Cliffhanger
Author: Jacqueline Wilson
Publisher: Random House, $14.95
Age group: 7-9 years
Kelly had gone charging through the doors and down the hall of the Adventure Centre.
'Where's all the other children then?' she shouted.
'When are we going to start the adventures, eh? Can I go canoeing first? No, wait a minute, what's that thing called when you dangle down a cliff?'
'Abseiling,' said Sally.
I muttered the words 'dangle' and 'cliff' and felt sick. 'I'm going to love abseiling,' said Kelly, and she threw down her bag and started miming it, rushing backwards.
She rushed backwards into me, nearly knocking me over. 'Simmer down, Kelly,' said Sally.
'I'm not very good at simmering,' said Kelly, laughing. 'I generally bubble over.'
'So I see!' said Sally, shaking her head. 'OK, you'd both better get unpacked. Your bedrooms are up the stairs at the end. Girls on the right, boys on the left. You'll see a tiger poster on the doors.'
Kelly and I went up the stairs together. I didn't know what to say to her. I felt silly and shy. She pulled another funny face.
'What did Sally say? Girls to the left? So you go thataway,' said Kelly, giving me a little push to the door on the right.
I was sure she'd got it wrong but Kelly isn't the sort of girl you argue with. So I knocked on the right-hand door and then peeped round.
Two girls stared at me, outraged. They were trying on each other's clothes.
'No boys allowed in here!' said the pretty one, tossing her long hair. 'Clear off.'
