Girl Wonder to the Rescue Read Online Free Page B

was sure we’d be chosen, but without Anthony . . .
    “This is all your fault, Maxine,” Edward told me frostily. “It was your dippy-dorky-dozy idea to get Anthony to stop making up rhymes yesterday.”
    “Edward, you wanted him to shut up just as much as I did,” I said.
    “I’m waiting.” Anthony sniffed, his nose in the air.
    Edward and I looked at each other. Slowly we both got down on our knees.
    “Dear Anthony, you have got kilo-tons of talent,” I said.
    “Mega-tons,” Edward agreed. “Maxine, what’s bigger than mega-tons?”
    “Giga-tons!” I replied. “So please say you’ll do it.”
    “Very well, then,” Anthony said, at last. “Since you both asked so nicely.”
    I got to my feet, brushing off my kneecaps.
    “I told you that you’d both be sorry and that you’d miss my rhymes,” said Anthony smugly.
    “Anthony,” I said. “Don’t rub it in!”
    But he did!
    All through the morning break, we practised and practised. Anthony came up with all the rhymes we should say, I invented the dance steps and Edward made up all the drum noises.
    At last it was lunch time. We watchedsome of the other acts whilst we waited for our turn. One boy read out a poem about some clouds. At least five different people played tunes on their recorders. One boy played his violin. Three of the girls from my class had got together and they did an acrobatics show on the stage, which was quite good. Then it was our turn.
    “So what do you call your act?” asked Mrs Kelsey, from in front of the stage.
    I looked at the twins. They looked at me. We hadn’t thought about that bit!
    “Hang on a second,” I said quickly. Anthony, Edward and I bent in a huddle to discuss it. “We’re called the Zappers!” I said at last.
    “OK, Zappers.” Mrs Kelsey smiled. “Whenever you’re ready.”
    Anthony stepped forward. I was on one side of him, Edward was on the other. Anthony coughed to clear his throat.I counted out – just like I’d seen them do on the telly. “One, two, one, two, three, four.”
    And then we began.
    Edward started slapping on his puffed-out cheeks. I started drumming on my chest and making rhythmic raspberry noises! We all started dancing, using the steps we’d rehearsed in the playground. Then Anthony began.
    “My name is Tony,
    You know it’s true,
    We’ve got a lot
    To say to you.
    With my sister, Max,
    And my brother, Ed,
    If you don’t like this
    You must be dead!”
    I started snapping my fingers whilst Edward took over the drum noises by slapping his chest.
    “We’re called the Zappers
    We’re finger-snappers
    And great toe-tappers,
    We’re the youngest rappers!” rhymed Anthony.

    I smiled at him. He’d made up a whole new verse, just like that. What a hero!
    Then it was Edward’s turn. He stepped forward and started snapping his fingers.
    “So don’t try to stop us,
    Or even top us.
    ’Cause we won’t lose it,
    We’re busy making music!” rapped Edward.
    “We won’t cause a scene
    We won’t make a fuss
    If you, Mrs Kelsey,
    Will just choose us!” we all said together. “Yeah!”
    And with that we all did the splits – well, as close as we could get to them!
    Mrs Kelsey and all the others in the hall started clapping and cheering andwhistling. I grinned at Anthony and Edward. They beamed back at me.
    “You three are definitely going to be in the show!” Mrs Kelsey told us at once. And she hadn’t said that to anyone else as soon as they’d finished. She’d told everyone else that they’d get her final decision by the end of the day.
    “For once, one of your dizzy-dopey plans actually worked, Maxine,” said Edward, amazed.
    “Thanks to Anthony, the most supreme, the most excellent rapper in the universe!” I grinned.
    And I meant it too!

Looking After Thunder
    It was raining. I don’t mean just a spot of water here and a drop of water there – I mean it was
pouring
. As if the clouds were just huge, bottomless buckets of water which were being