Purrmaids #5 Read online

  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 © 2019 by Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen

  Cover art copyright © 2019 by Andrew Farley

  Interior illustrations copyright © 2019 by Vivien Wu

  All rights reserved. Published in the United States by Random House Children’s Books, a division of Penguin Random House LLC, New York.

  Random House and the colophon are registered trademarks and A Stepping Stone Book and the colophon are trademarks of Penguin Random House LLC.

  PURRMAIDS® is a registered trademark of KIKIDOODLE LLC and is used under license from KIKIDOODLE LLC.

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  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

  Name: Bardhan-Quallen, Sudipta, author.

  Title: A star purr-formance / Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen ; illustrated by Vivien Wu.

  Description: First edition. | New York : Random House, 2019. | Series: Purrmaids ; 5 | “A Stepping Stone Book.”

  Summary: When purrmaid friends Shelly, Angel, and Coral team up with the Catfish Club to audition for the annual Founder’s Day Showcase, they learn that singing well requires more than just practice.

  Identifiers: LCCN 2018013004 | ISBN 978-0-525-64634-1 (trade pbk.) | ISBN 978-0-525-64635-8 (lib. bdg.) | ISBN 978-0-525-64636-5 (ebook)

  Subjects: | CYAC: Mermaids—Fiction. | Cats—Fiction. | Singing—Fiction. | Festivals—Fiction. | Friendship—Fiction.

  Classification: LCC PZ7.B25007 St 2019 | DDC [Fic]—dc23

  Ebook ISBN 9780525646365

  This book has been officially leveled by using the F&P Text Level GradientTM Leveling System.

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

  v5.4

  a

  To Kelly Clarkson, for all the joy her music brings to my daughter

  Contents

  Cover

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Dedication

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Excerpt from Purrmaids #6: Quest for Clean Water

  Somehow, every day in Kittentail Cove turned out to be wonderful. There was always something to learn, somewhere to explore, or some adventure to go on. Shelly loved her beautiful underwater town. She couldn’t imagine living anywhere else.

  “Does anyone know what tomorrow is?” asked Ms. Harbor. She was the teacher in Room Eel-Twelve.

  Shelly looked at the small orange kitten to her right. Coral had her paw raised so high she looked like she was going to pop out of her clamshell seat. “I know, I know!” she shouted. “It’s Founder’s Day!”

  “I knew that,” Baker grumbled.

  “I did, too,” Taylor added.

  Ms. Harbor laughed. “I guess that wasn’t a very hard question!”

  “Founder’s Day is my favorite day of the year,” Coral said.

  “It’s my favorite, too,” Shelly said.

  Most of the students nodded in agreement. But not the black-and-white kitten next to Coral. “Founder’s Day is my second favorite day of the year,” Angel said. “Right after my birthday.”

  “I’m sure your birthday is a paw-some day,” Ms. Harbor purred. “But we don’t have a parade on your birthday.”

  “We should!” Angel joked.

  Most of the class giggled. Shelly rolled her eyes. And Coral sighed, “Oh, Angel!” She shook her head. Angel liked making a splash whenever she could. Sometimes that frustrated Coral, who spent most of her time avoiding splashes.

  We’re so different, Shelly thought. Coral was a rule-follower and Angel was a rule-breaker. But Shelly wasn’t either of those things. She liked rules—as long as she got to decide what those rules were! Somehow, none of that mattered. Angel and Coral had been her best friends fur-ever. Shelly was sure that would never change.

  Ms. Harbor held up her paws for silence. She waited for everyone to settle down. “Maybe next year we can plan a parade for Angel,” she said, winking. “But tomorrow’s celebrations are in honor of Leondra, the founder of Kittentail Cove. Leondra wanted to build a town where every creature under the sea would be welcome. She hoped that this community would support each other through good times and bad.”

  “That’s exactly what Kittentail Cove is like!” Shelly said.

  Ms. Harbor nodded. “By celebrating Leondra’s ideas every year, we remind ourselves to stay that way,” she purred. “And there’s lots of food!”

  The students laughed again. Ms. Harbor makes every lesson fun, Shelly thought.

  Ms. Harbor continued, “Maybe I’ll see some of you out celebrating tomorrow.”

  “We’ll be at the Cove Council party tonight,” Baker said.

  “My mom says I have to wear a tie,” Taylor whined.

  “You should wear a tie,” said Adrianna. She pointed to Umiko and Cascade. “The Catfish Club girls will be dressed up. My uncle, the mayor, expects us to look purr-fect.”

  Shelly looked away so no one would catch her giggling. Adrianna never missed a chance to tell everyone that her uncle was the mayor of Kittentail Cove.

  “We’re going to the party, too,” Angel said. “Right, Shelly?”

  Shelly nodded. “Yes, we’ll be there. My parents are making all the food for the party.” Her parents owned Lake Restaurant in Kittentail Cove. They were paw-some chefs.

  “Now I’ll definitely be there tonight!” Ms. Harbor purred. “And I’m sure you’re all going to the showcase tomorrow.”

  The Founder’s Day Showcase was a yearly tradition. It was held in the Purr-formance Art Wing, or P.A.W., of the Kittentail Cove Museum. Usually, purrmaids were invited to sing for the entire town. Last year, Katy Purry was the main star. The year before, it was Taylor Shipps.

  This year, the Cove Council was trying something new. Instead of inviting just a few purrmaids to sing, they were holding tryouts. Anyone could earn a spot in the purr-formance this year.

  “Are any of you planning to audition?” Ms. Harbor asked.

  Most of the class shrugged. Except for Adrianna. She was nodding and grinning. “We are!” she exclaimed. “Umiko, Cascade, and I have been practicing.”

  “Actually,” Cascade said, “we’ve been planning to practice. We haven’t really sung that much yet.”

  “Mostly, Adrianna has told us what to do,” Umiko said.

  Adrianna frowned. “We’ve almost practiced,” she grumbled.

  “I tried to get Baker to practice, but it didn’t go well,” Taylor huffed.

  Baker shook his head. “No, it didn’t,” he agreed.

  “Anyone else?” Ms. Harbor asked.

  Shelly shyly raised her paw. “I might,” she purred. “If Coral and Angel will sing with me.”

  Coral patted Shelly’s shoulder. “Shelly is a great singer,” she said.

  “She sounds like Kelpy Sharkson,” Angel added.

  Shelly felt her face getting hot. “No, I don’t,” she said. But she was smiling beca
use she was Kelpy Sharkson’s biggest fan. She knew all her songs by heart. Sometimes she dreamed about being a singer like Kelpy when she grew up.

  “I hope you girls do try out,” Ms. Harbor said.

  “I’m not sure I’m brave enough to sing in front of all those purrmaids,” Shelly said.

  “I hadn’t thought about that,” Coral said. Sometimes, she could be a scaredy cat. “I don’t know if I’m brave enough, either!”

  Ms. Harbor swam over to Shelly and Coral. She purred, “This year, I’ve entered the Sand Sculpture Contest. I’ve never sculpted sand before!”

  “Aren’t you scared?” Shelly asked.

  Ms. Harbor smiled. “It might be scary. But it also might be an adventure!”

  “And I’m here to help you two be brave,” Angel added. “Nothing scares me!”

  “I’ll think about it,” Shelly said.

  “I’m sure you girls will make the right decision. But no matter what you choose to do this weekend, make sure you have fun,” Ms. Harbor said. “After all, it’s Founder’s Day!”

  The Lake family had cooked a lot of food for the Founder’s Day party. It all had to be carried into the ballroom at Cove Council Hall before the guests arrived. “We’re lucky you’re here,” Mom said.

  Shelly, Angel, and Coral smiled. “I love helping you, Mom,” Shelly purred.

  “And we love helping Shelly!” Angel laughed.

  The purrmaids began to unload the restaurant cart. “Here, Coral,” Shelly’s dad called. “You take this one.”

  “Be careful,” Angel warned. She and Shelly were already holding trays. “These are heavier than they look!”

  “I can handle it, Angel,” Coral said. “I don’t want to spill anything.”

  “Especially not on Shelly,” Angel teased.

  Everyone knew Shelly hated to get her silky, white fur dirty, especially on a night when she was dressed up for a party.

  “If you’re done making fun of me,” Shelly huffed, “we should get going.” She frowned for a moment. But she was only pretending to be upset. She knew Angel was kidding. She tilted her head toward the open door. “Come on.”

  The girls swam toward the ballroom. Shelly stopped in the doorway. Even though she’d seen it before, she was always impressed. The ballroom was huge and had a high ceiling. The sand walls had been polished to a golden shine. Gleaming seashells and dazzling starfish covered the floor.

  “This might be the most beautiful room in the whole world,” Shelly purred.

  “Let’s go, Shelly,” Coral said. “Your mother is waiting.”

  “And these trays are getting heavier!” Angel whined.

  The purrmaids giggled. Mom was floating near a long table decorated with lace corals. Shelly asked, “Where do you want these?”

  “Right here,” Mom answered. She tapped an empty part of the table. “Is this everything?” she asked.

  Shelly nodded.

  “Fin-tastic!” Mom said. “We were running out of room!”

  “The food looks beautiful, Mrs. Lake,” Coral said.

  “And delicious,” Angel added.

  Mom smiled. “I’m glad you think so. Everything has to be purr-fect tonight.”

  “It certainly appears to be purr-fect!” boomed a voice. “I knew I could trust the Lakes to cook up a paw-sitively fabulous party meal.”

  Shelly turned. It was Mayor Rivers. Three purrmaids swam behind him—Adrianna, Umiko, and Cascade. Shelly wasn’t surprised that they were all wearing lavender clothes. The Catfish Club always wore lavender, just like Shelly and her best friends always wore their friendship bracelets.

  Mayor Rivers said, “This is my niece, Adrianna, and her friends, Cascade and Umiko. Do you girls know each other?”

  “We’re all in the same class at sea school,” Shelly replied.

  “Eel-Twelve, right?” Mayor Rivers asked. The girls nodded. “Wonderful! Your teacher, Ms. Harbor, is here tonight, too.” He looked over the plates on the table. “Now, I have an important question. What should I try first?”

  “Here, try this,” Shelly suggested as she held out a plate. “It’s a new sushi roll Mom invented. It’s called a Garden Urchin Roll.”

  Umiko, Cascade, and Adrianna each took one piece of the sushi. But Mayor Rivers stuffed a paw-ful into his mouth. “Mmmm,” he purred. “This is good! What’s in it?”

  “Sea urchin,” Mrs. Lake answered, “and all sorts of sea vegetables.”

  The moment she said vegetables, the mayor’s face turned green. “You mean…it’s…it’s…healthy?”

  Everyone giggled. “If you want something sweet,” Shelly said, “we have coconut pie over there.”

  Mayor Rivers reached for the pie. Then he stopped. “I shouldn’t,” he mumbled. “Mrs. Rivers wouldn’t like it if I had dessert before dinner.” He sighed. “I should make my big announcement now.”

  The mayor floated onto the stage and tapped the microphone to get everyone’s attention. “Welcome, friends. Thank you for coming tonight,” he said. “Before you enjoy this fin-credible party, there’s one thing I’d like to say.”

  “Shush, everyone!” Adrianna snapped. “My uncle, the mayor, is about to give an important speech.”

  “Actually,” Cascade whispered, “I think it’s a quick announcement, not a whole speech.”

  Adrianna scowled. Shelly lowered her face so the Catfish Club wouldn’t see her smiling.

  Mayor Rivers continued, “I hope many of you will consider trying out for a spot in our community showcase. We want to hear different voices celebrating our town. Every purrmaid in the showcase will get to purr-form with this year’s special guest.” He waved for someone to swim closer. “I know you’re all excited to meet our guest.”

  The purrmaid had shiny golden fur and beautiful green eyes. She wore a deep blue coat over a silver top. The coat was dotted with shimmering sea glass shaped like music notes. She carried a guitar in one paw and waved at the crowd with the other.

  Shelly knew who she was right away, even before Mayor Rivers announced, “I’m thrilled to introduce you all to…Kelpy Sharkson!”

  “Shelly!” Angel gasped. “Now you have to sing in the showcase tomorrow!”

  “You’ll get to sing with Kelpy Sharkson!” Coral exclaimed.

  Shelly nodded. “Will you help me?” she asked. “I can’t do it alone.”

  “Of course!” Angel replied.

  “What are friends for?” Coral added.

  “This might be the best Founder’s Day ever!” Shelly laughed.

  Shelly hardly slept after the party. She was too excited about meeting Kelpy Sharkson! Somehow, she woke up in the morning full of energy. Her older sisters, Tempest and Gale, were still sleeping. Shelly tried to get ready quietly.

  As she brushed her fur, she sang softly.

  Na na na na na na

  Na na na na na na

  Someone asked, “Is that the new Kelpy Sharkson song?”

  Shelly turned to face the voice. “Did I wake you, Tempest?”

  “Yes,” Tempest mumbled.

  “You woke me, too,” Gale grumbled.

  “I’m sorry,” Shelly said.

  Gale rubbed her eyes. “Is she right? Were you singing ‘Castaway’?”

  Shelly nodded. Even though “Castaway” was brand-new, she already knew all the words.

  “You have such a great voice,” Tempest said.

  “I wish I sounded like you!” Gale added.

  Shelly blushed. “Thank you,” she purred.

  “Are you going to try out for the showcase this year?” Gale asked.

  Shelly grinned. “Yes!”

  “Paw-some!” Tempest said.

  “I hope you get in,” Gale said. She pulled the blankets over her head. “For now, though, please get out!”

/>   Shelly laughed. She swam out of the bedroom and closed the door so her sisters could sleep. She found her parents in the kitchen. Dad was dressed, but Mom was still in her pajamas. “Good morning!” she called.

  “You’re up early,” Mom mumbled.

  “It’s Founder’s Day!” Shelly laughed. “There’s so much to do! I can’t wait!”

  “You’re dressed and everything,” Dad said. Usually, Shelly took a long time to get ready. She had to make sure that every last detail was purr-fect, and purr-fection took time.

  Shelly twirled around. “Do you like my outfit?” she asked.

  “You look beautiful, Shelly,” Mom replied.

  Dad nodded. “I agree.”

  “I’m meeting Angel and Coral in Meow Meadow at nine o’clock,” Shelly said.

  “I’m going to Meow Meadow, too,” Dad said. “Are you taking the dance lesson?”

  Shelly shook her head. “We decided to audition for the showcase,” she explained.

  “That’s fin-tastic!” Mom exclaimed. “Good luck!”

  “Thanks, Mom,” Shelly purred. “But luck isn’t as important as practice. And that’s why we’re meeting early. We’re going to practice all day!”

  Dad and Shelly waved goodbye to Mom and swam off. Meow Meadow was filled with purrmaids celebrating Founder’s Day. Shelly spied Ms. Harbor’s rainbow fur in the crowd of purrmaids. She was dancing with Mr. Shippley, the sea school librarian.

  Shelly had never seen her teachers dance. Ms. Harbor was twisting and twirling as fast as she could. But Mr. Shippley only rocked slowly to the left and then to the right. He kept checking the watch on his wrist like he couldn’t wait for the song to end.

  “They look a little silly, don’t they?” Dad said.

  “Grown-ups always do when they dance!” Shelly replied.

  Dad scowled. “Even me?” he asked.