Diamond Girls Read online

  2. Dixie’s favourite toy budgie, Bluebell, was ‘made in China’ but where does Dixie like to pretend she came from?

  3. When the girls learn that they’ll have a garden at their new home, Dixie dreams of having lots of real birds, while Rochelle says she’d like lots of fluffy Persian cats. What would Jude’s dream pet be?

  4. Name the nine planets in our solar system!

  5. The other girls tease Dixie because of her father’s job. What does he do?

  6. When Sue pictures the future for her girls, what does she imagine Dixie will do?

  7. While their mum is in the hospital having the new baby, Dixie pretends she’s in a nature programme – but what jungle animal does she pretend to be?

  8. What’s the name of Rochelle’s new boyfriend?

  9. What sort of special kung fu does Bruce show Dixie and Jude?

  10. Dixie keeps her mum’s secret: that Sundance is really a girl. But what secret is Martine keeping?

  ANSWERS

  1. The Planet Estate 2. Australia 3. A Rottweiler 4. Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto 5. He is an embalmer at a funeral home 6. Be a famous writer 7. Ryan 8. Wing Chun 9. A gorilla 10. She is having a baby, too

  The Diamond Girls is narrated by Dixie, but what might the story have looked like through the eyes of another character, such as Rochelle, Bruce, or Mary? Pick your favourite scene from the book. Now imagine what that scene must have looked like to this other character, and the different feelings they might have had.

  About me: I’m Dixie, and I’m ten. I’m the youngest of the Diamond girls. Out of all my sisters, I think I like Jude best – she’s nice to me, sometimes. My absolute worst sister is Rochelle!

  I’m very small and skinny and pale, so people often think I’m younger than I am. I have mousy hair, but I wish it was pretty and blonde, like Rochelle’s, or long and dark and dramatic, like my mum’s.

  Favourite colour: Beautiful deep blue, like my budgie Bluebell.

  Favourite food: We eat fish and chips from the chippy quite a lot, but I like big creamy cakes, like the one Mary’s mum made. Only I didn’t enjoy eating that one very much.

  I’d like to be: Mum thinks I could be a famous writer, because I daydream all the time.

  About me: I’m twelve, but I’m nearly thirteen, and I look loads older anyway. I’ve got long blonde hair, and I’m definitely the most popular girl on the estate with all the guys – especially Ryan. If only I didn’t have my stupid sisters tagging around all the time – especially Jude, starting fights. She’s just jealous!

  Favourite food: I love McDonald’s McFlurries. And cream doughnuts. And Milky Ways. And Cornettos. And Mars bars. It’s a wonder my figure’s so great, really!

  Favourite colour: Pink, of course – pink and sparkly!

  I’d like to be: Well, my teacher says I could go to university if I really put my mind to it, but I reckon I could be a famous model, with my looks.

  About me: I’m fourteen, but small for my age – but I’m tougher than any of the boys on this whole estate! Especially now I’m learning Wing Chun kung fu. Anyone who messes with me or my little sister Dixie better watch out.

  Favourite food: Pizza. Or spaghetti bolognese – energy food, like the top footballers eat before a match!

  Favourite colour: Bright orange.

  I’d like to be: Something outdoorsy – I couldn’t stick working in an office. Maybe a PE teacher – or a kung fu coach! Or maybe a ski instructor? I’ve never been skiing, but I bet I’d be brilliant at it.

  About me: I’m sixteen and I do NOT want to live on the Planet Estate! My boyfriend Tony lived next door to our old flat and it was just perfect seeing him every day. As soon as Mum’s new baby comes I am out of here.

  Favourite food: I don’t want to even think about eating anything – not without my Tony. I could probably stomach a KitKat, but that’s all.

  Favourite colour: Deep sophisticated red.

  I’d like to be: Mum reckons I’d make a great businesswoman. All I know is I’ll never get anywhere living on the Planet Estate . . .

  One

  Treasure

  This is the start of my whole new life. I am never going home. I don’t ever want to see Mum again. Or Bethany or Kyle or grizzly little Gary. And I especially don’t ever, ever, ever want to see Terry.

  This notebook used to be the Official Terry Torture Manual. I invented a brand-new torture for him every day. It was a lot of fun. But then sneaky Bethany found the notebook under my pillow and showed it to him. He turned the pages very slowly, taking in all my carefully coloured diagrams of torture machines. I’d spent hours on the Terrible Tooth Tweaker and the Excruciating Ear Enlarger and the Beastly Big Bum-Basher.

  Terry looked at them. He nodded. He drew in his breath. Then he ripped the pages out and tore them up into tiny pieces. It was obvious he wanted to tear me into tiny pieces too.

  Mum tried to turn it into a joke and pretended it was just my warped sense of humour.

  ‘That kid of yours is warped all right,’ said Terry. He stood up and unbuckled the heavy leather belt round his jeans. ‘She needs teaching a lesson once and for all.’

  Mum tried to laugh him out of it, acting like he was just kidding. She said he didn’t really mean it. He was just trying to scare me. We were all scared. When he raised the belt Mum yelled at me to run for it. I didn’t run fast enough. He got me on the side of my head and broke my glasses and cut me all down my forehead.

  Mum cried. Bethany cried because it was all her fault. Kyle cried too though he likes to make out he’s so tough. Gary cried, but that’s nothing new. I didn’t cry. I stood there with blood trickling down into my eyes and I clenched my fists and stared straight at Terry. He looked a bit fuzzy without my specs but he’s got these really cold green eyes that you can’t miss. I focused on them. Staring him out. He was the one who broke first. He looked away, ducking his head like he was ashamed.

  He went straight out down the pub even though Nan and Loretta and her little Britney and Willie and Patsy were coming round for tea. It was all laid out on the livingroom table: ham sandwiches and sausage rolls and leftover chocolate log and mince pies and fruit cake, though Kyle and I had nicked most of the icing. Bethany’s off sweet stuff at the moment because she thinks she’s fat. Well she is. I annoy her no end because I eat heaps and stay thin as a pin. Mum says it’s my nervous energy.

  No wonder I get nervous living with Terry.

  But I don’t live with him any more, hurray, hurray, hurray! He did me a huge favour hitting me with his belt. Nan took one look at me and went white.

  ‘My God, Treasure, what have they done to you?’

  I just shrugged. I’m not a tell-tale like some people. Bethany and Kyle and Mum held their breath. Even little Gary stopped grizzling.

  My nan’s not daft.

  ‘Terry did it, didn’t he?’ she said.

  Her voice was very quiet in the hushed room. She looked round, her eyes flashing.

  ‘Where is he?’

  ‘He’s out, Mum. But it wasn’t really Terry’s fault. It was an accident.’

  ‘Accident my bottom,’ said Nan.

  Well, she said something ruder and more alliterative. We have learnt about alliteration at school. I am Top Girl. Which isn’t hard because heaps of our kids have got problems. Our school has got a bad name. But I won’t have to go to it any more. I shall go to a school near my nan’s. I am living with her now.

  I can’t believe it! Oh, I love my nan sooooo much. She got it all sorted. She made me stand under the light in the living room and gently pushed back my sticky fringe and peeled off the plasters Mum had stuck on. Nan swore again when she saw the size of the cut.

  ‘Go and get your coat, Treasure,’ she said quietly.

  ‘What are you on about, Mum?’ said my mum.

  ‘We’re off,’ said Nan. She nodded at the rest of the family. ‘Come on. We’ll have tea back at our place, once we’ve taken Trea