Gemma and the Ultimate Standoff Read online

  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

  Astra’s Mixed-Up Mission

  Tessa’s Lost and Found

  Adora Finds a Friend

  Clover’s Parent Fix

  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

  Good Wish Gone Bad

  Copyright © 2016 Disney Enterprises, Inc.

  Cover design © 2016 Disney Enterprises, Inc.

  Excerpt from Star Darlings: Good Wish Gone Bad copyright © 2016 Disney Enterprises, Inc

  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 978-1-4847-1439-3

  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: Good Wish Gone Bad

  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

  FAVORITE 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….

  “Quiet, please, everyone!” Gemma shouted.

  She was immediately gratified when the room fell silent and eleven pairs of eyes—in varying shades of violet, rose, auburn, gold, green, and blue—looked up at her. Gemma wanted to make sure that all of the Star Darlings, who were sitting on the floor of Tessa and Adora’s dorm room, were listening carefully.

  Leona tossed her golden curls and grinned at Gemma. “That’s rich, coming from you,” she said. But her smile was warm and kind and Gemma grinned back at her. It’s funny, those could have been fighting words not so long ago, Gemma thought. But the Star Darlings had been through so much since the school year began and they had learned so much about each other’s personalities—their strengths, quirks, and foibles. Gemma now understood that Leona was just attempting to lighten the mood, not trying to provoke her. She smiled as she took in Leona and Scarlet, roommates who had once been at each other’s throats (even before receiving the floral arrangements of negativity) now sitting side by side, almost leaning against each other. They still both possessed strong personalities, that was for sure, but they were learning to work together instead of against each other. And maybe even becoming friends in the process.

  “Does everyone have a snack?” Gemma’s older sister, Tessa, asked in a motherly tone. She was circling the room with a tray of pastries. Gemma knew that her sister had stayed up late the night before, making certain to prepare each Star Darling’s favorite baked treat in her micro-zap.

  “I’ll take a moonberry tart!” called Cassie, her eyes glinting behind her star-shaped glasses.

  “It’s all yours,” said Tessa enthusiastically. She took a step forward.

  “Starf!” screeched Clover. “You’re squashing my hand!”

  “Oops, star apologies,” said Tessa. Without thinking, she let go of the tray of delicacies and sent it floating toward Cassie.

  “Hey, stop that!” said Adora. “You know we need to conserve all the wish energy we can!”

  Startled, Tessa dropped the tray, which landed with a clunk on Cassie’s head. “Ouch!” the tiny girl said, rubbing her head. Then she gave a cry of delight as she grabbed a pastry, oozing with moonberries, before it slid off the tray. She took a big bite. Her glowfur, Itty, once a secret but now known to all the Star Darlings, zoomed over for a cuddle and a bite of the treat. Itty’s “Song of Contentment” filled the air and visibly relaxed everyone.

  “Go ahead, Gemma,” said Sage.

  Gemma pulled up a holo-letter. It was a group effort, composed by all the Star Darlings after much discussion. Now they were ready to hear it read back to them. They would make any last-minute changes they deemed necessary and then send it out to its intended recipient
.

  “‘Dear Lady Stella,’” Gemma read. “‘We are writing to you because we have come to the terrible realization that we have made a mistake….’”

  Cassie raised an arm clad in a sheer silvery sleeve. “Can we get rid of ‘terrible’ and add ‘unfortunate’?” she suggested. “I think it sounds a lot less judgy.” Cassie’s voice was clear but her eyes were downcast. Gemma knew that Cassie was feeling very guilty about spearheading the suspicion against their former headmistress.

  Gemma looked over at Sage, who nodded. She started again: “‘We are writing to you because we have come to the unfortunate realization that we have made a mistake….’”

  Vega raised her hand. “Yes, Vega?” Gemma said patiently.

  “I don’t think that’s right,” Vega said, her brow furrowed. “It’s actually quite fortunate that we came to the realization that we made a mistake. Fortunate for all of us, including Lady Stella, actually. If we’re going to change it, I think we should just say ‘the realization.’ Simple and effective.”

  Libby spoke up. “Why don’t we call it a shocking realization? I mean, it certainly surprised all of us when we realized that Lady Stella was working with Sage’s mom and that we were totally wrong about her.”

  “No, no, no,” said Cassie, shaking her head emphatically. “I meant that we should get rid of ‘terrible’ and add ‘unfortunate’ before ‘mistake.’ The mistake was what was unfortunate, you see.”

  The girls started to chatter among themselves. Gemma made a face. They were never going to get the letter out to Lady Stella if they were going to deliberate over every word.

  Then Astra stood up and gave a piercing whistle. That got everyone’s attention. Itty’s song came to an abrupt halt. Astra pointed to Gemma. “Let’s just let Gemma read it through. We can comment when she’s done. Go on, Gemma,” she said.

  Gemma cleared her throat and started over. “‘Dear Lady Stella, we have come to the realization that we have made an unfortunate mistake.’”