Maggie and the Flying Horse Page 3
“You didn’t do your job today,” said Peter. “What’s it like to lose your bed?”
Maggie stuck her face close to his and said, “I’m not afraid of you. If I can handle goblins, I can handle a scrawny boy!”
“Goblins?” said Peter. He sounded as if he didn’t believe her and rolled his eyes.
“That’s right,” Maggie replied. “There are all sorts of creatures in this forest. You need to pay more attention!”
“Maggie, I have something for you,” said Bob. He handed her a journal and a pen. The journal was just like the one he’d shown her at his stable. “This is yours now. If anyone takes it from you, I will be very angry. I put a spell on it, so I’ll know who took it.” He gave Peter a stern look, then turned and winked at Maggie.
Maggie smiled when she saw the look on Peter’s face. Her stepbrother didn’t know that Bob’s threat wasn’t real. Bob’s wink had told her one thing; he didn’t have magic any more than she did. But it was a great threat, especially if Peter believed it.
When Maggie ran her fingers over the cover of the journal, her smile got even bigger. No one had ever given her anything like this before. She was already in love with it.
“Write in it every time you see something unusual or magical. Write down any details you notice. Practice your drawing, too! Always keep this journal with you. You never know when you’ll see something worth noting. Start with the creatures you saw today. I’d especially make note of that troll.”
“You saw a goblin and a troll in the same day?” Peter said, looking doubtful.
Bob ignored Peter and turned to Maggie. “Keep good notes. We’re bound to notice different things, but this way we can learn from each other!”
“I’d like that,” said Maggie. “There are so many things I want to learn about the magical creatures in the forest. Oh! I know just what I want to write about first!”
Maggie turned to the opening page of her new journal.
My new friend, she wrote.
Bob smiled as Maggie drew a picture of him.
About the Author
E. D. Baker is the author of the Tales of the Frog Princess series, the Wide-Awake Princess series, the Fairy-Tale Matchmaker series, and many other delightful books for young readers, including A Question of Magic, Fairy Wings, and Fairy Lies. Her first book, The Frog Princess, was the inspiration for Disney’s hit movie The Princess and the Frog. She lives with her family and their many animals in rural Maryland.
www.talesofedbaker.com
Text copyright © 2017 by E. D. Baker
Illustrations copyright © 2017 by Lisa Manuzak
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First published in the United States of America in April 2017 by Bloomsbury Children’s Books
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This electronic edition published in 2017 by Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Baker, E. D., author. | Manuzak, Lisa, illustrator.
Title: Maggie and the flying horse / by E.D. Baker ; illustrated by Lisa Manuzak.
Description: New York : Bloomsbury, 2017. | Series: Magic animal rescue ; 1
Summary: To save an injured flying horse, eight-year-old Maggie must journey through the Enchanted Forest, which is full of dangerous trolls and goblins, to find a kindly stableman named Bob, who cares for many different magical animals.
Identifiers: LCCN 2016023133 (print) | LCCN 2016049668 (e-book) | ISBN: 978-1-6811-9141-6 (PB) • ISBN: 978-1-6811-9312-0 (HB) • ISBN: 978-1-6811-9142-3 (eBook)
Subjects: | CYAC: Magic—Fiction. | Animals, Mythical—Fiction. | Imaginary creatures—Fiction.
Classification: LCC PZ7.B17005 Mag 2017 (print) | LCC PZ7.B17005 (e-book) | DDC [Fic]—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2016023133
Book design by Colleen Andrews
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