Unicorn Academy: Lyra and Misty E-Book

Julie Sykes

• Herausgeber: Nosy Crow
• Kategorie: Für Kinder und Jugendliche
• Serie: Unicorn Academy:
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2021

Seitenzahl: 63

Beschreibung

When your best friend is a unicorn, magical adventures are guaranteed! Imagine a school where you meet your own unicorn and have amazing adventures together! That's what happens for the girls at Unicorn Academy on beautiful Unicorn Island. When Lyra discovers a piece of an ancient map hidden in Unicorn Academy, she's certain it will lead to treasure. She's ready for a big adventure with her beautiful unicorn, Misty! There's a tricky riddle to solve and a dark cave to explore. But Lyra and Misty are in luck. Their friends are ready to help them, whatever dangers lie ahead... With a glittery cover and beautifully illustrated throughout by Lucy Truman, Unicorn Academy is the perfect series for 7+ readers who love magic and adventure. Check out the other titles in this series: Phoebe and Shimmer, Zara and Moonbeam, Aisha and Silver and many more!

Leseprobe

i

Lyra rode Misty into the cave. Misty picked her way cautiously over the rubble, her hooves slipping and sliding. “Follow us, everyone,” Lyra said in excitement, “and keep your eyes open for the next piece of the map!”

ii

iii

4

To Elsie. May all your dreams sparkle and take you to the stars!

1

Chapter One

It was a frosty afternoon and the new students at Unicorn Academy were chatting and laughing as they groomed their unicorns. Lyra pushed her long light-brown hair behind her ears and put down her brush. “Now for your hooves,” she said to her unicorn, Misty. “Would you like gold, purple or pink hoof polish?”

Misty had been staring into the distance, lost in thought. She blinked. “Oh … um … I don’t mind,” she said, nuzzling Lyra. “You choose. I’m not very good at making decisions.”

“Well, I love making decisions, so we’re a perfect 2match!” Lyra said, putting her arms round Misty and breathing in her sweet unicorn smell. “Let’s use gold!”

Misty was a very pretty snow-white unicorn patterned with swirls of purple and spring green. Lyra had been thrilled when, the day before, 3Ms Nettles, the academy’s strict headteacher, had put them together in the Pairing Ceremony.

Lyra picked up the tub of sparkly gold hoof polish and a brush. “I still can’t believe I’m actually here at Unicorn Academy,” she said happily.

She glanced around her; the academy stable block was clean and shiny, with stalls for the unicorns on either side of the wide aisles. Automated trollies ran up and down carrying bales of straw and buckets of sky berries, the unicorns’ favourite food, while the drinking water came from silver troughs that magically filled with multicoloured water from Sparkle Lake.

Lyra had wanted to go to the academy for as long as she could remember. Her cousin, Scarlett, had also been a student a few years ago and she had told Lyra all about the amazing adventures she’d had with her friends and their unicorns.

I am definitely going to have adventures while I’m4here, Lyra thought, as she painted Misty’s hooves.

Misty gave Lyra a look from under her long eyelashes. “Are … are you missing your family at all, Lyra?”

Lyra considered it. She had thought she would miss her parents and sister loads but there had been so much going on from the moment she’d arrived at the academy that she hadn’t missed home much at all. “No, not really,” she admitted.

Misty hung her head and Lyra wondered if Misty was homesick. She decided it was best to distract her by talking about something different. “I wonder what magical power you’ll have,” she said, “and when you’ll discover it. It’ll be so cool to be able to do magic!”

Before they could graduate and become guardians of Unicorn Island, students had to bond with their unicorn and each unicorn had to discover their magical power. Sometimes students 5and their unicorns needed more than one year to complete everything and had to return for a second.

“I really hope you have the power to do something super exciting, like being able to fly or turn invisible,” Lyra went on. “Those powers would be awesome!” She glanced across the aisle to where Sienna, one of the girls she shared Ruby dorm with, was plaiting her unicorn’s mane with blue and purple ribbons. “Hey, Sienna, if Sparkle could have any magical power, what would you choose?” she called.

Sienna was tall with corkscrew curls that reached her shoulders. Her brown eyes lit up as she considered the question. “I’d choose for Sparkle to be able to gallop at the speed of light so we could beat everyone every time we raced!”

Sparkle, a very athletic unicorn, stamped his hoof. “That would be fun!” 6

Sienna’s words gave Lyra an idea. “Why don’t we go and have some races? Or, better still, go exploring. Ivy? Evie?” she shouted to the other two girls in their dorm. “What do you think? Shall we go for a Ruby dorm ride?”

Evie was carrying a bucket of water towards her unicorn, Sunshine. She looked round as Lyra called her name and promptly tripped over her feet. She cried out as she fell, dropping the bucket and sending water splashing everywhere.

“Evie! Are you OK?” cried Ivy.

“I’m fine,” said Evie, blushing bright red as they all dashed over and helped her up. “I’m so 7clumsy,” she groaned. “Look at this mess.” She tried to grab a nearby broom to sweep the water away but her fingers fumbled with the handle and the broom fell into Sienna. She gasped. “Oh no! Sorry!”

“No problem,” said Sienna with a grin. “But maybe I’ll do the sweeping up!”

“Yes, you should go and get some dry clothes,” said Ivy to Evie. “You’re soaked through.”

“And when you come back, we can all go exploring!” Lyra said eagerly. “There are so many places we haven’t been yet – the maze, the cross-country course, the woods—”

“What about the safari trail? I want to see that,” interrupted Ivy. “There are supposed to be some really interesting animals there.”

“I’ve heard there are some incredible creatures in the woods,” said Lyra. She’d also heard the woods were dangerous and the thought of checking them out made excitement fizz through her. 8

“Aren’t they out of bounds?” asked Sienna.

“It doesn’t stop us from going to the edge of them and having a look, though, does it?” said Lyra with a grin. “I definitely think it’s time for Ruby dorm to go exploring!”

9

Chapter Two

A little while later, the four girls trotted their unicorns away from the stable block. The air was frosty and the grass crunched under the unicorns’ hooves as they skirted round the edge of Sparkle Lake.

Sparkle Lake’s water had magical properties. It sprang up from the centre of the earth, cascaded through an ornate fountain in the middle of the lake and then flowed away around the island. The water helped all the people, plants and animals on the island flourish and it also strengthened the unicorns’ magic. 10

Lyra grinned as they left the lake and headed towards the lush green meadows. Here she was, with her own unicorn, out on an adventure at last! She loved exploring. When she was older, she wanted to be an archaeologist who discovered unknown places and found precious artefacts. She couldn’t think of a more fun job!

“So, where are we going to go?” Sienna asked her.

“The woods,” said Lyra instantly.

“Are you sure, Lyra?” said Misty. “They sound dangerous and we shouldn’t go in if they’re out of bounds.”

“We’ll stay on the edge. It’ll be fun,” said Lyra. “That’s if we can find them, of course!”

“You mean we might get lost?” asked Misty anxiously.

Lyra ruffled her mane. “Yep! That’s the best thing about exploring – you never know what’s 11going to happen!”

“Oh,” said Misty, gulping.

“Come on, I’m bored of trotting. Let’s canter,” said Sienna. “Or, even better, gallop!”

Sienna urged Sparkle on and they all raced across the grounds and into the meadow. A sparkling multicoloured stream wound through the long grass and the unicorns stopped beside it to have a refreshing drink.

“Let’s have a contest to see who can jump the widest part of the stream,” said Sienna, her eyes glinting.