Unicorn Uproar

  Is it a real unicorn?

  “You guys … what happened to Sparkle?” Bess asked.

  “What do you mean?” Nancy asked. She looked into Sparkle’s pen too. But instead of seeing the white unicorn, she saw Rex Martindale. His hands were on his hips as he spoke loudly to a teenage boy.

  “Seth, as Sparkle’s handler you should know where he is!” Rex was saying.

  “I told you, Rex,” Seth said. “When I got back to the pen, Sparkle was gone.”

  Nancy, Bess, and George traded stunned looks.

  “Did he say Sparkle was gone?” Nancy whispered. “As in … missing?”

  Join the CLUE CREW

  & solve these other cases!

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  Unicorn Uproar

  By Carolyn Keene

  Illustrated By Macky Pamintuan

  If you purchased this book without a cover, you should be aware that this book is stolen property. It was reported as “unsold and destroyed” to the publisher, and neither the author nor the publisher has received any payment for this “stripped book.”

  This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real locales are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  ALADDIN

  An imprint of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing Division

  1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020

  www.SimonandSchuster.com

  First Aladdin paperback edition September 2009

  Text copyright © 2009 by Simon & Schuster, Inc.

  Illustrations copyright © 2009 by Macky Pamintuan

  All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form.

  ALADDIN is a trademark of Simon & Schuster, Inc., and related logo is a registered trademark of Simon & Schuster, Inc.

  NANCY DREW and related logos are registered trademarks of Simon & Schuster, Inc.

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  Designed by Lisa Vega

  The text of this book was set in ITC Stone Informal.

  Manufactured in the United States of America

  10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

  Library of Congress Control Number 2008942951

  ISBN 978-1-4169-7810-7

  ISBN 978-1-4169-9653-8 (eBook)

  CONTENTS

  CHAPTER ONE: MEDIEVAL MAGIC

  CHAPTER TWO: SPELLS BELLS

  CHAPTER THREE: POINT AND POOF

  CHAPTER FOUR: HORSEPLAY

  CHAPTER FIVE: SPARKLE OR SPECKLE?

  CHAPTER SIX: HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO CLUE!

  CHAPTER SEVEN: THINGS GET HAIRY

  CHAPTER EIGHT: VANISHING VEGGIES

  CHAPTER NINE: SWINGY THINGY

  CHAPTER TEN: HORSE? OF COURSE!

  Chapter One

  Medieval Magic

  “Good people of River Heights!” Mayor Strong announced. His suit of armor creaked as he threw his arms up into the air. “I, Sir Mayor the Strong, welcome thee to the Dragon’s Breath Fair!”

  Eight-year-old Nancy Drew cheered with her best friends, Bess Marvin and George Fayne. It was the start of the Dragon’s Breath Fair, a medieval festival that came to the girls’ town every fall.

  “What is ‘medieval,’ anyway?” Bess asked.

  “It was a time hundreds of years ago,” Nancy explained. “When there were kings, queens, jesters—and knights in shining armor.”

  “And dragons!” George said, her dark eyes flashing. “Don’t forget about dragons.”

  “Oh, no!” Bess gasped. “What do we do if we run into a fire-breathing dragon here at the fair?”

  “Roast marshmallows!” George joked.

  The girls turned back to the mayor. He was telling the crowd the fun they would have.

  “There will be jugglers, games, hearty food, and puppet shows,” Mayor Strong boomed. “And the most thrilling challenge of all—the joust!”

  “I know what a joust is,” George said to Nancy and Bess. “It’s when two knights on horseback try to knock weapons out of each other’s hands.”

  “Of course, I would love to be in the joust myself,” Mayor Strong told everyone. “But first I need a horse!”

  The visor on the mayor’s helmet fell in front of his face with a clunk.

  “He needs a horse and a new helmet,” George whispered.

  The mayor raised his visor and shouted, “I hereby declare the Dragon’s Breath Fair open!”

  After a big cheer the crowd scattered in all directions into the fairgrounds. Nancy didn’t know what was more colorful, the striped tents and banners hanging everywhere, or the red, yellow, and gold leaves on the trees.

  “Do you think they had detectives in those days?” Bess asked. “Detectives like us?”

  Nancy smiled at the thought. She, Bess, and George were good at solving mysteries. So good that they’d started their own detective club called the Clue Crew.

  “Sure, they had detectives,” Nancy decided. “Somebody had to figure out who stole the queen of hearts’s tarts!”

  “And speaking of stuff that’s yummy for the tummy,” George said, nodding in the direction of the food stalls, “there’s my mom.”

  Nancy could see Mrs. Fayne stacking jumbo cookies on the ledge of a food stall. Mrs. Fayne ran her own catering company and was in charge of the food at the Dragon’s Breath Fair. She was also in charge of bringing Nancy, Bess, and George to the fair every day that weekend.

  “What should we do first?” Bess asked, rubbing her hands together. “Play a game or eat one of those cookies?”

  Nancy wanted to watch the archery contest—until she noticed a wooden sign stuck in the ground. It had a red arrow and the words THIS WAY TO WIZARDLY WOODS.

  “What’s Wizardly Woods?” Nancy wondered.

  “There’s only one way to find out,” George said.

  The girls followed the path until they reached more colorful tents, their flaps wide open. Inside were men and women selling jewelry, candles, and scented oils. Outside a blue tent decorated with silver stars stood a rack holding dried flower garlands.

  Bess grabbed a garland and placed it over her long blond hair. “Does this make me look princessy?” she asked.

  “You mean prissy!” George said, and smirked.

  “Very funny, Georgia,” Bess replied, and smirked back. “Sometimes I can’t believe we’re cousins!”

  George gritted her teeth. She hated her real name, Georgia, e
ven more than she hated wearing dresses and skirts—a major difference between Bess and George.

  Bess was about to look for a mirror when a voice called out: “Huzzah, fair maidens! Do you like magic?”

  Nancy turned to see a woman wearing hoop earrings and a tunic decorated with stars.

  “You mean like card tricks?” George asked.

  “Cards are for playing Fish,” the woman scoffed. “But if it’s magic you’re looking for, Enchanted Elly has just the thing for you!”

  Out from behind her back Enchanted Elly pulled a magic wand. Lavender ribbons streamed from the long silver stick. But the best part was the glittery purple star on top.

  “It’s awesome!” Nancy exclaimed.

  “And it can be yours for a mere pittance,” Elly said.

  “A what?” Nancy asked, scrunching her nose.

  “That’s medieval for five dollars,” Elly said. She nodded at the flower garlands on the rack.

  “I’ll even throw three garlands into the deal.”

  “Buy it, Nancy,” George whispered. “You love purple!”

  “And I love this garland!” Bess said, patting her head.

  “So what do you say, Red?” Elly asked, nodding at Nancy.

  Nancy knew Elly was talking to her because she had reddish-blond hair. She also knew she wanted that magic wand more than anything.

  “I say yes!” Nancy said, digging into her jacket pocket for a five-dollar bill. “I’ll take it!”

  “Is it really magic?” George asked Elly. “I mean, does it come with a spell book or something?”

  “You make up the spells,” Elly explained. She raised the wand into the air. “Then you just point—and poof!”

  Elly handed Nancy the magic wand. Then she selected garlands, which she placed over Nancy’s and George’s heads.

  “There, m’ladies!” Elly declared. “Now beauty will follow you wherever you go.”

  “You mean bees will follow us!” George groaned, looking up at the dried flowers encircling her dark curls.

  As the girls left the Wizardly Woods, Nancy couldn’t take her eyes off her new wand. She waved it in the air, making the lavender ribbons twirl.

  “Ohmigosh,” Bess gasped. “I never saw anything so amazing!”

  “Thanks,” Nancy said, still gazing at her wand.

  “No, not your wand, Nancy,” Bess said. She pointed into the distance. “That!”

  Nancy looked to see where Bess was pointing. Then she gasped too.

  Inside a fenced-in pen was a magnificent white creature with a mane and tail like a horse. But a single silver horn on the creature’s head told Nancy it wasn’t a horse at all. It was—

  “A unicorn!” Nancy cried.

  Chapter Two

  Spells Bells

  The girls raced to the fence. The unicorn stood at the far end of the pen, too far away for them to get a good look.

  “My mom said there would be a unicorn here at the fair,” George said. “But I thought she was joking!”

  “That’s no joke,” Bess said, staring over the fence at the unicorn. “That’s got to be for real.”

  Until now Nancy had seen unicorns only in books and as stuffed animals in toy stores. But the unicorn inside the pen looked pretty for-real to her.

  “The sign says his name is Sparkle,” Nancy pointed out.

  “Probably because his horn sparkles in the sun!” Bess declared.

  The girls were about to call out to Sparkle when a jingly noise made them turn around. Nancy giggled when she saw Toby Leo from their third-grade class walking over. He was wearing a floppy jester’s cap with tiny gold bells sewed to the ends!

  “Are you supposed to be a jester, Toby?” Nancy asked.

  “What did you think I was?” Toby said, shaking his head to jingle his bells.

  “The Mr. Drippy ice cream truck?”

  “Ha, ha, very funny,” Bess said.

  “Funny is right!” Toby said.

  “Jesters used to tell jokes to the king and queen. Do you want to hear a joke?”

  “Go for it,” George said with a shrug.

  “Okay,” Toby said. He stuck out his hand. “That’ll cost you a dollar.”

  Nancy groaned under her breath. Toby Leo was always looking for ways to earn a buck.

  “Come on,” Toby urged. “Cough it up.”

  “Why should we pay you for a joke?” Nancy asked. “George tells great jokes, and they don’t cost a penny.”

  “Then tell me one,” Toby told George.

  “Sure,” George said. She stuck out her own hand. “But that’ll cost you two dollars!”

  Toby smirked as if to say Ha, ha. Then he pointed over the fence and said, “What’s that thing with the crazy horn on its head? Some kind of ringtoss game?”

  “It’s not a ringtoss game,” Bess said. “It’s a unicorn!”

  “A what-a-corn?” Toby asked.

  “Unicorn,” Bess repeated. “I once read that unicorns are magical, can leap over rainbows, and are good luck—if you can catch one.”

  “Good luck, huh?” Toby asked slowly. His eyes lit up as he stared at Sparkle. “Now, that gives me an idea!”

  The girls watched as Toby dashed away.

  “What kind of idea do you think he meant?” Nancy asked.

  “Maybe an idea for a unicorn joke,” George said. “Like, why did the unicorn try out for the school band?”

  “Why?” Nancy and Bess asked together.

  “Because he had his own horn!” George declared, sending the girls into a fit of giggles.

  Nancy, Bess, and George were about to turn back to Sparkle when a girl wearing a long princess dress raced over. She pointed over the fence at Sparkle and cried, “There, Daddy! I want that for my Totally Tubular Tenth Birthday Party!”

  “Isn’t that Destiny Delgado from the fifth grade?” Nancy whispered.

  “It’s her, all right,” George whispered back. “I heard Destiny’s parents are so rich they eat off of gold plates!”

  “I heard the only reason Destiny doesn’t go to private school is because she hates the uniforms,” Bess whispered.

  Mr. Delgado joined Destiny at the fence. So did another man dressed in a green tunic and matching tights.

  “Who’s that? Robin Hood?” Bess asked.

  “That’s Rex Martindale, the director of the Dragon’s Breath Fair,” George said. “He came to our house to talk to my mom last week. But he wasn’t dressed like that.”

  Destiny began jumping up and down. “Daddy!” she said. “Tell Rex I want that unicorn for my Totally Tubular Tenth Birthday Party!”

  Mr. Delgado turned to Rex and said, “Destiny’s birthday party will have a medieval theme. Just like here at the fair.”

  “Yes!” Destiny said. She flipped her hair over her shoulder. “I’ll be the princess and all my friends will be the peasants.”

  “It’s always been her dream,” Mr. Delgado added.

  Nancy rolled her eyes. Destiny didn’t need a medieval party to be a princess—she already was one!

  “I’m sorry, Mr. Delgado,” Rex said, sighing. “The unicorn is our main attraction. He has to stay here all weekend.”

  “It’s not fair!” Destiny cried. “Daddy, do something!”

  The girls stepped away from the fence.

  “Destiny is spoiling our visit with Sparkle,” Bess complained. “I wish she would just disappear or something.”

  “Did you say disappear?” Nancy asked, and giggled. She pointed her wand straight at Destiny. Then in a low voice said, “Abracadabra, abraca-dear. Make Destiny disappear!”

  “Nancy, don’t!” Bess gasped.

  “Don’t worry, Bess,” Nancy said. “Destiny is still there. That means my wand isn’t really magic. Just pretty.”

  “Yeah, pretty scary,” Bess said, and shuddered.

  A woman dressed in a red cape and feathered cap shouted as she walked by: “Lords and ladies, boys and girls! Come one, come all to ye royal parade!”
r />   “Let’s go,” Nancy said. She stuck her wand into the back pocket of her jeans. Then she ran with Bess and George to catch the parade.

  A crowd had already gathered on the field for the parade. Nancy, Bess, and George squeezed to the front just in time to see marching knights, jugglers, and the king and queen waving from a castle float.

  When Nancy spotted Enchanted Elly marching in the parade, she remembered her magic wand. But when she glanced back at her pocket, it was gone.

  “Bess, George!” Nancy cried. “I think I lost my wand!”

  “Maybe it really was magic,” Bess gasped. “And it magically disappeared!”

  George shook her head and said, “Or maybe it just fell out of your pocket on the way here.”

  The girls left the parade to retrace their steps. As they neared Sparkle’s pen, Nancy spotted a flash of silver in the grass. As they ran closer, the glittery purple star and lavender ribbons came into view.

  Nancy smiled with relief as she picked up the wand. “See, Bess?” she said happily. “It didn’t disappear.”

  But Bess wasn’t looking at the wand. She was staring into the unicorn pen.

  “You guys … what happened to Sparkle?” Bess asked.

  “What do you mean?” Nancy asked. She looked into Sparkle’s pen too. But instead of seeing the white unicorn, she saw Rex Martindale. His hands were on his hips as he spoke loudly to a teenage boy.

  “Seth, as Sparkle’s handler you should know where he is!” Rex was saying.

  “I told you, Rex,” Seth said. “When I got back to the pen, Sparkle was gone.”

  Nancy, Bess, and George traded stunned looks.

  “Did he say Sparkle was gone?” Nancy whispered. “As in … missing?”

  Chapter Three

  Point and Poof

  “He can’t be gone!” Bess cried. “We never got a chance to pet him. Or watch him jump over a rainbow!”

  “Let’s see what we can find out,” Nancy whispered.

  The three girls inched closer toward the pen. Rex and Seth were so busy arguing that they didn’t notice the girls.

  “Where were you all this time, Seth?” Rex asked.