Character Sketches
- Kara: The main character. A brave and determined girl who is looking for her father. She seems worried about him and is also in trouble for fighting with a boy named Jake.
- Daisy: Kara’s younger cousin. She is playful, loves sweets, and is trustworthy when she makes a promise.
- Aunt Bev: Kara and Daisy’s aunt. She is doing household chores and seems strict but also protective of Kara when Dougie Evans comes looking for her.
- Uncle Jim: Kara’s dad. He is missing. He went fishing and seems upset about something.
- Ted: A man who works at the Merry Mermaid café. He is observant and notices that Kara’s dad was acting strangely.
- Dougie Evans: Jake’s father. He is a big, angry, and intimidating man who is looking for Kara because she hurt his son.
- Uncle Tom: Aunt Bev’s husband. He is a fisherman who is now home from sea and is asleep.
Difficult Words and Meanings
- Dribble: Saliva (spit) running out of the mouth.
- Frizzy: (Hair) forming a mass of small, tight curls.
- Rods: Long, thin poles used for fishing.
- Flippers: Large flat rubber shoes worn on the feet for swimming.
- Marshmallow: A soft, sweet, spongy candy.
- Polishing: Rubbing something to make it clean and shiny.
- Inspecting: Looking at something very carefully.
- Smudges: Dirty marks or streaks.
- Whitewashed: Painted white with a type of paint called whitewash.
- Stitch: A sharp pain in your side from running too hard.
- Paddling pools: Small, inflatable pools for children to play in.
- Caravan: A vehicle on wheels that people can live in; a mobile home.
- Overalls: A piece of clothing that covers both the top and bottom of the body, worn for doing dirty work.
- Oilskins: Waterproof clothing worn by fishermen.
- Warthog: A wild African pig with tusks.
- Pickup (truck): A vehicle with an open area at the back for carrying things.
- Tea towel: A cloth for drying dishes.
- Rust: A flaky brown-red substance that forms on iron or metal when it gets wet.
- Nettled: A path where stinging nettles (plants that hurt if you touch them) are growing.
- Cobbled: (A road) made with round stones.
- Alleyways: Narrow passages between buildings.
- Clogged: Blocked or crowded.
- Drills and diggers: Loud machines used for construction work.
- Cones: Orange plastic cones used to mark areas for construction.
- Thatch: A roof covering made of straw or reeds.
- Scowls: Has an angry or annoyed expression.
- Adjust: Get used to (her eyes are getting used to the dark).
Story Summary
Part 1: At Home with Daisy
- Kara finds her younger cousin, Daisy, secretly eating sweets in their shared bedroom. Daisy’s mouth is full and she has sugar on her chin.
- Kara promises not to tell that Daisy is eating sweets.
- Daisy says she feels sick from eating too much.
- Kara asks if Daisy has seen her dad, Uncle Jim.
- Daisy says Uncle Jim has gone fishing with his long sea fishing rods. She says he left just after her mum (Aunt Bev) had her coffee.
- Kara gets her swimming gear from under her bed. She sees Daisy’s toys and a squashed marshmallow on her pillow but doesn’t mind because it’s Daisy’s room.
- Kara says she is going to find her dad and asks Daisy not to tell anyone.
- Daisy promises to keep the secret by drawing her fingers across her heart and then pressing them to her lips.
- As Kara changes her clothes, she hears a car door slam and voices outside.
Part 2: At the Café and Running to Aunt Bev’s
- Kara is in a café called the Merry Mermaid, talking to a man named Ted.
- Ted is cleaning a glass. He asks if Kara is okay.
- Kara asks where her dad is.
- Ted says her dad took the day off work and didn’t seem like his normal self.
- Ted asks again if Kara is okay. She says she is fine and quickly leaves the café.
- Kara runs through the sunny town, away from the harbour and up a hill. She gets a pain in her side but doesn’t stop.
- She runs to a house with a caravan (a mobile home) parked on the grass next to it.
- Her Aunt Bev is hanging heavy work clothes on a washing line. This means Uncle Tom is home from working at sea.
- Aunt Bev has clothes pegs in her mouth, which stick out like animal tusks.
Part 3: Dougie Evans Arrives
- A big black pickup truck (Jake’s dad’s car) has parked outside, blocking the driveway.
- Kara hides from the window so Jake’s dad, Dougie Evans, doesn’t see her.
- She hears Dougie talking to Aunt Bev in the kitchen. He is looking for her dad, Jim.
- Aunt Bev’s voice sounds nervous. She says Jim isn’t there and will have him call later.
- Dougie says he actually wants to see Kara.
- Aunt Bev lies and says Kara is at school.
- Kara peeks through the bedroom door and sees Aunt Bev in the hallway, blocking the kitchen door. She looks nervous and is twisting a tea towel in her hands.
- Dougie Evans now stands at the bottom of the stairs. He says he knows Kara is upstairs.
- He tells Aunt Bev that Kara broke his son Jake’s nose.
- Kara closes the door and leans against it, scared.
- She hears loud, heavy footsteps coming up the stairs.
Part 4: At the Caravan with Aunt Bev
- Kara tries to open the caravan door, but it is locked. Flakes of red rust fall off.
- She asks Aunt Bev where her dad is.
- Aunt Bev tells Kara she should be at school.
- Kara hammers on the caravan door, thinking her dad might be inside.
- Aunt Bev says her dad went out.
- Kara tries to run into the house kitchen, but Aunt Bev blocks the door.
- Aunt Bev asks if Kara is in trouble.
- Kara lies and says she just forgot something.
- Aunt Bev lets her into the house but warns her not to wake up Uncle Tom, who is asleep.
- Kara goes upstairs to her room. Daisy is there, reading to a toy.
- Daisy quickly hides something behind her back that makes a rustling sound (probably a sweet wrapper). There is a marshmallow on her bed.
- Kara tells Daisy she is supposed to be pretending to be sick, not off school eating sweets.
Part 5: Running to the Sea Front
- Kara runs away from the house, down paths with stinging nettles, through lanes and alleys, heading for the sea front. She is desperate to find her dad.
- The town is busy and noisy with traffic and construction work for a new road.
- She sees the Merry Mermaid café. Its roof is made of old, green-ish straw (thatch).
- The air smells strongly of fish and chips. The outdoor tables are full of people eating lunch in the sun.
- Kara goes inside the dark café from the bright sunshine and waits for her eyes to adjust.