It’s Vera’s birthday and her friends want to buy her a good present but they don’t have a lot of money. Is it possible to buy a present that only costs 70p? Can you make a present that shows that you really like someone? Why do the children visit a language school? Why is a rock band so important? David has some money. Will he buy the best present for Vera? Read Perfect Present and find out!
An excerpt from Perfect Present
After school the following day, Charlie and Gillian went to the shopping centre in Notting Hill. Susan and Karim jumped on a bus and went to Bayswater to look in the shops there. David didn’t feel well so he stayed at home and watched TV.
“What do you think of this?” Gillian held up a tee shirt with ‘Kiss Me Slowly’ on it.
“I like the idea,” said Charlie. “But don’t forget, Vera doesn’t like tee shirts with slogans on them.”
“That’s a pity. It was only two pounds ninety nine. I think Vera should have some more exciting clothes. Her clothes are very conservative.”
“What about a swimming costume?” suggested Charlie.
“A bikini or a one piece?”
“A bikini, of course! There are some over there.”
The bikinis were in every possible colour and almost every size. “What about this one?” asked Charlie, holding up a bright yellow bikini top.
“It suits you, Charlie!” laughed Gillian.
“Ha ha, Gillian. But what about Vera? Do you think she’d like it?”
“Maybe,” said Gillian, taking the bikini from Charlie. “What?!”
“What’s wrong?” asked Charlie.
“Look at that! Twenty four pounds for a bikini!”
“That’s a lot of money for such a tiny piece of material,” said Charlie. “Somebody is making a lot of money.”
“Well they won’t get my money,” said Gillian, and threw the bikini back onto the pile.
“So how much money have we got?” asked Charlie.
“I’ve got about four pounds,” said Gillian. “What about you?”
Charlie knew exactly how much he had in his pocket – 47p. “Er, not a lot,” said Charlie. “But I hope to get some pocket money tomorrow.”
Do you want to know what happens at Vera’s birthday party?
Perfect Present is available from: Amazon