Dear Secret Agent,
VELVET BALL AND THE BROKEN FAIRY is an MG low fantasy novel, complete at 30,000 words. Sprites have the power to grant wishes, but if they don’t pay attention at magic school, they may never learn how.
After an illness, Velvet Ball moves to a new town, but none of the kids in fourth-grade want to hang out with a bald girl. When they poke fun at her for having no eyelashes or eyebrows, she decides to walk home through the woods. No way is she catching the bus to be tormented again.
Trudging through the forest, she stumbles upon a fairy caught in the bow of a tree. The fairy claims to be Roseberry – Fairy of Crabtree Forest and she promises to grant Velvet a wish if she saves her. After rescuing the fairy, Velvet wishes for her hair back, but nothing happens. Roseberry explains how she was tossed into the tree by bullies, and now she has no magic and her wings are broken. Velvet feels sorry for the helpless little sprite and decides to look after her until she recovers and her power returns.
Happy to finally have a friend, Velvet hides the little fairy in her bedroom. Trouble is, Roseberry isn’t an endearing fairy. She’s rude, demanding, bad-mannered and spoilt. She acts like a princess and expects to be waited on. Velvet figures that Roseberry doesn’t know how to use her powers because she didn’t pay attention in Magic School. But Roseberry’s not interested in learning. She’s too busy trying on doll clothes, looking in the mirror and dancing around the bedroom. And to make matters worse, she creates problems for Velvet and gets her into trouble. Velvet’s patience runs out and she wonders why she’s even bothering to help such an ungrateful little thing, but when the meanest school bully breaks into her house and kidnaps the fairy, Velvet’s heart breaks. She realises how much she loves the little sprite and can’t bear the thought of someone hurting her. After all, Roseberry is her only friend in the whole wide world and Velvet has to save her.
Thank you for your time and consideration. My full manuscript is available upon request.
Sincerely,
Patricia Puddle.
* * *
Velvet Ball stretched her butterfly headband over her bald head and sighed. If only she’d listened to her father and worn the beanie he’d knitted her, the two girls in front of her wouldn’t keep peeking at her and giggling.
Belinda Bragg flicked her blonde plait over her shoulder and turned around. “Stop stickybeaking on us!”
“I’m not,” said Velvet.
“You were too,” said Emily Pratt. “You’re always spying on us.”
“Yeah,” said Belinda. “She’s always staring at our hair.”
Velvet held her mouth and chuckled. At least she didn’t catch head lice.
Emily squinted meanly at her. “Are you laughing at us?”
Before Velvet could reply, the bell rang. She blew out a big breath and collected her books. There was no point in answering. Those dingbats would still be mean.
When the teacher dismissed them, Velvet grabbed her backpack and bolted out the classroom. She put her hat on and ran across the playground to the gate, but her father was nowhere in sight. Her shoulders dropped and she trudged to the bus queue. Why’d he have to work late again? Now she’d have to suffer the stupid bus trip.
When Bradley Murphy pushed in front of her, Velvet bowed her head to hide her face and stared at the footpath, but he knocked her hat off and held it above her.
“Hey! Give it back!” Velvet stood on her tiptoes, but she couldn’t reach it. Her face hot with embarrassment, she glanced around, but no one would help her.
