Contents
Cover
About the Book
Title Page
Dedication
Map of Greyton
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Map of Greyton
Extract from Best Cake for a Best Friend
Chocolatey Rocky Road Crunch Recipe
Helpful Hints and Tips in the Kitchen
About the Author and Illustrator
Other titles in the Ellie’s Magical Bakery series
Copyright
Ellie’s Magical Bakery: BRILLIANT BIRTHDAY BAKES!
AN RHCP DIGITAL EBOOK 978 1 448 19410 0
Published in Great Britain by RHCP Digital,
an imprint of Random House Children’s Publishers UK
A Penguin Random House Company
This ebook edition published 2015
Copyright © Ellie Simmonds, 2015
Illustrations copyright © Kimberley Scott, 2015
First Published in Great Britain
Red Fox 9781782952688 2015
The right of Ellie Simmonds and Kimberley Scott to be identified as the author and illustrator of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
This ebook is copyright material and must not be copied, reproduced, transferred, distributed, leased, licensed or publicly performed or used in any way except as specifically permitted in writing by the publishers, as allowed under the terms and conditions under which it was purchased or as strictly permitted by applicable copyright law. Any unauthorized distribution or use of this text may be a direct infringement of the author’s and publisher’s rights and those responsible may be liable in law accordingly.
RANDOM HOUSE CHILDREN’S PUBLISHERS UK
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Addresses for companies within The Random House Group Limited can be found at: www.randomhouse.co.uk/offices.htm
THE RANDOM HOUSE GROUP Limited Reg. No. 954009
A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
With special thanks to Lil Chase
Ellie looked down at her shopping list.
Ellie’s Magical Bakery had only been open for a few weeks, but the shop was doing well. Ellie and her best friend, Basil, had a daily routine: in the morning Ellie would open up and get ready for the day ahead, baking some more fabulous treats for the villagers of Greyton. Their magical friend Victoria Sponge would help her, while Basil served the customers. Even Ellie’s cat, Whisk, would lend a paw. He loved the delicious smells in the bakery.
After the shop had closed, they cleaned the whole place, prepared for the next day, and then made their deliveries. They always finished off with a nice refreshing swim.
But on Friday afternoons, swimming came later. First they went shopping at Mr Contee’s grocery shop.
“Do you think that’s everything, Basil?” Ellie asked her friend.
He scratched his head thoughtfully, making his hair stand up on end. “I think so,” he said. He had dark hair and glasses, and every day he wore a T-shirt with a picture of a different animal. Today’s had a crab on it.
Basil lowered his voice to a whisper. “Why don’t you check with you know who?”
Whisk miaowed. He loved it when you know who came out of her hiding place.
Ellie checked up and down the aisles of the shop. No one was around. So she took her magical recipe book out of the trolley and opened it. On the very first page there was a drawing of a woman with tiny golden wings. She looked like a fairy, but instead of a crown, a pretty dress and a magic wand, she had a chef’s hat, a white apron and a wooden spoon.
“Victoria Sponge . . .” Ellie whispered.
Just saying the words worked some sort of spell, and the little baker peeled out of the book, then flew up into the air, leaving a trail of glitter behind her.
“Hi,” she said. “Do you need my help?”
Whisk jumped up on his hind legs to say hello.
“Yes please, Victoria Sponge,” Ellie replied. “We’ve already got flour, sugar and eggs for the bakery. Do you think we’ll need anything else?”
Victoria Sponge floated around Ellie’s head, making her long brown hair fly up. “I have a feeling that you might need some cucumbers too,” she said with a smile. “Lots of them!”
That seemed a bit strange. Ellie didn’t know any cake recipes that used cucumber, but when Victoria Sponge gave instructions, there was usually a reason for it. The magical baker hid herself in Basil’s collar, and they headed off towards the vegetable section.
The cucumbers were on the highest shelf, so Basil said, “Don’t worry, Ellie. I’ll get it for you.”
Ellie had a condition called achondroplasia, which meant that her arms and legs were shorter than most people’s.
Basil stood on tiptoe, grabbed as many cucumbers as he could and passed them to Ellie to add to the other things in the trolley.
“And that’s the shopping done!” said Ellie.
They paid Mr Contee for their items and headed back onto the high street. Mr Patel waved to her from across the road.
Before Ellie’s Magical Bakery opened, Greyton had been a grey, miserable place to live. Now it was a much brighter, happier village.
As they walked along carrying the heavy shopping bags, Basil asked Ellie, “Will we have to close the shop early tomorrow – to make sure our costumes are ready and we arrive on time?”
“Arrive where on time?” she wondered.
Basil instantly turned pink. “Talia’s birthday party,” he said. “The invitation was very fancy – written in golden writing. Didn’t you get one?”
Ellie shook her head. She definitely would have remembered an envelope with golden writing.
“Sorry, Ellie,” Basil said. “I was sure Talia would have invited you too.”
Talia had come into the shop with her parents lots of times. Now that Ellie ran the bakery, she knew most people in the village, but she hadn’t got many friends apart from Whisk – and now Basil, of course. She had never been to a birthday party before.
Ellie felt very sad but she tried hard not to show it. “That’s OK, Basil,” she said. “Talia can’t invite everyone to her party.”
Whisk rubbed up against Ellie’s legs to comfort her.
“Ellie!” came a voice from behind them. “Ellie! Wait! Please stop!”