Chapter 1

I looked up from where I was hiding behind the

bushes. He was gone. The monster was gone.
Okay, so he wasnt a monster, but he was close. His
name was Maddox Matthews, and he was the biggest,
meanest, boy in the second grade.
I ran from my hiding spot to the school and into my
classroom. There, my teacher, Mr. Tristan, was taking
attendance. s I got to my seat, he called my name.
!delaide "arks#$ he asked.
!Here%$ I said, raising my hand. He nodded and
continued to call out students names.
&
s I reached in my backpack to grab my books, I
heard it. Mr. Tristan called the monsters name. I opened
my book and tried to hide behind it, but it didnt help. He
saw me. It saw me.
I didnt pay 'ery much attention after that. (ut I ne'er
paid 'ery much attention in class. )'eryday, I would sit
there and wait for Mr. Tristan to tell us it was recess and I
would run out of the room before the monster could catch
me. I ran as fast as I could from the classroom that day.
*
Chapter 2
That was the day I went to the library. I dont really
know why. I mean, I didnt e'en like to read%
(ut I went in there anyway. Trying not to see the
librarian, I went toward the back of the library. Howe'er, I
wasnt that lucky.
There she was putting books back on the bookshelf.
Ms. Maxwell turned her head and smiled down at me when
she noticed that I was there.
!Hello there, delaide,$ she said in a sweet 'oice as
she fixed her glasses.
+
!Hello Ms. Maxwell,$ I said looking down at my
shoes. ,hen I looked back up at her, she was holding out a
book to me.
!I think you should read this book delaide. I feel
like you would really en-oy it,$ she said, handing the book
to me.
)n-oy it. It felt like she was making me take it and
that certainly would not make me en-oy it. (ut I smiled at
her and held the book close to myself. !Thank you,$ I
whispered to her. I then heard other students walking in the
hall. That meant recess was o'er.
I turned to look out the library window. ,hen I
turned back to say goodbye to Ms. Maxwell, howe'er, she
was gone.
.haking my head, I ran back to class. s I got to my
seat, I opened my backpack and sho'ed the book inside,
forgetting about it for the rest of the day.
/
Chapter 3
,hen school ended that day, I waited until all of the
other students were gone before I left the building. I didnt
want to run into the monster. 0ot twice in the same day.
s I walked around a corner, I bumped into something
big and hard. Oh no, I thought to myself. The monster. I
looked up, biting my lip.
!,ell, well, well,$ it said smiling down at me with an
e'il look in his eyes. !If it isnt the pips1ueak princess,$ he
said in a mean way. I looked down at my feet, holding on
tight to the straps of my backpack. !,hat do you ha'e for
me today pips1ueak# ,hats that#$ he asked.
2
I looked to where he was pointing. He had noticed my
blue glo'es that were hanging out of my coat pocket.
!Theyre my glo'es,$ I said in a whisper.
!,ell,$ he started, !0ow theyre mine.$ He grabbed
them from my pocket and sho'ed them deep into his
backpack. My grandma had gotten those for me. I felt
myself starting to cry and this made him start to laugh.
I ran away from him as fast as I could toward home. I
e'en tripped and fell a few times. The third time I fell, I
scraped my knees and I saw blood coming through my
tights.
(y the time I got to my house, I had stopped crying
but my knees hurt. I saw my mom carrying my little
brother, )than, outside. t first, she was only walking
toward me but when she noticed my tights, she started
running o'er.
!delaide, what happened#$ she asked me.
!I tripped and fell mommy. Im sorry,$ I said softly.
.he sighed and shook her head. !lright, lets get you
cleaned up.$ .he led me inside the house and into the
3
bathroom. Once she had put the band aids on my knees, she
told me to go to my room.
,hen I went inside my room, I sat down on my pile of
pillows in my closet and started to look through my
backpack.
That was when I found it. The book Ms. Maxwell
ga'e to me. I grabbed it and looked at the co'er. There
werent any pictures, -ust a title in blue words. A Fairys
Tale. 4or whate'er reason, I may ne'er know, I opened
that book. nd when I looked around next, I wasnt in my
room anymore.
5
Chapter 4
s I looked around, I became more and more scared.
,here was I# ,hy wasnt I at home# (ut the more I
looked around, the more I reali6ed the beauty of where I
was. It looked like a fairy tale. )'erything was colorful
and bright. There was a castle and rainbows and unicorns.
I looked around, ama6ed by what I was seeing. It was
then that I noticed her. fairy. fairy sitting right there,
staring at me.
!,e'e been waiting for you a 'ery long time
princess,$ she said in the sweetest 'oice I had e'er heard.
7
I looked around to figure out who she was talking to,
but there was nobody else there but us. ,as she talking to
me# .he couldnt ha'e been talking to me.
!"rincess delaide#$ she asked, pulling me from my
thoughts. .o she was talking to me% !8ou seem to be
confused. 8ou see, we are inside of your story book. nd
my name is 4aya. I guard this book. 9ight now, we are
inside of the princess fairy tale. In this book, you are able
to do whate'er you wish.$
!I am#$ I asked, surprised by what I was hearing. I
could control the story#
!8es princess. nd for e'ery ad'enture and fairy tale
that you are apart of, I will be there, watching o'er you.$
.he then smiled at me.
:ust as I was about to say something, I heard my name
being called from outside of the book. It was my mother. I
felt myself mo'ing from the story, and the next thing I
knew, I was back in my room.
;
Chapter 5
I looked down at the now shut story book in shock. I
was in the story% nd I could control what happened there%
It was then that I heard my mother calling for me.
!delaide, come down for dinner% <o not make me come
up there and get you%$ she yelled to me.
.till holding the book, I stood up to lea'e but then
decided to keep the book in my room. I put it back into my
backpack and ran down the stairs.
&=
,hen I got to the dining room, I noticed my dad still
wasnt home from work yet. That meant it was -ust my
mother, )than, and I for dinner. >reat?
I sat down in my regular seat and waited for my
mother to come in from the kitchen. ,hen she came in, I
tried to tell her about what happened but she didnt belie'e
me and thought I was making it all up. Then she told me to
take a bath and go to bed.
fter I got finished with my bath, I got dressed in my
":s. Howe'er, when I asked my mom to come tuck me in,
she said she was too busy getting )than to sleep to come
tuck me in tonight. I ended up ha'ing to tuck myself in and
fell asleep crying.
I walked to school by myself the next morning, and,
for once, I didnt run into the monster. I actually was able
to make it into the class room easily instead of being one of
the last ones to get there.
&&
I sat down at my desk and waited for class to start.
(ut e'en when it did, the monster ne'er came. It was one
of the most peaceful classes I ha'e e'er sat through.
,hen it was time for recess, I went to the library
again. I found a comfortable seat and took the book out of
my backpack. Opening it, I smiled as I saw the library
transforming into another ad'enture.
&*
Chapter 6
@ooking around, this time I reali6ed that I wasnt in a
regular fairy tale. This time, there were super heroes% )'en
I was dressed as a super hero%
4aya flew o'er to me and smiled, !"rincess delaide%
,ere in the super hero fairy tale today. ,hat do you
think#$
!Its ama6ing,$ I said, looking all around me.
!How about we fly around to get a better look#$ 4aya
asked.
!(ut I cant fly.$
&+
!,hy of course you can% 8ou are a super hero too,$
she told me. Then she took my hand and we rose into the
air. !nd while we fly around, how about I tell you how
this book came to be.$
I barely heard her though. I was too busy looking at
e'erything. There were so many super heroes. One girl
became in'isible. I e'en saw a boy lift a car o'er his head.
It was all so magical%
It sounded like 4aya was starting to get annoyed that I
wasnt listening. !"rincess, please pay attention,$ but that
was all she was able to say because I was suddenly pulled
out of the story when I felt a tap on my shoulder.
&/
Chapter 7
,hen the book shut, I reali6ed that I was back in the
library. I sighed and turned, about to yell at the person who
tapped me on the shoulder. I saw that it was Ms. Maxwell
standing behind me.
!I see youre en-oying the book that I picked out for
you, delaide,$ she said with a smile that made me think
she knew something. I nodded to see what else she would
say. !It really pulls you into the story, doesnt it#$ she
asked. !lmost like you are actually there.$
&2
.he knew% .he knew about the book% (ut -ust as I was
about to ask her what she knew, the halls started to get
loud.
!9ecess must be o'er,$ she said with another smile.
!>o on back to class now.$ nd then she forced me out of
the library.
I walked back to class, hugging my book tightly,
trying to figure out what had -ust happened.
&3
Chapter 8
I got to my seat -ust before Mr. Tristan came into the
room. s he started the next math lesson for the day, I
looked around the room at my classmates. The girl that sat
in the far corner looked familiar. ctually, she looked -ust
like the girl in the story that had become in'isible.
I shook my head. No, I thought, it cant be. (ut then I
saw a boy that sat at a desk toward the front of the room.
He was the one that had lifted the car o'er his head% .o my
classmates were in my book% Or were they# I thought
about this for the rest of the day.
&5
s I started my walk home from school, I hoped I
wouldnt ha'e to worry about the monster. (ut I wasnt
that lucky. There he was, standing near his normal corner.
I hid against the wall before darting into the park so he
wouldnt get me.
I ran until I got to the playground. I looked around
until I found the perfect hiding spot. It was in a plastic
tunnel.
Once I had crawled safely inside, I sat down, hugging
my backpack to my chest. Then I reached inside and pulled
out the story book. .miling, I opened it and was suddenly
back in my magical world.
&7
Chapter 9
,hen I first arri'ed in the story, e'erything seemed
normal. This time the ad'enture was a pirate fairy tale% I
was e'en wearing an eye patch% )'eryone around me
looked scruffy and kinda mean. It was all so exciting%
Howe'er, after looking around for a while, I noticed
that 4aya wasnt there. I looked all o'er the boat I was on,
but she was no where to be found. )'entually, I had to get
off of the boat because it was clear that 4aya was not on
board.
&;
s I walked past se'eral different pirate ships, I saw
tons of pirates. (ut the last one I passed scared me. 4or it
held something e'il. The monster was the captain of the
ship%
,hen I reali6ed that it was him, I bent down and
started crawling away from the ship, hoping he wouldnt
see me. fter I was far enough away, I stood up and started
running for town. I didnt stop running until I got there.
,hen I was walking around, I finally saw 4aya sitting on a
park bench.
I ran o'er to her. !,hy didnt you tell me the monster
would be here# I ne'er would ha'e come here if I had
known%$ I told her.
4aya looked at me and sighed. !"rincess delaide,
when you first came into this story book, I said that you
were in control of the story. This has not changed. 8ou
are the one that brought the Amonster here. 0ot I,$ she
said in a 'ery calm way. !,hat happens here is based on
what happens to you in your e'eryday life.$
I was about to tell her that she should ha'e told me
that, and if she had, I wouldnt ha'e come here as often.
*=
(ut I didnt ha'e the chance because I being was pulled out
of the story.
*&
Chapter 10
s the book snapped shut, I looked next to me to see
who had closed it.
!)than%$ I yelled to my little brother. !,hat are you
doing here#$ I asked, putting my book away in my
backpack.
I crawled out of the tunnel and he followed me. It was
then that I saw my mother sitting on a park bench. I
grabbed )thans hand and we walked o'er to her.
!delaide# ,hat are you doing here#$ she asked,
picking )than up.
**
!I decided to come here after school,$ I said 1uietly.
!nd )than found me in the tunnel.$
!Oh, well, lets all go home together then,$ she said,
standing up from the park bench. .he took my hand and
we walked back toward home.
s soon as we got inside, I ran upstairs to my room. I
got the story book out of my backpack. I looked at the
co'er one more time before putting it on the bookshelf. I
could not read that story if the monster was in there. .o I
left it on the shelf and went downstairs for dinner.
*+
Chapter 11
It took me another week before I e'en looked at the
story book again. I came home from school and walked
straight to my room. t first, I didnt e'en look at the
bookshelfB I -ust sat down on my bed.
I was in the middle of doing my homework when
suddenly I looked o'er to make sure that the story book
was still there. (ut I didnt see its leather binding. It was
gone%
I ran o'er to the bookshelf and pulled e'erything off,
trying to find the book, but it wasnt there% >oing as
*/
1uickly as I could, I ran downstairs, trying to find it. I went
into e'ery room, but I still didnt see it.
The last room I checked was the li'ing room. It was a
good thing that I did% (ecause sitting there with my book
was )than, chewing on the corner%
I ran o'er to him and struggled to pull it from his
grasp. !)than, thats mine%$ I yelled, trying to get it from
him. )'entually, I was able to get it free.
,hen he started crying, I ran back upstairs to my
room. I wiped the co'er of my book off and looked at it.
.ighing, I put it in my backpack for the first time in a week.
*2
Chapter 12
<uring school the next day, the monster didnt bother
me all morning. It seemed as though he had found a new
target to pick on. Maybe, I thought, I wont have to worry
about him anymore.
,hen recess started, I didnt worry about getting past
the bully for once. I grabbed my backpack and took my
time lea'ing the room. Instead of going to the library, I
went outside to the playground.
fter I got outside, I looked around for a good place to
read in peace. It was then that I saw the perfect tree to sit
under. It was far enough from the playground that it would
*3
be 1uiet. The spot also had the perfect amount of sunshine
shining on it.
I headed toward that spot without anyone noticing me
walk away. ,hen I got there, I looked around before
opening my backpack. I took out the book and opened it,
putting me into yet another ad'enture.
*5
Chapter 13
>etting there, I was prepared for some new and
magical ad'enture, but that was not what I saw at all.
Instead, I saw a mixture between my last pirate ad'enture
and some cra6y space ad'enture. liens were dressed as
pirates and the pirate ships were flying in space% It was like
the book was stuck between two stories.
fter the shock faded away, I looked around for 4aya.
,hen I finally saw her, she looked sad and was carrying a
bag. I went o'er to her as 1uickly as I could while mo'ing
through outer space.
*7
!4aya%$ I said. !,hat is going on here# ,hy are the
two stories combined#$ I asked her. .urely she would know
why it was doing this and be able to help fix it.
!Oh,$ she said sadly. !Hello "rincess delaide. It
appears as though our belo'ed book is losing its magic
more and more e'eryday.$
!@osing its magic# How can it be losing its magic#
nd where are you going# I thought you said you would
always be in the story. 8ou cant -ust lea'e%$
!"rincess, if there is no more magic, I cannot simply
stay here. If I do, I will lose my powers. ,ithout my
powers, I cant be safe and protect myself, let alone this
book,$ she explained. !"erhaps the book is telling us it is
time to stop.$
!(ut it cant -ust stop% I need this book,$ I yelled at
her.
!>oodbye "rincess delaide.$ nd with that, she flew
away with her bag o'er her shoulder.
,hen she was out of sight, I stood there for a moment,
wondering how I could sa'e this wonderful book. (ut
*;
before I came up with a solution, something pulled me out
of the story.
+=
Chapter 14
I bumped back into the tree I was leaning on when the
book was forced shut. I looked up and there was the
monster, followed by all of his little monster friends. They
followed him around where'er he went.
.ho'ing my book into my backpack, I stood up and
ran away from them as fast as I could without e'en closing
it. My backpack suddenly felt lighter after a moment of
running, but I didnt stop to look.

+&
,hen the day ended, I waited until e'eryone had left
the classroom before I e'en mo'ed from my seat. I
grabbed my backpack and looked inside to make sure that
the book was in there. Only it wasnt. The book was gone%
Oh 0O% ,hich meant the monster had it%
I ran outside and hid while the monster and his gang
sat under the tree that I had been reading under during
recess. The monster was staring down at the co'er of the
book.
!Maddox, -ust put the book down,$ said his best
friend, 9yan.
!8eah. ,hy do you e'en want it#$ asked Charlie.
!The pips1ueak isnt that important,$ said )d.
!:ust go away,$ said the monster. nd they did.
)'eryone always did what the monster said, e'en if they
were adults.
Once they were gone, he opened the book and fro6e.
He was in my fairy tale world%
I ran o'er to where he was sitting and took the book
from his hands. I started to read and before I knew what
+*
was going on, I was suddenly taken back into my fairy tale
world.
++
Chapter 15
I must be having a nightmare, I thought when I first
entered the story. This cant be my world. (ut it was. I
didnt want to admit it, e'en though I knew which fairy tale
we were in.
It was the first world I had been in when I started
reading this book. (ut e'erything was destroyed. The
castle was torn apart and all of the magical creatures were
hiding. My special place was ruined. It wasnt mine
anymore. It was his.
+/
I walked around, looking for someone to help me fight
the monster. )'eryone was gone though. 4aya had left and
e'eryone else was too afraid to lea'e their hiding spots.
.o it was up to me. I had to get him out of the book.
(ut how# How will I remo'e him from the story#
4or the entire time I had been reading the book, there
had ne'er been anyone else to enter it while I was in there
too. Maybe if we touched, it would cause us both to be
taken from the story.
It was then that I saw him, kicking and destroying a
fairy town. His back was to me. This was the perfect time.
I went up behind him, and without him noticing, I touched
his shoulders. This touch, as simple as it was, pulled us
both from the story.
+2
Chapter 16
Coming from the story, we both fell in opposite
directions. It took me a moment to understand what I
needed to do. (ut when I heard him mo'e, I -umped up
and grabbed the book.
The monster didnt like that, so he stood up and tried
to take the book from me. !Its my book now,$ he yelled at
me.
!0o%$ I cried back, tears now on my face. !8ou cant
ha'e it%$
+3
Then he pushed me. I let go of the book as I fell
backward. ,hen I looked up, he held the book o'er my
head and started tearing out all of the pages.
(y the time he left, he had torn out e'ery page. They
were all on the ground. nd the co'er of the book was
ripped.
I started crying, not sure what to do. nd that was
how Ms. Maxwell found me. .he helped me up and led me
into the library.
+5
Chapter 17
4or awhile, we -ust sat together in the library. 0either
of us talked. ,e -ust sat there. Ms. Maxwell was the first
one to speak.
!That book has been around for a long time, you
know, delaide. @ong before you found it,$ she said to me
in a sweet way.
ll I could do was nod. I wasnt ready to accept that
the book was gone. That meant I would ne'er go into the
magical worlds e'er again and I would ne'er see 4aya
again.
+7
!I was -ust about your age when I found that book,$
she told me. I looked up at her in shock. .he had been
inside of the book too#
!It was a magical place,$ she said with a smile. !They
called me a princess and I was able to do whate'er I wanted
there. I read that book for a 'ery long time. (ut delaide,
those stories wont help you with your problems. 8ou
must be able to fight for yourself.$
4ight for myself# !I cant fight the monster myself,$ I
whispered to her.
!How you fight him is up to you. (ut you cant hide
behind things fore'er,$ she said, like she had done the same
thing. !Come on. @et me walk you home.$ Then we left
the library.
+;
Chapter 18
Once I was home, I went upstairs to my room to think
about what Ms. Maxwell had said. I only felt powerful
when I had the book. It wasnt like I could make another
copy of it? Could I#
.omeone had to ha'e created the first copy. ,hy
couldnt I be the one to make the next one# It couldnt be
that difficult. .o I sat down and started writing.
/=
fter a few weeks, I finally finished writing the book.
I still hadnt tried to go inside of the book yet. I wanted to
try it at school in the library.
,hen recess first started, I ran to the library and
looked around for Ms. Maxwell. There she was, -ust like
the day she ga'e me the book. .he was putting books back
onto the shel'es.
I went o'er to my regular seat and sat down. I could
only hope that it would work. There was no way to be sure
that it would.
Closing my eyes, I opened the book. (ut when I
opened my eyes, I was still in the library. .ighing, I stood
up and placed the book on a shelf. .till upset, I grabbed
another book to read. I sat back down in my seat and
opened the new book.
:ust as I did, a first grader name lena came into the
library and went toward the shelf where I put my book.
,hen she came across it, she pulled it out and sat down in
a seat across from me. .he read the title and opened the
book. (ut as soon as she opened it, she fro6e. .he fro6e the
/&
same way that we all did when we were transported into the
story.
.o my book did work% huge smile came onto my
face. I stood up and grabbed the book I was reading. I left
the library, knowing that I didnt need my fairy tale book
anymore.
/*