Grace and the Double Life

Martyn Hobbs
Grace' s mum wants her daughter to study hard for her piano exam.
But wrace wants to spend all ~ r fTee time practising with her band - The Garage Gi rl s.
How long can she keep her secret from her mum? Ancl what will her mum do if she finds out?
Have fun with The Westbourne Kids! GRAPHIC
STORIES
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Grace and the Double Life Martyn Hobbs
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li11o1 1 stori es easy t o read in one sitting.
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.Q_,
Grace
the Double Life
HELBLING LANGUAGES
www. l1elblinglanguages.com
Grace and the Double Li fe
l)y Martyn Hobbs
Ill> 11 LBLING LANGUAGES 2009
All rl gl1ts re erved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, 7r
ttansrnl tt d, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical , photocopying, recording, or otherwise,
without t11e prior written permission of the publishers.
First pcrbl i heel 2009
ISBN 978385272 1200
Series editor Mari a Cleary
Activities by El spet11 Rawstron
Il lustrated by Lorenzo Sabbatini
Design and layout by Pixart e
Printed by Athesi a
------------
About this Book
For the Student
0 Listen t o all of the story an d do some activities on your Audio CD
p," Tal k about the story
cool When you see the blue dot you can check the word in the glossary
on pages 62-64.
For the Teacher
Go to our Readers Resource site for information on using readers and downloadable
Resource Sheets, photocopi able Worksheets, Answer Keys and Tapescr ipts.
Plus the full version of the story on MP3.
www.helblingreaders.com
For lots of great ideas on using Graded Readers consult Reading Mat t ers, the
Teacher's Gui de t o using Helbli ng Readers.
Level 3 Structures
Present conti nuous for f uture
Present perfect
Present perfect versus past simple
Should I shouldn't (advice and obligation)
Must I should
Need to I ~ e to
Will
Ever I never
Would like
So do I /_neithe; do I
Question tags
Sl i cr ctures from lower levels are also included
Cardinal / ordinal numbers
One I ones
Reflexive pronouns
Indefinite pronouns
Too plus adj ective
Nat plus adj ective plus enough
Relative pronouns who, which and that
Prepositions of t ime, place and movement
Contents
Before Readi ng 6
Grace and the Double Li fe 11
After Readi ng 54
Glossary 62
Hi, G-race.
Itt this story
I keep a secret
What is it?
" .... through the book
attd guess.
5
Before Readin
1 Look at the p
Before Reading
[)D 1 Look at t he picture on pages 6 and 7 and answer the question.
What kind of music do you think they play? Ti ck ( v') and say why.
a) 0 Heavy Metal
c) 0 Folk
e) 0 Rap
b) D Classical
d) D Punk Rock
f) D Blues
2 Label the picture with t he words below.
a) drum stick
d) speaker
g) record producer
b) drummer
e) microphone
h) amplifi er
c) guitarist
f) gig
~ 3 Find Holly, Zadie and Grace in the picture. Listen and write their
names.
@ ............................... @ ............... ................ .............................. .
4 Look at the pictures beside each girl. Answer the questions.
a) What does Zadie thi nk the band will do?
b) What does Grace think t he band wi ll do?
c) What does Holly think the band wi ll do?
8
-------- ---------
Before Reading
5 Do you know t he names of these musical inst ruments in your
language? Sort them into t he correct section.
a) Banjo
d) Piano
g) Triangle
b) Clar inet
e) Saxophone
h) Trumpet
c) Harp
f) Tambourine
i) Viol in
-- ---- ---- ------ -------- --- ----- - ---- - - - - - -- - - ------- - - -- -- - - - - -- - - -------- -- - -- -
[

~ 6 In groups, rnake up a band. Talk about your band.

' How many members wi l l t he band have?
What wi ll you cal l the band?
What kind of music wi ll the band play?
H o t ~ wi l l the band dress?
What instruments will the members of t he band play?
Where wi ll the band rehearse?
7 Design a CD cover for your new band. Then show the class.
9
~ T h e garage was silent and dark.
Nothing moved.
There were large dark.shapes against the wall. There were boxes
on the concrete floor. And in the middle of the garage, there was a
wei rd round object.
VVhat was it? A huge ba l l? A small trampol ine ? An ancient
shjeld ?
Then from outside, there were footsteps .
A family of spiders, understanding what was going to happen next,
hurried into a hole.
Somebody laughed.
The metal door banged open and for a moment daylight poured in .
Then the door banged shut again. There was a second of darkness
unti l a hand pressed a switch and a long fluorescent li ght f li ckered
into life.
l1
The arti ficiallightshowed all the usual things that get left in a garage.
There was a wardrobe with a broken door, boxes of magazines and
old school books, two tennis racquets with no strings, and a bicycle
with only one wheel. There were old posters stuck on the walls of '70s
and '80s bands like Kiss, The Sex Pist ols and The Pret enders.
But there were also electric guitars, microphones, amplifiers and
loud speakers.
And in t he middle of the floor, there was a drum kit .
Three girls moved into position.
Two of them picked up guitars, the third turned on the amplifiers
Lhcn sat down at the drums. She held the drumsticks thoughtfully
in her hands.
They looked at each other.
Grace and the Double Life
'Are you ready?' the drummer asked.
'Oh no, wait a minut e; said one of t he guitarists.
She took a DVCAM out of her bag and put it on a cardboard box
in f ront of them. She looked through t he viewfinder, then turned
it on.
'OK; she said, and picked up her bass guitar.
The drummer leaned towards her microphone and said:
'One,
Two,
One,
Two!'
And there was an explosion of sound.
KRAAAAAANNNNNNGGGGG!!!!
An hour and a
ha If later, one of
the girls cycled quickly
up the drive of her
family's huge detached
house, jumped off her bike, and
ran towards t he front door. In her
bag she was carrying her DVCAM,
T-shirt and jeans.
The door opened before she cou ld find
her keys.
'Grace, you're late again; her mum said.
Her mum could look nice and friendly. She didn't look
that way today.
'Only a bit ; Grace replied.
'You're fifteen minutes late. That isn't only a bit; her mum
corrected her. She often corrected Grace.
'I know, I'm sorry, but...'
'But what? Your piano teacher is waiting for you in the li ving
room:
'Well, if we stop talking, I can go and have my lesson; Grace said.
She ran into t he house.
'Grace!' her mum cal led out.
'What ?'
' I want to talk to you as soon as your lesson's over:
'OK, OK, keep your hair on ; Grace said quietly to herself.
Grace and the Double Life
'Sorry I'm late; said Grace to her piano teacher.
'That's all right; said Stephen. He was tall and good-looking wilh
long brown hair. He tried to look serious but he wasn't very good al
it. Not like her mum!
So Grace sat down at the piano, looked at the music, and started
playing.
She could play all the classical composers- Bach, Beethoven, Bartok,
Brahms. She found it easy. Unfortunately, this wasn't the music she
wanted to play. Maybe in the past. Maybe in the future. But not
NOW.
At t he end of the lesson, Stephen said, 'Well, I don't think
you've practised enough .. .'
Grace nodded. It was true.
'But; he continued, 'I think you're ready for your
exam:
'Cool ; Grace said.
So now it was t ime for Grace to see her mum.
Harriet, Grace's mum, worked from home. She was a freelance
editor . That meant she worked on dictionaries and grammar books
and things like that. She had a great eye for detail . She cou ld f ind
spelling mistakes and missing commas and she even knew how to
use semi-colons . So when she looked at Grace, and studied her
closely, Grace felt very uncomfortable.
Her mum could find anything that wasn't right in a book.
She could also see anything that wasn't right in Grace's face.
Harriet was like a police detective.
And Grace f elt like a gui lty cr iminal.
'Good news, Mum; Grace told her. 'Stephen sa id I can take my piano
exam! '
'That's because you're a very good musician; her mum said.
'But I want to talk to you about why you were late:
'I was only at school. I was working on my project:
'Again?'
'We've got lots to do .. :
'And who are you doing it with?'
'Zadie and Holly; sa id Grace. That was ~ r u e i1? a way!
'Are you sure you aren't seeing a boy?' her mum asked.
'Of course I'm not !'
'You have to concent rate on your music and ball et and exams. This
project is taking up t oo much t ime. I'm going to have to speak to
your teacher:
'No, no, don't do that; sa id Grace qui ckly. 'It'll be all right. Really:
And Grace gave a nervous smi le.
16
Grace was leading a double life.
It all st arted three months earlier.
Zadi e was trying to put together an all-girl band. She chose Holly
to be her lead guitarist. Zadie was the drummer. But they needed a
bass guitarist and a singer.
So they auditioned some of the girls from school. Unfortunately,
there were two problems. The girls couldn't play and they couldn't
sing.
Then one lunchtime Holly said, 'What about Grace?'
Zadie shook her head.
'Grace only plays all that classical stuff :
'But she listens to rock and punk. Why don't we ask her?' suggested Holly.
So they did.
Grace and the Double Life
And Grace was a revelation !
She not only played bass guitar, she sang as well!
'Hey, Grace; said Zadie. 'This is crazy. I mean, we've been fri ends
for ages ... but I didn't know you could sing like that:
'I sing all the time when I'm on my bike; said Grace.
'And when did you learn to play the bass?' asked Hol ly.
'Well, this is the f irst time I've ever played it; said Grace. 'But it's not
Lhat difficult. I just improvised !'
'OK; said Zadi e. 'What shall we call ourselves?'
'What about The Garage Girls?' said Hol ly.
They all smiled.
They had their band.
1 here was only one problem. Grace had to keep the band a secret
from her parents.
Grace and the Double Life
lhe day after their rehearsal at Holly's place, Grace took her DVCAM
lo school. At lunchtime, she watched the footage with Zadie and
!l olly. It didn't look great. And it sounded terrible.
Hicky walked up to them.
'What are you doing?' he asked.
'Oh, nothing much; Zadie replied.
'Then why do you look so fed up ?'
'We were just watching our rehearsal; said Grace.
'Can I see it?' he asked.
Grace looked at the others. Then she said 'OK'.
So Ricky watched and listened while Grace explained,
'll's useless. The sound is awful- and we're hardly in the picture!'
'Why did you fi lm yourselves?' Ricky asked.
I he girls looked at each other again.
'Shall we tell him?' Holly asked.
/adie nodded.
'There's a new TV talent contest ; Holl y said. 'And they're having
for it in Westbourne next month. They want to find the
next big band! And we really want to try and win it:
'That's great; said Ricky. 'Why didn't you tell anyone?'
'Well, we might not do very well; said Holly.
'Or we might be ru,bbish; said Zadie.
'And we might look stupid; said Grace.
' lne thing is, you have to send them a tape f irst; said Holly.
'And we can't send this! It isn't good enough:
'Maybe I can help; said Ricky.
'lkally?' said Holly.
Hicky was a technological genius.
'Yeah, I can fi lm and record you -then let's see what happens:
I he gi rls smiled. They still had a chance!
23
So as soon as school finished on Friday afternoon, they al l headed to
Holly's house. They helped Ricky carry his camera, recording equipment
and laptop . He sometimes made his own films in his free time and
put them on the Internet. They weren't stories or anything like that.
They were like strange dreams. And they were really cool.
The Garage Girls played three songs. Grace's voice was strong, loud
and exciting.
Then Ricky immediately edited their performance and copied it onto
a DVD. The girls were really impressed. It looked just li ke a real pop
video.
'OK, let's send this DVD to theN company!' said Ricky.
Grace and the Double Life
0-
llarriet was driving home from a publisher's office in Westbourne.
ll had been a long and tiring day and it was already nearly seven
o'clock. Her eyes were tired from looking at books; her mind was tired
!rom thinking and talking; and all she wanted to do was go home
ahd have a long hot bath.
llarriet was planning her perfect evening when she saw Grace.
Clrace?
Why wasn't she at home?
Why wasn't she wearing her school uniform?
1\nd, why wasn't she alone?
'"lilt; was with a boy!
llnrriet thought she recognized him.
I lis name was Ricky, wasn't it?
') '!
On Wednesday, Harriet was driving home from another
meeti ng when she saw Grace ... with Jack!
Over the next f ew weeks, Harriet watched Grace very closely. But
while Garage Girls were waiting to hear from theN show, life
returned to normal ... more or less.
Grace practised the piano and viol in (but her heart wasn't it ).
She went to ballet classes (but kept making mistakes).
She did her homework (or seemed to).
In fact. she spent a lot of the time setting David's lyrics to music.
She really liked them.
Meanwhil e, Jack hung around Zadie. He knew Zadie had a dog. So
he always tried to take his dog out for a walk at the same time as
Zadie took hers. And sometimes, just by chance, they met.
Grace and the Double Life
One morning, Grace was looking at Zadie's new mobile in the school
playground. However, Grace felt t hat Zadie was reall y thinking about
else. Then Zadie said:
'I lave you noticed Jack recently?'
'What do you mean?' Grace asked.
'I don't know. But... you know how he always just hung out with
his gang .. :
'Yeah: Grace said. Jack and his gang were always getting into troubl e
al school. .
'Well, he's spending a lot more time on his own now. And ... I keep
seei ng him with his dog:
'His dog?'
'Yeah ... and he looks at me in a weird way:
'Who?' asked Grace. 'The dog?'
'Nt>, ,Jack!' Zadie sa id, and they st arted laughing.
I hen they heard Holly and looked round. She was holdi ng
'Hey, you guys ! We've got an audition!' We' re going to be on t he
programme!'
29
When Grace got home she was still feeling really excited.
She was lying on her bed when there was a knock at the door.
ll er mum came in holding a letter.
'/\rcn't you feeling well?' she asked.
'Oh, I'm just a bit tired; said Grace.
'Well, don't forget your homework:
'Don't worry, I'll do it later; said Grace. 'What's the letter?'
'The letter?' said Harriet. 'Oh yes, it's f or you:
Grace opened it... and felt worried. It gave the date of her Grade 8
piano exam. And the date looked very familiar.
Her mum was watching her like a hawk .
'What's w r o n ~ ?
'Nothing:
But Grace felt sick.
As soon as her mum left the room, she sent a text to Holly. The reply
came immediately. The audition and the piano exam were on the
same day ... at the same time. It was a disaster.
I t's on Sat 15 @ 3.
Cant w8 !
We R the Garage Girls!
That night, Grace couldn't sleep.
The situation was impossible. She couldn't do the exam and go to the
audition at the same time. She couldn't be in two places at once!
But what could. she do?
She had to go to the audition. It's what she really wanted.
But she also had to take the exam.
At 3.13 in the morning, Grace came to a decision.
She knew it was exactly 3.13 because she was still awake and the
clock was shining in the darkness.
She didn't want to do it, but she had to tell her parents.
Then feeling totally exhausted , Grace fell asleep.
30 .
The next morning, Grace woke up ... and remembered her decision.
'I can't t ell mum and dad: she thought. They'll murder me!'
So as soon as she left the house for school, she took out her mobile
and called the 1V office. It was early, but luckily t here was a secretary
in the office.
'Good morning, Pop Star w: a woman's voice said.
'Oh, hell o: said Grace, and explained the problem. 'You see, my sister's
getting married in the afternoon on the same day and I'm going to
be her bridesmaid . So, could we possibly move our audition to the
morning? Please?'
Of course, Grace didn't have a sister.
There was a long pause.
'Please, please; please: thought Grace.
'All right' said the voice. 'Your audition's now at 10 o'clock. But I
ca n't change it again:
'THANK YOU!' said Grace, and jumped for joy.
The Garage Girls decided to have another rehearsal after school. Grace
was getting on her bike t o cycle to Holly's house when she saw t hree
boys at the school gates.
'Do you mind if we come, too?' asked Ri cky.
'l'tl like to hear t he new songs: said David.
'And I'd like to ... ~ m ... j ust watch: said Jack.
Harriet was driving home after another meet ing when she saw
Grace.
This isn't a project day: she thought. 'Why isn't Grace wearing her
school lHJiform? And what 's she doing wi t h THHEE BOYS?'
Harriet got out of the car and followed them. She saw them go into
Hoi I/& garage. Then the door banged shut.
There was silence.
And t hen she heard a horrible metal noise and a voice- a gi rl's voit'l'.
It was a terrible sound but oddly familiar.
!I
. }! I don't
want just anything! J
Give me real life!
A Zadie and Holly ran after Grace and her mum. Zadie explained that
it was all her idea, that she wanted to have a pop group, and that
Grace was the best bass guitarist and the most bri lliant singer in the
school.
'I don't call that singing; said Harriet. 'I call it screaming:
'But Grace is fantasti c, Mrs Parks; sai d Zadie. 'Everyone at school
t hinks so:
Then Holly explained about Pop Star TV and the talent contest.
'I think we can win, Mrs Parks. But only with Grace: she said.
Harriet didn't reply. She opened the door of her car and got in.
Grace looked sadly at her friends and got in beside her mum.
'Please t hi nk,about it; Holly sai d.
Harriet didn't reply. She started the car engine and drove away.
'What do you t hink?' asked Hol ly.
Zadie shook her head.
Grace and the Double Life
Grace and her mum sat in t he kitchen with Tom, Grace's father.
'I'm sorry; said Grace. 'I reall y am. I wanted t o tel l you both .. :
'So why didn't you?' asked her mum.
'I couldn't:
'Because you knew you were wrong:
'It was because I knew you woul d be angry; Grace said.
Her father said, 'I thought you loved classical music:
'I d_o, Dad; Grace repl ied, 'but I want to play something new, too. And
it's great playing with my f ri ends .. : Then Grace added, 'I promise t o
practise for the piano exam and go to ballet classes and do al l my
school work. But I'd love to be in Zadie's band, too:
Toni looked at Harriet.
'It's not a problem, is it?'
Grace's mum said, 'No, it isn't:
Then she looked at Grace and smil ed.
'At least you aren't going out with
those t hree boys!'
/
( 1/J
. '
' I I
~ l l
At school the next day, Jack got into trouble for talking during the
maths lesson. There was nothing unusual about this. But unusually,
Ricky got into trouble, too. What were they talking about?
As soon as the lesson was over, the reason became cl ear.
They were both really excited.
'Jack has just had a fantastic idea!' Ricky told The Garage Girls.
'What's that?' they all asked at the same time.
'Before you go to your audition, you need to play in front of an
audience: said Jack.
'Yeah, nice idea: said Zadie. 'But where?'
' Here at school; said Ricky.
' Is that possible?' asked Grace.
'Leave it to me: said Ricky.
38
Grace and the Double Life
Ricky arranged everything with t he headmaster. And so t he evening
before t he audit ions for Pop StarN, the Garage Gi rls gave a concert
at school. Everyone was really excited.
There were posters all around the school. And when the concert was
ready to st art, the school hall was crowded. Nobody was weari ng
their school uniforms now. This was a proper gig. And the kids were
dressed for a concert.
At seven o'clock, t he main lights went out and the girls walked on
stage. There was a huge cheer f rom the audience.
Holly and Grace plugged in their guitars.
Zadie counted, 'One, two, one, two, three, four!'
And the band burst int o sound!
Grace and the Double Life
fhe Garage Girls gave their best performance ever. Holly played some
fantastic guitar solos . Zadie's drumming was full of energy. And Grace
sang with all her heart . Her voice was so powerful! The audience
cheered and clapped loudly at the end of each song.
The girls sang David's songs, too, and he sang with them because he
knew all the words.
Ricky filmed the whole concert.
And Jack? Jack couldn't take his eyes off Zadie. He thought she was
amazing.
Then something special happened. Jack wasn't famous for having
bright ideas. But now he had his second brilliant idea that week.
lie shouted into Ricky's ear (it was very loud in the hall!) and Ricky
smiled and nodded. He thought it was a great idea, too.
1\fter the concert, Grace walked to her bike. She didn't notice the full
moon overhead . She didn't feel the cool summer air. She felt hot
and had her jacket tied around her waist. It was quiet but her head
was full of sound. She could still hear Holly's guitar, Zadie's drums,
lhe applause of the audience.
As she cycled home she dreamed of winning the Pop Star TV
rom petition.
She dreamed of the band playing in London clubs.
She dreamed of The Garage Girls touring America.
I os Angt;les ...
)an Francisco ...
New York.
)he knew she wouldn't sleep much that night.
'1 1
The following morning, Grace had a bit of a headache. There was
an odd sensation in her throat. And when she touched her neck,
it felt sore. But she tried not to worry about it. had a shower and
got dressed, and went downstairs for breakfast. Although she was
wearing her clothes for t he audition, her mum said, 'You look like a
real rock star:
'Thanks, Mum; Grace said.
Actuall y, that is what Grace wanted to say.
In fact, she said Thunnks, hmmm; and her throat caught f ire .
'What's wrong, darling ?' Harriet asked.
Grace couldn't reply.
She had lost ~ r voice!
Grace and the Double Life
Her parents immediately went into action. They made her a hot drink
with honey and lemon. They gave her medicine for a sore throat. They
call ed the doctor and asked for advice. But nothi ng hel ped. It was
obvious that Grace couldn't sing that day. She couldn't even talk.
Grace t ried not to cry.
She had to tell the others.
She sent a text to Zadie. Zadie repli ed in seconds.
Can u play the guitar?
Grace said t hat she could. Zadie sent back another message.
Then The Garage Girls can still win!
Grace didn't know how they could possibly win. But they had to
try.
Th TV company was using Westbourne Town Hal l for the auditions.
Wh n Grace and her mum arrived, they saw hundreds of people outside.
Th rc were girl bands, boy bands, heavy metal and punk bands. There
were young kids and pensioners . There were men who looked like
Robbie Wil liams and women who looked like Madonna. And they all
wa nted to appear on TV and win the competition.
'I'm sorry, darling, there's nowhere to park. Shall I leave you here?'
Grace nodded.
'Now don't go to the piano exam afterwards. Come straight home.
Do you promise?'
Grace nodded again.
'Good luck: he,r mum said, and gave Grace a kiss.
Grace tried to smile. It was difficult. She kissed her mum and got
out of the car.
Grace and the Double Life
It was a quarter to ten. The Garage Girls had their audition in fifteen
minutes. But where were the others?
Then Grace received a text from Zadie.
Meet us i.nsi.de
Grace pushed through the crowd to the main entrance of the town
hall. Inside, people were queuing outside a large closed door. The
girls were there, with Ricky, David and Jack. They were carrying their
instruments.
Holly and Zadie hugged her.
'Are you sure you can't sing?' asked Zadie.
Gra ce nodded sad ly.
'What are we going to do?' asked Holly.
'There's only one thing: said Zadie. 'You have to sing:
'ME?' asked Holly, loudly.
People looked round at them; includi ng a man who looked just like
Elvis Presley. Holly blushed .
'You know I can't sing; she said.
'I mean, my cat can si ng better than me:
'Wel l, your cat isn't here. Anyway, I can't sing; said Zadie.
'Why not?' asked Holly.
'Because I can't stay in tune; said Zadie.
'But I don't know the words to any of our songs; Hol ly said.
'I only know the chorus:
'That's OK; said Dayid. 'I can write them for you:
'Uhh so suurry; Grace said.
'What was that?' asked Zadi e.
'She sai d she's sorry; Jack explained.
Grace nodded , close to tears.
'Hey, don't worry, Grace; Zadie said. 'We'l l be fine:
46
' . .
Grace and the Double Life
Then door opened and a t all woman came out. She looked at her
notebook and said, 'The Garage Girls:
'That's us; said Zadi e.
They walked int o the room as if t hey were going into an exam. They
were so nervous.
The three judges were sitting behind a long table. There was a man
with dark hair and a bored face, a woman with red hair and a bored
face, and a bald man with an earring and a bored face. They asked a
f ~ ; w questions while the boys set up the instruments. Zadie answered
them but she didn't think the judges were really listening. Then the
boys left and closed the door behi nd them.
A I he Garage Girls left the room. The boys were waiting outside. Ricky
was going to ask 'How did it go?' but he didn't say a word. He could
sec from their faces that it was a disaster. It was so unfair! They all
fel t terrible for Grace. She started crying.
Zadie said, 'Don't cry, Grace. We're still going to be successful:
'Zadie's right; said Jack. He was probably t he only one who really
believed it.
Then the tall woman opened the door again and said, 'Harold
Bloggs:
'That's me!' said the guy who looked like Elvis Presley. He
turned to the kids and said, 'Las Vegas here I come!'
and entered the room.
But he never had a chance.
Grace and the Double Life
The girls didn't play again for the next couple of weeks and Grace
gradual ly got her voice back. But she didn't f eel like singing. Then
one day she received a call f rom Ricky.
'Hey, Grace:
'Oh, hi Ricky:
. 'Have you got f ive minutes?' he asked. 'Go to your comput er and do
a Google search for The Garage Girls:
'Why?' she asked.
'Just do it; Ricky repli ed and hung up .
So Grace went up to her room, turned on her computer, and did what
.Ricky said. She soon found a website called The Garage Girls. She
watched a video of their gig at school. It was really cool.
The next day everyone turned up at Grace's house.
'The websi te was Jack's idea; Ricky said. 'He thought of it at your
concert:
'You're real ly creative Jack; said Zadie, and they both smiled.
'The website is very popular; said Ricky. 'It gets over thirty hits every
daY:
'That's great; said Holly.
'There's also a chat room; said Ricky. 'Everyone loves your stuff. There
are lots of messages:
'And you got a specia I message, too; added Jack.
'What do you mean, 'a special message'?' Grace asked.
'It was from a record producer in London. He really likes your music,
your look ... the whole thing!' Jack said.
'Is this for real?' Holly asked.
'I checked him out ; said Ricky. 'He's an independent music producer.
He's quite famous. And he wants you to give him a caW
So Grace immediately called the record producer in London.
'What?' she said. 'You want- to see us? ... In
London? ... Next week? ... Wow!'
Then she listened for a bit longer and said, 'Yeah,
we'd love to!' and switched off her mobile.
'Well?' asked Ricky.
'He wants to give us a recording contract ; said
Grace. 'He thinks we'll become famous!'
Grace and the Double Life
'That's amazing!' sai d Zadie. She hugged Grace. But f irst she kissed
Jack.
'I've got another idea; said Jack.
'What is it?' asked Grace.
Everyone fel l silent.
'Why don't you t ake your mum wi t h you, Grace?' he suggested.
'My mum?'
'Yeah, she cou ld be your manager. She's really t ough !'
'That's a great idea!' Grace said, and they all laughed.
The Garage Girls were going to London.
What would happen next?
After Reading
Understanding the story
Who is Grace talking about? Write their names under the speech
bubbles.
in t une.
2 Number the events in the correct order.
a) D A friend designed a website for the band.
b) D The girls sent the demo tape to a TV station.
c) D Zadie and Holl y asked Grace to sing with the band.
d) D The Garage Girls played a concert for the school.
e) D A friend recorded and f il med the band in the garage.
f) D The band got an audit ion for a TV talent contest.
g) D A record producer in London wants them to make a CD.
h) D The Garage Girls didn't get through to the next stage of the
talent contest.
After Reading
3 What did Ricky do for the band? Tick (.f) True (T) or False (F).
T F
a) He arranged a concert at school f or them.
b) He wrote the lyrics f or t heir songs.
c) He organi zed an audition with a TV station.
d) He made a website f or them.
D D
D D
D D
D D
e) He fi l med and recorded the band
and made a DVD.
f) He wrote to a music producer in London.
4 Complete Grace's email to a friend.
D
D
D
D
0 00
=
n

Sign: !
Hi Ali ce
You'll never guess what! I' m the ................ .. . .................. .. .... in a punk rock
band. I also play the ... .. ............ .. .. .. guitar. Yes, I know. I've never
played the guitar before. It's an ...... .. .. .. ...................... band. Zadie is the
...... .... and Holly is the ...
We got an
nightmare. I lost my
.. .. for a TV talent contest. It was a
...... .. .... .. .... ...... so I couldn't sing.
had to sing instead. We didn't get through
to the next stage. Yeah, I know that's bad news. But the good news is, a
.. .............. ................................ in London wants to see us. He wants us to
make a CD. We're going to see him next week.
l' ll let you know how it goes.
B4N
Grace
After Reading
Vocabulary
Match the actions with the pictures. Then write a sentence
about the pictures. Use the verbs.
a) b)
c) d)
hug 2 have an audit i on 3 kiss 4 f il m
2 Complete t he notice with the words below.
auditions band demo recordi ng contract singer
Are you a good ..................................... ?
Are you in a e .. ?
I Super Sounds Recording Studios ""
l
' are looking for YOU!
~ . .. ................................. tomorrow at 15.00. /:l
'If Bring a ................................... tape or CD ~
lib- ~ A n d win a .......... ...... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
After Reading
3 Complete the speech bubbles with the opposites of the adjectives
in brackets. Choose from the box below.
our mum could be your
manager. She's reall y (soft)
4 Match the sentences wi t h t he same meanings.
a) D Her heart wasn't in it.
b) D She j umped f or j oy.
c) D She was rubbish.
d) D She was f ed up.
e) D Leave it t o her.
She wasn't very good.
2 She was bored and upset.
3 She didn't reall y want to do it.
4 She'l l f ind t he answer.
5 She was very happy.
57
After Reading
Grammar
Practise have to and would like to.
Circle the correct name. Then write the correct form of have to
or would like to.
a) Jack I Ricky ................. ................... go out with Zadie.
b) Grace I Holly .................................... concentrate on her music and
ballet exams.
c) Jack I Holly .... ................................ be a famous pop star.
d) David I Jack ............................... write some lyrics for The Garage Girls.
e) Holly I Zadie .................................... sing when Grace lost her voice.
Practise the Present Perfect
2 Complete the dialogue. Write questions and t rue answers for
you. Use the present perfect with ever and never.
58
Grace:
You:
Grace:
You:
Have you ever played in a band? (pl ay in a band)
No, I've never/Yes, I have played in a band.
.. ...................... ............................... ? (sing on st age)
... .......... ... ............. ...........................
Grace: ....................................................... ? (have an audition)
You:
................. ... ... ... ........... ... ................
Grace: .......... ........................ ......... .... .. .... .. ? (gq to a gig)
You:
.......... ... ...... .... ...... ............... ........ ....
Grace: .................................................. ..... ? (win a talent contest)
You:
........ ... ................. .................. .... .. ....
Grace: ................... ..................... ....... ........ ? (design a weqsite)
You:
0
Grace: ............................... .......... .............. ? (make a fi lm)
You:
........... .. ................ ............................
After Reading
Practise will.
3 Fill in t he blanks with the correct form of the verbs below.
( arra119e be do murder become )
a) Grace: I can't tell mum and dad about the audition. They
.............. .......... me.
b) Grace's mum: Have you done your homework yet?
Grace: No, I haven't. I ........................ it later.
c) Grace: He wants to give us a recordi ng contract. He thinks
.. .. .................... famous.
d) Ricky: Leave it to me. I ........................ everythi ng with t he
headmaster.
e) Grace: I' m sorry.
Zadie: Hey, don't worry, Grace. We ........................ fine.
Practise should or don't need to.
4 Your friend wants his/her band to become famous. Give him/her
some advice. Use the phrases in the box and should or don't
need to.
find a 9ood rin9er- reloearre ar muclo ar porri ble
be 9ood-lookin9- play a 9i9 atrcJ,ool- knoW a muric producer
rend your demo tape to a talent contert
a) ..................................................................................................................... .
b) ..................................................................................................................... .
c) .......... ........................................................................................................... .
d) ..................................................................................................................... .
e) ..................................................................................................................... .
f) ..................................................................................................................... .
59
After Reading
Test
1 Listen to the conversations and choose the correct picture.
b) 10
c) 10
e) 10
60
After Reading
2 Read the sentences about the story and choose the best word
(1, 2 or 3) for each space.
a) Grace can sing and play the bass guitar and the .................. .
1 drums 2 violi n 3 piano
b) Grace's Grade 8 piano exam and the .................. were at the same
time.
1 gig 2 audition 3 audience
c) Holly and Grace .................. their gui t ars and began to play.
1 plugged in 2 switched off 3 turned out
d) Grace didn't wear her .................. after the concert. She t ied it
round her waist.
1 jacket 2 j umper 3 scarf
e) On t he day of the audition Grace had a .................. .
1 sore throat 2 broken arm 3 stomach ache
f) Holly didn't know all the words. She only knew the .................. .
1 lyrics 2 chorus 3 song
g) Zadie t hought Jack was real ly .................. .
1 weird 2 tough 3 creative
h) The Garage Girls got lots of messages including one from a .................. .
1 music producer 2 f amous rock star 3 1V t alent contest
[;)'.I 3 Look at the pictures on pages 34 and 35 wit h a partner. Ask
and answer questions.
What is Grace wearing?
Who is watchi ng the band play?
61
Glossary
11 banged open: opened with a loud noise (bang)
flickered: went on and off a few times quickly
footsteps: sound of someone walking
poured in: (here) entered in large quantities
shapes: forms
shield: large piece of metal soldiers used for protection

trampoline:
weird: strange
12 drum kit: number of drums you play together
13 leaned towards: moved the top part of her body in the
direction of
14 a bit: a small quantity
detached: house on its own, without other houses attached
drive: wide road that leads to a house
huge: very big
keep your hair on: (informal) don't be cross
15 cool: (here) good
16 commas: in punctuation ( , )
editor: person who corrects books before they are publi shed
freelance: she works for herself
guilty: who had done something wrong
great eye for detail : she saw everythi ng, even smal l mistakes
semicolons: in punctuation ( ; )
18 auditioned: tested singers, etc. to see if they are good enough
put together: (here) start
stuff: (here) music
19 for ages: for a long t ime
improvised: (here) invented as she played
revelation: good surprise
21 look: (here) style
What on earth!: exclamat ion of surprise
62
Glossary
23 fed up: (here) cross and disappointed
footage: film
hardly: not very much
rehearsal: when you practise before a concert or play
talent contest: competition to see who is a good singer, etc.
24 headed: (here) went
laptop: small computer you carry with you
26 lyrics: words of songs
28 her heart wasn't in it: she didn't want to do it
hung around: spent time with
setting to music: writing music for words
29 guys: (here) people; friends
hung out with: spent time with
30 exhausted: very tired .
like a hawk: closely (a hawk is a bird with very good eyes1ght)
w8: (text English) wait . .
32 bridesmaid: female who helps the bride (woman who IS gettmg
married) at the wedding
33 oddly: strangely
39 cheer: loud sound of approval and encouragement
gig: concert
41 clapped: hit their hands together in approval
overhead: above her head
solos: on her own
with all her heart: with great energy and passion
42 caught fire: was very hot
darling: my dear
odd: strange
44 kids: chil dren
pensioners: old people (who have stopped working)
45 crowd: large group of people
hugged: put their arms around
46 blushed: became red with embarrassment
nodded: moved her head to say 'yes'
stay in tune: sing nicely
47 set up: got ready
(J' j
49 chance: opport unity
demo t ape: examples of songs you send to a recording studi o
stage: phase; part of t he compet it ion
tough: hard; bad luck
51 couple of: (here) small number; f ew
Google search: use the programme Google to look f or
something on the Internet
gradually: slowly
hung up: ended the phone call
52 checked him out: (here) cont roll ed t hat he was t ell ing t he
t ruth
hi t s: (here) people who visit a website
recording contract: of f ici al pi ece of paper saying you will make
a record \('lith a specific studio
53 tough: (here) hard, strong and determined