Strawberry Sisters (25 page)

MOSTLY ‘A’S

You’re a friend like Ella! You’re sweet by nature and manners are very important to you. And because you’re always peppy
and kind, your friends always feel special and you’re the first person they come to when they need advice. Though you always put others first and hate to argue, sometimes you need to be more
assertive and tell people how you feel. It’ll make you even happier in the long run and your true friends will respect you for it.

MOSTLY ‘B’S

You’re a friend like Chloe! You’re a whirlwind of energy and happiest when you and your friends are something active together.
Although you’re quite boisterous you find it hard to talk to your friends when you’re upset and find it easier to complain to your family rather than face friendship problems head on.
You need to realise that relationships are about balance: good and bad. A real friend will want to help you when you feel sad and fix things, so be honest. Your friendships will be even stronger
because of it.

MOSTLY ‘C’S

You’re a friend like Lucy! You feel very comfortable in telling people what to do so you’re a natural leader in your group of
friends, although you can act like your needs are more important than anyone else’s around you. At times this can be too much and people don’t always respond in the way you want them
to. Sometimes you have to pull back and let others enjoy attention and remember that you’re not the most important person in the group. The more you help, support and share with your friends
the more they’ll appreciate all your good qualities.

MOSTLY ‘D’S

You’re a friend like Amelia! You’d be lost without your best friend because you do everything together and you pride yourself in
being the very best BFF. Sometimes you get a little wrapped up in your own problems and you need to check that others are okay too. You also tend to shut others out in favour of your bestie, so try
to remember that while it’s great having a BFF, it’s okay to have other friends too. Your loyalty is clear though and it’s one of your best qualities; if only everyone could be
lucky enough to have a BFF like you.

BANANA BREAD RECIPE BY CHLOE

Remember when I pummelled a load of bananas because I was mad that I didn’t get on to the rugby squad? Suvi doesn’t like food to
get wasted so we made something delicious with my banana victims.

Here’s the recipe for you to try. Make sure you’ve got a grown up around to help (and to tell you where they’ve hidden the
sugar).

INGREDIENTS

200g PLAIN FLOUR

200g CASTER SUGAR

50g SOFTENED BUTTER

1 TEASPOON VANILLA EXTRACT

1 TEASPOON BICARBONATE OF SODA

1/2 TEASPOON BAKING POWDER

1 EGG

3 VERY RIPE BANANAS

METHOD

Get your adult to preheat oven to 180 C / Gas 4. Then grease and flour a 13x23cm loaf tin. That means ripping off a little bit of the butter
wrapper and using it to rub a blob of butter around the tin. When you’ve finished you can stick the bit of paper in your sister’s hair (but she will scream like an angry
warthog).

Mash the bananas up (you don’t have to pretend that it’s anyone’s face that you’re squashing, but sometimes it makes
you feel better if you do) and then add the measured out flour, sugar, butter, vanilla, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and egg.

Give everything a really good mix.

Pour into loaf tin. When you slop the mixture out, it’s all lumpy and banana-y and it reminded me of monkey sick, but don’t
worry, it looks much better when it’s cooked.

Bake at 180 C / Gas 4 for 50 to 60 minutes or until skewer inserted into centre of loaf comes out clean.

Eat loads! I told Suvi that eating fruit is important to your health and that I needed at least three slices.

Just like Ella, Candy Harper grew up in a rather small house with a rather large family. As the fourth of five sisters it was often hard to get a word in edgeways, so she
started writing down her best ideas. It’s probably not a coincidence that her first ‘book’ featured an orphan living in a deserted castle.

Growing up, she attended six different schools, but that honestly had very little to do with an early interest in explosives.

Candy has been a bookseller, a teacher and the person who puts those little stickers on apples. She is married and has a daughter named after Philip Pullman’s Lyra.

You can follow her on Twitter @CandyHarper_