grace & the double life

7/22/2019 Grace & the Double Life

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Grace and the ouble ifeMartyn Hobbs

Grace's mu m wants her daughter to study hard for her piano exam.But wrace wants to spend a f ee time practising with her band - The Garage Gi rls.ow long can she keep her secret from her mum? Ancl what will her mum do if she finds out?

e fun with The Wes tbourne Kids GR PHICSTORIES


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I IPibling Readers Red SeriesGrap c StoriesStories wit comic strips for a fresh contemporary approach.

David and the Great petective Martyn HobbsIndio s Big Day Martyn Hobbsl lolly the Eco Warrior Martyn HobbsJac l< and the Westbourne Fair Martyn Hobbs

and the American Girl Martyn HobbsGrace and the Double Life Martyn Hobbs

ClassicsClassic stories chosen to appeal to young learners.I he Happy Prince nd The Nightinga le and the Rose Oscar Wilde111 Red-headed League Arthur Conan DoyleMowg lis Brothers Rudyard KiplingI ho Stolen White Elephant Mark Twain1 C l rislmas Carol Charles Dickens

hor I Readsli11o1 1sto ries easy to read in one sitting.

I hoiJn ll s Heart Herbert Pu chta1Clover Woman Herbert Puchta

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Surplise GCrnter Gerngrossfl h con Mask Gunter Gerngross

II III Hprlrlf) Cup Christian Holzmann1 1Snr llo Christian Holzmann

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I 111orn plote list of all our titles, information and downloadable ac t ivities:.holbllngreaders.com

nd.Q_Gracethe DoubleLife


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HELBLING LANGUAGESwww. l1elblinglanguages.comGrace and the Double Li fely Marty n HobbsIl 11 LBLING LANGUAGES 2 9All rl gl1ts re erved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, 7rttansrnl tt d , n any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical , photocopying, recording, or otherwise,without t 1e prior written permission of the publishers.First pcrbl i heel 2 9ISBN 97838527212

Series editor Maria Clea ryActivities by Elspet11 RawstronIl lustrated by Lorenzo SabbatiniDesign and layout by PixartePrinted by Athesia

bout this ookFor the Student

Listen to all of the story an d do some activities on your Aud io CDp, Tal k about the storycool Whe n you see the blue dot you can check the word in the glossary

on pages 62-64.For the TeacherGo to our Readers Resource site for information on using readers and down loadableResource Sheets, photocopiab le Worksheets, Answer Keys and Tapescr ipts.Plus the full vers ion of the story on MP3 .www.helblingreaders.comFor lots of great ideas on using Grad ed Readers consult Read ing Ma t ters, theTeachers Gui de to us ing Helbli ng Readers.

Level 3 StructuresPresent continuo us for futurePresent perfectPresent perfect ve rsus past sim pleShould I shouldn t advice and obligation)ust I should

Need to I toWill

ver I neverWould likeSo do I /_neithe; do IQue stion tagsSli r ctu res from lower levels are also included

Cardina l / ordinal numbersOne I onesReflexive pronounsIndefinite pronouns

Too plus ad j ectiveNat plus adjective plus enoughRelative pronouns who, which and thatPrepositions of t ime, place and movement


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ontentsBefore Reading

Grace and the Double LifeAfter Read ing 54

Glossary 6

Hi G-race.Itt this story

Ikeep asecret r o ~~ u ~ What is it?

~ ~ L o o k through the bookattd guess


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efore Readinook t the


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eforeReading[ D Look at t he picture on pages 6 and 7 and answer the question.

What kind of music do you think they play? Tick (v ) and say why.a) 0 Heavy Metalc 0 Folke) 0 Rap

b) D Class ica ld D Punk Rockf D Blues

2 Label the picture with t he words below.a) drum st ickd) spea kerg) record producer

b) drummere microphoneh) amplifier

c) gu itaristf gig

3 Find Holly, Zadie and Grace in the picture. Listen and write theirnames.

@ . ....................... @ ........ .... .............. . . .. .4 Look at the pictu res beside each girl. Answer the questions.

a) What does Zad ie th ink the band will do?

b) What does Grace th ink the band wi ll do?

c Wh at does Holly think th e band wi ll do?

8

Before Reading5 Do you know t he names of these musical inst rum ents in your

language? Sort th em into t he correct section.

a) Banjod) Pianog) Triangle

b) Clar inete) Saxophoneh) Trumpet

c) Harpf Tambourinei) Viol in

--

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

How many members wi ll t he band ha ve?What wi ll you cal l the band?What kind of music wi ll the ba nd play?

wi l l th e band dress?What instruments will the membe rs of t he band play?Where wi ll the band rehearse?

7 Des ign a CD cover for your new band. Then show the cla ss.9


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garage was silent and dark.Nothing moved .There were large dark.shapes against the wall. There were boxeson the concrete floor. And in the middle of the garage there was awei rd round object.hat was it? A huge ba l l? A small trampo line ? An ancientshjeld ?Then from outside there were footsteps .A fam ily of spiders und erstanding what was going to happen nex thurried into a hole.Somebody laughed.The meta l door banged open and for a moment daylight poured in .Then the door banged shut again. There was a second of darknessunti l a hand pressed a sw itch and a long fluorescent light f lickered into li fe.

l


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The arti ficia ll ightshowed al l the usua l things that get le ft in a garage.There was a wardrobe with a broken door, boxes o magazines andold schoo l books, two tennis racqu ets with no strings, and a bicyclewith only one wheel. There were old posters stuck on the walls o 70sand '80s bands like Kss, The Sex Pistols and The Pret enders.But there were also electric gu itars, microphones, amp li iers andloud spea kers.And in t he middle o th e floo r there was a drum kit .Three girls moved int o position.Two o them picked up guitars, the third turned on the amp lifiersLh cn sat down at the drums. She held the drumsticks thoughtfullyin her hands.They looked at each other.

Grace and the Double ife'Are you ready? ' the drummer asked.'Oh no , wa it a minute; sa id one o t he guitarists.She took a DVCAM out of her bag and put it on a cardboard boxin f ront o them. She looked through t he viewfinde r, then turnedit on.'OK; she said, and picked up her bass gu itar.The drummer leaned tow ards her microphone and sa id:'One,Two ,One ,Two'And there was an exp losion o so und .KRAAAAAANN NNNNGGGGG


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An hour and aha If later, one of

the girls cycled quicklyup the drive of her

family s hug e detachedhouse, umped off her bike, and

ran tow ards t he front door. In herbag she was carrying her DVCAM,

T-shirt and jeans.The door opened before she cou ld findher 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 bi t ; Grace replied.

'You're fifteen minutes late. Th at isn't only a bit; her mumcorrected her. She often corrected Grace.

'I know, I'm sorry, but...'But what? Your piano teacher is waiting for you in the livingroom

'Well, i we stop talking, I can go and have my lesson; Grace said.She ran into t he house.G race' her mum called out.'What?''I want to ta lk to you as soon as your lesson's over:OK, OK, keep your hair on ; Grace said quietly to herself.

Grace and the Double iSo rry I'm late; said Grace to her piano teacher.That's all right; said Stephen. He was tall and good-looking wilhlong brown hair. He tried to look serious but he wasn't very good alit. Not like her mumSo Grace sat down at the piano, looked at the music, and startedplaying.She could play all the classical composers- Bach, Beethoven, Bartok,Bra hms. She found it easy. Unfortunately, this wasn't the music sh ewa nted to play. Maybe in the past. Maybe in th e future. But notNO W.At t he end of the lesson, Stephen said, 'Well, I don t thinkyou've practised enough .. .'Grace nodded. It was true.'But; he continued, 'I th ink you're ready for yourexa m:'Cool ; Grace said.


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So now it was t ime for Grace to see her mum.Harriet, Grace's mum, worked from home. She was a freelanceeditor . That meant she worked on dictionaries and grammar booksand things like that. She had a great eye for detail . She cou ld f indspelling mistakes and missing commas and she even knew how touse semi-colons . So when she looked at Grace, and studied herclose ly, Grace felt very uncomfortable.Her mum could find anything that wasn 't right in a book.She could also see anyth in g that wasn 't right in Grace's face.Harriet was like a police detective.And Grace felt like a gui lty crimin al.'Good news, Mum; Grace to ld her. 'Stephen sa id I can take my pianoexam ''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 schoo l. I was work ing on my project:'Again?''We've got lots to o'And who are you doing it with?''Zadie and Holly; sa id Grace. That was ~ r u e ? a way'Are you sure you aren t see ing a boy?' her mum ask ed.Of course I'm not ''You have to concent rate on your music and ballet and exams . Thisproject is taking up too much t ime. I'm going to have to speak toyour teacher:'No, no, don t do that; sa id Grace quickly. 'It'll be all right. Really:And Grace gave a nervous smi le.

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Grace was leading a double life.t all started three months ear lier.

Zadie was trying to put together an all-girl band . She chose Ho llyto be her lead gu itarist. Zadie was the drummer. But they needed abass guitarist and a singer.So they auditioned some of the girls from school. Unfortunately,there were two problems. The girls cou ldn't play and they couldn'tsing.Then one lunchtime Holly said, 'What about Grace?'Zadie shook her head .'Grace only plays all that classical tu 'But she listens to rock and punk. Why don't we ask her?' suggested Holly.So they did.

Grace and the Do uble LifeAn d Grace was a revelation She not on ly played bass guitar, she sang as well'Hey, Grace; sa id Zadie. 'This is crazy. I mean, we've been fr iendsfor 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.'We ll, this is the f irst time I've ever played it; said Grace. 'But it's notLhat difficult. I just improvised ''OK ; said Zadi e. 'What shall we call ourselves?''Wha t about The Garage Girls?' said Hol ly.They all smiled .They had their band .1here was only one problem. Grace had to keep th e band a secretfro m her parents.


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Grace and the Double Life lh e day after their rehearsal at Holly's place, Grace took her DVCAM

lo schoo l. At lunchtime, she watched the footage with Zadie andlolly. 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; sa id Grace.'Can I see it?' he asked.Grace looked at the others. Then she said 'OK'.So Ricky watched and listened while Grace explained,'l l's useless. The sound is awful- and we're hardly in the picture ''Why did you fi lm yourselves?' Ricky asked.Ihe girls looked at each other again.'Sha ll we tell him?' Holly asked./adie nodded.'There 's a new TV talent contest ; Ho lly sa id. 'And they're having

i t i o for it in Westbourne next month. They want to find thenext big band And we really want to try and win it:'That's great; sa id Ricky. 'Why didn't you tell anyone?''We ll, 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; sa id Holly.'And we can't send this It isn't good enough:'Ma ybe I can help; said Ricky.'lka lly?' said Holly.Hicky was a technological genius.'Yeah, I can fi lm and record you -then let's see what happens:Ihe girls smiled. They still had a chance

3


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So as soon as school finished on Friday afternoon, they al l headed toHolly's house. They helped Ricky carry hiscamera, record ing equipmentand laptop . He sometimes made his own films in his free time andput them on the Internet. They weren 't stor ies 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, loudand exc iting.Then Ricky immediately edited their performance and copied it ontoa DVD. The girls were really impressed. It looked just like a rea l popvideo.OK, let's send this DVD to theN company ' said Ricky.

Grace and the Double Life

llarriet was driving home from a publisher's office in Westbourne.ll had been a long and tiring day and it was already near ly seveno clock. Her eyes were tired from looking at books; her mind was tiredrom th inking and ta lk ing; 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 boyllnrriet thought she recognized him.I is name was Ricky, wasn't it?

'


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nWednesday, Harriet was driving home from anothereeting when she saw Grace .. with ack


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Over the next few weeks, Harriet watched Grace very closely. Butwhile Garage Girls were waiting to hear from theN show, lifereturned 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 mak ing 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.Meanwhile, Jack hung around Zad ie. He knew Zadie had a dog. Sohe always tried to take his dog out for a wa lk at the same time asZad ie took hers. And sometimes, just by chance , they met.


One morning, Grace was looking at Zadie 's new mob ile in the schoolplayground. However, Grace felt that Zadie was rea lly thinking ab out

h i n g else. Then Zad ie said:'I ave you noticed Jack recently?''What do you mean? ' Grace asked .'I do n't know. But... you know how he always just hung out with his gan g .:'Yeah: Grace said. Jack and his ga ng were always getting into troubl el school. .

'We ll, he's spend ing a lot more time on his own now. And .. I keepseeing him with his dog'H is dog?''Yeah .. and he looks at me in a we ird way:'Who?' asked Grace . 'The dog?'Nt>, Jack ' Zadie sa id, and they started laugh ing .Ihen they heard Holly and looked round. She was ho lding'He y you guys We've got an aud ition' We 're going to be on t hepro gramm e'

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Wh en 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; sa id Grace.Well, don t forget your homework:'Do n t worry, I ll do it later; said Grace. What s the letter?''The letter?' said Harriet. 'Oh yes, it s for you:Grace opened it... and felt worried. It gave the date of her Grade 8piano 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 replyca me immediately. The audition and the piano exam we re on thesame day .. at the same time. It was a disaster.I t s on Sat 5 @ 3.Cant w8

e R the Garage GirlsThat night, Grace couldn t sleep.The situation was impossible She couldn t do the exam and go to theaud ition at the same time. She cou ldn t be in two places at onceBut 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 dec ision.She knew it was exactly 3.13 because she was still awake and theclock was shin ing in the darkness.She didn t want to do it, but she had to tell her parents.Then feeling totally exhausted , Grace fell as leep .30 .


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The next morning, Grace woke up .. and remembered her decision.'I ca n't t ell mum and dad: she thought. They'll murd er me 'So as soo n as she left the house for school, she took out her mobileand ca lled the 1V of fice. It was early, but luckily there was a secretaryin the office.'Good morning, Pop Starw a woman's voice said.'Oh, hello: said Grace, and explained the problem. 'You see, my sister'sgetting married in the afternoon on the same day and I'm going tobe her bridesmaid . So, could we possibly move our audition to themorn ing? Please?'Of course, Grace didn't hav e 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 Ica n't cha ng e it again:'THANK YOU ' said Grace, and jumped for joy.

The Garage Girls decided to have another rehea rsal after school. Gracewas getting on her bike to cyc le to Ho lly's ho use when she saw t hreeboys at the schoo l gates.'Do you mind if we come , too?' asked Ricky.'l'tl like to hea r t he new songs: said David .'And I'd like to .. . just watch: said Jack.Har riet was driving home after another mee t ing when she sawGrace . Th is isn't a project day: she thought. 'Why isn 't Grace wea ring herschoo l lHJiform? And wha t 's she doing wi th THH BOYS?'Har rietgot out of the car and fo llowed them. She saw them go intoHo iI /&garage. Then the door banged shut.The re was silence.An d t hen she heard a horrib le metal noise and a voice a gi rl'svoit'l'.It was a terrible sound but oddly fa miliar.

I


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} don'twant just anythingGive me real life


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A Zadie and Ho lly ran after Grace and her mum. Zad ie exp lained thatit was all her idea, that she wanted to have a pop group, and thatGrace was the best bass gu itarist and the most bri lliant singer in theschool.I don t ca ll that singing; said Harr iet. I ca ll i t scream ing:But Grace is fantasti c, Mrs Pa rks; said Zad ie. 'Eve ryone at schoo lt hinks oThe n Ho lly explained about Pop Star TV and the talent contest.'I think we ca n win, Mrs Parks. But on ly with Grace: she sa id.Harriet didn't reply. She opened the door of her ca r and got in .Grace looked sadly at her friends and got in beside her mum.'Please thi nk,about it; Holly said.Harriet didnt rep ly. She started the car eng ine and drove away.What do you think? asked Hol ly.Zad ie shoo k her hea d.

Grace and th Double LifeGrace and her mum sat in the kitchen with Tom, Grace's father.I m sorry; said Grace. I rea lly am. I wanted to tel l you both :'So why didn t you? asked her mum .'I cou ldn t:'Because you knew you were wrong:It was because I knew you wo uld be angry; Grace sa id.Her father sa id, I though t you loved classical music:'I d_, Dad; Grace repl ied , but I want to play something new, too. Andit s great playing with my f riends : Th en Grace added , I prom ise topractise for the piano exam and go to ba llet classes and do al l myschool work. But I'd love to be in Zad ie's band, tooToni looked at Harr iet.It s not a problem, is it?Gra ce's mum sa id, No, it isn t:Then she looked at Grace and sm iled.At least you aren t go ing out withthose three boys ' /

1/J


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. I~ l l

At school the next day, Jack got into trouble for talking during themaths 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, th e reason became clea r.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 anaud ience: sa id Jack.Yeah, nice idea: said Zadie. 'But where?''Here at school; sa id Ricky.'Is that possib le? ' asked Grace.'Leave it to me: sa id Ricky.38

Grace and the Double LifeRicky arranged everyt hing wi th t he headmaster. And so t he eveningbe fore t he audit ions for Pop StarN, the Garage Gi r ls gave a concertat school. Everyone was really excited.There were posters all around the schoo l. And when the concert wasready to start, the school ha ll was crowded. Nobody was wearingthe ir school unifor ms now. This was a proper gig. And the kids weredressed for a concert.At seven o'clock, t he main lights went out and the girls wa lked onstage. There was a huge cheer f rom the aud ience.Holly and Grace plugged in the ir guitars.Zadie counted, 'One, two, one, two, three, four 'And the band burst into sound


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Grace and the Double Lifefhe Garage Girls gave their best performance ever. Holly played somefan tastic guitarso los .Zadie s drumming was full of energy. And Gracesang with all her heart . Her voice was so powerful The audiencechee red and clappe d loudly at the end of each song.The gir ls sang Dav id s songs, too, and he sang with them because hekne w all the words.Ricky filmed the whole concert.And Jack? Jack couldn't take his eyes off Zadie. He thought she wasamaz ing.Then someth ing spec ial happened. Jack wasn't famous for havingbright ideas. But now he had his second brilliant idea that week.lie sho uted into Ricky s ear (it was very loud in the hall ) and Rickysmiled and nodded. He thought it was a great idea, too.1\fter the concert, Grace walked to her bike. She didn't notice the fullmoon overhead . She didn't feel the cool summer air. She felt hotand had her jacket tied around her waist. t was quiet but her headwas fu ll of sound. She cou ld st ill hear Holly's guitar, Zadie s drums,lhe ap plause of the audience.As she cycled home she dreamed of winning the Pop Star TVrom petition.She drea med of the band playing in London clubs.She drea med of The Garage Girls touring America.Ios An gt;les ..)an Francisco ..New York.)he knew she wouldn't sleep much that night.


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Th e fo llowing morn ing, Grace had a bit of a headache. There wasan odd sensation in her throat. And when she to uched her neck,it fe lt sore. But she tr ied not to worry about it. had a shower andgot dressed, and went downstairs for breakfast. Although she waswearing her clothes for t he aud ition, her mum sa id, 'You look li ke area l rock star:Th anks, Mum; Grace said.Actually, that is what Grace wanted to say.In fact, she sa id Thunnks, hmmm; and her th roat caught f ire .'What's wrong, darling ?' Harriet asked .Grace co uldn t reply.She had lost vo ice

Grace and the Do uble LifeHer parents immediately went into act ion. They made her a hot drinkwith honey and lemon. They gave he r medicine fo r a sore throat. Theycalled the doctor and asked for advice. Bu t nothing helped. It wasobvious tha t Grace couldn t sing that day. She cou ldn t even ta lk.Grace tried not to cry.She had to te ll the others.She sent a text to Zadie. Zadie replied in seconds.an u play the guitar

Grace sa id t hat she cou ld. Zadie sent back another message.hen he Garage Girls can st l l win

Grace didn't know how they could poss ibly win. Bu t they had totr y.


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Th TV co mp any was using Westbourne Town Hal l for the aud itions.Wh n Grace and her mum arr ived, they saw hundreds of people outside.Th rc were girl bands, boy bands, heavy metal and punk bands. Therewere young kids and pensioners . Th ere were men who looked likeRobb ie Wil liams and women who looked like Madonna. And they allwa 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 stra ight home.Do you promise?

Grace nodded aga in .Good lu ck: he,r mum said, and gave Grace a kiss.Grace tried to smile. t was difficult. She kissed her mum and gotout of the car .

Grace and the Double LifeIt was a quarter to ten. The Garage Girls had their audition in fifteenminutes. But where were the others?Then Grace received a text from Zadie.

t us i nsi deGra ce pushed through the crowd to the main entrance of the townha ll. Inside, people were queuing outside a large closed door. Thegir ls were there, with Ricky, David and Jack. They were carrying theirinstruments.Ho lly and Zadie hugged her.Are you sure you can t sin g? asked Zadie.Gra ce nodded sad ly.W hat are we go in g to do? asked Holly.The re s on ly one thing: said Zadie. You have to sing:


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ME? asked Holly, loudly.Peop le looked round at them; includi ng a man who looked just likeElv is Presley. Holly blushed .You know I can t sing; she said.I mean, my cat can si ng better than eWel 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 on ly know the chorus:That s OK; sa id Dayid. I can write them for you :Uhh so suurry; Gra ce said.W hat was that? asked Za di eShe sai d shes sorry; Jack explained.Grace nodde d , close to tears.H ey, do n t worry, Grace ; Zadie said . We l l be fine:6

.

Grace and the Double LifeThen door opened and a tall woman came out. She looked at he rno tebook and said, The Ga rage Girls:Tha t s us; sa id Zadie.They wa lked into the room as if hey were go ing into an exam. Theywe re so nervous.The th ree judges we re sitting behind a long tab le. There was a manwith da rk hair and a bored face, a woman with red hair and a boredface, and a bald man with an earring an d a bored face. They asked aquestions while the boys set up the instruments. Zad ie answe redthem bu t she didn t th ink the judges we re really listening. Then theboys left an d closed the door be hi nd them.


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A Ihe Ga rage Gir ls left the room .The boys were waiting outside. Rickywa s go ing to ask 'How did it go? but he didn't say a word. He cou ldsec from their faces that it was a disaster. t was so unfair They allfe lt terrible for Grace. She started crying.Zadie sa id , 'Don't cry, Grace. We re still going to be successful:'Zadie s right; said Jack. He was probably the only one who reallybelieved it.

Then the tall woman opened the door aga in and sa id , 'HaroldBloggs:

'That's me ' sa id the guy who looked like Evis Presley. Heturned to the kids and said, Las Vegas here I come 'and en tered the room.

But he never had a chance .


The gir ls didn't play aga in for the next couple of weeks and Gracegradually got her voice back . Bu t she didn't f ee l like singing . The none day she rece ived a call f rom Ricky.Hey, Grace:Oh, hi Ricky:. H ave you go t f ive minutes?he asked . 'Go to your compu ter and doa Google search fo r The Garage Girls:W hy? she asked.'Just do it; Ricky rep lied and hung up .So Grace we nt up to her room, tu rn ed on her computer, and did wh at.Ricky said. She soon found a website ca lled The Garage Girls. Shewatched a video of their gig at schoo l. t was really coo l.


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The nex t day everyone turned up at Grace's house.'The website was Jack's idea; Ricky sa id. 'H e thought of it at yourco nce rt:'You're real ly creative Jack; said Zadie, and they both sm iled.'The webs ite is very popular; said Ricky. It gets over thirty hits everydaY:'That's great; said Holly.'There's also a chat room; said Ricky. 'Everyone loves your stuff. Thereare lots of messages:'And you got a specia I message, too; added Jack.'What do you mean, 'a specia l message'?' Grace asked.It was from a record producer in London. He really likes your mus ic,your look .. the whole thing ' Jack said.

'Is this for rea l?' 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 caWSo Grace immediately called the record producer in Lon don.'What?' she said. 'You want- to see us? .. InLondon? .. Next week? ... Wow 'Then she listened for a bit onger and said, 'Yeah,we'd love to ' and switched off her mobile.'Well?' asked Ricky.'He wa nts to give us a recording contract ; saidGrace . 'He thinks we'll become famous '

Gra ce and the Double Life'That's amaz ing ' sai d Za die. She hugged Grace. But f irs t she kissedJack.'I've go t another idea; sa id Ja ck.'What is it?' asked Grace.Everyone fel l silent.'Why don't you take your mum with yo u, Grace?' he suggested.'My mum?''Yeah, she cou ld be you r manager. She's really tough ''That's a great idea ' Grace sa id, and they all lau ghed .The Garage Girls were going to Londo n.What wou ld happen next?


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fter eadingUnderstanding the story

Who is Grace talking about? Write their na mes under the speechbubbles.

in t une.

2 Number the events in the correct order.a) D A fr iend des igned a website for the band.b) D The gir ls sent th e demo tape to a TV station.c) D Zadie and Holly asked Grace to sing with the ba nd.d) D Th e Garage Girls played a concert for the school.e) D A friend recorded and f ilmed th e band in the garage.f) D Th e band got an aud it ion for a TV ta lent 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 theta lent contest.

After Reading3 What did Ricky do for the band? Tick (.f True T) or False (F).T F

a) He arranged a concert at school for them.b) He wrote the lyrics for t he ir songs.c) He organized an auditi on w ith a TV statio n.d) He made a website f or them.

D DD DD DD D

e) He fi lmed and record ed the bandand made a DVD .f) He wrote to a music producer in London.4 Complete Grace's email to a fr iend.

DD DD

0 =nA t ~ a c h < : : : s

ign

Hi AliceYo u ll never guess what I'm the .. .............. . . ......... ........ .. .... in a punk rockband. I also play the .. . .. .............. . .. guitar. Yes, I know. I've neverplayed the guitar before. It's an ...... .. . ........................ band. Zadie is the

...... .... and Holly is the ...

We got annightma re. I lost my

.. .. for a TV ta lent contest. It was a...... .. .... .. .... ...... so I couldn't sing.

had to sing instead. We didn't get th roughto 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 tomake a CD. We're going to see him next week.

l'll let you know how it goes.B4N

Grace


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After ReadingVocabulary

Match the actions with the pictures. Then write a sentenceabout the pictures. Use the verbs.a b

c) d)

hug 2 have an audit ion 3 k iss 4 f il m2 Complete t he notice with the words below.

auditions band demo record ing contract singer

Are you a good .............. .............. .........re you in ?

I Super Sounds Recording Studiosl are looking for YOU .. ..................... .. ......... omorrow at 15.00. /:lIf Bring a ................ .... .. ............. tape or CDlib win a ........ .. ...... 1

After Reading3 Com plete the speech bubbles with the opposites of he adjectives

in brackets. Choose from the box below.

our mum could be yourmanager. She s rea lly (soft)

4 Match the sentences wit h t he same meanings.a) D Her hea rt wasn t in it.b) D She jumped for joy.c) D She was ru bbish .d) D She was fed up.e) D Leav e it t o her.

Sh e wasn t very good.2 She was bored and upset.3 She didn t rea lly wa nt to do it.4 She l l f ind t he answer.5 She was very happy.

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fter eadingGrammarPractise have to and wouldlike to

Circle the correct name. Then write the co rrect form of have toor would ike toa) Jac k I Ricky ................. ................. go out with Zadie.b) Grace I Holly .................................... concentrate on her music an dballet exams.c) Jack I Holly .... .......... ............ .......... be a famous pop star.d) Dav id IJack ............................... writesome lyrics for eGarage Girlse) Holly I Zadie ............. ............ ....... sing when Grace lost her voice.

Practise the Present Perfect2 Complete the dialogue. Write questions and t rue answers for

you. Use the present perfect with everand 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....................... ................................. ? (sin g on stage).......... . ... ............. ..... ......................

Grace: .................................................... ... ? (have an audition)You: ................. ... ...... ........... ...................Grace: .................................. ......... .... ...... ? (gq to a gig)You: ........ ... .... ...... ...... ..... .......... ...... ....Grace: ....................... ......................... .. ..... ? (win a ta lent contest)You: ............................ .................. .... ....Grace: ........... ............................. ............... ? (design a weqsite)You:

0Grace: .................. .......... ... .......... .............. ? (m ake a fi lm)You: ... ........ ................ ....................... .....

After ReadingPractise will3 Fill in t he blanks with the correct form of th e 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 wa nts to give us a recording contract. He thinks

.. .. .................... famous.d) Ricky: Leave it to me . I ........................ everything with t he

headmaster.e) Grace: I m sorry.

Zadie: Hey, don t worry, Grace. We ........................ fine.Practise shouldor don t need to4 Your friend wants his/her band to become famous. Give him/her

some advice. Use the phrases in the box and should or don tneed to

find a 9ood rin9er- reloearre ar muclo ar porriblebe 9ood-lookin9- play a 9i9 atrcJ ool- knoW a muric producer

rend your demo tape to a talent onterta) ............... ....... . ..... .... ................................................... ............... . .b) ........................ ................................... ........................................................ .c) ....... ....................... ........ ......................................... ............... ............ .d ......................................................................... ............................................ .e) .......... ............ ............................... .... ........................ ........................... ... .f .... ................................................................................................................. .

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fter eadingTest

1 Listen to the co nversations and choose the correct pictu re.

b) 1

c 1

e) 1

6

After Reading2 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 vio lin 3 piano

b) Grace s Grade 8 piano exam and the .......... ........ we re at the sametime.1 gig 2 aud ition 3 aud ience

c) Ho lly and Gr ace .................. their guit ars and began to play.1 plugged in 2 sw itched off 3 turned out

d) Grace didn t wear her .................. after the concert. She t ied itround 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 songg) Zad ie t ho ught Jack was real ly ......... ......... .

1 weird 2 tough 3 creat iveh) The Garage Girls got ots of messages including one from a ..... ............ .

1 music producer 2 famo us rock star 3 1V talent 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 watching the band play?

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33/34

lossarybanged open: opened with a loud noise (bang)flickered: went on and off a few times quicklyfootsteps: sound of someone walkingpoured in: (here) entered in large quantitiesshapes: formsshield: large piece of metal soldiers used for protection

s w i t ~trampoline:weird: strange12 drum kit: number of drums you play together13 leaned towards: moved the top part of her body in thedirection of

14 a bi t : a small quantitydetached: house on its own, without other houses attacheddrive: wide road that leads to a househuge: very bigkeep your hair on : (informal) don't be cross

15 cool: (here) good16 commas: in punctuation ( , )editor: person who corrects books before they are pub lishedfreelance : she works for herselfguilty: who had done someth ing wronggreat eye for detail : she saw everyt hi ng, even smal l mistakessemicolons: in punctuation ( ; )18 auditioned : tested singers, etc. to see if they are good enoughput together: (here) startstuff: (here) music19 for ages: for a long t imeimprovised: (here) invented as she playedrevelation: good surprise21 look: (here) sty leWhat on earth : exclamat ion of surprise

62

Glossary

23 fed up: (here) cross and disappointedfootage: filmhardly : not very muchrehearsal: when you pract ise before a concert or playtalent contest: competition to see who is a good singer, etc.

24 headed: (here) wentlaptop: small computer you carry with you26 lyrics: words of songs28 her heart wasn't in i t: she didn't want to do it

hung around: spent time withsetting to music: writing music for words29 guys: (here) people; friendshung 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 gettmgmarried) at the wedding

33 oddly: strangely39 cheer: loud sound of approval and encouragementgig: concert

41 clapped: hit their hands together in approva loverhead: above her headsolos: on her ownwith all her heart: with great energy and passion42 caught fire: was very hotdarling: my dearodd: strange

44 kids: ch ildrenpensioners: old people (who have stopped work ing)45 crowd: large group of people

hugged: put their arms around46 blushed: became red with embarrassment

nodded : moved her head to say yesstay in tune: sing nicely

47 set up: got ready

j


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49 chance: opport uni tydemo t ape: exa mples of songs you send to a recording studiostage: phase; part of t he compet it iontough : hard; bad lu ck51 couple of: here) small number; f ewGoo gle search: use th e programme Google to look f orsomething on th e Internetgradually: slow lyhung up: ended the phone ca ll52 checked him ou t: (here) con t ro lled that he was tell ing thet ruthhi t s: here) people who v isit a websiterecording contract of f icial pi ece of paper saying you will makea record \( lith a spec if ic studio53 tough (here) hard, strong and determined

grace & the double life

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