Strawberry Sisters

by Candy Harper

  She certainly sounded a lot brighter about it.

  ‘That’s a good attitude to take,’ I said.

  ‘And if it is going to be a problem for a long time . . .’ Her voice wobbled just a tiny bit. ‘If it is then I’ll just have to get through it. Even when things are bad, there’s always this.’ She squeezed my hand and I knew that she meant us two just hanging out together.

  ‘Yep,’ I said.

  When I was little, I thought that being friends was only about having fun. Then I realised that there’s a bit more to it, and that your friends need your love and support. In the last few weeks, I’ve had to work out that sometimes it can be difficult to give that love and support, but it’s worth it. Because all that caring and putting the other person’s needs first is like a gift that you can give to your friend and it’s better than chocolates or jewellery, it’s even better than a new bedroom, because it really shows how much you love them. I squeezed Lauren’s hand back.

  ‘Do you know something?’ I said. ‘Even though you’re always telling me I smell and pulling that horrible face you do, there is actually nothing you can do to get rid of me. I will absolutely always be here.’

  ‘Good,’ she said. ‘Because I need my friends. And I need you especially, Amelia.’

  Then she forgot she was already on the edge of the bed and tried to roll over. Instead, she landed in a heap on the floor.

  We cracked up.

  Can’t get enough of the

  STRAWBERRY SISTERS?

  Want to know how to bake Chloe’s banana bread? Or which STRAWBERRY SISTER you’re most like when it comes to friendship?

  Then turn the page for some fun extras!

  STRAWBERRY SISTERS PROFILES

  AMELIA

  Age: 13

  Hobbies: singing about sad things, painting her nails black and being sarcastic

  Favourite food: pizza

  Favourite phrase: ‘That’s a stupid idea’

  Dream job: singer in a band

  CHLOE

  Age: 12

  Hobbies: wrestling, hockey, rugby (if you can knock your teeth out doing it, Chloe loves it)

  Favourite food: curry, chocolate and cake (sometimes all at the same time)

  Favourite phrase: ‘Can I have some more?’

  Dream job: crisp taster

  Ella

  Age: 11

  Hobbies: making films with Ashandra and karaoke with Kayliegh

  Favourite food: brownies

  Favourite phrase: ‘I’ll do it’

  Dream job: working with numbers and nice people

  LUCY

  Age: 7

  Hobbies: ballet, magic and being a bat

  Favourite food: spaghetti with tomato ketchup

  Favourite phrase: ‘NO!’

  Dream job: magician or Bat Queen

  KIRSTI

  Age: 0

  Hobbies: dribbling, sleeping and gurgling

  Favourite food: milk

  Favoutite phrase: ‘Waaaaaaaaah!’

  Dream job: cot tester

  STRAWBERRY SISTERS QUIZ: WHAT KIND OF FRIEND ARE YOU?

  WHAT DO YOU LIKE DOING WITH YOU FRIENDS?

  a) I’m fine doing whatever they want to do.

  b) Sport. Mud. Food. That’s all you need for a good time.

  c) I don’t mind what we play, as long as I get to choose and everybody does what I say.

  d) Going shopping, talking about cute boys, laughing at how ridiculous our teachers are.

  WHAT QUALITIES DO YOU LOOK FOR IN A BEST FRIEND?

  a) Someone who’s nice to other people.

  b) Great ball skills and a powerful right hook.

  c) Generosity. So they can give all their good stuff to me.

  d) Someone who has the same sarcastic sense of humour and likes singing.

  HOW DO YOU FEEL IF YOU HAVEN’T SEEN YOUR BEST FRIEND IN A WHILE?

  a) A bit sad but sometimes people are busy and as long as they’re okay I don’t mind.

  b) Not great, have you ever tried wrestling on your own?

  c) Unless I need someone to be my horse / slave / armchair I wouldn’t even notice.

  d) Awful and a bit mad if I’m honest, but only because I feel totally lost without them.

  WHAT DO YOU DO IF YOUR BEST FRIEND FORGETS SOMETHING REALLY IMPORTANT TO YOU?

  a) I’d be sad but I’m sure they’d never do anything like that on purpose.

  b) Tell everyone apart from my friend how rubbish it is.

  c) Plot my revenge.

  d) I’d be devastated – but my best friend is so cool that I know she wouldn’t do that.

  TWO OF YOUR FRIENDS HAVE AN ARGUMENT, WHOSE SIDE DO YOU TAKE?

  a) No one’s! I’d want them to talk and make up. I really hate It when people argue.

  b) I’d get them to have a wrestling match and go with whoever wins.

  c) Whoever gives me the most sweets.

  d) If it Involved my very best friend I’d take her side, of course! It doesn’t matter if she’s the one who’s really in the wrong.

  YOUR FRIEND TELLS YOU SOME JUICY GOSSIP. DO YOU TELL ANYONE?

  a) Of course not! I don’t like It when people say mean things about other people behind their backs, it’s horrible.

  b) If it’s about boyfriends, it’s too boring to pass on. But if someone farted in geography, I’ll tell everyone.

  c) It depends. What will you give me if I keep quiet?

  d) If my best friend told me something I’d never betray her confidence. Maybe if someone else told me something interesting.

  HOW DO YOU SHOW YOUR FRIENDS YOU CARE ABOUT THEM?

  a) By being nice of course.

  b) With a really good rugby tackle.

  c) They should be showing how much they care about ME.

  d) Teasing them, sharing silly jokes and chocolate.

  HOW DO YOU SAY THANK YOU TO YOUR FRIENDS?

  a) Say thank you, of course! Manners are really important.

  b) A marmalade and chutney sandwich. Or a friendly arm punch.

  c) They should be saying thank you to ME.

  d) I’d say thanks but I’d throw a sarcastic remark in too. My friends really get my sense of humour.

  YOUR BEST FRIEND HASN’T DONE SO WELL IN A TEST AT SCHOOL. DO YOU . . .

  a) Comfort them and offer to help them revise for next time.

  b) Remind them of the things they are good at.

  c) Tell them how well you did.

  d) Give them a hug. Then tell them about the time you didn’t do so great, hopefully you can both laugh about it together.

  WHY ARE FRIENDS IMPORTANT?

  a) Because everyone needs friends.

  b) There are loads of sports that you need a partner for.

  c) Sometimes I have jobs that need doing.

  d) It’s nice to have someone you can talk to about things.

  TURN THE PAGE FOR THE ANSWERS . . .

  MOSTLY ‘A’S

  You’re a friend like Ella! You’re sweet by nature and manners are very important to you. And because you’re always peppy and kind, your friends always feel special and you’re the first person they come to when they need advice. Though you always put others first and hate to argue, sometimes you need to be more assertive and tell people how you feel. It’ll make you even happier in the long run and your true friends will respect you for it.

  MOSTLY ‘B’S

  You’re a friend like Chloe! You’re a whirlwind of energy and happiest when you and your friends are something active together. Although you’re quite boisterous you find it hard to talk to your friends when you’re upset and find it easier to complain to your family rather than face friendship problems head on. You need to realise that relationships are about balance: good and bad. A real friend will want to help you when you feel sad and fix things, so be honest. Your friendships will be even stronger because of it.

  MOSTLY ‘C’S

  You’re a friend like Lucy! You feel very comfortable in tellin
g people what to do so you’re a natural leader in your group of friends, although you can act like your needs are more important than anyone else’s around you. At times this can be too much and people don’t always respond in the way you want them to. Sometimes you have to pull back and let others enjoy attention and remember that you’re not the most important person in the group. The more you help, support and share with your friends the more they’ll appreciate all your good qualities.

  MOSTLY ‘D’S

  You’re a friend like Amelia! You’d be lost without your best friend because you do everything together and you pride yourself in being the very best BFF. Sometimes you get a little wrapped up in your own problems and you need to check that others are okay too. You also tend to shut others out in favour of your bestie, so try to remember that while it’s great having a BFF, it’s okay to have other friends too. Your loyalty is clear though and it’s one of your best qualities; if only everyone could be lucky enough to have a BFF like you.

  BANANA BREAD RECIPE BY CHLOE

  Remember when I pummelled a load of bananas because I was mad that I didn’t get on to the rugby squad? Suvi doesn’t like food to get wasted so we made something delicious with my banana victims.

  Here’s the recipe for you to try. Make sure you’ve got a grown up around to help (and to tell you where they’ve hidden the sugar).

  INGREDIENTS

  200g PLAIN FLOUR

  200g CASTER SUGAR

  50g SOFTENED BUTTER

  1 TEASPOON VANILLA EXTRACT

  1 TEASPOON BICARBONATE OF SODA

  1/2 TEASPOON BAKING POWDER

  1 EGG

  3 VERY RIPE BANANAS

  METHOD

  Get your adult to preheat oven to 180 C / Gas 4. Then grease and flour a 13x23cm loaf tin. That means ripping off a little bit of the butter wrapper and using it to rub a blob of butter around the tin. When you’ve finished you can stick the bit of paper in your sister’s hair (but she will scream like an angry warthog).

  Mash the bananas up (you don’t have to pretend that it’s anyone’s face that you’re squashing, but sometimes it makes you feel better if you do) and then add the measured out flour, sugar, butter, vanilla, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and egg.

  Give everything a really good mix.

  Pour into loaf tin. When you slop the mixture out, it’s all lumpy and banana-y and it reminded me of monkey sick, but don’t worry, it looks much better when it’s cooked.

  Bake at 180 C / Gas 4 for 50 to 60 minutes or until skewer inserted into centre of loaf comes out clean.

  Eat loads! I told Suvi that eating fruit is important to your health and that I needed at least three slices.

  Just like Ella, Candy Harper grew up in a rather small house with a rather large family. As the fourth of five sisters it was often hard to get a word in edgeways, so she started writing down her best ideas. It’s probably not a coincidence that her first ‘book’ featured an orphan living in a deserted castle.

  Growing up, she attended six different schools, but that honestly had very little to do with an early interest in explosives.

  Candy has been a bookseller, a teacher and the person who puts those little stickers on apples. She is married and has a daughter named after Philip Pullman’s Lyra.

  You can follow her on Twitter @CandyHarper_