It’s just a few cloudbumps away, so let’s go!

  Willa Bean flapped her bright purple wings a little harder. “Snooze!” she called. “Wait! You’re going too fast!”

  The tiny brown owl flew back over to Willa Bean. “Apologies, ma chérie,” he said. “I didn’t realize you were so far behind.”

  Willa Bean and Snooze were on a short pajama flight before bed. The evening sky was a silvery blue color. Nimbus’s nine clouds had already turned gold and pink around the edges. Pretty soon, it would be dark all over.

  “I think I’m just too excited to fly fast tonight!” Willa Bean said. “My wings feel all wiggly!”

  “What are you excited about?” Snooze asked.

  Willa Bean shoved a curl out of her face. “Miss Twizzle is going to have a surprise for us in school tomorrow! And I can’t wait to find out what it is!”

  “How wonderful,” said Snooze. “Surprises are marvelous things. What do you think it could be?”

  Willa Bean stretched her wings out straight and glided next to Snooze. She liked to glide when she needed to think. Gliding made her brain work better. “Hmmm …,” she said. “Hmmm …”

  Suddenly, she flapped her wings again. “I know!” she said. “Maybe we’re all getting brand-new quill pens!”

  “That’s quite possible,” Snooze said. “A new quill pen would be a lovely surprise.”

  “But maybe not,” Willa Bean said. “Especially since we just got new quill pens last week.” She began to glide once more. “I know! Maybe Miss Twizzle has a big bag of Snoogy Bars for each of us! In every flavor!” Willa Bean giggled. “Wouldn’t Harper go bonkers if that was the surprise?”

  Harper was Willa Bean’s best friend. She was crazy about Snoogy Bars.

  “She would, indeed,” Snooze said. “Harper loves Snoogy Bars, doesn’t she?”

  “Oh yes,” Willa Bean said. “Especially peanut butter ones. One time, she ate twelve in a row! Without even stopping!”

  “My goodness,” Snooze said. “Didn’t she get sick?”

  “No.” Willa Bean shook her head. “But she did get super thirsty.”

  “I don’t know about Snoogy Bars, Willa Bean,” Snooze said. “Do you think Miss Twizzle would hand out sweets in class?”

  Willa Bean wrinkled her nose. “Maybe not.”

  “Well, keep on thinking,” said Snooze. “But there’s the North Star up ahead. We have to turn around.”

  Willa Bean looked into the distance. Snooze was right. The North Star was shining just above Cloud Eight, bright as a diamond. The silvery purple sky was getting darker, too. She turned around. So did Snooze.

  In a few minutes, they were back at her bedroom window. Willa Bean flew inside her room. But as she landed, her foot slipped on a greasy spot. “Oof!” she said, falling to the floor. The seat of her pajamas turned mooshy and sticky.

  “Willa Bean!” Snooze flew over and perched on her shoulder. “Are you all right? What happened?”

  “I slipped on something.” Willa Bean moved her bottom out of the gluey puddle. On the floor was a small, empty bottle. Without a cap.

  “Oh no!” Willa Bean said. “Baby Louie got into my stardust paints! Again!” She stood up, holding the seat of her pajamas away from her. They were covered with sticky blue goo. “He dumped them all over the floor! Now my pajamas are ruined! And so are my paints!”

  “Just the blue paint is ruined,” Snooze pointed out. “All the other paint bottles look all right. And I’m sure your mother will be able to wash your pajamas.”

  Willa Bean stomped her foot. “I’ve told Baby Louie to stay out of my room! Prob’ly a million-bajillion times! And he never listens!”

  “That’s because he’s a baby,” Snooze said. “Babies don’t understand the things that big cupids do. They’re too little.”

  Willa Bean stomped her foot again. “But it’s not fair! Yesterday, he crawled into my closet and chewed my sandals! And then the other day, he tore the special picture I made for Mama in school! And now he’s wrecked my jammies—and my blue stardust paint!” Willa Bean crossed her arms and stuck out her bottom lip. “I wish he wou
ld just go away! Forever!”

  “You don’t mean that.” Snooze gave one of Willa Bean’s curls a tug with his beak. “You love your little brother.”

  “I do not,” Willa Bean said. “That baby is a Total Disaster. With a capital T. D.”

  “Willa Bean!” Mama called from downstairs. “Time for bed!”

  “I can’t go to bed!” Willa Bean wailed. “I’m covered with paint!”

  A short silence was followed by the sound of someone running upstairs. Then Daddy appeared in the bedroom doorway. “Willa Bean,” he said, “did you just say you were …”

  Willa Bean turned around.

  “… covered with paint?” Daddy stared at Willa Bean’s pajama bottoms. “Oh dear. What happened?”

  “Baby Louie dumped out my blue stardust paint.” Willa Bean was trying not to cry. “And I slipped on it, and now it’s a huge mess.”

  Daddy shook his head. “How many times have Mama and I told you not to leave your paints under your bed? Baby Louie is crawling everywhere now. And when he sees something on the floor—”

  “But I forgot!” Willa Bean said.

  “Okay.” Daddy picked up the rest of the paints. He set them on top of Willa Bean’s dresser. “Let’s keep them up here from now on, all right?”

  Willa Bean sniffed and nodded.

  Daddy held out his hand. “Come on, little love,” he said. “We’re going to have to get you in the shower. Mama will have a fit if she finds out you’ve gone to bed with a blue bottom.”

  “But I don’t want to take a shower!” Willa Bean hung back. “I hate showers!”

  “You hate washing your hair,” Daddy reminded her. “You don’t have to get your hair wet. Or even your face. Just the blue part.” He grinned. “I don’t think I know too many cupids out there with purple wings, brown hair, and blue bottoms.”

  Willa Bean wrinkled her nose. “It’s not funny,” she said.

  Just then, Mama came into the room. She was holding Baby Louie on her hip. “Everything okay here?” she asked.

  Willa Bean looked at her baby brother. He was shoving Babyflakes into his mouth with one hand. In his other hand was his red rubber star-bubble ball. It was his most favorite toy in the universe. Baby Louie never let his red rubber star-bubble ball out of his sight. He even slept with it.

  “No,” Willa Bean said. “Baby Louie just wrecked my paints. And now I have a blue bottom, and I have to take a shower, and Daddy thinks it’s funny!” She stomped off to the bathroom and shut the door behind her.

  But not before she heard Baby Louie say, “Dunny!”

  Baby Louie liked to repeat the last word Willa Bean said. Even if it didn’t make any sense.

  He was definitely a super-pest.

  But he was not a super-smart one.

  Willa Bean felt much better the next morning, especially when she remembered what day it was. In no time at all, she would be in school. And then she would find out Miss Twizzle’s surprise!

  After the cloudbus dropped them off, Willa Bean skipped into Class A. She stopped short and stared at the chalkboard. She mouthed the word on the board silently to herself. Then she jumped up and down and ran over to Harper. “Harper! Harper! Look at the board! I think it’s the surprise that Miss Twizzle told us about!”

  Harper was busy putting her books inside her desk. But she turned around to look at the board. She squinted her eyes behind her blue polka-dotted glasses. She blinked a few times and then squinted some more.

  “Hold on.” Willa Bean stuck out her hand. “Your glasses have Snoogy Bar smudges all over them. I’ll clean them for you.”

  Harper gave Willa Bean her glasses. Willa Bean rubbed the glass part very carefully on the bottom of her uniform. First one, then the other. Willa Bean was a super glass-cleaner.

  When she was done, she gave Harper her glasses back. “Here,” Willa Bean said. “They should be good and sparkly now.”

  Harper put her glasses back on. She blinked a few more times. “Ooooh,” she said. “That’s nice.”

  “Now you can read what’s on the board!” Willa Bean said.

  “Cloud. Trip.” Harper said the parts of the word slowly. She looked at Willa Bean. Her eyes were very round. “A cloudtrip!” she said again. “Wizzle-dizzle-doodad, Willa Bean! A real cloudtrip? Do you think that’s for us?”

  Vivi pushed her way in between Willa Bean and Harper. “Of course it’s for us. It’s written on our chalkboard. Who else would it be for?” She fixed the big velvet bow in her red hair. “And guess what else? I heard Miss Twizzle talking to Mr. Rightflight about it yesterday. And so I’m the only one who knows where we’re going on our cloudtrip.”

  Vivi sat down at her desk. It was right in front of Willa Bean’s. Sitting near Vivi was not something Willa Bean was all that thrilled about. Especially since it meant Vivi could turn around in her seat and see everything Willa Bean did. It also meant she usually tattled to Miss Twizzle about it.

  Sophie ran over to them. “You know where we’re going on our cloudtrip, Vivi?” she asked. “For real?”

  Vivi nodded. “I know exactly where we’re going.” She put her pink wingsack on her desk. It was covered with purple moondust glitter. A pink rubber star-bubble ball dangled from the zipper. Vivi took out her books and put them in her desk.

  “Tell us!” Willa Bean begged. “Please!”

  “Yeah!” Sophie said. “It’s not fair that you’re the only cupid who knows! We should all know, since we’re all going!”

  But Vivi shook her head. “I can’t tell,” she said. “Otherwise, Miss Twizzle will think I spied on her. When actually I really didn’t. I just heard by accident when I came back to get my singing book.”

  “We won’t tell.” Willa Bean leaned in super-close to Vivi. “We promise.”

  Harper scooched in next to Willa Bean. So did Sophie. All three cupids stared at Vivi, waiting to hear what she would say next.

  But just then, the second bell rang.

  Willa Bean turned around quickly. When the second bell rang, they were supposed to be in their seats. Miss Twizzle was coming into the classroom. Class would start any minute now.

  Willa Bean grabbed her wingsack. She hurried over to her desk and put her books inside. Then she sat down.

  “All right, class!” Miss Twizzle shut the door behind her and clapped her hands. “Everyone should be in their seats with their wings folded neatly!”

  Willa Bean folded her purple wings neatly against her back. She sat up tall. She hoped Miss Twizzle noticed that she was in her seat. Even if her legs were wiggling and dancing under the desk.

  Miss Twizzle waited. Her blond hair looked very shiny under the bright lights. Her eight freckles gleamed on her cheeks. Willa Bean thought Miss Twizzle was the most beautiful teacher she had ever seen.

  Harper raised her hand.

  “Yes, Harper?” Miss Twizzle asked.

  “Is that cloudtrip word on the board for us?” Harper asked.

  Miss Twizzle smiled. “It most certainly is,” she said. “Tomorrow, Mr. Rightflight and I are taking all of you on your very first cloudtrip!”

  Excited gasps filled the room.

  Willa Bean wiggled up and down in her seat. Her desk bumped into the back of Vivi’s chair. Vivi turned around. She frowned at Willa Bean.

  “Sorry,” Willa Bean whispered. “It was an accident.”

  Pedro, who sat in front of Raymond, jumped out of his chair. He pumped the air with his fist and did a little crazy dance with his feet. “Yessssss!” he shouted. “I love cloudtrips!”

  Everyone in Class A laughed. Willa Bean laughed the loudest. Pedro cracked her up. He was a goofy cupid.

  “Where are we going on our cloudtrip, Miss Twizzle?” Sophie asked. “Can you tell us? Please?”

  “Of course I can tell you,” Miss Twizzle said. “Mr. Rightflight and I are taking all of you to Cloud Nine.”

  Cloud Nine! Holy shamoley! Willa Bean had never been to Cloud Nine before! Not once! Her knees hoppe
d and skipped with excitement. The front of her desk bumped into Vivi’s chair again.

  “Miss Twizzle!” Vivi called out. “Miss Twizzle! Willa Bean keeps shoving her desk against my chair! And it is very annoying to me because I can’t concentrate!”

  Miss Twizzle looked at Willa Bean. “I know you’re excited,” she said. “But you have to try to sit still, Willa Bean.”

  Willa Bean nodded. Then, when Miss Twizzle turned back around, Willa Bean made a googly face at Vivi.

  “Miss Twizzle!” Vivi called. “Willa Bean just made a googly face at me! Which is not listening to the Cupid Rule at all!”

  Miss Twizzle sighed. She looked at Vivi for a moment. Then she looked at Willa Bean. “One more problem between you two,” she said, “and I am going to have to send letters home to both of your parents.”

  Willa Bean sat very still. So did Vivi. Having a letter sent home was not a good thing. Not even a little bit.

  “All right now.” Miss Twizzle began to walk up and down between the desks. “Does anyone know what is on Cloud Nine?”

  “Waterworld!” Class A shouted.

  “That’s exactly right,” Miss Twizzle said. “So tomorrow we are all going to get very, very wet!”

  Class A hollered and clapped.

  “Cloud Nine also has a small area where you can practice using your bows and arrows,” Miss Twizzle went on. “Mr. Rightflight would like to take everyone there first. When that’s finished, we will head over to Waterworld. And you can swim and play for the rest of the day!”

  “YAY!” Class A shouted.

  “This is so cool!” Pedro jumped out of his chair again. This time, he did a little jiggly dance with his bottom. He shook his head from side to side and made his eyes all big and googly.

  Willa Bean laughed again. She clapped her hands and wiggled up and down.

  She felt exactly the same way.

  “Mama! Mama!” Willa Bean called as she burst into the house after school. “Guess where we’re going tomorrow? Guess where we’re going?”

  “I’m out here, sweetie!” Mama called.