Lulu Bell and the Moon Dragon by Belinda Murrell

Chapter 1
The Moon Festival
    It was Wednesday lunchtime. Lulu and her best friend Molly were sitting on a bench under a huge old tree in the school playground. All around them, kids were yelling and laughing and playing.
    â€˜Molly,’ Lulu said, ‘do you want to come over this afternoon to do some drawing?’
    Molly looked excited, but then she frowned. She shook her head.

    â€˜Sorry, Lulu, I can’t,’ said Molly. ‘Sam and I promised Mum we’d help her get ready for the Vietnamese Moon Festival. It’s next Monday.’
    Sam was Molly’s younger brother.
    â€˜The Moon Festival?’ asked Lulu. ‘What’s that?’
    Molly opened her lunchbox and pulled out her container of noodle salad.
    â€˜When my mum was a little girl in Vietnam, the villagers would have a big Moon Festival every year. It was held to celebrate the end of the rice harvest,’ explained Molly. ‘It’s a time for parents to have fun with their children.’
    Molly stirred her noodles with her fork, mixing the vegetables through. Lulu took a big bite of her apple.
    â€˜It’s always held in the middle of autumn, at the time of the eighth fullmoon,’ said Molly. ‘For Vietnamese children, it’s the most exciting time of the year. It’s like Christmas and Easter and Halloween all rolled into one!’
    â€˜That sounds fantastic,’ said Lulu. ‘But where will it be?’ She took another bite of her apple.
    â€˜Mum thought we could have our own festival at home. We’ve never done it before,’ said Molly. ‘Usually children dress up as dragons, lions and fairy spirits. They parade through the streets, dancing and playing music. Afterwards they have a huge feast.’
    Lulu smiled and her brown eyes sparkled. ‘Wow,’ she said. ‘I’d love to see that.’
    â€˜Why don’t you come over to my place this afternoon? You can help us get ready,’ suggested Molly. ‘Mum wants tostart making the costumes. Then we’ll make masks and paper lanterns. There’s a lot to do.’
    Lulu nodded and flicked one of her honey-blonde plaits over her shoulder. ‘I’d love to,’ she said. ‘I’ll ask Mum after school.’

Chapter 2
The Excursion
    After lunch, the girls went back into class and sat at their desks. Their teacher Miss Baxter was wearing a wide straw hat. Lulu wondered why she had a hat on in class.
    â€˜Good afternoon, 3B,’ said the teacher.
    â€˜Good afternoon, Miss Baxter,’ chorused the students.
    â€˜Today we have a very special treat for you,’ said Miss Baxter. She smiled aroundat the class. ‘We have just had a call from one of the parents. She said there are two humpback whales swimming near Shelly Beach. So we are going on an excursion to visit them.’
    There was a buzz of excited chatter among the children. Shelly Beach School was just a block from the ocean. The students often went on excursions to explore the rock pools, play games on the beach or build sand sculptures. But this was the first time they had been out to visit whales in the wild.
    â€˜We are going to take one of the kindy classes with us,’ added Miss Baxter.
    â€˜I wonder if we will be going with Sam’s class,’ whispered Molly. Molly’s brother Sam was in kindy.
    Lulu shrugged.
    Miss Baxter put a big bottle ofsunscreen on her desk. ‘Now, let’s get ready, 3B,’ she said. ‘Everyone needs to put on their hats and some sunscreen.’
    The kids scrambled to slather on sunscreen. They collected their navy blue hats from their hooks in the corridor. Everyone was chattering loudly about the unexpected outing.
    They lined up in a shady spot in the playground. The kindy students came out with their teacher, Miss Stevens. Molly’s little brother Sam was standing on his own. He had spiky black hair that stood up on end, and thick glasses. He looked