Pop Star Princess

  Contents

  Cover

  About the Book

  Title Page

  Map

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  About the Author

  Copyright

  About the Book

  Poppy is so excited! Her cousin Daisy’s band is entering a talent contest and Poppy and Honey are going to be backing singers. With a great song and a fab dance routine Poppy is sure they’re going to win – until she reads about Lilac and the Mermaids in the local paper . . .

  Will she ever get to be a pop star princess?

  Princess Poppy

  Pop Star Princess

  written by Janey Louise Jones

  Illustrated by Samantha Chaffey

  Chapter One

  POPPY AND HONEY were so excited. Along with Poppy’s older cousin, Daisy, and her two friends, Lily and Rose, they were the Beach Babes. In just two weeks’ time they were going to be taking part in the local heats of the You’re a Star! talent contest, which were being filmed in Camomile Cove.

  Poppy and Honey had been backing singers for Daisy’s band ever since the Smuggler’s Cove High School Battle of the Bands the summer before and they couldn’t wait to perform with them again.

  “It will be so cool if we win,” said Poppy breathlessly. “I can’t wait.”

  “But won’t there be loads of other really good bands taking part?” asked Honey, already feeling a bit nervous about the whole thing. “Do you think we have a real chance of winning?”

  “I think we will definitely be the best,” replied Poppy confidently. “Saffron is going to make our stage outfits, Madame Angelwing’s assistant, Claudine, is going to teach us a brilliant dance routine, and I know that Daisy, Lily and Rose are working on a really cool new song.”

  “Ooooh, how exciting!” replied Honey. “I love dancing!”

  “Me too,” giggled Poppy. “and it’s mainly you and me doing the dancing because the others will be playing their instruments. I bet none of the other bands will have a proper dance routine. I’ve made a plan with Daisy that we’ll meet her, Lily and Rose at the Lavender Lake School of Dance on Saturday at ten o’clock. They’re going to play us the song and Claudine is going to start teaching us our dance.”

  “What’s the new song like?” asked Honey.

  “Ummm, I don’t actually know yet because they’re still writing it,” explained Poppy. “Daisy said that they’re meeting in her summer house every day after school to work on the words and the music.”

  “I wish I had a cool cousin like you do,” sighed Honey, who thought her life might be rather dull without the connections of her beloved best friend.

  “Daisy practically is your cousin, Honey!” laughed Poppy. “You see her just as much as I do.”

  On Saturday morning, Poppy and Honey set off to meet Daisy and her friends. They were desperate to hear the new song and so excited to be involved.

  When they arrived at the dance studio, Daisy, Lily and Rose were already there. Poppy hugged her cousin and said ‘Hi’ to the other two girls, and Honey shyly followed suit.

  “Is the song finished?” asked Poppy. “Can we hear it?”

  “Hang on a minute,” laughed Daisy. “We’ve only just got here. We need to set everything up first.”

  “OK,” replied Poppy. “but can you at least tell me what the song’s called?”

  “It’s called Chocolate Sundae Girls. It was inspired by our favourite treats at the Lighthouse Café! And, even better,” Daisy continued. “the owners of the café, Fleur and Harvey, have said that if we win the competition, we’ll all get free chocolate sundaes for the rest of the year!”

  Poppy thought that the Lighthouse Café was the coolest place on earth and she knew that their chocolate sundaes were heavenly. “Wow!” she said. “Deeelicious!”

  Just then Claudine came out of the staff room, ready to get to work, and Daisy pressed PLAY on the CD player. The Beach Babes’ new song filled the room and all the girls, including Claudine, couldn’t help dancing and humming along to its catchy pop tune and brilliant words:

  Daisy, Lily and Rose were thrilled that everybody liked their song – they’d put so much hard work into it. But there was still lots to do before the talent contest.

  “Let’s get going with the dance routine for Poppy and Honey!” urged Daisy. “Claudine, what do you think we should do?”

  “I have this idea that we should base it around street café life. What do you think?” she asked as she showed the girls a scenario she had in mind, where the younger girls started singing while sitting at chairs at a round table in the middle of the stage. Gradually they would get up and start dancing and singing around the table, picking up their tambourines and shaking them from time to time.

  The Beach Babes all thought it was really good idea, and so original. Poppy and Honey just couldn’t believe they were part of it. The dance part gave them much more to do than before. Poppy felt like the luckiest girl in the world.

  Chapter Two

  AFTER THEIR REHEARSAL Grandpa came to meet his two granddaughters, Poppy and Daisy, and the other girls. He was particularly keen to meet up with Daisy as he didn’t see as much of her as he would have liked. She was always so busy with her part-time job, school, her friends, her pony and her other hobbies.

  “I expect you’re hungry after all that dancing,” smiled Grandpa as he walked into the dance studio. “How about I treat you all to lunch at Bumble Bee’s Teashop? It may not be quite as cool as the Lighthouse Café, but the food is second to none.”

  “Yes please,” chorused Daisy, Poppy and Honey.

  “Thanks, Mr Mellow,” said Rose politely.

  “Lunch sounds great and so does Bumble Bee’s. Daisy has told us all about it,” added Lily.

  Honey felt very proud that her granny’s teashop had such a good reputation with Daisy’s cool friends.

  All the way to the teashop the girls chatted about the contest.

  “We’ve really got to practise playing the music now that the words are in place,” said Rose, who was very musical.

  Everyone agreed that there was still masses of hard work ahead but they were all sure it would be worth it in the end, especially if they won their heats and went through to the finals in the City.

  Poppy dropped back to talk to Grandpa. “I really, really hope we win. It would be so exciting. Daisy, Lily and Rose have written such a cool song.”

  “Well, I’m looking forward to it too,” agreed Grandpa. “But remember—”

  “It’s the taking part that counts!” interrupted Poppy. “I know that, but I still want to win, Grandpa!”

  Grandpa smiled. “There’s nothing wrong with a competitive spirit, darling, as long as you can control it – and are still pleased for your rivals if they win.”

  Poppy gave Grandpa’s hand a squeeze and skipped off to catch up with the others. They had reached Bumble Bee’s Teashop and Poppy was dying to tell the older girls exactly what they should order.

  “Hey, girls, I know the menu really, really well, so if you need any help choosing, just ask. My favourite is the baked potato with cream cheese and bacon filling. Oh, but I also love the cheddar cheese and tuna melt. But then again, the fish and chips are the best ever! And the home-made apple cream cakes are yummy . . . and as for the toffee doughnuts. Deeelicious! And you really must try the fresh fruit smoothies – they are so yummy!” she advised.

  Daisy and her friends laughed.

  “You haven’t
really helped us to decide, Poppy. It all sounds great,” said Lily. “I wish I could have a bit of everything.”

  As they settled down at a table and decided what to eat, Granny Bumble greeted them warmly and began taking their huge lunch order. Grandpa sat at a nearby table and took out his newspaper, tuning out the noisy chatter from the girls’ table. It was great having granddaughters, but sometimes it was nice to get away from it all!

  “Joseph Mellow! How are you, old fellow?” said a voice from the other side of Grandpa’s newspaper.

  He put it down, recognizing the familiar tones. “Philip Forster! What a lovely surprise!” he said, greeting his oldest friend – and rival – Colonel Forster, with a warm handshake.

  “Take a pew, old boy. I’m just treating this pop group over here to lunch – they’re going to be in some contest over in Camomile Cove,” Grandpa explained, looking at the girls, who were practising the chorus of the new song as they waited for their lunch to arrive.

  “Ah! The talent contest. My granddaughter Lilac’s in that too,” replied the Colonel. “Remember, my daughter Martha is married to Hugh Farrington, the headmaster of Smuggler’s Cove High School? She’s a lovely girl, their daughter, Lilac. What a talent,” he continued as he sat down. “She’s just like my Martha. Y’know, Martha should’ve been on the stage. Very nearly was a star, was our Martha!”

  “Is that right, Philip?” asked Grandpa, rolling his eyes. Everything in the Colonel’s world was always bigger, better and more successful than anyone else’s.

  “In fact,” continued Colonel Forster. “I’ve rented a cottage over in Camomile Cove to be near the family during the contest – and to take a trip down memory lane. Remember the year I discovered the wreck of an old pirate ship in the cave at Sandy Bottom? What a lot of work I did on that!”

  “You found it, you say? I saw it first and showed it to you, Philip Forster!” replied Grandpa. “And I cut the timber to repair it, remember?”

  The two elderly men bickered affectionately about who had been responsible for discovering the ship and restoring it. They were still as competitive as they had been when they were schoolboys, and the Colonel’s talk of taking a cottage in Camomile Cove had set Grandpa thinking . . .

  After lunch, once all the girls were safely back home, Grandpa settled down in his sitting room to make some telephone calls.

  “Silly old fool,” he chuckled to himself. “You’ve got to beat the Colonel to that old pirate ship, haven’t you?”

  The next day, which was Sunday, Grandpa, Granny Bumble and Honey came over for lunch at Poppy’s house, just like they did every week. It was a Cotton family tradition and Poppy loved it. It was as if they were one big happy family, even though Granny Bumble and Honey were not actually related to her.

  When Grandpa arrived for lunch, bringing his usual gift of some flowers from his garden and a box of chocolates, he looked very pleased with himself indeed.

  “What’s up with you, Dad?” asked Poppy’s mum. “Why the big grin?”

  “Well, I’ve got a surprise for everyone,” replied Grandpa. “Sit down and I’ll tell you all about it.”

  They looked at Grandpa as he began to speak – none of them had any idea what the surprise might be but they couldn’t wait to find out!

  “Now, you know the girls are competing in You’re a Star! in a couple of weeks’ time? Well, I thought it might be nice to stay in Camomile Cove since that’s where the contest is, so I’ve rented a lovely new beach-front lodge there. It’s called The Pebbles and it sleeps ten, so there’s room for all of us. I went to see it late yesterday afternoon and it’s wonderful. We have it for a week starting from next Sunday. I know it’s all a bit last minute, but I hope you think it’ll be fun.”

  “How exciting,” said Poppy’s mum. “It sounds amazing. Thank you, Dad!”

  “Oh, I am glad you like the idea,” smiled Grandpa. “Not only will the Beach Babes be able to rehearse as much as they like but we can all have a fine seaside holiday, which I think we’re in need of.” (He left out the bit about the house being fancier than Colonel Forster’s rented cottage, and even nearer to where he thought the old pirate ship was!)

  Poppy’s parents were thrilled with Grandpa’s surprise about the beach house. They couldn’t afford to pay for a holiday this year without Grandpa’s help: the twins were taking up Mum’s time and she’d hardly made any new hats for ages, so their income was way down from normal.

  Poppy’s dad arranged to take a week off work, Granny Bumble employed Gertie Jenkins as a temporary manageress to take care of Bumble Bee’s Teashop and the Blossom Bakery, and Mum started organizing everything they would need to take with them.

  Everyone was really excited about the holiday, although it was the talent contest that was occupying Poppy and Honey’s thoughts the most.

  Chapter Three

  OVER THE NEXT few days, Honey and Poppy arranged for their pets to be looked after while they were away and laid out the clothes they were planning to take with them. They practised the words to the new song as often as they possibly could, singing in the tree house, the playroom, Poppy’s bedroom and down at Riverside Stables too. They knew exactly where to come in with their backing vocals, adding some depth with their sweet, tuneful voices. They had a couple more dance sessions with Claudine and there were also two full band rehearsals in Daisy’s summer house at Camomile Cove.

  In the middle of the week, Daisy, Rose and Lily came over to Honeypot Hill to visit Saffron’s Sewing Shop. Since Saffron was going to be making their stage outfits, she needed to take all the girls’ measurements and show them the fabrics she had in mind.

  “I’ve already got a fabulous idea for your outfits – but it’s going to be a surprise!” she explained. The girls couldn’t wait to see what she came up with. “I’m also going to ask Holly Mallow to make some jewellery to go with your outfits and I’m sure Lily Ann Peach will come over and do your hair!” she continued.

  “Wow! That sounds amazing. We’re so lucky,” said Poppy.

  The days before the trip were spent packing picnic things, bathing suits, buckets and spades, toys and clothes, plus favourite foods. By early Sunday morning, the Cottons, Grandpa, Honey and Granny Bumble were finally ready to make their way over to the neighbouring coastal town for their holiday.

  To get everyone properly in the holiday mood, Grandpa had booked them all tickets on the paddle steamer. He thought that a gentle boat trip down the River Swan to the coast would be by far the most relaxing way to travel to Camomile Cove. So they all made their way up to the quay, where Mr Crowther helped them aboard the Paddle Princess.

  Poppy was absolutely thrilled when she saw The Pebbles, the beachside lodge Grandpa had rented. It had just been built by Mr Atkins, the local builder from Strawberry Corner, and was painted a soft cream colour with lots of huge picture windows and balconies. To the back was a grassy garden with lots of space for tennis and rounders. To the front was a decking area for eating out, which led to a private jetty where a little fishing boat was moored. They even had their own stretch of pebbly beach, which is how the house got its name.

  “This is amazing!” exclaimed Poppy, itching to see the inside.

  “Nothing but the best for my family and friends,” said Grandpa, smiling proudly.

  The inside did not disappoint. It was all very clean and simple, with smooth tiled floors and vanilla walls adorned with splashy modern art paintings of sunny coastal scenes. Squashy cornsilk-yellow sofas faced out onto the bay. The cheerful family-friendly kitchen with adjoining dining area all looked well furnished, with natural wood fittings and masses of everyday essentials. Grandpa had even ensured that there were two high chairs for the twins.

  “Come and look at our bedroom, Poppy!” cried Honey, calling down from the third floor.

  Poppy raced up the wooden staircase to reach her friend. “Wow! I love it!” she squealed, taking in the sweet attic bedroom, with windows overlooking the sea.

  Ther
e were two beds with sunshine-yellow covers, a pretty wooden dressing table, a large painted wardrobe and a cheerful patterned rug.

  “Isn’t this the best? A beach holiday and a talent contest. It’s perfect!” said Poppy. “Let’s unpack quickly. Mum said that lunch would be ready soon. Then we can go to the beach and then, after that, Daisy wants us to head over for a proper rehearsal.”

  Mum and Granny Bumble produced a lovely simple picnic lunch on the table on the balcony. As they ate their lunch, they all enjoyed the breathtaking view of rocky outcrops, pale sandy beaches, aqua sea and sailing boats bobbing to and from the harbour.

  By mid-afternoon, everyone was having a heavenly time down on the main beach, which was reached along a path near The Pebbles. Angel and Archie were both bucket-and-spade mad, even though they mostly wore the buckets on their heads as hats rather than making sandcastles. Dad was more relaxed than he had been in months and he and Mum were laughing the whole time. Poppy and Honey were splashing about in the sea, and Grandpa and Granny Bumble were chatting away happily as they relaxed in two stripy deckchairs.

  “Remember the Punch and Judy shows we used to watch on the beach, Joseph?” recalled Granny Bumble. “Weren’t they grand? And the colourful beach huts and ice-cream stalls. It was super. Those were the days!”

  “They certainly were,” agreed Grandpa. “It’s great to be back.”

  “You used to hang out on the beach with Philip Forster every summer, didn’t you?” asked Granny Bumble.

  “Yes,” mumbled Grandpa. “In fact, I believe he’s spending the summer over here too.”

  “Oh, how nice – I didn’t get a chance to chat to him the other day at the teashop. I was much too busy making lunch for the girls. We should have him over to supper one night,” suggested Granny Bumble.