Terry TomschaCHAPTER ONE
Julie Wants a Holiday
It's a hot, sunny, lazy day in June and Julie Thomas is painting outside in the garden. She stops for a while to drink some lemonade and have a look at Teen Adventure, a magazine for teenagers.
The magazine has photos and stories about outdoor sports and there are some advertisements for summer camps and study holidays. Julie turns the pages and notices an advertisement for a place called Holly How.
The advertisement is colorful and exciting. There are pictures of some teenagers in boats and others are swimming in the lake. There are more photos of people climbing and pony-riding.
There are beautiful trees and flowers around the camp. There are forests on the hills near the lake.
All the people in the pictures are smiling. They're having a good time. Julie thinks, "That looks like a fun place."
She reads the advertisement. It says:
"Stay at Holly How near beautiful Coniston Water in the Lake District. Swim, boat, climb, and go pony-riding! Visit the beautiful towns and historic sites nearby.
The food is excellent and the rooms are cozy and comfortable with beautiful views..."
"Hmmm... this is a very nice place!" Julie thinks. "And it isn't very expensive. I can go with Diana. We can make some new friends and have a good time there."
Her brother Paul comes into the garden.
"Hey, Minnie Mouse! How are you?" he shouts and pulls his sister's ears.
"Don't call me Minnie Mouse. I hate that name!" says Julie.
Julie and Paul don't look like a sister and a brother. Julie has brown hair and green eyes. She is not very tall and she has braces on her teeth. She is sensitive and intelligent. She likes painting and is especially good at painting landscapes. She is very shy and she doesn't have many friends.
Her brother Paul has a lot of friends. He is tall, blond and athletic. His favourite sport is soccer, and he likes swimming and boating.
He is very popular. Everyone wants Paul in their team at school. Sometimes Julie feels a bit jealous of him. Everything is easy for Paul.
What are you reading?" asks Paul. He looks over Julie's shoulder. "I need a holiday after the exams and this magazine has some good ideas. There's a lovely youth hostel called Holly How. They have a lot of outdoor sports. I can paint landscapes, and I can make new friends," says Julie.