The Magic Charm by Summer Waters

Chapter One
    W hat are Lauren and Becky doing?”
    Antonia Lee and her best friend Sophie Hastings were walking across the school field of Sandy Bay Primary after a game of rounders when Antonia suddenly changed direction.
    “Oh, that’s mean! They’re teasing a frog.” Antonia broke into a run shouting, “Leave it alone. That’s cruel.”
    Lauren laughed and continued poking the frog with her rounders bat, cheering each time the frog jumped forward.
    Angrily Antonia squatted down and scooped the frog into her hands.
    “That’s Lauren’s frog,” said Becky, stepping towards her. “She’s teaching it to jump.”
    “You’re cruel,” said Antonia hotly. “How would you like to be poked with a rounders bat?”
    “Eeewww, that’s gross! She’s touching it.” Lauren backed away. “Come on, Becky. Game over.”
    Antonia cradled the frog in her hands. Its lumpy brown body quivered with fright and its eyes bulged with uncertainty.
    “I’m going to put him in the school pond,” she told Sophie. “Will you come with me?”
    Sophie sighed. “You like all animals, don’t you, even the ugly ones?”
    “Not all animals,” Antonia grinned cheekily. “People are animals too, but I don’t like Lauren and Becky.”
    “Becky’s all right when you get to know her,” said Sophie unexpectedly. “She comes to one of Dad’s art classes.”
    Sophie’s father was an artist who ran classes from his studio. When she wasn’t busy daydreaming Sophie helped him out, setting up easels and handing round paintbrushes.
    “Please will you come to the pond with me?” Antonia changed the subject, not wanting to argue.
    “Of course I’ll come.”
    “We’ll have to be quick. We’ve got afternoon assembly next because a visitor’s coming in to tell us who won the poster competition.”
    Carefully Antonia carried the frog to the pond and left it on the water’s edge in the shade of somereeds. When she and Sophie returned to class, 5B were changing out of their PE kits and back into school uniform. Miss Brown frowned.
    “Where have you two been? Don’t tell me, you stopped to have a chat. Hurry up, girls, or you’ll make us all late.”
    Antonia changed quickly, trying not to be the last to line up at the door. When everyone was ready Miss Brown led the class along to the hall. As Antonia filed in, she stared curiously at the woman sitting next to their head teacher. The visitor had a faraway look on her face as if she was thinking about something special.
    “She looks like a sea witch,” whispered Sophie dramatically. “Oh, poo! There’s no room to sit together.”
    The visitor had wild brown hair and seaweed-green clothes, but Antonia thought herface was too kind to belong to a witch. She stifled a giggle as Sophie, pulling faces, reluctantly started a new line. When the whole school was assembled the woman stood up, smiling broadly so that her green eyes disappeared into her wrinkled face.
    “Good afternoon, children. My name is Claudia Neal and I’m responsible for arranging the poster competition you’ve all entered. The competition was held to launch Sea Watch. It’s a local charity involved in marine conservation and animal rescue, and I’m hoping that some of you might volunteer to help with it. There are many things to do at Sea Watch and lots of injured birds and animals to look after. I’d be thrilled if some of you could come along. But right now I’m going to tell you the winners of the competition.”
    An excited buzz filled the hall. Antonia grinned across at Sophie, sitting a whole line away fromher. She was sure Sophie had won. She was a fantastic artist and had painted an amazing picture of dolphins leaping in the bay. Antonia had drawn dolphins too, but her picture didn’t look anywhere near as good as Sophie’s. Especially after she’d covered it with facts about pollution and how harmful it was to sea life.
    “The standard of entries was very high and there are two runners-up: Joe