Sleepover Girls on Safari Read Online Free PDF Page A

from Australia a few days ago. She doesn’t know any of us.”
    “She doesn’t know us, but she knows of us,” Frankie explained, making it sound as clear as mud.
    Mum laughed. “You’re not telling me the Sleepover Club’s reputation has spread to Australia?”
    “Apparently it has,” said Frankie, looking smug.
    “I want to accept,” said Rosie earnestly, “but I don’t think it’s right. What do you think, Mrs Proudlove?”
    “I agree with you, Rosie,” Mum said to everyone’s disappointment. “You shouldn’t take Kirstin’s money. But don’t worry, I’ll give it to you.”
    Rosie started to protest.
    “I’m not offering you a handout,” Mum explained. “I’m offering you a business deal. Come over on Saturday and bake some of yourgorgeous cookies. I’ll provide the ingredients, but you’ll be providing the labour. I want six batches so I can put some in the freezer. Callum and Andy adored the cookies you made for Fliss. You’d be doing me a big favour.”
    “I would?” Rosie’s bottom lip quivered.
    “Yes, you would,” said Mum firmly. “Is it a deal?”
    “YES, YES, YES!!” yelped Frankie, going right over the top as usual. “She accepts, don’t you, Rosie-posie?”
    Rosie was blinking back tears furiously. “OK, Mrs Proudlove,” she said when she could make her voice work. “It’s a deal.”
    We all dived on Rosie, hugging her and messing up her hair. I was so happy I can’t tell you. Plus I was incredibly grateful to my mum for solving Rosie’s problem so brilliantly.
    “I’ll call your mother and explain that you’ll be doing some chores for me on Saturday morning,” said Mum.
    “But Rosie will be here already,” Lyndz giggled. “We all will.”
    Mum looked blank. “Oh, yes, of course she will!” she said hastily.
    I wagged my finger. “You forgot it was my turn to hold a sleepover, didn’t you?”
    She looked embarrassed. “Actually I did. Look, you girls are always welcome, you know that. But small babies tend to disturb everyone’s sleep, and unusual comings and goings disturb small babies.”
    I swallowed. Was Mum saying we had to cancel our safari sleepover?
    “Suppose you had your sleepover in the lounge,” she suggested. “Would that be OK, girls?”
    I brightened. “Excellent!”
    “We could borrow a tent from Lyndz’s brothers,” said Frankie at once, “and pretend we’re on a proper African safari.”
    This idea got us completely overexcited.
    I was still buzzing as I was getting into bed. Everything was coming together. I even knew what my safari outfit was going to look like. Do you want to know? I planned to be wearing dark blue jeans with turn-ups, a pink t-shirt with a cartoon monkey on it and my favourite baby pink and blue trainers. Stylish or what!
    I stretched out in my lovely comfy bed. Aaah! I could finally relax. Thanks to Mum’s creative problem solving, my mates were going to have a fabulous Safari Sleepover to remember.

Thursday morning got off to a brilliant start. I’d packed my school bag the night before, so I didn’t have the usual last-minute rush to find my pencil case and reading book. My shoes were polished. My clothes were washed and pressed and my ponytail had gone just right. My mates think I’m crazy to bother about stuff like that, but Mum always says, “If you look good on the outside, Fliss, you’ll feel better on the inside!” And I think that’s true.
    “You’re looking chuffed with yourself,” Frankie whispered from behind as Mrs Weaver took the register.
    “I’m just so excited about tomorrow,” I hissed back.
    Rosie was visibly glowing with happiness. “Me too,” she mouthed.
    Mrs Weaver was handing out tourist brochures with important info on Gawdy Castle Safari Park. On the cover was a picture of a full-grown lioness sprawling in the long grass with her cubs.
    At first the boys acted like they were way too cool to even take an interest. Then they really got into it, swapping gory tales