The Charmingly Clever Cousin by Suzanne Williams Read Free Book Online Page A

been looking at. “Especially now that the dangerous parts are over.”
    â€œI like your family,” said Elena. “And King Murad is nice, too.”
    Fatima raised an eyebrow. “And Yusuf?”
    Lysandra shrugged. “Every family has at least one bad apple. At least Yusuf could tell good stories and perform great tricks.”

    Fatima nodded. She supposed everyone had good and bad in them, only sometimes the balance tipped more in one direction than the other. “Want to go to the bazaar before it closes?” she asked the others.
    â€œYes!” they all shouted together.
    While her friends got ready to leave, Fatima went to tell Ahmed and Selime wherethey were going. As she approached their room, she could hear Ahmed speaking. “I was wrong about Fatima,” she heard him say.
    â€œWhat do you mean?” Selime asked. Fatima held her breath and hid behind the door, wondering if Ahmed was going to say something awful about her.
    â€œRemember how I told you I thought shewas too young and irresponsible to care for Hassim?”
    Fatima’s cheeks warmed. It was something she’d never forget!
    â€œWell,” said Prince Ahmed, “I take it all back.”
    Fatima almost fell over. He did?
    â€œIf it hadn’t been for her and her friends,” Ahmed continued, “I’d still be down at the bottom of a well. And Hassim…well…I’d prefer not to think about that. Have you seen the way she handles that carpet, by the way? She’s amazing!”
    â€œHave you told her that?” Selime asked.
    Ahmed paused. “Not in so many words, I guess. It’s hard for me to say these things sometimes. You know that, right?”
    â€œYes, dear. I do,” said Selime. “But I love you anyway.”
    Smiling, Fatima entered their room. “Icame to tell you that my friends and I are going to the bazaar,” she said.
    â€œOkay,” said Selime. “Have a good time.”
    â€œBe back before dark,” Ahmed said gruffly.
    â€œWe will,” said Fatima. Then, surprising both Ahmed and herself, she gave him a great big hug.

About the Author and Illustrator
    S uzanne Williams often dreamed of being a princess, but she relinquished all hopes of glitz and glory to pursue the adventure of a lifetime—writing children’s books. Besides the Princess Power series, she is the author of two chapter-book series and several picture books. Her fans know that while Suzanne might not wear a tiara, she definitely rules. Suzanne currently resides in regal Renton, Washington, where she and her husband share their reign with a toy fox terrier. When she’s not penning princess stories, she enjoys puttering around her palace, going for walks in the countryside, and losing herself in good books. You can visit her online at www.suzanne-williams.com.
    C huck Gonzales doesn’t know any princesses personally (other than his sister), but he thinks wearing a crown and not having to spend his own money can’t be all that bad. His noble artwork has appeared in such diverse publications as the New York Times, Weekly Reader, Tiger Beat, and Cosmopolitan. Chuck Gonzales dwells in the majestic kingdom of New York, New York. You can visit him online at www.chuckgonzales.com.
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Credits
    Cover art © 2006 by Chuck Gonzales
    Cover design by Jennifer Bankenstein

Copyright
    PRINCESS POWER #2: THE CHARMINGLY CLEVER COUSIN . Text copyright © 2006 by Suzanne Williams. Illustrations copyright © 2006 by Chuck Gonzales. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or