End of Term Summary

Warning: this chapter-by-chapter summary is a "spoiler". Don't read on unless you want to know what happens when!

Chapters

Sprog Takes a Quarry
Friends and Enemies
Rehearsals and Team Practices
Altogether Unexpected
Half-term at Trennels
A Change of Cast
A Change of Team
As It Turned Out
Right Way Round
And After

Summary

Summary text copyright Helen Prevett, 1999.

Chapter 1 - Sprog takes a quarry

Nicola, Lawrie, Ginty and Ann return to Kingscote by train. Karen and Rowan have left, so Ann in in charge. Nicola travels in the guard's van with her merlin, Sprog. She speaks to a crying new girl, Esther Frewen, who is rude to her. At the last station before the school stop, Sprog's basket falls over and he flies away. Nicola runs out after him and finds him eating a sparrow. Back at the station she finds Esther Frewen, who got off the train in homesickness, and they walk the rest of the way to school. Esther's parents are divorced and she is missing her dog, Daks, terribly. When they arrive at Kingscote, Ann berates Nicola for running off.

Chapter 2 - Friends and enemies

Miss Redmond, the school Guide Captain, speaks to Nicola and Lawrie to tell them they can now rejoin Guides after their year's suspension. Nicola explains that they never intended to go back, which angers Miss Redmond. While Lawrie and Tim draw closer, Nicola and Miranda West become friends, sharing a mutual loathing for Lois Sanger. The cast list is put up for the Christmas play. Nicola is a Candle Angel and Lawrie is despondent to be 'Crowd' with Tim, when she wants to play the Shepherd Boy. Miranda, who is Jewish, is not in it at all.

Chapter 3 - Rehearsals and team practices

Nicola, Lawrie, Tim and Miranda are assigned to Lower IVA, along with Esther Frewen. Miss Keith announces that the Christmas play this year will be performed in the Minster. Dr. Herrick, the Minster organist, makes a lot of changes to the play, enlarges the choirs and makes Nicola one of the soloists. Lawrie is unhappy to be walking beside Nicola in the procession simply because they look alike. Meanwhile, the Junior Netball team is being decided. It is generally assumed that Nicola will be captain. Lois Sanger overhears Miranda teasing Nicola about 'your team' and is annoyed. That afternoon, Nicola is late for netball practice after giving a hawking demonstration to Miss Ferguson's class, and Lois won't let her explain.

Chapter 4 - Altogether unexpected

At her meeting with Miss Craven and Miss Redmond to decide the Junior Netball team. Lois gives an edited account of her recent dealings with Nicola. As a result, Nicola is left out of the team altogether. She is crushingly disappointed and everyone else is shocked and angry. The team lose their first two matches.

Chapter 5 - Half term at Trennels

The Marlows return home at half term to discover, to their dismay, that their grandmother is staying till New Year. Nicola rides back over to Wade Abbas with her friend Patrick to show him a carved falcon she noticed in the Minster during a play rehearsal. On the way home they talk about Patrick's Catholicism. Meanwhile Lawrie has a conversation with Grandmother (also Catholic) about the Nativity, resulting in inspiration about the part of the Shepherd Boy, which Lawrie is still desperate to play.

Chapter 6 - A change of cast

Although she cannot take part in the Christmas play as she is Jewish, Miranda enjoys watching rehearsals and gets to know the play quite well. Jess Geddes, who plays the Shepherd Boy, leaves school suddenly to move abroad with her family, and Nicola is given her part. Lawrie is devastated, and spends the night in the San after being sick, literally, with disappointment.

Chapter 7 - A change of team

Esther is terrified to discover she is now singing Nicola's solos in the play. Nicola doesn't enjoy rehearsing the part of the Shepherd Boy and Lawrie is miserable. It all comes to a head in an art lesson when Miranda and Tim have a row about Nick and Lawrie, the play and the netball team. A few days later, Lawrie falls and hurts her leg the day before the last junior netball match. She persuades Nicola to pretend to be her and play instead. Kingscote win the match and Lawrie hopes secretly that, having let Nick play in the team, she will somehow get to play the Shepherd Boy.

Chapter 8 - As it turned out

On the day of the play Esther has a letter from her mother saying they are moving to a flat and Daks will have to go to a new home. Esther is distraught, thinking he is going to be destroyed. Nicolas decides to buy Daks so he can come to school as Lawrie's pet, but before she can tell her, Esther runs away home. She won't be back in time to sing her solos. Nicola, Miranda, Tim and Lawrie take matters into their own hands. Nick can go back to singing solo, Lawrie can play the Shepherd Boy and Miranda can walk beside Nick in the procession. They don't tell Miss Kempe about Esther until the very last minute and, having no alternative, she is forced to agree to the girls' plan.

Chapter 9 - Right way round

The Marlow and Merrick families arrive at Wade Minster to watch the play. Patrick and Rowan sit together in the gallery and are surprised at the last minute cast changes and impressed by the performance, particularly Nicola's singing and Lawrie's acting of the Shepherd Boy.

Chapter 10 - And after

The Marlows and Merricks discuss the play, and the twins' possible futures in singing and acting. Daks is handed over to the Marlow household. Miranda and Nicola talk about the play and are extremely pleased with how it went. Miss Keith is less than pleased with the way the arrangements were made and asks to see Nicola, Lawrie, Miranda, Tim and Esther in her room on Monday morning. In the glorious aftermath of the play, however, Monday seems a long way off.