‘Help it do what?’ he asks, reluctantly handing over his cash.
‘Survive,’ I explain patiently. ‘They are almost extinct, because bamboo forests are being cut down and pandas eat mainly bamboo shoots.’
‘Why don’t they eat something different then?’ the kid asks. ‘Fish ’n’ chips. Big Macs. Chocolate fridge cake.’
I roll my eyes. ‘They can’t,’ I explain. ‘They are PANDAS, not people. They are supposed to eat bamboo shoots, and people are destroying their habitat. It’s up to us to save them!’
The boy’s face hardens. ‘If that’s true, you really shouldn’t wear a panda hat,’ he says. ‘That’s just sick.’ He walks away, scoffing fridge cake.
Boys really are infuriating and dim, especially Year Six boys.
And Year Eight boys are not much better. Lawrie Marshall has edged his way to the front of the crowd and is reading my panda leaflet with a sneery, disgusted look on his face.
Lawrie is the scratchiest, surliest boy I’ve ever met. He’s a loner, radiating waves of simmering anger that keep both kids and teachers at arm’s length. If he were a chocolate truffle, he’d be one of Paddy’s disastrous experiments – dark chocolate filled with gherkins and liquorice, or something equally horrific.
He must have a sweet tooth, though, because he always turns up at my cake sales.
‘How come you think you can change the world with cake?’ he snarls, bundling four cupcakes into a paper bag and handing over a pound coin.
‘I just do,’ I say. ‘I care about the pandas, and anything I can do to raise awareness and raise money has got to help.’
‘Huh,’ Lawrie says. ‘What’s the black-and-white icing supposed to be, anyway? Badgers?’
‘Panda faces,’ I say through gritted teeth. ‘Obviously.’
‘Right,’ he grunts. ‘Don’t give up the day job, OK?’
I roll my eyes.
‘Like the hat,’ Lawrie sneers, stalking away. I resist the temptation to throw a rock bun at the back of his head – but only just.
‘Ignore him,’ Sarah says. ‘He has a chip on his shoulder.’
‘A what?’
She shrugs. ‘You know – it’s just one of those things that people say. He’s angry at the world. Snippy with everyone. Don’t take it personally.’
The teachers drift over, buying the last few cakes for the staffroom, and I hand out the remaining leaflets to anyone who will take one.
‘There has to be twenty quid in there, at least,’ Sarah says, grinning at the collection tin, and suddenly I feel doubtful, disappointed. Twenty quid isn’t a whole lot really, especially considering all the flour and eggs and sugar and food colouring I’ve forked out to make my cupcakes. It’s not enough to save the giant panda, I am pretty sure. Looking around the table, I notice half a dozen discarded panda leaflets lying on the ground, and my spirits dip still further.
Saving the world with cake may actually be harder than I thought.
I glare at Lawrie Marshall as he stomps away along the corridor. I don’t think he has a chip on his shoulder so much as a whole plateful of the things, drenched in vinegar.
Which Chocolate Box Girl Are You?
Your perfect day would be spent …
a) visiting a busy vintage market
b) with your favourite canine companion on a long walk in the countryside
c) curled up on the sofa watching black-and-white movies with your boyfriend
d) window-shopping with your BFF
e) sipping frappuccinos in a hip city cafe
Your ideal boy is …
a) arty and sensitive
b) boy? No thanks!
c) a good listener … and a little bit quirky
d) polite and clever
e) good looking and popular – what other kind of boy is there?
Who’s the first person you would tell about your new crush?
a) your sister – she knows everything about you
b) your pet cat … animals are great listeners
c) your BFF
d) your mum – she always has the best advice
e) no one. It’s best not to trust anyone with a secret
Your favourite subject is …
a) history
b) science
c) creative writing
d) French
e) drama
Your school books are …
a) covered in paisley-print fabric
b) a bit muddy
c) filled with doodles
d) neat, tidy and full of good grades
e) rarely handed in on time
When you grow up you want to be …
a) an interior designer
b) a vet
c) a writer
d) a prima ballerina
e) famous
People always compliment your …
a) individuality. If anyone can pull it off you can!
b) caring nature – every creature deserves a bit of love
c) wild imagination … although it can get you into trouble sometimes
d) determination. Practice makes perfect
e) strong personality. You never let anyone stand in your way
Mostly As … Skye
Cool and eclectic, friends love your relaxed boho style and passion for all things quirky.
Mostly Bs … Coco
A real mother earth, but with your feet firmly on the ground, you’re happiest in the great outdoors – accompabied by a whole menagerie of animal companions.
Mostly Cs … Cherry
‘Daydreamer’ is your middle name … Forever thinking up crazy stories and buzzing with new ideas, you always have an exciting table to tell – you’re allowed a bit of artistic licence, right?
Mostly Ds … Summer
Passionate and fun, you’re determined to make your dreams come true … and your family and friends are behind you every step of the way.
Mostly Es … Honey
Popular, intimidating, lonely … everyone has a different idea about the ‘real your’. Try opening up a bit more and you’ll realize that friends are there to help you along the way.
Rocking Rocky Road Recipe – with Marshmallows!
You will need:
2 medium-sized bars of milk chocolate
A couple of handfuls of mini marshmallows
6 digestive biscuits (broken into largish chunks)
A handful of raisins (optional)
Melt the chocolate in a bowl over a pan of simmering water
Once the chocolate has melted, leave it to cool slightly then add the rest of the ingredients and mix well (but make sure that you don’t break up the biscuits too much)
Pour the mix into a baking tray, which has been lined with baking parchment, level out and put in the fridge for a few hours
Once the mix has set, tip it out of the tin and cut into squares, make yourself a cup of hot chocolate and enjoy!
Summer Fruit Skewers
For a refreshing healthy snack on those hot summer days, try making your own garden of fruit skewers.
You will need:
Your fave fruits (the best ones include kiwis, strawberries, grapes, oranges, and watermelon and pineapple slices)
10 or more wooden skewers
Heart, flower or butterfly cookie cutters
A shoe box (this will be your garden display)
What to do:
Using a chopping board carefully cut your chosen fruit into round shapes.
One at a time, lay your slices of fruit on the board and cut into flower, butterfly and heart shapes using the cookie cutters.
Carefully insert the skewers into the fruit to create a beautiful flower display.
Making a Flower:
• Cut a slice of pineapple into a flower shape and add to the skewer so it’s horizontal. Then add a small strawberry to the very top to make the centre of the flower. Add a couple of grapes to the ‘stem’ of the flower to look like leaves. Try other methods and designs t
oo!
Top Tip!
For an extra-refreshing taste, serve with a yoghurt or cream-cheese dip!
Assemble your Flower Garden:
• Decorate your shoe box to make it look like a garden, using green paint, tissue paper, flower stickers, etc.
• Cut small holes into the top of the shoe box.
• Insert your flower skewers into the holes to create a flower border!
www.cathycassidy.com
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‘I LOVE your books … I can’t put them down’ Leyla
‘I can’t wait until Coco Caramel!
You’re my favourite author EVER!!’ Ellen
‘I can’t wait till your other books come out The Chocolate Box Girls are the best!’ Ruby
‘Me and my best friend have read all of your books!’ Isabelle
‘I’m obsessed with reading your books – they are just THE BEST! You rock Cathy!’ Momin
More praise for Cathy!
‘I was addicted to Marshmallow Skye … beautiful, perfect and super moreish’ thebookaddictedgirl.blogspot.com
‘Writing as engaging as this is not easy to pull off’ Mail on Sunday
‘A great choice for older Jaqueline Wilson fans’ Frish Independent
‘Wittily written … from the heart’ Radio Times
Write your own review at www.cathycassidy.com
PUFFIN BOOKS
Published by the Penguin Group
Penguin Books Ltd, 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England
Penguin Group (USA) Inc., 375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014, USA
Penguin Group (Canada), 90 Eglinton Avenue East, Suite 700, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M4P 2Y3 (a division of Pearson Penguin Canada Inc.)
Penguin Ireland, 25 St Stephen’s Green, Dublin 2, Ireland (a division of Penguin Books Ltd)
Penguin Group (Australia), 707 Collins Street, Melbourne, Victoria 3008, Australia (a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty Ltd)
Penguin Books India Pvt Ltd, 11 Community Centre, Panchsheel Park, New Delhi – 110 017, India
Penguin Group (NZ), 67 Apollo Drive, Rosedale, Auckland 0632, New Zealand (a division of Pearson New Zealand Ltd)
Penguin Books (South Africa) (Pty) Ltd, Block D, Rosebank Office Park, 181 Jan Smuts Avenue, Parktown North, Gauteng 2193, South Africa
Penguin Books Ltd, Registered Offices: 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England
puffinbooks.com
First published 2013
Text copyright © Cathy Cassidy, 2013
All rights reserved
The moral right of the author have been asserted
ISBN: 978-0-14-135030-1
Why should your eyes have all the fun?
Give your ears a treat and hear your favourite classics come to life!
Go to the Puffin Podcast on the all-new puffin.co.uk now!
Celebrity podcasters include Eoin Colfer, Meg Rosoff, Darren Shan and Garth Nix.
Hear Captain Hook in action, listen to Long John Silver, enjoy the sound of the Psammead and much, much more!
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It all Started with a Scarecrow.
Puffin is seventy years old.
Sounds ancient, doesn’t it? But Puffin has never been so lively. We’re always on the lookout for the next big idea, which is how it began all those year ago.
Penguin Books was a big idea from the mind of a man called Allen Lane, who in 1935 invented the quality paperback and changed the world.
And from great Penguins, great Puffins grew, changing the face of children’s books forever.
The first four Puffin Picture Books were hatched in 1940 and the first Puffin story book featured a man with broomstick arms called Worzel Gummidge. In 1967 Kaye Webb, Puffin Editor, started the Puffin Club, promising to ‘make children into readers’. She kept that promise and over 200,000 children became devoted Puffineers through their quarterly instalments of Puffin Post, which is now back for a new generation.
Many years from now, we hope you’ll look back and remember Puffin with a smile. No matter what your age or what you’re into, there’s a Puffin for everyone. The possibilities are endless, but one thing is for sure: whether it’s a picture book or a paperback, a sticker book or a hardback, if it’s got that little Puffin on it – it’s bound to be good.
Chocolate Box Girls: Bittersweet Page 7
