Cub Reporters
Page 10
A blackboard outside the cafe read:
Inside, Mum and Zoe were super-prepared this time. Zoe’s friend Lisa had come along to help in the kitchen.
The cafe was decorated with star-shaped bunting hanging from the ceiling and buckets of pink lilies, white orchids and crimson roses. A microphone and stool were set up in the middle of the cafe with two guitars leaning against the counter. A number of tables were already occupied with people eating, drinking and bubbling with anticipation.
Cici was there waiting for us, looking quite at home behind the counter. She was setting out an enormous platter of her new invention – Cici’s strawberry cream cupcake delights. This batch had a berry-sweet, ruby-red star balanced on top of the whipped cream.
‘They look perfect,’ I said.
‘Thanks,’ said Cici, smiling. ‘Zoe has reserved us some tables. I’ll show you where to go.’
Olivia’s gang sat at my favourite round table in the corner. We sat down at the table next to it. Crowds of kids and their parents wandered in and took seats where they could.
Zoe carried over a three-tiered cake stand full of strawberry cream cupcakes, blueberries and chicken-and-lettuce finger sandwiches for each table.
‘This is so exciting,’ said Zoe, as she returned with a tray of freshly blended pineapple juices. ‘Ruby is upstairs getting ready.’
I noticed Mimi and Papa arrive with another couple, and Mum showed them to their table. ‘That’s Ruby’s parents with your grandparents,’ whispered Charlie. Mrs Beecham soon joined them.
Mum stopped by our table and gave us all a hug.
‘Everything’s ready,’ said Mum. ‘Looks like it’s going to be a great afternoon.’
‘All the kids are sooo excited to meet Ruby,’ said Charlie.
‘She should be coming down any second,’ said Mum.
Sure enough, a ripple of excitement ran through the crowd as Ruby made her grand entrance. She was wearing a ruffled yellow dress sprigged with red flowers, cowboy boots and a garland of red roses in her hair. She waved to everyone then made her way to Olivia’s table.
Ruby beamed at us and called hello before sitting down. Olivia, Sienna, Tash and Willow were almost jumping with happiness. Guests ate and drank and gossiped. The pile of strawberry cream cupcakes disappeared before our eyes.
The girls chatted with Ruby. I could hear them answering her interview questions for the next issue of The Kira Conch. The questions were the fun ones Charlie had come up with.
‘My favourite food is beef tacos with guacamole and my favourite ice-cream is cookies-and-cream,’ said Olivia.
‘And Olivia, do you know what you might like to be when you’re older?’ asked Ruby.
Olivia thought for a moment. ‘I would really love to be a doctor.’
‘Fantastic, Olivia,’ said Ruby. ‘But why a doctor?’
‘Doctors help people when they’re sick or hurt,’ said Olivia. ‘They’re kind and care about their patients. Like you said in your interview, Ruby – I’d really like to make the world a better place.’
‘That is a truly wonderful dream, Olivia. I’m sure you’ll make a fantastic doctor,’ said Ruby, smiling at her. ‘Now, I’ve loved chatting with you girls but it’s time for me to take the microphone.’
Ruby walked up to the makeshift stage.
‘Good afternoon to the lovely folk of Kira Island,’ she said. There was a roar of approval from the crowd. ‘Thank you all for making me feel so welcome back in my home town.’
Ruby’s parents glowed with pride.
‘Last week I was feeling sad,’ Ruby explained. ‘Things had not been so great. But a group of Kira Cove kids made me realise how very lucky I am. You reminded me what’s important in my life – my family, friends, music and the Kira sunset.
‘So I’d like you all to be the first to hear my latest song, “Kira Dreaming”.’
Ruby picked up her guitar and began to sing a new song. Her voice was sweet and clear. We all listened closely. It was a song about treasuring friendship and chasing your dreams.
Then she sang ‘Love and Laughter’, the song we danced to at school. All the kids from school rose to their feet and many of them began to dance. When Ruby finished the song, I thought I saw tears running down her cheeks.
‘Now I’d like to ask four girls to come up on stage with me,’ she said. ‘I hope that Charlie Harper will sing a song with me, with a little help from her best friends – Meg, Cici, and Pippa.’
Charlie blushed with pleasure. The four of us glanced at each other in shock. We were going to sing with Ruby Starr in front of everyone we knew. How exciting! How terrifying!
Ruby waved her arm to summon us. ‘Come and join me, girls. Let’s perform “Best Friends Ever”, the perfect song for sharing on Kira Beach as the sun goes down.’
Ruby began strumming the opening chords.
Charlie grabbed my hand and we walked up to stand beside Ruby together, with Meg and Cici right behind us. Ruby began to sing and we all joined in. A song of love and joy and being best friends. It was the best song in the world.
At about the age of eight, Belinda Murrell began writing stirring tales of adventure, mystery and magic in hand-illustrated exercise books. As an adult, she combined two of her great loves – writing and travelling the world – and worked as a travel journalist, technical writer and public relations consultant. Now, inspired by her own three children, Belinda is a bestselling, inter nationally published children’s author. Her previous titles include four picture books, her fantasy adventure series, The Sun Sword Trilogy, and her seven time-slip adventures, The Locket of Dreams, The Ruby Talisman, The Ivory Rose, The Forgotten Pearl, The River Charm, The Sequin Star and The Lost Sapphire.
For younger readers (aged 6 to 9), Belinda has the Lulu Bell series about friends, family, animals and adventures growing up in a vet hospital.
Belinda lives in Manly in a gorgeous old house overlooking the sea with her husband, Rob, her three beautiful children, Sammy the Stimson’s python and her dog, Rosie. She is an Author Ambassador for Room to Read and Books in Homes.
Find out more about Belinda at her website:
www.belindamurrell.com.au
BOOKS BY BELINDA MURRELL
Pippa’s Island
Book 1: The Beach Shack Cafe
Book 2: Cub Reporters
The Locket of Dreams
The Ruby Talisman
The Ivory Rose
The Forgotten Pearl
The River Charm
The Sequin Star
The Lost Sapphire
The Sun Sword Trilogy
Book 1: The Quest for the Sun Gem
Book 2: The Voyage of the Owl
Book 3: The Snowy Tower
Lulu Bell
Lulu Bell and the Birthday Unicorn
Lulu Bell and the Fairy Penguin
Lulu Bell and the Cubby Fort
Lulu Bell and the Moon Dragon
Lulu Bell and the Circus Pup
Lulu Bell and the Sea Turtle
Lulu Bell and the Tiger Cub
Lulu Bell and the Pyjama Party
Lulu Bell and the Christmas Elf
Lulu Bell and the Koala Joey
Lulu Bell and the Arabian Nights
Lulu Bell and the Magical Garden
Lulu Bell and the Pirate Fun
Pippa has just arrived at a new school, in a new town, and even living on a gorgeous island isn’t cheering her up. Her arrival causes ripples at Kira Cove Primary School – but Pippa soon starts to make friends with eco-warrior Meg, boho-chick Charlie, and fashionista and cupcake baker Cici.
Pippa’s mum plans to buy a rustic old boatshed and start a bookshop cafe, and Pippa worries they’ll lose all their money in this madcap venture – until her new friends come to the rescue to help get the grand opening back on track.
Will Kira Island ever feel like home?
OUT NOW
Adventures are more fun with friends! There are thirteen gorgeous
Lulu Bell stories for you to discover.
Love history? Escape to another time with Belinda’s seven beautiful time-slip adventures.
If you love fantasy stories, you’ll love Belinda’s Sun Sword trilogy.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted by any person or entity, including internet search engines or retailers, in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including printing, photocopying (except under the statutory exceptions provisions of the Australian Copyright Act 1968), recording, scanning or by any information storage and retrieval system without the prior written permission of Penguin Random House Australia. Any unauthorised distribution or use of this text may be a direct infringement of the author’s and publisher’s rights and those responsible may be liable in law accordingly.
Version 1.0
Cub Reporters
9780143783695
First published by Random House Australia in 2017
Copyright © Belinda Murrell, 2017
The moral right of the author has been asserted.
A Random House Australia book
Published by Penguin Random House Australia Pty Ltd
Level 3, 100 Pacific Highway, North Sydney NSW 2060
www.penguin.com.au
Addresses for the Penguin Random House group of companies can be found at global.penguinrandomhouse.com/offices.
National Library of Australia
Cataloguing-in-Publication entry
Author: Murrell, Belinda
Title: Cub reporters [electronic resource]
ISBN: 978 0 14378 369 5 (ebook)
Series: Murrell, Belinda. Pippa’s Island; 2
Target audience: For primary school age
Subjects: New schools – Juvenile fiction
Coffee shops – Juvenile fiction
Island life – Juvenile fiction
Cover and internal design by Christabella Designs
Cover and internal images: beautiful white beach Charcompix/Shutterstock; happy golden retriever puppy otsphoto/Shutterstock; feet girl Alohaflaminggo/Shutterstock; tourist traveler photographer Maria Savenko/Shutterstock; portrait of a young girl Andrey Arkusha/Shutterstock; summer cards Ksenia Lokko/Shutterstock; hand-drawn summer creative alphabet Ksenia Lokko/Shutterstock
Ebook by Firstsource