by Ahmet Zappa
ALSO BY SHANA MULDOON ZAPPA AND AHMET ZAPPA
Sage and the Journey to Wishworld
Libby and the Class Election
Leona’s Unlucky Mission
Vega and the Fashion Disaster
Scarlet Discovers True Strength
Cassie Comes Through
Piper’s Perfect Dream
ALSO BY AHMET ZAPPA
Because I’m Your Dad
The Monstrous Memoirs of a Mighty McFearless
DON’T MISS
A Wisher’s Guide to Starland
COMING SOON
Tessa’s Lost and Found
Copyright © 2016 by Shana Muldoon Zappa and Ahmet Zappa
Artwork © 2016 Disney Enterprises, Inc.
Cover design © 2016 by Disney Enterprises, Inc.
Excerpt from Star Darlings: Tessa’s Lost & Found copyright © 2016 by Shana Muldoon Zappa and Ahmet Zappa.
All rights reserved. Published by Disney Press, an imprint of Disney Book Group. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission from the publisher. For information address Disney Press, 1101 Flower Street, Glendale, California 91201.
ISBN 978-1-4847-1435-5
For more Disney Press fun, visit www.disneybooks.com
Contents
Title Page
Also by Shana Muldoon Zappa and Ahmet Zappa
Copyright
Dedication
Starling Academy: Student Reports
Introduction
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Epilogue
Glossary
Acknowledgments
Preview of Star Darlings: Tessa’s Lost & Found
About the Authors
Halo Violetta Zappa. You are pure light, joy, and inspiration. We love you soooooo much.
May the Star Darlings continue to shine brightly upon you. May every step upon your path be blessed with positivity and the understanding that you have the power within you to manifest the most fulfilling life you can possibly dream of and more. May you always remember that being different and true to yourself makes your inner star shine brighter. And never ever stop making wishes.
Glow for it….
Mommy and Daddy
And to everyone else here on “Wishworld”:
May you realize that no matter where you are in life, no matter what you look like or where you were born, you, too, have the power within you to create the life of your dreams. Through celebrating your own uniqueness, thinking positively, and taking action, you can make your wishes come true. May you understand that you are never alone. There is always someone near who will understand you if you look hard enough. The Star Darlings are here to remind you that there is an unstoppable energy to staying positive, wishing, and believing in yourself. That inner star shines within you.
Smile. The Star Darlings have your back.
We know how startastic you truly are.
Glow for it….
Your friends,
Shana and Ahmet
Starling Academy:
Student Reports
NAME: Clover
BRIGHT DAY: January 5
FAVORITE COLOR: Purple
INTERESTS: Music, painting, studying
WISH: To be the best songwriter and DJ on Starland
WHY CHOSEN: Clover has great self-discipline, patience, and willpower. She is creative, responsible, dependable, and extremely loyal.
WATCH OUT FOR: Clover can be hard to read and she is reserved with those she doesn’t know. She’s afraid to take risks and can be a wisecracker at times.
SCHOOL YEAR: Second
POWER CRYSTAL: Panthera
WISH PENDANT: Barrette
NAME: Adora
BRIGHT DAY: February 14
FAVORITE COLOR: Sky blue
INTERESTS: Science, thinking about the future and how she can make it better
WISH: To be the top fashion designer on Starland
WHY CHOSEN: Adora is clever and popular and cares about the world around her. She’s a deep thinker.
WATCH OUT FOR: Adora can have her head in the clouds and be thinking about other things.
SCHOOL YEAR: Third
POWER CRYSTAL: Azurica
WISH PENDANT: Watch
NAME: Piper
BRIGHT DAY: March 4
FAVORITE COLOR: Seafoam green
INTERESTS: Composing poetry and writing in her dream journal
WISH: To become the best version of herself she can possibly be and to share that by writing books
WHY CHOSEN: Piper is giving, kind, and sensitive. She is very intuitive and aware.
WATCH OUT FOR: Piper can be dreamy, absentminded, and wishy-washy. She can also be moody and easily swayed by the opinions of others.
SCHOOL YEAR: Second
POWER CRYSTAL: Dreamalite
WISH PENDANT: Bracelets
NAME: Astra
BRIGHT DAY: April 9
FAVORITE COLOR: Red
INTERESTS: Individual sports
WISH: To be the best athlete on Starland—to win!
WHY CHOSEN: Astra is energetic, brave, clever, and confident. She has boundless energy and is always direct and to the point.
WATCH OUT FOR: Astra is sometimes cocky, self-centered, condescending, and brash.
SCHOOL YEAR: Second
POWER CRYSTAL: Quarrelite
WISH PENDANT: Wristbands
NAME: Tessa
BRIGHT DAY: May 18
FAVORITE COLOR: Emerald green
INTERESTS: Food, flowers, love
WISH: To be successful enough that she can enjoy a life of luxury
WHY CHOSEN: Tessa is warm, charming, affectionate, trustworthy, and dependable. She has incredible drive and commitment.
WATCH OUT FOR: Tessa does not like to be rushed. She can be quite stubborn and often says no. She does not deal well with change and is prone to exaggeration. She can be easily sidetracked.
SCHOOL YEAR: Third
POWER CRYSTAL: Gossamer
WISH PENDANT: Brooch
NAME: Gemma
BRIGHT DAY: June 2
FAVORITE COLOR: Orange
INTERESTS: Sharing her thoughts about almost anything
WISH: To be valued for her opinions on everything
WHY CHOSEN: Gemma is friendly, easygoing, funny, extroverted, and social. She knows a little bit about everything.
WATCH OUT FOR: Gemma talks—a lot—and can be a little too honest sometimes and offend others. She can have a short attention span and can be superficial.
SCHOOL YEAR: First
POWER CRYSTAL: Scatterite
WISH PENDANT: Earrings
NAME: Cassie
BRIGHT DAY: July 6
FAVORITE COLOR: White
INTERESTS: Reading, crafting
WISH: To be more independent and confident and less fearful
WHY CHOSEN: Cassie is extremely imaginative and artistic. She is a voracious reader and is loyal, caring, and a good friend. She is very intuitive.
WATCH OUT FOR: Cassie can be distrustful, jealous, moody, and brooding.
SCHOOL YEAR: First
POWER CRYSTAL: Lunalite
WISH PENDANT: Glasses
NAME: Leona
BRIGHT DAY: August 16
FAVOR
ITE COLOR: Gold
INTERESTS: Acting, performing, dressing up
WISH: To be the most famous pop star on Starland
WHY CHOSEN: Leona is confident, hardworking, generous, open-minded, optimistic, caring, and a strong leader.
WATCH OUT FOR: Leona can be vain, opinionated, selfish, bossy, dramatic, and stubborn and is prone to losing her temper.
SCHOOL YEAR: Third
POWER CRYSTAL: Glisten paw
WISH PENDANT: Cuff
NAME: Vega
BRIGHT DAY: September 1
FAVORITE COLOR: Blue
INTERESTS: Exercising, analyzing, cleaning, solving puzzles
WISH: To be the top student at Starling Academy
WHY CHOSEN: Vega is reliable, observant, organized, and very focused.
WATCH OUT FOR: Vega can be opinionated about everything, and she can be fussy, uptight, critical, arrogant, and easily embarrassed.
SCHOOL YEAR: Second
POWER CRYSTAL: Queezle
WISH PENDANT: Belt
NAME: Libby
BRIGHT DAY: October 12
FAVORITE COLOR: Pink
INTERESTS: Helping others, interior design, art, dancing
WISH: To give everyone what they need—both on Starland and through wish granting on Wishworld
WHY CHOSEN: Libby is generous, articulate, gracious, diplomatic, and kind.
WATCH OUT FOR: Libby can be indecisive and may try too hard to please everyone.
SCHOOL YEAR: First
POWER CRYSTAL: Charmelite
WISH PENDANT: Necklace
NAME: Scarlet
BRIGHT DAY: November 3
FAVORITE COLOR: Black
INTERESTS: Crystal climbing (and other extreme sports), magic, thrill seeking
WISH: To live on Wishworld
WHY CHOSEN: Scarlet is confident, intense, passionate, magnetic, curious, and very brave.
WATCH OUT FOR: Scarlet is a loner and can alienate others by being secretive, arrogant, stubborn, and jealous.
SCHOOL YEAR: Third
POWER CRYSTAL: Ravenstone
WISH PENDANT: Boots
NAME: Sage
BRIGHT DAY: December 1
FAVORITE COLOR: Lavender
INTERESTS: Travel, adventure, telling stories, nature, and philosophy
WISH: To become the best Wish-Granter Starland has ever seen
WHY CHOSEN: Sage is honest, adventurous, curious, optimistic, friendly, and relaxed.
WATCH OUT FOR: Sage has a quick temper! She can also be restless, irresponsible, and too trusting of others’ opinions. She may jump to conclusions.
SCHOOL YEAR: First
POWER CRYSTAL: Lavenderite
WISH PENDANT: Necklace
You take a deep breath, about to blow out the candles on your birthday cake. Clutching a coin in your fist, you get ready to toss it into the dancing waters of a fountain. You stare at your little brother as you each hold an end of a dried wishbone, about to pull. But what do you do first?
You make a wish, of course!
Ever wonder what happens right after you make that wish? Not much, you may be thinking.
Well, you’d be wrong.
Because something quite unexpected happens next. Each and every wish that is made becomes a glowing Wish Orb, invisible to the human eye. This undetectable orb zips through the air and into the heavens, on a one-way trip to the brightest star in the sky—a magnificent place called Starland. Starland is inhabited by Starlings, who look a lot like you and me, except they have a sparkly glow to their skin, and glittery hair in unique colors. And they have one more thing: magical powers. The Starlings use these powers to make good wishes come true, for when good wishes are granted, the result is positive energy. And the Starlings of Starland need this energy to keep their world running.
In case you are wondering, there are three kinds of Wish Orbs:
1) GOOD WISH ORBS. These wishes are positive and helpful and come from the heart. They are pretty and sparkly and are nurtured in climate-controlled Wish-Houses. They bloom into fantastical glowing orbs. When the time is right, they are presented to the appropriate Starling for wish fulfillment.
2) BAD WISH ORBS. These are for selfish, mean-spirited, or negative things. They don’t sparkle at all. They are immediately transported to a special containment center, as they are very dangerous and must not be granted.
3) IMPOSSIBLE WISH ORBS. These wishes are for things, like world peace and disease cures, that simply can’t be granted by Starlings. These sparkle with an almost impossibly bright light and are taken to a special area of the Wish-House with tinted windows to contain the glare they produce. The hope is that one day they can be turned into good wishes the Starlings can help grant.
Starlings take their wish granting very seriously. There is a special school, called Starling Academy, that accepts only the best and brightest young Starling girls. They study hard for four years, and when they graduate, they are ready to start traveling to Wishworld to help grant wishes. For as long as anyone can remember, only graduates of wish-granting schools have ever been allowed to travel to Wishworld. But things have changed in a very big way.
Read on for the rest of the story….
STAR MEMORANDUM, Astra typed on her holo-keyboard.
TO: Cassie and Piper, was the next line.
Then: FROM: Astra
She paused for a moment as she considered the subject line. She needed to get Cassie’s attention. The question was, how?
Something strange was going on at Starling Academy. Astra was almost sure of it, and Piper was pretty convinced, too. They wanted to discuss it with one of the other Star Darlings, but Astra couldn’t decide whom to approach. Piper suggested talking to Cassie, mentioning her thoughtfulness and perceptiveness. And Astra was, despite her initial hesitation, learning to trust Piper’s instincts. To be completely honest, when she first met Piper, she had found her slow dreaminess annoying and her occasional dark side ridiculous. But now Astra had a new respect for both the hidden messages that dreams could hold and the strength of Piper’s intuitive powers.
But even though Cassie had been so concerned about the flowers, she was now completely focused on herself. She spoke about her starmazing mission, about how startacularly it had gone. She continued by praising her own wish energy manipulation skills. She even went on to discuss her eyelashes, calling them “dusky, luxurious, and starmazingly sooty.” Astra could barely even see them behind those large star-shaped glasses Cassie wore, so she told her she’d have to take her word for it.
Perhaps she had snorted as she said it? Because Cassie had stormed off. Possibly to go look in a mirror. Or to find someone with a finer appreciation of eyelashes. Who knew?
So Astra decided it might be best to send both Cassie and Piper a holo-message. Something short, direct, and to the point. But what should the subject be? She thought and thought and then smiled as she came up with the perfect idea. Astra’s fingers practically flew over the holo-keyboard. So many odd things had happened since the beginning of the starmester!
STAR MEMORANDUM
TO: Cassie and Piper
FROM: Astra
SUBJECT: Top ten weird things that have been going on at Starling Academy
10) MESSED-UP MISSIONS. EVERYONE. (Think about it: each and every Star Darling who has been sent down to Wishworld has had great difficulty identifying her Wisher or figuring out the wish.)
9) SCARLET’S OUSTER. (One day she was a Star Darling; the next she was kicked out. Then the Wish Orb picked her to save a mission that was going badly and she was back in the fold again. Startastically strange.)
8) POWER WENT OUT. (We’ve been taught since we were in Wee Constellation School that we have massive wish energy reserves. How in Starland could the lights have gone out?)
7) THE RANKER. (Somehow the whole school got invited to try out for Leona’s band. The Ranker was brought in to choose the band members and their name, and it chose an all-SD band and the na
me of our secret group for the band. Coincidence? Perhaps not.)
6) FIGHTING FLOWERS. (Each of our rooms had a vase of these. We all fought like rats and hogs, or whatever that Wishling expression is. Now that they are gone—thanks, Cassie—we are getting along again. Something to think about.)
5) PIPER’S FOREBODING DREAMS. (No offense, Piper, but I used to think you were way creepy. Now I know you’ve got some stellar prediction skills.)
4) ONE WORD: OPHELIA. (It makes entirely no sense that someone so clueless could have been a real Star Darling. Then you got suspicious of her, Cassie, and she disappeared.)
3) LEONA’S FAILED MISSION. (She’s self-absorbed—star apologies, Cassie—but even I felt bad when she didn’t collect wish energy and her Wish Pendant got all burnt-looking. What an embarrassment.)
2) STAR KINDNESS DAY MESSAGES WERE THE EXACT OPPOSITE OF WHAT WAS INTENDED. (Because I know that neither of you think I am a bad sportswoman, or that I have slow reflexes. And no, I am not holding any grudges.)
1) EVERYONE IS ACTING LIKE A WEIRDO! (Star apologies again, Cassie, but it’s true. Piper and I can’t put our finger on exactly what it is, but we’ll get to the bottom of this soon….)
Astra smiled, read it through one more time, and pressed SEND. To her disbelief, the entire holo-document disappeared into thin air. “Starf!” she yelled.
The sparkle shower turned off and her roommate, Clover, stepped into the room. “Are you okay?” she asked Astra. Her eyes lit up. “Do you need a hug?” Not waiting for an answer, Clover headed her way, arms wide.
“See you at breakfast!” Astra called as she expertly dodged away from her roommate’s embrace. She picked up her starstick, slid the door open smoothly using energy manipulation, and was gone.
“Piper! Piper!” called Astra, waving urgently at the girl sitting across the cafeteria table from her. Astra’s red-and-silver-striped fingernails caught the light and she noticed with dismay that the polish she had applied on Wishworld was already starting to chip. She knew it wouldn’t last through Physical Energy class later that afternoon. What a difference from her Starland manicure, which had taken forever to remove!
