Lottie and Isabel had got permission to bring in Lottie’s dog, Pip, to demonstrate his magnetic collar and lead, and Rani had brought in earrings that looked like they were for pierced ears but were really magnets. Zoe wasn’t allowed to have her ears pierced, so Rani’s project was just about the best thing she had ever seen.
Now it was Zoe’s turn.
“My project is about magnets and friendship,” began Zoe nervously. The class listened carefully. They all knew what a tough thing friendship could be to explain.
“We all have friends,” said Zoe. “Sometimes we have best friends. Sometimes we don’t and sometimes friends change and that can be hard.” She looked at Ava and smiled. Ava smiled back.
“Sometimes best friends have things like special bracelets and necklaces,” Zoe went on. “And sometimes those things can hurt your feelings or make you feel left out. I know this because it happened to me.”
Zoe could feel all forty-six of the eyes in the classroom watching her closely. She reached into a bag that was near her feet and took out a perfectly ordinary beaded bracelet. She held it up in front of all those eyes.
“I thought magnets might be able to help us all not feel left out,” explained Zoe. “This is a normal bracelet. There is no spell on it, and no glitter and no sweeties, but it is very special. On each end, there is a magnet. When you bring the magnets together, they attract and that holds the bracelet on you.”
Zoe demonstrated this on her own wrist. Everyone clapped.
“Well done, Zoe,” said Miss Moody. “Yes, magnets can be used in jewellery-making, like Rani’s earrings and your bracelet—”
“Wait, Miss Moody,” said Zoe, “there’s more.” She reached into her bag and took out another bracelet, the same as the first.
“Sometimes you are best on your own, like this.” Zoe held up her wrist with the first bracelet on it. “But sometimes you can put your bracelet together with someone else’s, and make something different, like this.” Zoe took off the bracelet she was wearing. She used the magnets on either end to connect it to the second bracelet, so it made a longer bracelet, which was actually long enough to be a necklace.
Zoe put the necklace on Isabel. Then she reached into her bag and took out twenty more beaded bracelets. She passed them around the class. There was one for everyone.
“I made these for us because we are all friends,” said Zoe. “And I thought we could take turns putting them together and making all kinds of fun jewellery. Crowns and bracelets and anklets… But everyone has one of their own to remind them that they are a part of this class and that they always have friends, even when things go wrong with best friends.”
Miss Moody looked very proud. Mrs Peabody beamed from the back row. Colonel Crunch, who had been watching from the doorway, nodded approvingly. Everyone in Year Three clapped and cheered.
Zoe’s magnet project was a cracking success, and she’d done it all on her own.
Later that day, after he’d glued Baron Biscuit back at his post in the hallway, Colonel Crunch spied something way up on the roof of the Crabtree School tree house. Something was caught on the weathervane. Something shiny. Once he’d fetched his binoculars, Colonel Crunch could see that it was a necklace hanging there. After he’d dragged out his gigantic ladder, the Colonel discovered that what he’d actually found were two necklaces – two halves of the same heart. Together they spelled out BEST FRIENDS.
Colonel Crunch had no idea how the necklaces had got way up there, though he had a feeling that they belonged to Ava and Zoe. The friends were delighted to have them back. It was quite something to think that the spell had been hanging over their heads this whole time, working its magic. True friendship spells are like that: sometimes you think they’ve been broken forever, and the friendship is over. Usually, though, the magic is still out there, just waiting to be rediscovered some day.
Zoe and Ava wore the necklaces all the time. Zoe also wore the Extra Special Friendship Bracelet she had made with Isabel, and Ava and Rani wore their threaded bracelets, the ones with the As and the Rs. Isabel and Lottie decorated safety pins to wear on the straps of their shoes. And of course, every girl in Year Three had the bracelet that Zoe had made for her magnet project. On any given day there were long necklaces and glittery bracelets and sparkly pins and twinkling tiaras – it made Zoe smile to count them.
From that day onwards, for forever and ever and happily ever after, Crabtree School shone with the sparkle of friendship, and there was magic in all of it.
Turn the page for lots more Crabtree School fun!
ALL ABOUT ME
MY FULL NAME: Zoe Eloise Ahlberg
WHERE I LIVE: 1 Apple Street
WHAT MY ROOM LOOKS LIKE: My room is white and pink and purple and red and green and blue. It has one bed, one desk and one chair. It has twenty-two toys in it. It also has stars on the ceiling that glow in the dark. The stars make constellations just like in the real sky.
WHO IS IN MY FAMILY: My mum, who is a doctor, my dad, who is a scientist, and my brother, Rafe, who is a baby.
MY PETS: I have zero pets.
MY BEST FRIEND(S): Ava Hughes is my bestest best friend, and also Lottie and Isabel and Rani. (They are age seven, seven, eight and seven.)
WHAT I LOVE TO DO: I like to make Lego and to dress up with Ava. I also like to go to the movies.
WHAT MAKES ME CROSS: Anything that is not fair makes me VERY cross.
WHAT I AM MOST AFRAID OF: GHOSTS! I do NOT like the ghost stories that Ava tells when we have sleepovers!
WHAT I COLLECT: Watches. I have five!!!!!
MY SECRET HIDING PLACE: I have a treasure chest that is really a puzzle. I built it with my dad. It has a lock and a hinged lid and everything. I keep it under my bed.
Ava, Zoe, Isabel, Lottie and Rani are all friends at the end of the story. Now here’s your chance to write all about your friends!
ALL ABOUT MY FRIENDS by
Everyone has special qualities and talents. Can you write down things you really like about your friends? Is your friend helpful and kind, like Isabel, or great at making up games, like Rani? Or maybe your friend is good at pretending, like Ava and Zoe?
MY FRIEND’S NAME IS
And I like my friend because:
MY FRIEND’S NAME IS:
And I like my friend because:
MY FRIEND’S NAME IS:
And I like my friend because:
MY FRIEND’S NAME IS:
And I like my friend because:
WHICH CRABTREE CHARACTER ARE YOU?
1. What’s your favourite colour?
a. Blue
b. Purple
c. Pink
d. It changes all the time
e. Hot pink with sparkles
2. Choose a pet:
a. Cat
b. You don’t want any pets
c. Rabbit
d. Dog
e. You want a pet so badly that you’d be happy with anything
3. What would you like to collect?
a. Snow globes
b. Watches
c. Bits of absolutely anything and everything
d. Spy equipment
e. Nail polish
4. What do you love to do in your spare time?
a. Reading
b. Solving puzzles
c. Arts and crafts
d. Watching movies
e. Sports
5. Choose a Halloween costume:
a. A fairy
b. Cruella de Vil
c. A witch
d. A vampire
e. Disney princess
6. What’s the best thing about you?
a. You’ve got a big imagination
b. You’re clever
c. You’re really well-behaved
d. You’re curious about everything
e. You’re very sporty
7. If you’re honest, you can be:
a. A bit messy
b. A bit bossy
c. A bit too wo
rried about the rules
d. A bit nosy
e. A bit competitive
8. What makes you cross?
a. People interrupting you
b. Other people’s mess
c. When you can’t get any time to yourself
d. Secrets you don’t know
e. Not being the best at something
RESULTS
Mostly As: You’re like Ava!
You’re a daydreamer with a big imagination. You love reading and dressing up and playing with your friends. You can be a little bit messy, and sometimes you stop listening to what people are saying because you’re so busy making up stories. Most of all, you’re easy to get on with and kind to everyone and everything.
Mostly Bs: You’re like Zoe!
You love numbers and solving puzzles and you’re always the first person to put your hand up in class. You can be a little bossy sometimes and you don’t like it when things aren’t fair. You’re a very loyal friend and you’re brilliant at helping people with their problems.
Mostly Cs: You’re like Isabel!
You’re really creative and you almost never get into trouble because you do everything you can to be good. Your bedroom is always tidy even though you make lots of crafts. Sometimes you’d like to relax and not be such a goody-two-shoes. When you do, you tell great jokes and make everyone laugh.
Mostly Ds: You’re like Lottie!
You’re a spy in training! You’re curious and you notice everything around you – no one can keep secrets when you’re about! But you also keep those secrets to yourself because you’re very loyal. You love watching movies at the cinema and on TV.
Mostly Es: You’re like Rani!
You’re really sporty and competitive and would love to win an Olympic medal one day, but nothing is more fun to you than dressing up and playing with your mum’s make-up. You can be a little bit shy but once you feel brave enough, you are buckets of fun!
BEST FRIEND BISCUITS
Making time: 5 minutes
Baking time: 15 minutes
Ingredients: (Makes about 30 biscuits)
250g butter, softened
140g caster sugar
1 egg yolk
2 tsp vanilla extract
300g plain flour
How to make your best friend biscuits:
1. Heat your oven to 180°C/fan 160°C/gas mark 4 and lightly grease a non-stick baking sheet.
2. Mix the butter and the caster sugar in a large bowl with a wooden spoon.
3. To the bowl, add the egg yolk (ask an adult to separate the egg for you!) and vanilla extract and briefly beat the mixture together
4. Sift over the plain flour and stir it all up until the mixture is combined – get your hands in there towards the end and make sure it’s all really well mixed!
5. Put some flour on the work surface and roll out your dough so it’s about one centimetre thick and cut out your biscuits using a biscuit cutter of your choice. If you want, you can ask an adult to make a line down the middle of the biscuit using a dull knife. That way, when it is baked, you can break it in half easily and share it with your best friend! (Be careful not to make the cut too deep, or one biscuit will become two too early!)
6. Put the biscuits on to your baking tray, but keep them slightly apart because they’ll grow in the oven!
7. Ask an adult to put your biscuits in the oven for 12-15 minutes. Take them out when they’re golden brown. Carefully put them on a cooling rack until they firm up.
8. Decorate them however you want! You could use icing and sparkles, and if you are baking them with a friend, each of you can do one half of the same biscuit.
9. Once you’ve finished decorating, break a biscuit in half and share with your best friend, your mummy or your little brother.
Scholastic Children’s Books
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SCHOLASTIC and associated logos are trademarks and or registered trademarks of Scholastic Inc.
First published in the UK by Scholastic Ltd, 2015
This electronic edition published by Scholastic Ltd, 2015
Text copyright © Lauren Pearson, 2015
Illustration copyright © Becka Moor, 2015
The right of Lauren Pearson and Becka Moor to be identified as the author and illustrator of this work has been asserted by them.
eISBN 978 1407 15519 7
A CIP catalogue record for this work is available from the British Library.
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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, incidents and dialogues are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual people, living or dead, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
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