Fairy Earmuffs: Fairy Senses

By Emily Martha Sorensen

Amanda doesn't think she's slow, but everyone else seems to.  When she finds a pair of magic earmuffs that allow her to hear fairies, everything changes.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Emily Martha Sorensen
• Release date: May 15, 2016
• ISBN: 9781524202293

Book preview

Chapter One

A manda, don’t dawdle, her mother said from the front door.  Get your jacket and your boots and let’s go.

Amanda carefully ran her finger down the line of coats and chose the one that currently fit.  Her snow boots were on the bottom shelf, like they always were.  She reached into the next shelf above it for her mittens.

Her earmuffs were with her mittens, which was one shelf lower than they were supposed to be.

Amanda pulled out both of them, rather upset.  She’d put them in the right place.  Who had messed them up?

"Amanda, her mother said from the front door.  Come on.  Let’s go out to the car."

Amanda slowly pulled the mittens over her hands and put the earmuffs on her ears.  She reached into the shelf above for her scarf.  It came out trailing tassels.  She wrapped it around her neck.

Her mother appeared in the hallway closet doorway.  "Oh, come on, it’s not that cold.  You don’t need all of that."

Amanda finished wrapping the scarf around her neck.  She was uncomfortably warm, but she always wore her mittens and her scarf and earmuffs when she wore her coat.

All right, her mother sighed.  Let’s go out to the car.

Amanda followed her mother out the front door, and waited while her mother locked it.

There was a sound like a bird’s wings flapping off to the side.  Amanda turned, but there were no birds beside her.

Do you have your permission slip for the field trip? Amanda’s mother asked, heading toward the car.  She unlocked it with a button click.  Do you have your lunch?

Amanda nodded.  She didn’t want to have her permission slip for the field trip.  She wanted to stay at the school.  She had forgotten it once, and she had been able to stay in the library all day while the whole class went off to the children’s museum.

Her mother had been so upset that she’d missed out that she had reminded Amanda over and over again about this one.

She put her backpack on the seat next to hers, got into the car, and shut the door.  As she was buckling her seat belt, she heard the sound of bird wings again.

There’s a bird in the car, Amanda said.

Her mother turned around from the front seat.  What’s that?

There’s a bird, Amanda said.

Her mother looked through the windows.  I don’t see any.  I think they’ve all gone south for the winter.

The sound of rustling got even louder.

There’s a bird, Amanda said stubbornly.

Where is it? her mother asked, looking around again.

The flapping wings were right by her ear.

On my shoulder, Amanda said.

Amanda’s mother turned back and stared at Amanda’s shoulder.  A bird? she asked.

It’s invisible, Amanda said.

Her mother looked tired.  Of course it is.  She turned around and turned the key.  The car started with a rumble.

Amanda was silent for the rest of the trip to school.  As they reached the schoolyard and the car stopped, she heard a murmur of voices.  It sounded like two grown-up women talking right next to her.  Then a grown-up man started talking, too.  She couldn’t understand the words.

Have a good day, Amanda’s mother said.

Amanda unbuckled her seat belt and opened the door to the car.  One of the grown-ups started laughing.  She checked, but there were no grown-ups around here.  Only children.

Her mother rolled down her window, and Amanda kissed her cheek.

The bird is a parrot, she said.

Amanda’s mother looked confused.  What?

The bird is a parrot, Amanda said.  It talks.

Ah, Amanda’s mother said.  Have a wonderful time on the field trip.

Amanda wouldn’t,