Patricia Puddle

Velvet Ball and the Broken Fairy Patricia Puddle

Nine-year-old Velvet has had enough of mean kids calling her a pixie just because she's bald. And when Rodney O'Leary yanks her hat off and calls her baldy, she stamps on his foot and takes off through the forest. Tramping through the woods, she watches kangaroos and birds, but when she stops to pick wildflowers, she stumbles upon a fairy caught in the bow of a tree. The fairy promises to grant Velvet a wish if she saves her and proclaims to be Roseberry -- Fairy of Crabtree Forest. Velvet doesn't believe in magic and thinks someone's playing a trick, but she rescues the so-called fairy anyway. But just like she thought, her wish of getting her hair back doesn't work and the sneaky Roseberry tries to escape. But when she tries to fly away, she falls off the tree with a thump. And now, as well as having no magic powers, her wings are broken. Velvet feels sorry for the helpless little sprite and decides to look after her until she recovers. Happy to have a friend, Velvet hides Roseberry in her bedroom, but she soon wonders why she's even bothered to help such an ungrateful little snot. The fairy isn't at all endearing--she's rude, demanding, bad-mannered and spoilt. She acts like a princess, expecting to be waited on. Velvet figures Roseberry doesn't know how to use her powers because she didn't pay attention in Magic School. And when Roseberry deliberately gets her into trouble, Velvet threatens to take her back into the woods. But before she has a chance, Rodney and his gang kidnap her. Realising she cares for the little sprite, Velvet's heart breaks. Now she'll have to rescue Roseberry, or who knows what they'll do to her.