Amelia Chamelia and the School Play, page 1
About the Book
Amelia has a secret power. A power that nobody else knows about. When she is furious or frightened, she can change colour.
Amelia loves books, especially fairytales. But when her teacher announces that her class will be performing Snow White in front of the whole school, Amelia begins to feel nervous – she doesn’t like being in the spotlight. Along with Amelia’s nerves comes a familiar tingly feeling – if she reveals her chameleon powers on stage it will be a disaster!
Meanwhile, Willow’s acting super strange. Could Amelia's brave and daring friend also have something to hide?
Contents
Cover
About the Book
Title Page
Dedication
1. A Big Announcement
2. A Nervous Feeling
3. Swimming Lessons
4. The First Rehearsal
5. A Funny Plan
6. The Secret Book
7. Amelia’s Big Leap
8. Dress Rehearsal
9. Scaredy-cat
10. Showtime
Imprint
Read more at Penguin Books Australia
For Camryn and Brianna
Amelia has a secret power.
A power that nobody else knows about.
When she is furious or frightened,
she can change colour.
She can blend into her surroundings.
And when she changes,
she cannot be seen.
She becomes invisible.
She is different.
She is special.
She is Amelia Chamelia.
It was a beautiful day at Ferntree Grove Primary. Amelia and her friends were sitting on the oval, eating their lunches.
‘YES!’ cheered Arlo, opening his lunch box. ‘Sausage sandwich!’
Amelia, Matthew, Harry, Willow and Helen all giggled.
‘I got my favourite too,’ said Amelia. She unwrapped her sushi roll and took a bite. Amelia looked around at her friends and smiled. They always had fun no matter what they were doing.
It had been a very eventful year for Amelia so far, and as the end of term was fast approaching she couldn’t help but think back on everything that had happened. Firstly, she had turned eight during the summer holidays, then there was the excitement of starting Year 3, and, the biggest change of all … her SECRET POWER!
Amelia had only shared her secret with her loyal puppy, Percy. She wanted to tell her best friend, Willow, too, but Amelia just couldn’t find the words. How could she explain her weird and wonderful power? Would Willow think she was crazy if she told her that sometimes when she was frustrated or angry she turned invisible? Amelia still didn’t really understand her power, or how to control it, but each time she changed colour and camouflaged into her surroundings, she learned more and more …
‘Earth to Amelia? Are you coming?’ asked Willow.
Amelia jumped as Willow’s voice brought her out of her daydream.
‘Come on or we’ll be late for drama,’ said Willow.
‘I’ll catch up to you.’ Amelia tidied away her lunch box and hurried after Willow. Although, she wasn’t in any rush to get to drama – it was her least favourite subject.
As she made her way across the playground she could see her friends up ahead chatting about what they would be doing in today’s lesson.
‘I hope Mrs Martin lets us play the topic game!’ exclaimed Willow.
‘Ooooh, me too,’ said Harry.
Amelia’s friends all loved drama. Amelia, however, HATED it – and she especially hated the topic game.
The game involved calling someone up to the front of the class and they had to pick a card out of a box. Each card had a topic on it and the chosen person had one minute to talk about whatever was written on the card. Willow was brilliant at the game. She was always so confident and could talk about anything at any time! But Amelia didn’t like this game at all. She felt awkward and embarrassed with everyone staring at her as she fumbled over her words.
They all filed into the classroom where their drama teacher, Mrs Martin, was sitting on the small stage.
‘Afternoon, 3W. Come take a seat on the floor in front of the stage. Before we get started I have something very exciting to share with you.’
Amelia and Willow exchanged curious glances.
‘As you know the end of term isn’t far away. So, before you all head off on your holidays, I wanted to do something special for our remaining classes.’ Mrs Martin paused as she smiled at the intrigued faces staring up at her. ‘Seeing as you’re a very talented bunch, I thought it would be fun to do an end of term play for the whole school and your families.’
A play? In front of the whole school! Amelia didn’t think this sounded fun at all.
‘I spoke to your teacher, Mrs Ward, and she told me how much you’ve been enjoying reading fairytales with her,’ continued Mrs Martin. ‘With this in mind, I suggested we do a performance of one of your favourite tales! The play we have chosen is: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.’
The classroom filled with excited chatter.
‘Okay, settle down,’ laughed Mrs Martin. ‘Mrs Ward and I talked about who we think could play each part. I’ve put a list together, which I’ll pinto the noticeboard. Have a look at what part you have and then come and grab a script from me.’ She pointed to a large pile of papers stacked next to her on the stage. ‘We’ve got four weeks until the end of term so we better get practising!’
Mrs Martin pinned the list to the noticeboard and everyone jumped up to see what part they had been given. Amelia got up slowly. On the plus side, at least they weren’t playing the topic game, but now she was nervous for an even bigger reason. She crossed her fingers hoping that she was NOT going to be Snow White.
‘YES!’ yelled Willow. ‘I’m Snow White!’
Amelia hugged her best friend and let out a sigh of relief.
Phew, at least I’m not the main part.
‘I’m the magic mirror!’ exclaimed Harry. ‘You are NOT the fairest one of all.’
‘I’m the huntsman,’ boomed Arlo. ‘Watch out, Snow White – I’ll catch you!’
‘Yes! I’m the prince,’ yelled Matthew. ‘Wait a second … does that mean I’ve got to kiss Willow?!’
Mrs Martin laughed and said he didn’t have to kiss Willow in the play, much to Matthew’s relief.
Helen was thrilled to be playing the wicked queen. She let out an impressive evil cackle.
Amelia began to relax. With all the main parts taken, surely she could just be a forest animal in the background. She walked up to the noticeboard and scanned down the list.
Amelia Chamelia – Narrator
Narrator? Wasn’t that the storyteller? The person who has to speak for the entire play?! Amelia felt a lump in her throat. As the rest of the class rushed to grab a script and start practising their lines, Amelia slowly approached Mrs Martin.
‘Mrs Martin?’
‘Yes, Amelia?’
‘I think there’s been a mistake. You’ve made me the narrator.’
Mrs Martin smiled. ‘Yes, Mrs Ward and I agreed you’re the best reader in the class. You’ll be an excellent narrator.’
‘B-b-but not in front of the whole school,’ stammered Amelia.
‘I believe you can do it. Here.’ Mrs Martin handed Amelia her special narrator’s script. ‘Remember, as the narrator you can have your script on stage. You can rest it on the lectern and read from it throughout the play!’
Amelia frowned as she took the script with a shaky hand. She might not have to learn all the lines by heart, but she was going to have to stand up on stage for the entire play and read the story to the whole school. There was no way she could do it.
This was her WORST NIGHTMARE!
At dinner that evening, Amelia told her mum and dad the big news about the school play.
‘Narrator? That’s WONDERFUL!’ cried Mum.
‘I’m so proud of you, kiddo,’ said Dad.
‘What’s a navator?’ asked Oliver.
‘It’s narrator,’ giggled Mum, ‘and the narrator is the storyteller. If you ask me, it’s the most important person in the play.’
Amelia suddenly felt very nervous. She prodded at her uneaten dinner with her fork. Her tummy began to feel all topsy-turvy.
‘Don’t get too excited,’ mumbled Amelia. ‘I haven’t even decided if I’m going to do it yet.’
‘What are you talking about?’ said Dad as he spooned food into Clare’s mouth. ‘You’d be the perfect narrator, and Snow White is your favourite fairytale.’
‘Plus, you’re one of the best readers in your class.’ added Mum.
Amelia knew she was one of the better readers at school. She loved stories and escaping to new worlds and meeting all sorts of creatures in her books. That’s why she’d had a storybook party for her eighth birthday.
‘But I’m not very good at reading out loud in front of lots of people,’ mumbled Amelia.
‘Oh sweetie, I was the same when I was little,’ said Mum. ‘But you need to learn to get past that fear so you can do amazing things. Like being the narrator in the school play!’
‘Who’s Snow White?’ asked Oliver.
‘Willow!’ Amelia smiled. ‘She will make a brilliant Snow White. She’s not afraid of being on stage with lots of people watching her. I wish I could be more like Willow.’
‘Now you listen to me, kiddo, we all hav
e different talents and fears,’ said Dad.
‘Willow doesn’t,’ protested Amelia. ‘She’s not afraid of anything!’
‘Everyone’s afraid of something,’ said Mum.
Amelia frowned.
That night Amelia lay in bed, wide awake. She couldn’t stop thinking about the school play.
‘It’s no good, Percy. I can’t sleep.’ Amelia turned on her bedside lamp. She looked at Percy who was curled up in his basket. Blinking in the bright light, he yawned, stretched and then jumped up onto Amelia’s bed. He found a cosy spot next to her and snuggled down. He wasn’t really allowed on the bed, but Amelia couldn’t resist his chocolate brown eyes and soft floppy ears.
‘Mum says everyone is afraid of something, but Willow isn’t scared of anything!’ said Amelia as she stroked Percy’s velvety ears. ‘Mrs Martin thinks I’m the best person for the narrator role. What do you think?’
Percy raised his head and smiled.
‘You think I am?’ Amelia tickled his tummy. ‘But I’m so nervous.’
Amelia suddenly had a thought and her heart sank. She grabbed her secret diary and flicked through the pages.
‘Look here, Percy,’ she whispered. ‘Each time I’ve … changed … it’s happened when I’m having strong feelings. See …’ Amelia pointed to the first page of writing in her diary. ‘I was so angry the first time I changed colour. I was a bit scared too, I think. And the second time I was just plain angry.’
Percy’s eyes widened in alarm.
‘What if I get so nervous on stage, I change colour in front of the whole school? We can’t let that happen,’ said Amelia firmly. ‘I have to practise and practise to make sure my feelings don’t get the better of me.’
Amelia opened her script to the first page.
‘Once upon a time …’
Amelia glided through the water with ease – she felt so free as she moved fast and smooth through the silky water. Amelia hit the wall and stood up in the shallow end.
‘Beautiful swimming, Amelia! I think you’ll be in the running for the Gold Certificate at the end of Swim School,’ said Mr Wright, her swimming coach.
Willow joined Amelia after she finished her length and gave her a high-five. They were both in Group 1 for Swim School this term. Group 1 were the strongest swimmers and got to do laps and diving and lots of different strokes. The class had been separated into groups because not everyone had the same swimming abilities. The stronger swimmers in Group 1 were working towards their Gold Certificate and the weaker swimmers in Groups 2 and 3 were aiming for the Silver or Bronze Certificate.
‘Okay, Group 1, come over here,’ called Mr Wright. ‘Now, I know a lot of you are aiming for the Gold Certificate at the end of Swim School. Most of you have nearly done everything you need on the checklist to get your Gold. You’re very capable of swimming all four strokes, but there are a few more things you must complete over the next three weeks. You will need to swim underwater for ten metres, perform a safe dive off the side of the pool, and finally, you need to do a jump off the high diving board over there.’ Mr Wright pointed to the blue diving board at the end of the pool.
‘Why do we need to do that? That’s not swimming,’ complained Willow.
‘It’s part of the Gold checklist, Willow. I’m sure you’ll be fine – you’re a gymnast – you’re used to being up high,’ said Mr Wright.
Willow’s cheeks reddened. She shook her head then quickly gave her sweetest smile. ‘Of course I can do it. We all know I can, so why can’t you just tick it off the list?’
‘If you want a Gold Certificate you need to complete your jump, and everything else on the checklist, by the end of term,’ said Mr Wright.
‘Can I do my jump now?’ yelled Arlo.
‘Aren’t you a keen bean!’ chuckled Mr Wright. ‘We’ve got five more minutes, so sure. Off you go, Arlo.’
‘I might do mine next week,’ whispered Willow to Amelia.
‘Okay, I’ll do it with you then.’ Amelia was excited about the jump. Last summer her family went on holiday and there was a big rock that everyone jumped off into a deep pool. Amelia jumped hundreds of times and loved it.
Arlo climbed the stairs to the diving board. The whole class stopped and stared up at him, he was very high. He waved. Then, with a big ‘GERONIMO!’ he leaped off the board and landed in the water with a HUMUNGOUS SPLASH!
Mr Wright clapped. ‘Well done, Arlo! Big tick for you!’
‘Go, Arlo!’ cheered Amelia.
The class headed back to the change rooms to dry off and get ready for afternoon lessons.
‘I can’t wait to get a Gold Certificate,’ squealed Amelia.
‘I’m still learning all the strokes, so I’m going for Silver,’ said Helen. She was in Group 3.
Amelia noticed Willow was very quiet.
‘You’re going for Gold, right, Willow?’ said Amelia.
Willow didn’t answer. Amelia was sure she had heard her, but Willow just stared down at her clothes bag. She had been unusually quiet since they got out of the pool.
‘Are you okay, Willow?’ asked Helen.
‘I’m fine,’ snapped Willow. ‘And yes, of course I’m going to get Gold. I just don’t see why we have to do the silly jump.’
Amelia and Helen glanced at each other with surprise. Willow was acting funny.
‘So, are you excited for our first proper run-through of Snow White this afternoon?’ asked Helen, changing the subject. ‘I spent all weekend perfecting my wicked queen laugh!’
Willow’s face brightened.
‘Do you know all your lines yet, Willow?’ asked Helen.
‘Pretty much,’ said Willow. She seemed much happier than a moment ago.
Amelia suddenly felt like there was a heavy stone in the bottom of her tummy.
‘How about you, Amelia?’ asked Helen.
‘Well, I can take my script on stage, and I’ve been practising every night, but I’m still so nervous about it. Every time I say my lines my voice goes all wobbly.’
‘You’ll be fine!’ said Helen. ‘Just be brave, like Arlo on the diving board.’
Amelia nodded. If only being up on stage was as easy as jumping off a diving board. Anybody could do that!
‘Once upon a … I mean … Once a time … I mean …’ Amelia stuttered the words as she whispered them to herself. It was no use. She couldn’t even say the first sentence!
‘Places, everyone,’ called Mrs Martin. ‘Amelia, do you want to come up and get us started?’
Amelia’s face went red. Her heart pounded as she walked up to the stage and placed her script on the lectern. She cleared her throat and began to read.
‘Once upon a time …’
‘You’ll have to speak up, Amelia,’ said Mrs Martin. ‘Nobody in the audience will hear you with that tiny voice.’
‘Oh, okay,’ said Amelia. ‘Once upon a time in a faraway kingdom, there lived a beautiful princess called Snow White.’
Willow skipped onto the stage. ‘I am Snow White! And I love collecting berries in the forest with my animal friends.’
‘Excellent voice projection!’ said Mrs Martin. ‘Hear how Willow projects her voice? That’s what you all need to do when you say your lines.’
Amelia sighed and stared down at the pages in front of her. This is hopeless. I’m never going to be as confident as Willow.
Everyone waited in silence.
‘Amelia, it’s your line,’ prompted Mrs Martin.
‘Oh, s-sorry!’ stammered Amelia. As she tried to find her place on the page she could hear her classmates whispering to each other in the audience. Her hands started to shake as she felt more and more nervous.
How am I going to do this in front of a hall full of people? I can’t even do it in front of my class!
Her heart beat fast in her chest. She tried to swallow but her mouth felt dry. She scanned the page with her fingers, trying to find where she was up to.
But then … A chill pulsed through her body – she was freezing!
