Narinder Dhami - The Sleepover Club Down Under

Cover

Title Page

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Theree

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Have you been Invited to all these Sleepovers?

Sleepover Kit List

Copyright

About the Publisher

“ Life is so hard When you don’t have that special someone That’s why I need you To help me through… ”

“Kenny, you’re singing all the wrong words!” Fliss moaned.

“And why are you singing so much higher than the rest of us?” Lyndz wanted to know.

“Yeah, Kenny, you sound like a cat with a sore throat!” I added, sticking my fingers in my ears.

“Flippin’ cheek!” Kenny grumbled. “I’ll have you lot know I’ve got a fantastic voice – my gran said I ought to be on the stage!”

“Yeah, sweeping it, maybe!” I joked, and ducked as Kenny flicked a choc chip cookie at me.

Hi there! So you found your way to Fliss’s house OK, did you? Excellent! We were wondering where you’d got to. Come into the kitchen, and say hello to the rest of the Sleepover Club. Well, there’s only me, Kenny, Fliss and Lyndz here at the moment because Rosie’s late. We’re just practising the song we want to sing in assembly at school next week – if we can shut Kenny up, that is! It’s the theme tune from one of our fave programmes, that Australian soap opera South Beach . The words are a bit dodgy, but the tune’s all right!

We’re sleeping over at Fliss’s tonight (we take it in turns to have a sleepover every week at one of our houses, that’s why we’re called the Sleepover Club – obviously). Anyway, you can see we were all pretty hyped up and being a bit loud and giggly. It was exciting stuff, what with Christmas coming up and our school panto (which you’ll probably know about already!), but there was another reason why we were getting all over-excited. I’ll give you a clue – roll those drums please, here it comes – BRAD MARTIN !

What do you mean, you don’t know what I’m talking about? Oh, please ! Where have you been all your life? You have to know who Brad Martin is! You watch South Beach , don’t you? You don’t? Oh. Well, I’ll just have to explain everything then!

Anyway, like I said, there we all were round Fliss’s, sitting in the kitchen drinking Sunny Delight and waiting for Rosie, and talking about what we wanted for Christmas.

“I really want a lizard!” Kenny said, and we all fell about laughing. We’re used to Kenny being crazy, but sometimes she can still surprise us!

“What, a real one?” Fliss asked, wrinkling up her nose in disgust.

“No, a dead one!” Kenny retorted. “Of course I want a real one.”

“Gross!” Fliss shuddered.

“That’s what Molly the Monster says,” Kenny replied with an evil grin. Molly’s her sister, although Kenny wishes she wasn’t. They’re always trying to get one over on each other, and you know what Kenny’s like – she usually wins!

“You only want a lizard to annoy Molly,” Lyndz pointed out.

“So?” Kenny shrugged. “That’s a good reason!”

“It’s not very nice for the lizard!” I said. “And anyway, Kenny, your pets never survive!”

It’s true. Kenny’s got the killer touch where pets are concerned.

“My mum says I can have loads of new clothes,” Fliss said, “and I want some boots and some make-up as well.”

Kenny groaned. “You’re so girly , Felicity!”

Kenny thinks that’s the worst insult she can give anyone. If someone called her ‘girly’, she’d thump them, but Fliss actually looked quite pleased!

“So?” she said. “I am a girl!”

Just then Fliss’s mum waddled in from the living room. It wasn’t long before the babies were born, and Mrs Proudlove’s tummy was so big, I was surprised she could walk!

“More biscuits, girls?” she enquired. “Or would you like some doughnuts?”

“Both, please!” Kenny said.

“I bet you can’t wait for the twins to be born, Fliss,” Lyndz remarked.

“Yeah,” Kenny said wickedly. “ Two lots of smelly nappies to change!”

Fliss looked sick. I reckoned she’d faint away dead on the spot if she had to change a dirty nappy! Mind you, she did change Rosie’s neighbour’s baby’s nappy once, but that was ages ago.

“Where’s Rosie got to?” I wondered. “If she doesn’t hurry up, she’s going to miss…”

“ SOUTH BEACH !” the others yelled, and we all rushed into the living room to grab the best seat on the sofa.

I can’t believe you’ve never seen South Beach . It was one of our best programmes – we liked it just as much as Neighbours and Home and Away . Anyway, Kenny got the best seat by elbowing everyone else out of the way.

“Ow!” Fliss said crossly, hopping round the living room holding her foot. “Kenny, you trod on my toe, you idiot!”

“And you elbowed me in the ribs!” I grumbled, plonking myself down next to Kenny and elbowing her back.

“Ssh, it’s starting!” Lyndz said, calming everyone down as usual.

“ Life is so hard When you don’t have that special someone That’s why I need you To help me through… ”

We all started singing the theme tune (well, yelling it really) and Mrs Proudlove waddled as fast as she could into the kitchen and shut the door. What a cheek – I didn’t think our singing was that bad.

I suppose South Beach wasn’t really that different to Neighbours or Home and Away . It was set in a beach café, and it had loads of good-looking people in it who all had big problems with their families and friends, just like the other two programmes. But South Beach did have ONE thing that Neighbours and Home and Away didn’t – and that was Brad Martin, the hunkiest guy in the entire universe!

“Ooh, Brad Martin’s so gorgeous!” Fliss drooled as the credits started and fit-looking surfers ran along the beach with their boards. At the front was Brad Martin, who played Rick, a waiter at the beach café. He’s got long blond hair and blue eyes and Fliss loves him even more than Ryan Scott, who’s in our class at school. Even Kenny thinks he’s gorgeous, although she won’t admit it.

“He’s cute!” I agreed.

“He’s OK – for a guy!” Kenny snorted, pretending not to be interested.

“I wonder if he’ll be just as gorgeous in real life?” Lyndz said hopefully.

Remember I told you that there was something else we were really excited about, apart from our sleepover that night? Well, we were actually going to see Brad in the flesh! No, really ! I nearly died when I read in the local newspaper a few months ago that he was coming to Leicester to appear in the panto Aladdin . Leicester’s the nearest big city to Cuddington, the village where we all live, so I pestered my mum and dad for ages to take us all to see him. They finally agreed, although I had to promise to do the vacuuming for a week. We were going to the panto near the end of the Christmas holidays before we went back to school, and we could hardly wait.