Fortune Cookie Read online

  ‘What are these chocolates then?’ Mum asks.

  ‘It’s just something Paddy does,’ I explain. ‘He’s created truffles for all the sisters, and he made one for me too. Fortune Cookie, he’s called it, and every one has a prediction hidden inside. They sold out at the Chocolate Festival yesterday.’

  ‘Nice idea,’ Mum says. ‘What are they like?’

  I offer the truffles round, and everybody takes one.

  ‘Yummy!’ Maisie declares, biting into the truffle. ‘Oh, what’s this inside?’

  She pulls out a chocolate heart with the words, ‘Dream big’ engraved on it.

  ‘Ooh I get it now,’ she says. ‘Chocolate fortunes!’

  Isla’s fortune says, ‘Happy families’, Mum’s says, ‘Take a risk’, and Sheddie’s says, ‘New beginnings’. They are good fortunes, hopeful fortunes.

  ‘Now you,’ Maisie says, and I reach for the last truffle in the box, bite into the rich ganache until my teeth touch the chocolate heart within.

  ‘Soon life will become more interesting,’ it says in tiny writing, and I laugh out loud.

  I think this time it really might.

  Which Chocolate Box Girl Are you?

  Your perfect day would be spent …

  a) visiting a busy vintage market

  b) with your favourite canine companion on a long walk in the countryside

  c) curled up on the sofa watching black-and-white movies with your boyfriend

  d) window-shopping with your BFF

  e) sipping frappuccinos in a hip city cafe

  Your ideal boy is …

  a) arty and sensitive

  b) boy? No thanks!

  c) a good listener … and a little bit quirky

  d) polite and clever

  e) good looking and popular – what other kind of boy is there?

  Who’s the first person you would tell about your new crush?

  a) your sister – she knows everything about you

  b) your pet cat … animals are great listeners

  c) your BFF

  d) your mum – she always has the best advice

  e) no one. It’s best not to trust anyone with a secret

  Your favourite subject is …

  a) history

  b) science

  c) creative writing

  d) French

  e) drama

  Your school books are …

  a) covered in paisley-print fabric

  b) a bit muddy

  c) filled with doodles

  d) neat, tidy and full of good grades

  e) rarely handed in on time

  When you grow up you want to be …

  a) an interior designer

  b) a vet

  c) a writer

  d) a prima ballerina

  e) famous

  People always compliment your …

  a) individuality. If anyone can pull it off you can!

  b) caring nature – every creature deserves a bit of love

  c) wild imagination … although it can get you into trouble sometimes

  d) determination. Practice makes perfect

  e) strong personality. You never let anyone stand in your way

  Mostly As … Skye

  Cool and eclectic, friends love your relaxed boho style and passion for all things quirky.

  Mostly Bs … Coco

  A real mother earth, but with your feet firmly on the ground, you’re happiest in the great outdoors – accompanied by a whole menagerie of animal companions.

  Mostly Cs … Cherry

  ‘Daydreamer’ is your middle name … Forever thinking up crazy stories and buzzing with new ideas, you always have an exciting tale to tell – you’re allowed a bit of artistic licence, right?

  Mostly Ds … Summer

  Passionate and fun, you’re determined to make your dreams come true … and your family and friends are behind you every step of the way.

  Mostly Es … Honey

  Popular, intimidating, lonely … everyone has a different idea about the ‘real you’. Try opening up a bit more and you’ll realize that friends are there to help you along the way.

  Yummy Ice-cream Sundaes

  Banana Split

  You need:

  1 banana

  vanilla ice cream

  chopped nuts

  chocolate sauce

  Method:

  Slice the banana in half lengthways, place in a dish and arrnage three scoops of vanilla ice cream between the halves.

  Decorate with a sprinkle of chopped nuts and a squoosh of chocolate sauce!

  Chocolate Heaven

  You need:

  3 chocolate chip cookies, crumbled

  4 squares chocolate, grated

  vanilla ice cream

  chocolate ice cream

  chocolate sauce

  aerosal cream

  Method:

  In a tall glass, layer a scoop of vanilla ice cream, a sprinkle of crumbled cookie, a scoop of chocolate ice cream and a layer of grated chocolate, and another scoop of vanilla ice cream and a layer of crumbled cookie. Top with a layer of squishy aerosol cream and decorate with grated chocolate and sauce … bliss!

  Strawberry Sundae

  You need:

  fresh strawberries

  plain frozen yoghurt

  strawberry yoghurt

  strawberry sauce

  Method:

  Cut most of the fresh strawberries into quarters then layer in a tall glass with the plain frozen yoghurt, strawberry yoghurt and an occasional squirt of strawberry sauce.

  Repeat the layers until you reach the top of the glass. Finish off with the leftover strawberries and an extra squoosh of strawberry sauce!

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  First published 2015

  Text copyright © Cathy Cassidy, 2015

  Illustrations copyright © Pe
nguin Books Ltd, 2015

  Illustrations by Sara Chadwick-Holmes

  The moral right of the author and illustrator has been asserted

  ISBN: 978-0-141-35186-5