Makeover Magic Read Online Free

it’s fine for you to braid hair in Sparkle Spa. I think I’m going to grab a coffee from Beans and Leaves. Carla can help you girls out if you need anything.”

    Only half an hour after the girls had hung their poster, Aly was braiding a customer’s hair as quickly as she could—Charlotte, too—and there was a line of girls waiting to get their hair done. Not just sixth graders, either, and not just for a special occasion. Evidently, people liked getting their hair braided almost as muchas they liked getting manicures and pedicures, for no particular reason at all!
    Luckily, when Mom found out about the hair idea, she didn’t argue. In fact, she thought it was a super plan.
    Aly twisted a hair band around the bottom of a braid and sent her customer over to Sophie, who had gotten two mirrors—one from Carla and the other from Jamie—to show the girls what they looked like from behind once the style was completed. Sparkly was sitting next to Sophie and barked his approval every now and then.
    The next girl in line sat down in front of Aly. Aly thought she recognized her from school.
    â€œHi,” Aly said. “What color beads would you like in your braid?”
    â€œDo you have red?” the girl asked.
    â€œBrooke!” Aly called across the room. “Do we have red?”
    Brooke inspected the strands of beads she and Lily had already made. “Red and gold!” she called back. “Kind of like Apple Crispy!”
    â€œI like that,” the girl in Aly’s chair said. “I’m Daisy, by the way.”
    â€œNice to meet you, Daisy. I’m Aly,” Aly said. “And that’s my sister, Brooke.”
    â€œI know who you guys are,” Daisy said. “ Everyone at school does.”
    This information was news to Aly. “Really?” she asked.
    Daisy laughed. “How often do kids start a sparkly spa? You guys are famous.”
    Aly felt her face turn pink. “Um, anyway,” she said, smiling, “do you want a French braid, Dutch braid, fishtail braid, backward braid, or regular braid?”
    â€œWhich one is the Dutch?” Daisy asked.
    Aly pointed to one of the girls sitting in front ofCharlotte. “It’s that one, where the braid kind of sits on top of your head.”
    â€œOkay, I’ll go with that one,” Daisy said. “I think it’ll be a trial run for the Fall Ball.”
    Aly nodded and started the braiding, making sure every strand was even and straight as she wove in the beads. Aly thought it was the best braid she’d done so far. Braiding hair was kind of like polishing nails, she realized. The more you did it, the better you got.
    Once Aly finished Daisy’s hair and Daisy had checked herself out in the mirror, she asked to book an appointment before next weekend’s ball. Within the hour, four other girls made Fall Ball appointments too—for braids and manicures and pedicures. They wanted the whole Sparkle Spa treatment!
    Lily stood up and held the donation jar high in the air. It was a sparkly teal color, in the shape of a strawberry. Aly and Brooke’s mom had made it backwhen she was in art school, before she owned a nail salon and became a mom.
    â€œDon’t forget to donate to the jar,” Lily said. “We’re giving all the money to True Colors!”
    â€œYay, True Colors!” Brooke cheered while stringing beads.
    A few of the customers smiled, and Aly did too. Wait until Mom found out!

five
Pickle Me
    T wo days later, on Sunday morning, Dad was driving Aly and Brooke to the salon. Mom had gone in earlier to open up. Sparkly, who loved riding in the car, was standing on Brooke’s lap with his nose out the window, sniffing the fresh air.
    â€œSo, Alligator,” Dad said, looking in the rearview mirror at Aly. “Mom tells me this is the week you and your friends are decorating for the sixth-grade dance.”
    Aly nodded. With all the