Free Flower Girl World: Rosie and the Wedding Day Rescue by Lynelle Woolley

Chapter One
    â€œRosie! Move!” Max cried out.
    Max was trying to play a video game on the TV while his younger sister, Rosie, was inspecting the couch with a magnifying glass.
    â€œMax, scoot over a little bit.”
    â€œROSIE!”
    â€œA-ha! Just as I suspected!” Rosie shouted. She reached between two cushions and pulled out a small, sparkling object. “I found Mom’s earring!”

    â€œGreat,” Max said. “Now will you get off the couch?”
    Their mom rushed in from the kitchen. “Did I hear you found my earring? Where was it?”
    â€œIn the couch,” Rosie said proudly, handing over the missing piece of jewelry. “You said the last time you wore it was Sunday. That was the day we all watched movies together. I figured this room was the best place to look.”
    â€œRosie Anderson, you’re an expert detective!” her mom said, giving her a huge hug.
    Rosie beamed with delight. It was her dream to become a real detective and one day work for the FBI. She put her magnifying glass back into her special detective kit. It was a green tote bag filled with all sorts of gadgets, including binoculars, a flashlight, and fingerprint powder. Rosie carried her kit with her everywhere because a good detective is always prepared.
    â€œSweetie, I have something for you too,” Mrs. Anderson said, giving Rosie an envelope made of delicate paper. Inside, Rosie found a card with a picture of a girl wearing a lavender dress. She was holding a basket overflowing with petals.
    Rosie opened the card and read the inside. “It’s from Greta. She’s asking me to be a flower girl in her wedding.”

    Greta Goodwin was Rosie’s favorite babysitter. She was a great hide-and-go-seek player; she made delicious ginger snap cookies; and she liked to climb trees as much as Rosie. Greta was a college student in Rosie’s hometown of Washington D.C. Now she was graduating and marrying her boyfriend, Mark. Rosie wondered if she’d ever play hide-and-go-seek with her babysitter again.
    â€œWhy would Greta want me to be a flower girl?” Rosie asked. “I’ve never been one before.”
    â€œBeing a flower girl is a very special honor,” her mom replied. “Just because you haven’t done it before doesn’t mean that it won’t be fun and exciting.”
    Rosie groaned. She really liked Greta, but she didn’t like trying new things. There was always a chance that something could go wrong. She’d tried ballet once, but the tutu gave her a rash. Another time, she had tried a baking class and accidentally spilled cake batter all over herself and the cooking teacher! Rosie preferred to stick to the thing she loved best: detective work.
    â€œWhy do I have to try anything new?” Rosie asked. “My life is good the way it is.”
    â€œRosie, trying new things is what life is all about,” her mother replied. “Have you considered that Greta isn’t even family, yet she likes you so much she wants you to be in her wedding?”
    Rosie thought about her mother’s comment. She didn’t want to disappoint her favorite babysitter.
    â€œWell…What would I have to do?” she asked.
    â€œIn a traditional wedding, the flower girl walks down the aisle right before the bride and throws petals on the ground. In a way, the flower girl announces the bride’s arrival. That’s a very important job, don’t you think?”
    Rosie liked the idea of being important. And throwing petals didn’t seem so hard. Maybe she could do it for Greta’s sake. Rosie tucked her light-brown hair behind her ears and announced, “Okay, I’ll do it.”
    â€œGreta will be thrilled.” Then her mother added, “When she gave me the card, we talked about all the details. She wants to meet in a couple of weeks to pick out the flower girl dress.”
    â€œHAH!” Max fell off the couch