Cuddle the Cutest Kitten: School of Spells Read online

  Cuddle’s Fan Pages

  Here’s what other children have to say about their favourite kitten and her latest adventure!

  “I really like this magical book. My favourite part is when the girls meet Cosmo: it’s really exciting! I didn’t think anything could be as cute as my new kittens, but Cuddle comes awfully close!” Carmen, age 7

  “I didn’t like the troll being nasty to Cosmo – I was glad Cuddle, Olivia and Grace were there to help. Cuddle is my favourite character because she persuaded Cosmo to never give up, and I liked it when she jumped on Mossfly’s foot.” Isabel, age 7

  “This is the best book of the series. I love Cosmo the unicorn and am so glad Cuddle helped him make friends he could laugh with.” Megan, age 8

  “My favourite part was when the troll stuck his two fingers in his ears because it nearly made me laugh my head off.” Piper, age 7

  “I enjoyed this book so much. I wish I could travel with Cuddle, Olivia and Grace to Miss Rosamund’s School for Magical Creatures. I would love to learn some magic spells to try out at school.” Izzy, age 7

  “Olivia and Grace are lovely, kind friends who include Cosmo the unicorn. I stayed up late to read the whole book because it was brilliant!” Hattie, age 6

  “I like this story because I love unicorns. I wish I could go to a magical school. It made me laugh when Cuddle leapt at Miss Rosamund’s feet to introduce herself.” Emily, age 8

  by Hayley Daze

  illustrated by Ann Kronheimer

  cover illustrated by Amanda Gulliver

  Contents

  Chapter One

  Fairy Fun

  Chapter Two

  The Shy Unicorn

  Chapter Three

  Miss Rosamund Arrives

  Chapter Four

  Whizzing Wands

  Chapter Five

  Mean Mossfly

  Chapter Six

  Try, Try, Try Again

  Chapter Seven

  The Gift of Friendship

  Chapter Eight

  Butterfly Brooches

  Other books about

  Cuddle the Cutest Kitten:

  Magical Friends

  Superstar Dreams

  Princess Party Sleepover

  For Emily and Jessica Cowlard and Lottie Perryman – wishing you all many magical adventures

  Cuddle the kitten has black-and-white fur,

  A cute crooked tail, and a very loud purr.

  Her two best friends, Olivia and Grace,

  Know Cuddle’s world is a special place!

  Just give her a cuddle, then everything spins;

  A twitch of her whiskers, and magic begins!

  So if you see a sunbeam, and hear Cuddle’s bell,

  You can join in the adventures as well!

  Chapter One

  Fairy Fun

  Olivia squeezed her eyes shut. “Abracadabra, fiddle-de-dee, show me my wand, as fast as can be!” She opened them again and looked at the dressing-up box on the lawn of her back garden. A pirate hat and a pink feather boa were spilling out of it, but Olivia sighed. “I can’t see my wand anywhere,” she said to Grace.

  The two girls were in fancy dress. Olivia’s fairy outfit was a purple leotard and tutu and pink net wings covered in silver sparkle.

  Her mum had made the outfit for Olivia on her sewing machine. Slung over her shoulder was the little bag she took everywhere. Grace was dressed up as an elf, in green shorts and T-shirt, and pointy plastic ears hooked over her real ones.

  “Don’t worry,” Grace said. “My mum says I’m good at finding things. When we lived on a farm, I used to look for where the chickens had laid their eggs. I’ll help you find your wand.”

  It was a grey day in Catterton, with clouds squatting low over the houses and blocks of flats. Olivia and Grace had decided to brighten up the garden, turning it into a fairy grotto. Olivia had strung daisy chains from the branches of the trees, while Grace had lined up her mum’s garden gnome collection on top of the fence.

  The girls knelt beside the pot plants on the patio, searching among the leaves and flowers.

  “If only I was a proper fairy,” Olivia said. “Then I could use magic to find it.”

  Grace jumped up, her eyes shining. “We do know someone with real magic.”

  “Cuddle!” Olivia cried.

  The girls grinned at each other. Cuddle was a cute kitten who took them on amazing magical adventures.

  Just then, a beam of sunlight reached through the clouds. It shimmered in the air like a golden rainbow, shining right on to the dressing-up box.

  Jingle jangle jingle jangle jingle.

  “That’s Cuddle’s bell!” Grace cried. “She’s here!”

  The girls ran towards the dressing-up box and looked inside. Its contents quivered, and a black-and-white tail with a kink in its tip poked through. Then came a pair of black paws, and finally a furry white face.

  “Cuddle!” Olivia exclaimed. “And look what she’s found!”

  The kitten had a purple plastic wand in her mouth. Olivia tucked it inside her bag. “Clever Cuddle,” Grace said, and tickled the kitten under the chin, just where her purr was rumbling. With a mew, Cuddle sprang into Grace’s arms, the silver bell on her pink collar jangling.

  Both girls shut their eyes as the kitten’s purr made their skin tingle all over.

  “I feel like I’m covered in fizzy sherbet,” Olivia murmured. “I wonder where Cuddle will take us this time …”

  Olivia rubbed her eyes. The girls were standing on a large stretch of grass. White stripes marked out a pitch and on the edge of the playing field was what looked like a school building with iron gates and lots of little windows winking in the sunlight.

  Olivia could hear chattering and shouts of laughter coming from a playground to the side of the building.

  “Why would Cuddle bring us to a school?” she said to Grace. “We go to one of these all the time.”

  The kitten jumped down from Grace’s arms and scampered across the grass towards the cries of other children. But as the girls stepped inside the playground, they gasped with amazement.

  “These aren’t children!” Grace cried, gazing around her. The two of them turned in a slow circle, their eyes wide as they took everything in.

  “Wheeeee!” shouted a pixie, kicking with his curly-toed shoes as he whizzed down a slide. He jumped off the end, and Olivia could see that he only came up to her waist.

  A group of elves, dressed in green like Grace, were playing football with a small ball against a team of gnomes.

  “Goal!” yelled one of the elves. “Good shot!”

  “I don’t believe it,” Olivia whispered. “Look!” She pointed into the air and Cuddle mewed with excitement.

  Three fairies flew over their heads, pausing to flutter around a tall sign. As they passed over, glitter fell down over the girls’ shoulders.

  Olivia shook the glitter from her hair and laughed.

  Gazing back up at the sign, she saw golden letters painted on it. “Miss Rosamund’s School for Magical Creatures,” she read out loud.

  Olivia turned to Grace, her eyes bright. “We’re at a school for magic!”

  Chapter Two

  The Shy Unicorn

  “Come on,” Grace said. “Let’s ask if we can play, too!” They ran to join the creatures, Cuddle skipping beside them. Grace gazed up at the fairies playing above them.

  “Your wings look just like theirs,” she said to Olivia.

  “Hello!” one of the fairies called down. “Have you come to join Miss Rosamund’s school?”

  “We hope so!” Grace called back. Cuddle s
werved to the left, bounding towards a broad tree at the edge of the playing field. It was covered in pink, yellow and blue flowers.

  A white pony stood underneath it, munching. Sticking out from his forehead was a long horn, twisted into a spiral like a seashell. It had a kink in its tip, just like Cuddle’s tail.

  Grace’s mouth dropped open. “Look – a unicorn!”

  At the sound of her voice, the unicorn’s cheeks went rosy pink. He dropped his flowers and ducked behind the trunk, out of sight.

  “I think he’s shy,” Olivia whispered.

  Cuddle peered round the trunk, stretching her pink nose into the air.

  “What’s she doing?” Grace wondered.

  The unicorn’s long white muzzle poked out. He leaned down and gently touched his nose to Cuddle’s.

  She mewed and jumped on to his back, curling up just behind his head.

  “She’s making friends,” Olivia said, clapping her hands.

  Cuddle’s tail brushed against the unicorn’s neck. “Neigh-heehee!” he snorted, and shook as if she were tickling him. He trotted round the tree trunk, picking his hooves up high. Cuddle gave a mew as she bounced on his back.

  “Wow,” Grace said. “It’s almost like he’s dancing!”

  The unicorn stopped dancing and his eyelashes fluttered. “Thank you,” he said.

  “You can talk!” Olivia gasped. “Please don’t be scared of us. I’m Olivia. This is Grace, and you’ve met Cuddle, our kitten.”

  “I’m Cosmo,” the unicorn said quietly.

  “Nice to meet you, Cosmo,” Grace said. “Why don’t we go and play, too?”

  “Because no one wants to play with a silly unicorn,” a voice said.

  The girls looked round. Standing beside them was a troll. His skin was as green and warty as a toad’s, and he had yellow eyes. The troll jammed his thumbs into his ears and waggled his fingers. “Stupid putrid Cosmo!” he jeered.

  Olivia put her hands on her hips. “Stop it! Calling people names is nasty.” The troll stuck his tongue out and sloped off.

  Grace patted Cosmo’s silky mane. “Let’s go and play.”

  But Cosmo hung his head and sighed.

  Olivia took Grace’s hand, pulling her aside. “I think he’s too shy to join in,” she said. “And that troll’s making him feel even worse.”

  “That must be why Cuddle’s brought us here,” Grace whispered. “To help Cosmo make friends!”

  Chapter Three

  Miss Rosamund Arrives

  Tinkle tinkle tinkle.

  “What’s that?” Grace asked.

  “It’s Miss Rosamund,” Cosmo said. “She’s our head teacher.”

  Tinkle tinkle tinkle.

  Puff! A plump lady with silver hair appeared in an explosion of glitter. She was wearing a pink gown, and in one hand she had a silver wand with a star on top. In the other, she held a silver bell.

  Miss Rosamund tinkled the bell again. “Time for lessons!” she called, her cheeks dimpling as she smiled. “Come on, everyone! You’re all going to learn your own special magic today.”

  Olivia gasped. “Well, that beats learning times tables!”

  Miss Rosamund walked into the school building, the magical creatures skipping along behind her.

  Cuddle flicked her crooked tail and ran through the open doorway to join them. “Good idea, Cuddle,” Grace said. “We can learn about magic too. Come on, Cosmo!”

  They hurried after the little kitten. But then the troll crawled out from under the slide.

  “Looking forward to the magic lessons?” he asked Cosmo.

  “Yes,” Cosmo replied, backing away.

  “Why?” the troll demanded. “Silly unicorns can’t do magic. Everyone’s going to laugh at you!”

  “Hey,” Grace said. “We’ve already told you to stop being mean.”

  “Pfffffft!” The troll made a loud raspberry sound and stomped after the other creatures.

  “Just ignore him, Cosmo,” Olivia said.

  But the unicorn was already trotting back towards the tree, his head drooping.

  Grace scooped up Cuddle and the girls ran to join him.

  “Please come to the lesson,” Grace said. “You might make some new friends.”

  Tears glittered like jewels on Cosmo’s long eyelashes. “But I can’t do magic. Why would anyone want to be friends with a unicorn who can’t cast spells?”

  Chapter Four

  Whizzing Wands

  “Miaow!” Cuddle wiggled her whiskers.

  The branches above them rustled, and hundreds of pink, yellow and blue petals showered down. They caught in Cosmo’s mane and Olivia’s fairy wings, and stuck on to Grace’s pointy ears.

  Cuddle flicked one off her nose with her pink tongue.

  Cosmo’s eyes were wide. “Did Cuddle make this happen?” he asked.

  Grace nodded. “She’s a magical kitten. If a little kitten like Cuddle can make magic, I’m sure a unicorn can too! She wants to help you, Cosmo – and so do we. Please go to the magic lesson!”

  “All right,” he agreed. “But only if you and Olivia come too.”

  Grace threw her arms round Cosmo’s long neck. “Of course we will!”

  Olivia glanced towards the school door, where the other students had followed Miss Rosamund. “And we’d better hurry,” she added, “or we’ll be late for the lesson.”

  Cosmo knelt down on the lawn, folding his legs beneath him.

  “All aboard the Cosmo Express!”

  Grace gently held on to Cosmo’s mane and pulled herself up on his back. She’d ridden lots of ponies before, but never a unicorn!

  Olivia sat behind, her arms around Grace’s waist. Cuddle sprang into Grace’s lap.

  Cosmo stood up and galloped towards the school building.

  He skipped from hoof to hoof, his tail swishing along to the rhythm of his steps.

  “Woo-hoo!” Grace cheered. “This is an amazing galloping dance, Cosmo!”

  As they approached the school door, he ducked his head beneath the door frame and trotted down the corridor, his hooves clip-clopping.

  The girls gasped as each floor tile lit up red, yellow or blue as Cosmo stepped over it. “It’s magic!” Grace cried.

  Cosmo gave a gentle neigh. “Of course it is. We’re in a magic school, remember?”

  They arrived outside a classroom and the girls slid from Cosmo’s back. Then they followed him inside.

  Grace sank on to a plump cushion beside the other elves, gnomes and fairies who were arranged in a circle round Miss Rosamund. Olivia sat beside her on a purple velvet cushion. On the shelves around the classroom were little cauldrons, glass jars stuffed full of odd-looking ingredients and piles of glitter dust.

  “I’ve never been in a classroom like this before,” Grace whispered to Olivia.

  “Hello, Cosmo,” Miss Rosamund said. “I see you’ve brought two new pupils.”

  Cosmo knelt down beside the girls. Cuddle leapt from his back, landing at Miss Rosamund’s feet.

  “And who have we here?” she asked.

  “That’s Cuddle,” Olivia explained. “I’m Olivia, and this is Grace.”

  “Welcome to you all,” Miss Rosamund said. “I usually ring my bell to show that the lesson has started, but maybe Cuddle could ring hers today.”

  The little kitten shook her head, making her bell jingle. The magical creatures giggled, and Cuddle hopped on to Olivia’s knee. Cosmo stood beside Grace.

  Miss Rosamund waved her silver wand, and to the girls’ amazement, wooden bookcases appeared beneath the shelves. Even though they were crammed with books, they hovered above the floor.

  Olivia’s eyes darted over their spines. “Flying for Beginners, 101 Tricks to Play on Humans, Magic Made Easy,” she read in a whisper. “They’re all about magic!”

  Miss Rosamund walked over to a large desk at one end of the classroom. On it was a pen pot filled with strange-looking sticks. Miss Rosamund stood behind the desk and, holding her wand li
ke a pencil, wrote pink letters in the air: “MY MAGICAL GIFT”.

  “Wow,” Grace murmured. “It’s like a magical whiteboard.”

  “Now, class,” Miss Rosamund said. “Everyone has their own special kind of magic, and today you’re going to find yours.”

  “But how will we know when we’ve found it?” a pixie asked, scratching his head.

  Miss Rosamund smiled. “You’ll know,” she said. “Your tummy will tingle, and you’ll feel so happy, you could float up into the clouds. I found my special magic when I was trying to cast a spell to make lemonade. Instead, I magicked a special teacher’s cloak.” She stroked the pink silk of her cloak, smiling. “That’s how I knew I was meant to set up a school for magic!”

  She waved her wand once more and the sticks floated out of the pen pot.

  They were a rainbow of colours, each with a different shape at the top.

  “Magic wands!” Olivia said, swinging her legs.

  Miss Rosamund raised her wand. “Magic wands, hear my call, find your owner, one and all!”

  With a whoosh, the wands whizzed over everyone’s heads, like a fireworks display.

  Cuddle leapt on to Olivia’s shoulder, and as a red wand with a heart at its tip zoomed past, she sprang up and caught it between her teeth.

  She jumped to the ground to give it to Cosmo.

  “Look, everyone else is getting their own wand too,” Grace said.

  A gnome cheered as he caught a green wand with a flower at the top, while a wand with a diamond shape landed in a giggling pixie’s hand.