LEGO Friends: Jungle Adventure (Chapter Book #6), page 3
too big, too small, too crooked, or just not quite
right.
Finally, Mia found a few that looked perfect. “I
think these will work.”
Mia, Emma, and Andrea used the dam’s pulley
system to hoist the branches up to Olivia and
Stephanie. Together, the two of them wedged the
branches tightly into place.
“Okay,”Olivia said. “Fingers crossed that it
works!”
She grabbed the branch handles and pushed
the wheel. Very slowly, the wheel groaned and
began to turn. As it did, the dam door rolled out
across the river. Finally, it reached the other side,
cutting off the flow of water completely!
“It worked!” Stephanie cried.
“Great job, Olivia!” Henry called as the girls
whooped with joy.
Olivia ran out into the dry riverbed and
looked down at the outcropping where Henry was
standing. Now it would be easy to pull him up to
safety!
But there was still another problem to solve.
“We have to get the cub to her mother!” she called
down to Henry.
The mother tiger’s ledge was still too far to
jump— even for a tiger. And Olivia couldn’t see
any way to reach it from the top of the cliff, either.
Would the girls have to hike through the jungle in
search of whatever path the tiger had taken to get
there? Or . . .
“I know!” Emma shouted from the bottom of
the cliff. “We can use my backpack!”
At first Olivia wasn’t sure what her friend
meant, but when Emma explained, it made
perfect sense. The girls had already set up the
pulley system to get the tree branches up the
cliff to fix the dam mechanism. With just a
few adjustments, they rigged it to carry Emma’s
backpack straight past Henry’s ledge and the
ledge where the mother tiger waited. Quickly, the
girls hoisted up Emma’s backpack. Henry carefully
tucked the cub into the sturdy pack.
“There you go,” he said. “Okay, Olivia!”
Olivia and Stephanie fed out the pulley line,
being careful not to jostle the cub. Moments later,
the backpack touched down on the ledge in front
of the mother tiger.
The cub leaped out with an excited little
whimper. The mother tiger nuzzled it. Even from
where they were standing, Olivia and the others
could hear the tigers purring happily as they were
reunited.
“It worked!” Olivia exclaimed as her friends
cheered and high-fived one another.
“Nicely done, girls!” Henry said once Olivia
and Stephanie had pulled him to safety at the top
of the cliff.
Now that her soon-to-be uncle was rescued,
Olivia had a few questions for him. “How in the
world did you get trapped there?”
“Well, I heard the tiger cub whimpering from
behind the waterfall,” Henry explained. “So I
started to cross the rock bridge to get to her. The
mother tiger pounced on the bridge behind me,
and the bridge began to crumble under my feet.”
He pointed, and Olivia noticed something.
The shapes of the outcropping and the ledge
looked like two ends of a narrow stone bridge—
with only the middle part missing!
“I jumped one way, and the mother tiger
jumped the other,” Henry continued. “That’s how
I got trapped with the cub.”
Olivia was amazed. What a close call! She was
glad that everyone was all right. And she wasn’t
the only one.
“I know someone who’s going to be so happy to
see you!” she told Henry with a smile.
Chapter 7:
Reunited
All the way back to base camp, the friends sang
songs, told stories, and tried to spot interesting
birds in the treetops. Tony the chameleon rode on
Andrea’s head, and the girls giggled every time he
snapped his long tongue to snatch an insect out of
the air.
Still, the friends didn’t dawdle. They’d used the
walkie-talkie to call and let Sophie and Matthew
know that they were on their way. The girls could
hear the relief in Sophie’s voice when they said
they’d found Henry.
Sure enough, when they reached the edge of
the camp, Sophie and Matthew hurried out to
meet them. As soon as she spotted Henry, Sophie
started running.
Henry swept Sophie into his arms and twirled
her around in a giant hug. Both of them were
smiling from ear to ear.
Two baby pandas came tumbling out to greet
the group, also. It was Shadow and Bamboo.
Bamboo looked just as healthy as Shadow now!
Stephanie and Olivia picked up the cubs and
cuddled them.
Meanwhile, Sophie and Henry couldn’t stop
gazing into each other’s eyes. “I’m so glad you’re
okay!” Sophie said quietly.
“Me, too,”Henry replied, brushing hair away
from Sophie’s forehead.
Emma sighed. It was all so romantic!
“Welcome back.”Matthew walked up to them.
He looked relieved to have his uncle back safe and
sound, too.
“Thanks, Matthew,” Henry said. “Glad to be
back. Lucky for me, the girls are great at rescue
missions.” He winked at the five friends.
“You can say that again!” Matthew nodded.
“But what were you doing out at Diamond Falls?
No one’s ever found any diamonds there.”
A gleam came to Henry’s eye. “Not until now!”
Everyone gasped as he pulled out a large,
unpolished stone from his pocket. It was the
biggest diamond the friends had ever seen! The
girls couldn’t believe it. Henry had found a real
diamond at Diamond Falls!
“I thought this might make a nice wedding
ring,” he said to Sophie.
Emma clasped her hands. “Oh! So romantic!”
Sophie looked thrilled.“It is romantic,” she
agreed.“And I love it. But most of all, I love you.
And I have an even better idea.”
“You do?” Henry asked.
Sophie nodded. Now she had a gleam in her
eye. “I know how much this Animal Rescue
Station means to you. After all the hard work
you’ve done to build it, what would make me
happiest of all is if we use the money from this
diamond to benefit the station. Think how many
more animals we could help!”
Henry seemed surprised. “Are you sure?” he
asked. “It’s a wonderful idea, but I want you to be
happy, too. Won’t you want a wedding ring?”
Sophie nodded. “I’m sure,” she said.“And with
the money left over, we could buy a smaller ring.
That way, whenever I wear it, I’ll think of you and
all the wonderful things you’ve accomplished—
for both of us.”
Henry grinned broadly. He pulled Sophie in to
a loving hug. “If that’s what you want, of course,”
he told his bride-to-be.
Emma smiled. “It’s still romantic,” she
announced.
Her friends all giggled. They definitely
couldn’t argue with that!
A few weeks later, the day of the wedding
dawned bright and clear—another perfect
Heartlake City morning.
Olivia and her friends arrived at the wedding
venue early. The cake was already there, looking
scrumptious. Stephanie had overseen the baking
process, and Emma had arranged the topping of
tropical fruits with her usual artistic flair.
All five friends had helped decorate the
outdoor tent with palm fronds, bamboo, and
colorful flowers.
Chapter 8:
Wedding Belles
“It’s our own little piece of the jungle right
here for our wedding!” Sophie exclaimed happily
when she saw the decorations. “How can I thank
you girls for all you’ve done?”
Olivia smiled. “We promised your big day
would be perfect!”
Soon the guests began to arrive. Everyone
was in a festive mood. Matthew looked very
handsome in his suit and tie. And Olivia, Mia,
Emma, Andrea, and Stephanie were bridesmaids.
Their dresses were all the same style, except
that Sophie had let each girl choose the color
she liked best. Emma had picked a bright pink
shade that set off her long, dark hair. Andrea
had decided on a vibrant yellow that matched
her outgoing personality. Mia’s dress was the
perfect tint of green to complement her eyes. And
Stephanie had chosen a bright, beautiful red.
Olivia thought all her friends looked terrific—
and she felt just as beautiful in her coral dress.
But nobody looked as perfect as Sophie in her
gorgeous white wedding gown. The sparkle in her
eyes shone even brighter than her jeweled tiara.
Everyone watched delightedly as she walked
down the aisle to meet her handsome groom. In
a heartfelt ceremony, the couple traded vows and
became husband and wife.
And then, it was time for the party! Everyone
wanted to celebrate the newly married couple.
Servers came around with silver trays piled
high with hors d’oeuvres—delicious appetizers
and treats all with a jungle theme!
Meanwhile, a table decorated with beautiful
jungle flowers held rows of tall, sparkling glasses.
Guests lined up to each pour themselves a
refreshing glass of fruity tropical punch from a
glimmering crystal pitcher.
Later, Sophie and Henry danced their first
dance together as husband and wife. All the guests
watched happily as the bride and groom shared
such a special moment.
And then, everyone joined them on the dance
floor! Matthew deejayed and kept the party going
with awesome beats. Olivia and her friends had
a wonderful time bopping and dancing to the
jamming music.
A short while later, Andrea had a special
surprise planned for the bride and groom. She
took the stage to sing a beautiful song she had
written just for the occasion:
This is the best day of my whole life.
Now everything’s good and the world feels right
’cause you’re here by my side.
Even when we’re in the wildest place,
it’s just adventure, don’t be afraid.
I’ll be by your side.
We’ll make it through!
Together we can never ever lose.
Forever us!
The party continued well into the night, with
colorful string lights twinkling as brightly as stars
overhead. Olivia was sure her aunt and uncle were
going to live happily ever after.
And as for her and her friends? This was
the perfect ending to one of their most exciting
adventures yet!
Rescue Mission
It’s a wedding disaster! Aunt Sophie’s fiancé, Henry, has
gone missing in the jungle. And their wedding is just a
few weeks away! It’s up to Olivia and her friends to save
him. But the jungle is a dangerous place filled with wild
surprises.Will the girls find Henry in time to walk down the
aisle? Get ready to swing into action. It’s a LEGO
®
Friends rescue mission—jungle style!
www.scholastic.com
Cathy Hapka, LEGO Friends: Jungle Adventure (Chapter Book #6)
