Aoife's Brilliant Birthday

Sample story

Aoife's eyes fly open. Something feels different about today. The morning sunlight streams through her curtains in golden ribbons, and she can smell something sweet drifting up from the kitchen — is that pancakes with sprinkles? "I'm five!" she whispers, and a giggle bubbles up from her belly like fizzy lemonade. She leaps out of bed and her bare feet land on something crinkly. A trail of colorful paper stars stretches across her bedroom floor, winding around her bookshelf, past her stuffed bunny, and right out the door. Each star is a different color — bright pink, shimmering gold, ocean blue — and they feel smooth and cool between her fingers as she picks one up. "Follow the stars, birthday girl!" calls a familiar voice from downstairs. Aoife's heart thumps with excitement. She tiptoes along the trail, the paper stars crunching softly beneath her toes. The hallway smells like vanilla frosting and something else — balloons! She can hear them bumping gently against the ceiling around the corner. She takes a deep breath, reaches for the doorknob, and pushes the door open to find...