Kids into books: Mystery Bay

Author: Carol Krueger

Illustrator: Wendy Wray

Publisher: Shortland Publications, $9.85

Age group: 11+ years


Alice Parker was the most popular kid in school. She was always the best at everything and she got everything she wanted. When I got a part in a TV commercial, Alice's mum promtply went and found Alice the best modelling agency, and Alice started getting work right away. Of course, the fact that her dad had business connections everywhere didn't help me much. I just had to live with it. Alice Parker was always one better than me. And at lunchtime, she'd strut around the playground with her own cell phone and her fan club.

After school, Mum drove up in her little purple bug. A big puff of smoke squirted from the ancient exhaust pipe.

"Your purple chariot awaits you!" shouted Alice as she hopped into her dad's limo with some of her ever hopeful hangers-on. I watched it slide into the distance.

"Mum, Alice Parker makes me sick!" I said in disgust.

Mum looked at me. The thing that I love most about Mum is that she always gives it to me straight. I can always trust her.

"Jasmine, there will also be Alice Parkers in this world. They're not better than us. You know that."

Then we spluttered down the road like a toy car whose batteries were about to run out.