Kylie Jean Fashion Queen Read online

  For Jenny and her sweet Celia Joy —MP

  Table of Contents

  All About Me, Kylie Jean!

  Chapter 1: Lights, Camera, Action

  Chapter 2: Ooh La La

  Chapter 3: Strike a Pose

  Chapter 4: Walk the Dogwalk

  Chapter 5: Fashion Fitting

  Chapter 6: Puparazzi

  Chapter 7: Cut and Curl

  Chapter 8: Practice and Pointers

  Chapter 9: Fashion Show Fabulosity

  My name is Kylie Jean Carter. I live in a big, sunny, yellow house on Peachtree Lane in Jacksonville, Texas, with Momma, Daddy, and my two brothers, T.J. and Ugly Brother.

  T.J. is my older brother, and Ugly Brother is . . . well . . . he’s really a dog. Don’t you go telling him he is a dog. Okay? I mean it. He thinks he is a real, true person.

  He is a black-and-white bulldog. His front looks like his back, all smashed in. His face is all droopy like he’s sad, but he’s not.

  His two front teeth stick out, and his tongue hangs down. (Now you know why his name is Ugly Brother.)

  Everyone I love to the moon and back lives in Jacksonville. Nanny, Pa, Granny, Pappy, my aunts, my uncles, and my cousins all live here. I’m extra lucky, because I can see all of them any time I want to!

  My momma says I’m pretty. She says I have eyes as blue as the summer sky and a smile as sweet as an angel. (Momma says pretty is as pretty does. That means being nice to the old folks, taking care of little animals, and respecting my momma and daddy.)

  But I’m pretty on the outside and on the inside. My hair is long, brown, and curly.

  I wear it in a ponytail sometimes, but my absolute most favorite is when Momma pulls it back in a princess style on special days.

  I just gave you a little hint about my big dream. Ever since I was a bitty baby I have wanted to be an honest-to-goodness beauty queen. I even know the wave. It’s side to side, nice and slow, with a dazzling smile. I practice all the time, because everybody knows beauty queens need to have a perfect wave.

  I’m Kylie Jean, and I’m going to be a beauty queen. Just you wait and see!

  This is a really big weekend, because it’s time for the Academy Awards! They’ll be on TV this Sunday night. Seeing the movie stars all dressed up is my favorite part. Momma and I wait all year to see the glamorous gowns.

  But first we have to wait all day Saturday and all through church Sunday (plus dinner afterward). Finally it’s time to watch! Yay! Momma and I decide to make some snacks and treats to eat while we watch. Here is our menu:

  1. Stuffed mini-potatoes

  2. Buffalo chicken on a stick

  3. Spinach dip with pita chips

  4. Sweet-and-salty popcorn

  5. Caramel brownies

  Momma and I make the brownies first so we can pop them into the oven to bake while we work on the rest of our snacks. Then I get to work stirring up the spinach dip and popping the popcorn. Momma makes the sweet glaze we’ll add to it. It’s much too hot for me to touch, so she pours it over the fluffy kernels on cookie sheets.

  The whole time we’re cooking, Ugly Brother waits to taste-test the chicken.

  “It’s gonna be hot and spicy!” I warn him. “Are you sure you want to try it?”

  He barks, “Ruff, ruff!” That means yes.

  He sits back and begs, so I give him a little nibble. As soon as it hits his tongue, he starts lickin’ his mouth like crazy, then hightails it straight for his water bowl.

  “I told you it was spicy!” I call after him.

  Just then Daddy hollers from the living room, “Sure smells good out there!”

  “Is it time to eat yet?” T.J. shouts.

  “Almost,” Momma replies.

  Snacks are definitely T.J. and Daddy’s favorite part of movie awards night. Momma and I finish up and carry the food into the living room so we can snack while we watch. As soon as I set the food down, Daddy and T.J. dig in.

  On TV, the stars start to arrive in their fancy limos, and the paparazzi line up with cameras to take their pictures. Momma and I ooh and ahh over every gown.

  “Just look at that redheaded actress,” Momma says. “That red strapless gown is just divine!”

  I see the lady Momma is talking about. She is wearing long ruby-and-diamond earrings with a matching necklace. The ruby is as big as a silver dollar!

  Momma’s favorite look is no surprise — red is her favorite color — but my favorite look is. I bet you think I picked a pink gown, but I didn’t! I fell in love with the beautiful actress wearing a long, shimmering gold gown and a diamond tiara.

  “Oh, Momma, look how her tiara sparkles in the camera lights!” I say.

  When all the stars have arrived, it’s time for the awards. We wait to hear them call out the names of the winners. Momma lets me stay up late even though it's a school night. I feel so grown up!

  As exciting as the awards show is, after a while I start to yawn, and my eyes start to drift closed. Sitting up straight, I open them wide . . . they close again. I can’t believe it, but I fall asleep before the end of the show. Daddy has to carry me up to bed.

  I am so sleepy at school the next day. Monday is going to be a very long day! I sure am glad when the bell rings for lunch, and we all rush out of our classroom.

  I walk to the lunchroom with my friends, Cara and Paula, and my best cousin, Lucy. Inside the bright cafeteria, the walls are white and tables are bright colors. Paula hurries over to the lunch line while Cara, Lucy, and I pick a table.

  “I bet you wish they had pink tables,” Lucy says.

  I smile. “Yup, I sure do,” I say. “Pink is my best color!”

  We settle for a red table close to the outside door. The tables by the door get to line up first for recess. This is important because we like to get over to the swings as fast as we can. If we don’t, the boys will get to them first, and they will never let us have a turn. Swinging is our favorite part of recess!

  “Did you know red is my momma’s favorite color?” I ask as we unpack our lunches.

  Lucy giggles. “I sure do. She’s my favorite aunt!”

  “Well, I didn’t,” Cara says. “My mom likes green best.”

  I dig into my pretty pink princess lunch bag and pull out one of Momma’s famous grilled cheese sandwiches, a thermos of tomato soup, and a special brownie.

  Paula’s eyes light up. “Hey, can I have that brownie? Please, pretty please?” she asks.

  I think about it carefully. The nice thing to do would be to share, so I give each friend a tiny piece of my tasty brownie.

  Cara finishes her piece and turns to thank me. She has caramel on her face when she says, “This is delicious!”

  “That’s because that is an extra-special brownie,” I tell her.

  “What makes it special?” Paula asks.

  “We had these brownies for our movie awards night party!” I explain. “I got to stay up late to watch it.”

  “You and I have something in common, Kylie Jean! I watched that with Lilly!” Lucy says. Lilly is her older sister and my best big cousin.

  “You two are both so lucky,” Paula says with a sigh. “My momma never lets me stay up that late.”

  “You should have seen the glamorous dresses and the jewels the actresses wore,” I tell Paula. “Some of them looked like queens. They even had on tiaras!”

  Before we know it, the bell rings, and it’s time to throw away our trash and line up for recess. As I walk to the swi
ngs, I think about the beautiful actress in the long shimmering gold gown with the diamond tiara. All those gorgeous dresses have given me an idea — maybe someday I can be a real true fashion queen!

  That afternoon after school, I can’t wait to get home! I am so excited I forget to walk. Instead I run down the hallway and out to the bus. My favorite bus driver, Mr. Jim, is parked in front of the school waiting for everyone to board so we can get on the road. I climb up the steps and sit down in my favorite seat right behind him.

  “Did you watch the movie awards last night, Mr. Jim?” I ask.

  “Well, I did for a while,” Mr. Jim replies, “but that show was so long I had to shut it off.”

  “Oh, no!” I exclaim. “You probably missed the most beautiful gown in the whole world!”

  Mr. Jim winks at me. “Was it pink?” he asks.

  Laughing, I say, “No, this time I fell in love with a gold dress. But don’t you worry, pink is still my best color.”

  Finally Lucy gets on the bus, and all the way to Peachtree Lane we talk about fashion. I just love the colors, the styles, the shoes, and the accessories. The high-heeled sparkly shoes are my favorite. When the bus stops in front of my house, I say goodbye to Lucy, run to the front door, and wave to Mr. Jim.

  Momma has leftover sweet-and-salty popcorn with an icy glass of ginger ale waiting for me as an afternoon snack when I get home. Yum! The bubbles from the ginger ale tickle my nose when I take a sip. I love leftover party food and so does Ugly Brother. He begs and begs for some of my popcorn.

  “If I give you some of my yummy popcorn, are you going to help me later?” I ask him.

  He barks, “Ruff, ruff!”

  Two barks means yes, and one means no, so I give in and toss some fluffy white popcorn in his direction. Ugly Brother catches it on his tongue, swallows, and keeps begging. I pretend that he is just like a famous doggie movie star doing tricks! Pretty soon our bowl is empty.

  Finally Momma comes in and asks, “Kylie Jean, do you have any homework?”

  I shake my head. “No, ma’am.”

  “Well, run along and play, then,” Momma says. “I’ll call you for supper when your daddy gets home.”

  “Come on,” I say to Ugly Brother. “I have big plans! You can help me and be my assistant. Okay?”

  Ugly Brother barks in agreement. “Ruff, ruff!”

  We head upstairs to my room. I grab my sketchpad, colored pencils, and markers and sit on the floor leaning against my bed. Ugly Brother sits down right beside me. He might actually be a little too close, since he has a bad habit of drooling. Paper and doggie drool don’t go together, so he can’t help me with this part of my plan.

  Carefully I sketch out some of the gorgeous gowns I saw on the awards show. One is red, yellow, and orange and looks like a flame. Momma called the fabric ombré. Next I draw the silver gown I saw.

  Once I get all of my dresses drawn, I’m going to make some of them into gowns for my Barbie dolls. I can use paper towels, tape, and markers to make the ombré dress, but how can I make the silver one?

  I hold up the drawing so Ugly Brother can see it. “What do you think?” I ask. “Do you have any ideas for my design?”

  He barks once. “Ruff.”

  Just then an idea hits my brain like thread on a needle! I can use tin foil to make a very dramatic silver gown, especially if I fold the foil to make the giant ruffles for the skirt.

  I run back downstairs with Ugly Brother right behind me. We head to the kitchen where Momma has started supper. She is leaning over a big black skillet in her pink polka-dot apron. The air in the kitchen smells delicious.

  When Momma sees me, she says, “No more snacks right now, sweet pea. It’s almost suppertime.”

  “I’m not here for snacks,” I tell her. “I am here to ask you for a favor. Can I please use some of your tin foil?”

  “Sure!” Momma says. “Are you working on a project?”

  “Yep!” I tell her. “I’m making dresses for my Barbies, just like the gowns from last night! I need the foil to make the silver dress.”

  “How fun!” Momma says. “I might have some other materials you can use, too. Follow me, sugar.”

  We head to the laundry room, and Momma opens up one of the cabinets. Wrapping paper, ribbons, and party decorations roll out across the floor.

  “These could make some really beautiful ball gowns,” Momma tells me. “Would you like to use some of this paper and ribbon?”

  “Yes, please!” I reply excitedly. I’ve already got my eye on the perfect roll of pink crepe paper streamers.

  I give Momma a big squeezy hug to say thank you, and she goes back to cooking while I fill two bags full of pretty paper and ribbon. Ugly Brother drags one upstairs for me, and I carry the other. I sure am grateful to have such a helpful assistant!

  My first design is a hot-pink dress; I decide to make it out of layered crepe paper. I carefully wrap my Barbie in the pink creation. Oh, no! She looks like a pink mummy. I decide to get my assistant’s opinion.

  “Does this make Barbie look like a mummy?” I ask Ugly Brother.

  Ugly Brother stares at my Barbie and barks twice. “Ruff, ruff.”

  Hmmm. I decide to add straps to the dress. Maybe that will help. Then I use my gold glitter pen to make a design on the bottom of the dress.

  When I’m done, I stand my doll in front of the jewelry box on my dresser and step back to take a good look at the gown.

  “Ooh la la!” I exclaim.

  Ugly Brother runs around the room barking and wagging his tail. The dress is a hit! Next we start the ombré dress. First I color the paper towel with red, yellow, and orange markers to make it look like flames. When I turn around to get my scissors, I see Ugly Brother has a paper towel flame for a tongue.

  “Bad doggie! Fashion is for wearing, not eating!” I tell him.

  But this gives me another idea. “Were you trying to wear this dress?” I ask.

  Ugly barks, “Ruff, ruff.” That’s a yes.

  “You’re just jealous of Barbie!” I say. “Would you like me to make you a new outfit, too?”

  Ugly Brother barks again twice. He is so happy that he wags his tail and runs in a circle. I better get to work if I’m going to make doggie designs, too!

  By the time Momma calls us for supper, our flame dress is finished. I’m going to make the silver gown next. I wonder if fashion designers can stay up past their bedtime?

  After supper Momma asks me what I want to wear tomorrow for picture day at school. I can’t believe I forgot! I would normally never forget about picture day, but I have been so excited about the Academy Awards it just slipped right out of my mind.

  I explain to Ugly Brother that I will have to put off planning his new outfit. I need to pick out something to wear first.

  “I’m sure sorry, Ugly Brother,” I say, “but your new outfit will have to wait. I have to figure out what I'm going to wear tomorrow.”

  Ugly Brother hangs his head in disappointment and gives me sad puppy dog eyes.

  “Don’t worry,” I tell him. “I promise I will make your outfit as soon as I can. And in the meantime, you can help me choose the perfect outfit for picture day!”

  That cheers Ugly Brother up. He barks, “Ruff, ruff,” and takes off up the stairs.

  I run upstairs after him. Throwing open my closet doors, I begin to pull out dresses. I try on polka dots, stripes, and leopard prints. Ugly Brother has a good eye for fashion, so after each outfit I ask, “Do you like this ensemble?”

  Ensemble means outfit. I heard the reporters on the movie awards show talking a lot about each star’s ensemble.

  Ugly Brother barks, “Ruff.” Not a winner.

  I try on more and more outfits, and over and over again, Ugly Brother barks “ruff.” I think maybe he forgot that two barks means yes. By now my bed
is covered with a mountain of colorful rejects.

  Just then an idea hits my brain like sequin trim on satin. Finally I know just what to do — wear pink! I put on a pink leopard miniskirt, a pink top with a silver sparkly heart on the front, and black boots. Then I brush my hair up into a side ponytail. It’s my favorite new hairdo. Momma taught me how to fix it, and I love it!

  The last thing I do is put on a pair of sparkly star earrings with a necklace. Then I twirl in front of my mirror, striking a pose with one hand on my hip. “Well, what do you think?” I ask Ugly Brother.

  He barks, “Ruff, ruff, ruff!”

  Three barks must mean, “Ooh la la!”

  That settles it — I have the perfect picture-day outfit! I look around my room at the mess. Now I just have to put everything away so we can go to bed. I need my beauty sleep so I can look pretty for the camera tomorrow!

  * * *

  The next morning, I take my time getting ready. I want to look extra glam for picture day! I have to hurry to catch the bus. Lucy and Lilly are already in their seats.

  “You look just like a model!” Lilly says when she sees me.

  I walk down the aisle of the bus, turn, and strike my pose.

  Lilly looks impressed. “Wow, little cousin, you have style and can strut down the runway, too!” she says.

  “Practice makes perfect,” I say, “so last night I tried on both my outfit and my pose.”

  “That hand on the hip thing makes you look like a real model,” Lilly tells me.

  “That’s how I’ll be posing for my school picture today!” I tell them.

  Suddenly Lilly’s face lights up. “Kylie Jean, I just got a great idea!” she says. “My home economics class is making outfits to auction off as a fundraiser for the junior/senior prom. Will you model my outfit in the fashion show next Saturday?”