Free The Magic Charm by Summer Waters Page A

you to the end of your road. I won’t go any further in case the noise of the car wakes your parents. Come along.”
    Stifling a yawn, Antonia followed Claudia outside. The sun shone brightly, promising another hot day. Claudia stopped the car at the top of Antonia’s road and Antonia whispered her goodbyes as she climbed out. She stood waving until Claudia’s car was out of sight, then turning round she began to walk towards her house. The birds were singing loudly and suddenly Antonia wanted to sing with them. She ran up her drive, but instead of going straight indoors she went through the side gate and into the back garden. She stood on the lawn looking out at the bay, her long blondehair lifting in the breeze. Suddenly four dolphins leapt into sight tumbling in and out of the water. The smallest turned a somersault then, leaping high, he stood on the sea’s surface and went full circle on his tail.
    “The twister!” exclaimed Antonia, delighted that Bubbles was putting on a show. Her hand closed protectively around her silver dolphin charm.
    Always answer the call
, said Spirit’s voice in her head.
    “I will,” Antonia solemnly vowed.
    She took one last look at her dolphins playing in the sea, then smiling to herself she crept indoors.

Copyright
    First published in paperback by HarperCollins
Children’s Books
in 2009
    HarperCollins
Children’s Books
is a division of HarperCollins
Publishers
Ltd, 77-85 Fulham Palace Road, Hammersmith, London W6 8JB.
    Visit our website at: www.harpercollins.co.uk
    Text copyright © Julie Sykes 2009
Cover illustrations copyright © Andrew Farley 2009
    The author and illustrator assert the moral right to be identified as the author and illustrator of the work.
    A CIP catalogue record for this title is available from the British Library.
    All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this ebook on screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
    EPub Edition © 2009 ISBN: 9780007340712

About the Publisher
    Australia
HarperCollins Publishers (Australia) Pty. Ltd.
25 Ryde Road (PO Box 321)
Pymble, NSW 2073, Australia
http://www.harpercollinsebooks.com.au
    Canada
HarperCollins Canada
2 Bloor Street East - 20th Floor
Toronto, ON, M4W 1A8, Canada
http://www.harpercollinsebooks.ca
    New Zealand
HarperCollinsPublishers (New Zealand) Limited
P.O. Box 1 Auckland,
New Zealand
http://www.harpercollinsebooks.co.nz
    United Kingdom
HarperCollins Publishers Ltd.
77-85 Fulham Palace Road
London, W6 8JB, UK
http://www.harpercollinsebooks.co.uk
    United States
HarperCollins Publishers Inc.
10 East 53rd Street
New York, NY 10022
http://www.harpercollinsebooks.com