Big Beard the Pirate: A Magic Meadow Tale (The Adventures of Francesca Spaghetti and Poppy Noodle Book 1)

By Harald Davidson

Magic chose them for a dangerous mission but can sorcery vanquish piracy..?

“Five Stars ★ ★★★★ - ReadersFavourite.com
“The story is fast-paced, magical, and filled with mirth, amusement, and whimsical elements. The twists and turns in the plot hold the attention of young readers till the very end.”

Meet Francesca Spaghetti and her twin sister Poppy Noodle. Two ordinary girls leading ordinary lives until a wise, old lady showed them the way in to The Magic Meadow - an enchanted world where anything, it seems, is possible. As if that’s not enough, they discover that they have been somehow granted quite-extraordinary Magic Powers when a drawing they make unexpectedly ‘comes to life’ and a desperate pirate girl called Patty pleads with them to help rescue her father who’s been kidnapped by the fearsome Big Beard, the most wicked pirate ever to roam the seven seas.

What can they do? What should they do? They hesitate, afraid. Finally, they decide that it is their duty to use their Magic abilities to help others in difficulty.This courageous choice leads them not only to the warm, palm-fringed shores of a distant tropical island but also into exciting and perilous situations which require all their courage and ingenuity. When an opportunity arises to make good their escape from the pirate’s lair in a tiny sailing boat, they and their new friends find themselves helplessly looking up at Big Beard’s hulking ship, the Naughty Starfish, bristling from stem to stern with gigantic cannons that are all pointed at them...

Unless they can come up with a brilliant idea it looks like they won’t be going home any time soon. Suddenly, from the big ship’s quarterdeck the command is given to open fire...

If you like fast-paced, thrilling and wholesome adventure stories featuring well-rounded, fun and believable characters, then Big Beard the Pirate is the book for you. Beautifully written, light hearted and told with clever, good humor, this is a story that you and your family will want to read time and time again.

Buy Big Beard the Pirate to see if our girls are a match for this scary, hairy buccaneer! You’ll definitely be surprised.

“Review Rating: "Epic" - Nayu's Reading Corner
“Francesca and Poppy are full of energy, inventive, and find a magical world that takes them on a wild adventure. It reminded me of Enid Blyton's Faraway Tree series with different worlds and all kinds of creatures.”

Ideal for kids from 7 years of age.

Readers’ Favorite Review Rating: 5 stars!

“The story is fast paced, magical, and filled with mirth, amusement, and whimsical elements. The twists and turns in the plot hold the attention of young readers till the very end. The illustrations are cheerful and colorful and they make the scenes vivid and the characters in the story come alive. It’s an excellent storybook that can be read out during bedtime because every child would want to be in the shoes of Francesca Spaghetti and Poppy Noodle. It’s a good book for read aloud sessions in classrooms and school libraries. All the characters in the book are magical, tangible, and fun loving, and they encourage young readers to imagine and dream about faraway lands and life in The Magic Meadow.”

• Language: English
• Publisher: Harald Davidson
• Release date: Sep 17, 2016
• ISBN: 9783000536649

Harald Davidson

Harald Davidson is the creator of the Francesca Spaghetti and Poppy Noodle series and The Magic MeadowTM where so much of their adventures begin. He can’t say where the inspiration comes from but he just has a desire to write really good stories​ that kindle the imagination. He wants his characters to be positive and active role models who take responsibility and do their best. At the same time they’re certainly not saints but this makes them more believable, endearing and fun. Indeed the books are full of clever humor and good writing that takes unexpected twists and turns before resolving all the loose ends in practically the last paragraph. He lives with his family in a big, spooky house by a meadow deep in the woods where he spends his time dreaming up stories for kids of all ages..

Book preview

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Chapter 1

An Ordinary Day

Aaaah! Not so fast, Francesca Spaghetti called out to her sister as they charged down the hill on their bikes.

Wheeee! This is fun, yelled Poppy Noodle, head down, bottom up, light brown hair streaming behind her. Don’t be such a scaredy-cat.

You should be more careful. We never manage to stop in time, said Francesca Spaghetti, gritting her teeth. She was holding on tightly to her handlebars.

Francesca Spaghetti, as usual, was right.

Lulu, Francesca Spaghetti’s ginger cat, who always traveled in Francesca’s basket, jumped out, as she usually did, just before the girls clattered headfirst into the hedge that ran along the side of the terrace in front of the ice cream shop.

Francesca Spaghetti hauled herself and her bicycle out of the bush. You always go too quickly, Poppy, she complained.

I don’t know why you make such a fuss, said Poppy Noodle, dusting off her jeans and grinning. I told you we’d be fine. We come down this hill every day and every day everything’s always okay.

It’s a good thing our bikes don’t damage this nice hedge, said Francesca Spaghetti, or we’d be in such trouble. It feels almost… like we’re landing in a big pillow.

Poppy Noodle laughed. Maybe it’s a magic hedge! she said. Anyway, I’m happy that it stops us from getting hurt.

Magic hedge? Don’t be silly! said Francesca Spaghetti. There’s no such thing as magic.

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At that moment, Mrs. Bloom, the owner of the ice cream shop, came to the door to greet the girls. She was a little old lady with smiling eyes that crinkled at the edges, and she wore her hair in a perfectly tied bun at the back of her head. She ran the ice cream parlor from her own cottage and all the families from the village and beyond loved to go there whenever they could to sit on the wooden terrace and eat her delicious, homemade ice cream surrounded by all the lovely flowers.

Is school finished so soon? she asked. What ice creams will you have today? She smiled at the girls.

Poppy Noodle leaned her green bicycle against the wall, and Francesca propped her pink one beside it. That done, they rushed inside to carefully inspect each colourful tray behind the glass counter.

Today, like every day, Francesca Spaghetti chose chocolate and Poppy Noodle picked mango. Mrs. Bloom took care to give them a huge scoop each and, as always, she put down a cup of milk in a little bowl for Lulu.

They gave Mrs. Bloom their money and went outside and sat on the wall to enjoy their treat and the fine weather.

Hmmm, said Poppy Noodle, this is totally yum! Then she leaned her head a bit to one side, like she always does when she’s thinking about something, and asked, How old do you think Mrs. Bloom is? Grandpa says she’s been here forever.

It’s not polite to ask questions like that, said Francesca Spaghetti. She was holding her ice cream away from her to stop it dripping on her school clothes.

I wasn’t being rude, said Poppy Noodle. I was just… wondering.

Well don’t, said Francesca Spaghetti. We must remember our manners.

Francesca, said Poppy Noodle in a quiet voice after a moment or two had passed, did you see that strange tray of ice cream in the corner?

No. What was unusual about it?

"It was potato and carrot flavor," she replied.

Urgh! said Francesca Spaghetti. That sounds totally yuck! Who would want to eat something like that?

I don’t know, said Poppy Noodle, but it won’t be me! Then she made a funny face.

Both girls collapsed into giggles.

Francesca and Poppy were twins and had always done everything together for as long as they could remember. Their favorite food was pasta with cheese, which they tried to eat at nearly every meal, and that is why everyone they knew called them Francesca Spaghetti and Poppy Noodle. They enjoyed going to school—they were in the same class—they liked their teacher and had plenty of friends, but they were happiest when school ended and they could spend time just playing together.

Lulu, the cat, didn’t like pasta. She preferred tuna fish. She liked it too when school was over for the day, and she always waited at the school gates for class to finish and the girls to come out. When they did Lulu would yawn and stretch a bit before padding over and jumping into the basket at the front of Francesca Spaghetti’s bike. When the girls pedaled off to see which of them would be the first to reach Mrs. Bloom’s ice cream parlor, she would sit with her eyes half closed and her nose in the air enjoying the wind on her face. Although she wasn’t the cleverest cat in the world, she at least knew when to hop off before the bicycle and Francesca Spaghetti hit the hedge.

Mrs. Bloom came out with a broom to sweep the leaves and petals from the patio. She watched Francesca Spaghetti and Poppy Noodle polish off the last of their ice cream cones.

It’s such a lovely day, she said, why don’t you go into the garden behind the cottage? There’s a little woods right at the end, and if you go in about twenty steps you’ll see an old playhouse. It’s been such a long time since anyone used it, but you’re welcome to play in it… if you want to. I’ll tell your parents where you are if they come looking for you.

Francesca Spaghetti and Poppy Noodle’s eyes opened wide with excitement.

That sounds great, they said. Thank you, Mrs. Bloom.

I’ll race you, yelled Poppy Noodle, and off she dashed.

Wait for me! Francesca Spaghetti shouted back. She scampered after her sister who was already disappearing around the corner. Slow… down, Poppy! she panted

Not to be left out, Lulu trotted beside Francesca Spaghetti and, in the twinkling of an eye, they reached the woods and all three disappeared out of sight among the trees.

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