Beach Sports Car

by Darlene Oxenham

Overview

When Annie's dad promises her a beach sports car, she imagines a bright red hotrod with racing stripes. All her school friends will be so jealous! But when her gift turns out to be Dad's battered old bomb car instead, Anne realizes it will take a lot of effort to turn it into the automobile of her dreams. Highlighting the power of imagination in making things new again, this entertaining story also shows how hard work can sometimes make the final reward that much sweeter.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781925162806
Publisher:	Fremantle Press
Publication date:	02/26/2015
Series:	Waarda Series for Young Readers
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	48
File size:	2 MB
Age Range:	7 - 9 Years

About the Author

Darlene Oxenham is a Malgana woman from Shark Bay on the coast of Western Australia.

Read an Excerpt

Beach Sports Car

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By Darlene Oxenham

Fremantle Press

Copyright © 2010 Darlene Oxenham
All rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-925162-80-6

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CHAPTER 1

A Crazy Idea

I live with my family in a caravan park in Useless Loop — a crazy name for a crazy town. From our caravan we look straight down over the beach to the ocean. At night we can see the lights of Shark Bay twinkling across the water. I spend all my spare time on the beach — swimming, collecting shells and fishing — so when Dad said he wanted to get a beach sports car, I was crazy with excitement.

'Imagine it, Annie,' Dad said, 'our own sports car. And not just any sports car either, but one we can drive along the beach! What do you think?'

'I think it's great, Dad! But won't we get bogged?'

'I'll put big tyres on it to make it easier to drive over the sand.'

That sounded okay.

'But where are we going to get it from?'

Useless Loop was a long way from anywhere.

Dad grinned, 'It's already here!'

'What?' I squeaked. 'Where is it? Can I see it?'

'Calm down,' Dad laughed. 'We'll pick it up in a couple of days, okay?'

'Can Patches ride in it too?'

Dad eyed my little dog. He was only a pup and he still had accidents.

'As long as he promises not to pee on the seats.'

'Woof! Woof!' barked Patches.

He was as delighted as me!

CHAPTER 2

Waiting for Dad

I can't wait!

We're picking up our beach sports car when Dad gets home from work today. Will it be sleek and low? What colour will it be? Will it have speed stripes running along the sides? How many of my friends will fit in it, and how fast will it go?

'How much longer before Dad gets home, Mum?'

'That's the tenth time you've asked me, Annie. I'll never get these biscuits done! Why don't you go outside and play with Patches? Then you can keep watch for your father.'

'Good idea. Come on, boy!'

Patches whined and licked his lips. There was a lovely cooking smell in the caravan. I think he was hoping for a treat.

'Off you go Patches!' ordered Mum.

His tail drooped and he followed me outside.

'I'll get you a biscuit later,' I told him. Then I picked up his old tennis ball.

Playing a game would take his mind off Mum's biscuits and mine off our new car.

'Fetch,' I cried, and threw the ball as hard as I could.

Patches zoomed after it with a little wag in his tail.

BEEP BEEP

Dad!

I jumped up and down and waved my arms in the air. 'Dad! Dad! Over here!'

'Are you ready to go pick up our new car, Annie?' he bellowed, as he drove up the dirt track leading to our caravan.

'I've been ready forever!' I screamed.

CHAPTER 3

That's not a Sports Car!

Dad parked the car and asked, 'Is your mother coming?'

I shook my head. 'She's making biscuits.'

Mum appeared in the doorway of the caravan. 'Just make sure it's all there!' she warned. Dad had once bought a fan with no blades.

Patches skidded up with his slobbery ball in his mouth.

'The dog can come, but not the ball,' said Dad.

I pulled the slimy thing out of Patches' mouth and threw it in an empty fishing bucket.

We climbed into the car and took off in a swirl of dust.

'Where are we going, Dad?' There was no car yard in Useless Loop.

'Red's place.'

Red was one of Dad's mates. His real name was Andrew, but everyone called him Red because of his red hair and sunburnt skin.

'Is the sports car there?'

'Sure is!'

It couldn't be that bad then. Red loved tinkering with cars.

Dad grinned. 'And from what I've heard Annie, she's a real beauty!'

When we pulled into the drive of Red's place he sang out, 'Hello little lady.'

'Hello Red!' I yelled, jumping out of the car with Patches.

'Hello Patches,' Red said, giving him a pat.

'Woof! Woof!' barked Patches.

'He's telling you we're here to pick up the car,' I grinned.

'Just don't let him drive it,' Red joked. 'He looks too young to me.'

I couldn't wait any longer. 'Where is it, Red?' I asked.

'Right there,' said Red, pointing to a small car covered with an old bit of canvas.

'You've got a smart dad, Annie,' Red said, as he whipped the canvas off. 'I never would have thought of turning this old bomb into a sports car.'

I stared at the battered, old Volkswagen in horror.

'That's not a sports car!'

CHAPTER 4

A Surprise for Mum

We had to tow the car home.

I hoped none of my friends guessed the wreck we were dragging behind us was the sports car I'd been bragging about.

Dad sensed my disappointment. 'You have to use your imagination, Annie.'

'I can imagine it at the rubbish tip!'

'Come on Annie, you tell me what you'd like the car to look like and I'll make your dreams come true.'

Don't get sucked in, I told myself. But I did.

'It should be red and shiny with a white speed stripe running along the sides and no roof. Plus, it would really help if the engine worked.'

'Done,' said Dad. 'And you're going to help me!'

I hadn't counted on that.

We parked the car in a shed near our caravan and went in to see Mum. Mum wanted to have a look at it straight away, but Dad told her I wanted it to be a surprise.

He knew if Mum saw the old Volkswagen now, she'd make him tow it to the tip.

'Come on, Annie,' Dad said, after he had polished off a whole plate of biscuits. 'We've got a weekend of work ahead of us.'

Dad locked the shed doors behind us, so Mum couldn't peek in. The car really was a bomb. Before I could stop him, Patches cocked his back leg on the rear wheel and peed. He didn't think it was too good either!

'Maybe we should start with the engine, Dad.'

'Good idea, Annie. I'll make a mechanic of you yet.'

Dad crawled under the car and asked me to pass him a screwdriver.

When I gave him the smallest one he grumbled. 'Wrong size! Open the second set and pass me the biggest one.'

I did as he asked, then said, 'Does it even have an engine?'

He laughed. 'I don't think there's too much wrong with her. Why don't you crawl under here and have a look with me?'

Actually, that sounded kind of interesting. I'd never looked under a car before.

I joined Dad in the dirt and he spent the next few hours explaining what all the different parts were and how cars worked.

Then Mum banged loudly on the shed door. 'Dinner's ready!'

'Time to call it quits for the day,' Dad sighed. 'I tell you what Annie, she'll be worth a fortune when we've finished. I bet you'll have dreams about her tonight.'

More like nightmares! How I was going to explain to my friends that we didn't have a sports car after all?

CHAPTER 5

Making a Sports Car

All day Saturday we worked on the car. By tea time I was covered in dirt and grease and oil, but I was also super happy. When Dad put the key in the ignition, the engine actually revved smoothly.

'She's purring like a Rolls Royce,' Dad laughed.

'Woof! Woof!' barked Patches, jumping around in the back seat. Even he was starting to like it now.

'We'll have to be up early tomorrow,' Dad said. 'It'll take me hours to cut off the roof with a pair of scissors.'

I almost believed him, but then I realised he was just teasing.

'Dad!' I yelled, punching him. 'But how are you going to get the roof off?'

'Red's coming over, he's got the right equipment. He's going to help us spray paint it too.'

That was good. Red knew a lot more about doing up cars than Dad did.

When the sun rose, so did we. Red was already parked near the shed, waiting for us to let him in.

'I can't believe you fixed the engine,' he said to Dad. 'I thought it was blown for sure.'

Then Red whipped out his welding gear. He was going to use his mean looking cutting torch on the roof.

'I want to keep the windscreen,' said Dad, 'but the side windows and the back can go.'

That's good, I thought, then the wind won't blow bugs in our teeth as we drive along.

'Right!' said Red. 'The trick will be cutting all that away without cracking the glass in the front windscreen.'

There was a great whooshing and hissing sound as he turned the machine on. Sparks flew everywhere when he began cutting the metal. Patches ran outside, frightened.

'Er, I think I'll wait outside too.'

Before my eardrums burst!

CHAPTER 6

The Paint Job

Even outside the noise was deafening. Everyone in the caravan park would be up early this morning and it was all because of Dad and Red. The noise went on for ages, then there was a sudden SCREECH! BANG! SMASH!

I rushed into the shed with Patches to see what was happening.

Uh oh! The roof of the car was on the ground and the glass in the side windows was shattered into a thousand tiny pieces. But luckily the windscreen was okay. Dad and Red were grinning at the new open-top sports car.

'Come on Annie,' said Dad, 'you can help us tape things up. 'It's time for the paint job.'

Wow! Things were happening really fast now.

Red had brought some paint with him that he'd found at the local tip. It was a glossy bright red. He had a small tin of white paint too, so it looked like I'd get my racing stripes.

It took all day to paint the car and by the time we went inside for dinner, it was dark. Mum wanted to grab a torch and look at it straight away, but Dad wouldn't let her.

'It's Annie's surprise,' he said. 'Don't spoil it for her. She'll show it to you in the morning, won't you Annie?' I nodded.

The car was looking a lot better now, but the tyres were still wrong. They were skinny, one of them was flat and there was no spare.

Really, it was only half a sports car.

CHAPTER 7

A Test Drive

Early the next morning when I led Mum out to the shed, the doors were already open.

Patches poked his head out. 'Woof!' he barked, as if to say, 'What took you so long?'

Dad poked his head out too. 'About time, I thought you two were never going to get up.'

Mum smiled with delight when she saw the car. It was sleek and shiny and Dad had put four big fat new tyres on it. Now it really did look like a sports car!

'Time for a test drive!' he said.

We jumped in and Dad headed for the road that winds down to the beach.

'This is the real test, Annie,' he said, as he turned towards the sand dunes. 'Is it a beach sports car or not?'

I crossed my fingers and hoped we wouldn't get bogged — and we didn't! The car zipped through the dunes like a champion water skier.

'It works!' I cheered. 'It really works!

Then Dad drove down to the ocean and we flew along the harder stretch of sand near the water. It was brilliant!

'This looks like a good spot,' Dad said as he pulled up onto a flat stretch of rock overlooking the sea. Then he reached his arm over his side of the car and pulled up three fishing rods.

'I've got a little gadget just here,' he said proudly, 'for the rods to click into.'

I leaned over the side. He did too. It was a great way to carry rods.

'But that's not all,' he said, jumping out. He opened the boot and passed me the bait and bucket. Then he pulled out a beach umbrella, opened the front passenger door and leaned over Mum. I hadn't noticed before, but fixed into the floor, between the seats, was a metal tube. Dad stuck the umbrella in, then popped it open. 'We can fish from the car and be in the shade at the same time!'

Mum threw back her head and laughed.

So did I.

CHAPTER 8

The Beach Sports Car

After breakfast, Dad drove me to school and Patches came too.

He loved the way the wind blew in his face in our beach sports car. He opened his mouth and his cheeks filled with air. Then he ran from side to side in the back seat looking at everything we passed.

'Woof! Woof!' he barked, as we headed down the street towards Useless Loop Primary. 'Woof! Woof!'

'Oh stop showing off, Patches!' I laughed.

All my friends were hanging out the front of the school, like they normally do on a Monday morning.

'Hey, everyone,' my best friend Brian yelled out. 'Look at Annie!' Soon they were all calling out. 'Annie, Annie, where did you get the cool car from?'

'Wow, look at its tyres, I bet they'd go over anything!'

'And it's got racing stripes — how fast does it go Annie?'

When Dad parked the car, they all swarmed around us, asking if they could have a ride in it one day.

'Of course you can!' Dad said, 'but you'll have to take turns, it's only a small car after all.'

'But what kind of car is it?' Brian asked. He was looking at the fishing rods hanging off the side and the round metal tubing poking up between the front seats.

'It's a Beach Sports Car!' I said smugly.

The school bell rang and everyone raced inside except Brian, who couldn't stop looking the car.

As I climbed out Dad said, 'Hey Annie, it's a low tide tomorrow afternoon. How about you and Brian and me head down to the beach? We should be able to drive the car right out onto the ocean floor and get some really pretty shells.'

Brian looked like he couldn't believe his luck.

Dad tooted at us, then spun the sleek, shiny, speedy red car around and drove off.

'Your dad's so great!' Brian sighed, as we went inside.

'Do you reckon he could show my dad how to make a Beach Sports Car?'

(Continues...)

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Excerpted from Beach Sports Car by Darlene Oxenham. Copyright © 2010 Darlene Oxenham. Excerpted by permission of Fremantle Press.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

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