About the Book

  Oliver and Ruby have been besties forever . . .

  Oliver and Ruby love going to the beach – swimming in the surf, wading in the rockpools and eating ice-cream! And it gets EVEN BETTER when their funny friend Zac and the coolest girl in school turn up. But what if your bestie is having MORE FUN with someone else?

  Contents

  Cover

  About the Book

  Title Page

  Meet the Besties!

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  How to Bodysurf

  Kings of the Sandcastle!

  Ruby’s Song – Sunshiny Feelings

  The Besties’ Best Jokes!

  Meet the Sporty Kids!

  About Felice and Tom

  Collect All the Books in the Series!

  Imprint

  Read more at Penguin Books Australia

  ‘Here comes a huge wave!’ cried Ruby.

  ‘Let’s go in,’ said Oliver.

  Ruby and Oliver weren’t just neighbours and friends – they had been besties forever!

  Today Ruby’s mum had taken them to the beach. It was a beautiful sunny day.

  They’d been looking forward to going for a swim for ages.

  They waded into the surf to catch a wave.

  ‘Okay, get ready!’ Ruby shouted. ‘Because if we don’t catch this one the sea monsters will get us.’

  ‘Catch the wave or get eaten,’ Oliver shouted. ‘We have to outswim the monster!’

  ‘I just have to outswim you, Ollie.’ Ruby laughed. ‘It was nice knowing you!’

  ‘Oh, yeah?’ said Oliver. ‘Watch me go!’

  The sea rolled in and lifted the Besties upwards and toward the beach.

  ‘Yes!’ Ruby jumped to her feet. ‘We made it to safety!’

  But when she looked around, Oliver wasn’t there!

  Instead of Oliver, there was a terrible, slimy, stinky sea monster standing in the shallows.

  The monster stumbled towards her . . .

  ‘Get this seaweed off me!’ the monster yelled

  ‘Phew!’ said Ruby. ‘It’s only you.’ She helped Oliver pull the seaweed off him.

  ‘That was the best,’ she said. ‘Let’s do that again.’

  Oliver picked the last bit of slimy, stinky seaweed out of his hair.

  ‘But I want to explore the rock pools,’ he said.

  ‘Pleeeease,’ Ruby begged. ‘Just one more bodysurf?’

  ‘Hey, guys!’

  It was Zac and Isabella from school.

  They were in their swimmers too!

  ‘I love exploring rock pools!’ said Isabella. ‘Dad says he’ll take us if you want to come.’

  ‘Did you say bodysurfing, Ruby?’ said Zac. ‘Bodysurfing is the best! Let’s go!’

  Ruby and Oliver looked at each other.

  Ruby shrugged.

  ‘Okay, said Oliver.

  ‘See you later, Rubes.’

  ‘Let’s go and get those ocean beasts,’ yelled Zac, already charging into the surf.

  ‘Sea monsters, not ocean beasts.’ Ruby sighed.

  She watched Oliver walk off with Isabella.

  He had his notebook in his hand, and was laughing at something Isabella had said.

  Oliver looked back at Ruby. She was chasing Zac into the water.

  She looked like she was having fun.

  Oliver and Isabella stepped carefully over the uneven rocks.

  ‘I’m going to make a comic about whatever we find,’ Oliver said.

  ‘What for?’ Isabella asked.

  ‘Because I love drawing,’ Oliver said.

  ‘Look! A crab!’ Oliver said. ‘Crabs are so cool.’

  ‘Let’s chase it,’ said Isabella.

  ‘No!’ cried Oliver.

  Isabella shrugged. ‘Whatever!’ She jumped over to another rock pool.

  Oliver quickly sketched the crab, while keeping an eye on Isabella.

  ‘Look! A starfish!’ Isabella said, picking up a stick. ‘I’m going to poke it to see what it does!’

  ‘No!’ Oliver cried again. ‘Please don’t, Bella!’

  ‘Can I throw this jellyfish?’ asked Isabella.

  ‘No chasing! No poking! And definitely no throwing!’ said Oliver.

  ‘You’re no fun,’ said Isabella.

  Back in the surf, Ruby and Zac were waiting for the next big wave.

  Zac flicked some water at Ruby.

  ‘What if a killer great white shark swam up to us right now?’ he said.

  ‘Stop trying to freak me out,’ said Ruby, splashing him back.

  ‘It would eat you, and I’d be world famous,’ said Zac. ‘They’d call me Zac Attack!’

  ‘Why wouldn’t the shark eat you, Zac Attack?’ said Ruby.

  ‘Because I’d repel the shark with my super-secret shield of protection.’

  ‘Your what?’ Ruby said.

  Zac laughed. ‘My shield of protection!’ he said. ‘I’m deploying it right now. It’s a wee shield . . .’

  ‘EWWWWW!’ cried Ruby, swimming away from Zac as fast as she could.

  ‘Who wants ice-cream?’ said Ruby’s mum, waving at them from the beach.

  Ruby, Zac, Oliver and Isabella rushed over.

  ‘Here you go!’ said Isabella’s dad, handing them all some coins. ‘Can you see the ice-cream van over there?’

  ‘Race ya!’ shouted Isabella. She kicked off her flip-flops and took off across the sand.

  ‘I bet I can beat you all!’ cried Zac, running off too.

  ‘Do you want to race them?’ asked Oliver.

  ‘Do you?’ asked Ruby.

  Oliver shook his head.

  ‘Phew,’ said Ruby. ‘Hanging out with Zac and Isabella is fun, but it’s making me feel tired.’

  As they walked, Ruby made up a little song with some air-ukelele.

  ‘Sunshiny feelings are shining on me. Because I’m here, with you by the sea.’

  Oliver smiled.

  ‘Thanks, Rubes,’ he said.

  By the time the besties got to the ice-cream van, Zac was throwing bits of ice-cream cone to the seagulls.

  ‘See if you can catch one!’ he said to Ruby.

  ‘No, thanks,’ said Ruby.

  ‘Go on!’ said Zac. ‘Oliver, you try!’

  ‘Um, why?’ said Oliver.

  ‘Because it’s fun!’ yelled Isabella, charging at the seagulls. ‘Yaaaahhh!’

  Isabella and Zac were having the best time.

  It was chaos!

  They all went for a swim to wash off the bird poop.

  ‘Do you have another verse for your song, Rubes?’ asked Oliver.

  Ruby thought for a moment, then hummed a little intro.

  ‘Here at the beach, there’s so much to do, like swimming and dodging the seagull poo . . . but I’m glad that they’re Besties and I’ve got you.’

  ‘Me tooooooooo,’ sang Oliver.

  Step 1. Find a grown-up to take you to the beach and come into the water with you. You need to be a good swimmer to bodysurf!

  Step 2. Wade into water that’s no deeper than chest high. Stand in the white and foamy waves.

  Step 3. As a wave gets closer, turn your back to it and push off towards the beach.

  Step 4. Start swimming freestyle as fast as you can.

  Step 5. When you feel the wave lifting you, put your hands forward and stay as straight as you can.

  Step 6. Strike a ‘superman’ pose and see how long you can stay on the wave.

  Step 7. The more you practise, the more fun it is!

  Step 8. When you get better, you can try to catch waves before they break.

  Step 9. Surf’s up!

  Here are the chords I used to play this song on the uke:

  To hear this song and for all the lyrics, a full chord sheet and the strumming patterns go to TheBestiesWorld.com

  See you there!

  What do whales eat for dinner?

  Fish and ships!

  What’s the best day of the week to go to the beach?

  SUNday!

  Why do bananas put on sunscreen before they go to the beach?

  Because they might peel!

  What did the beach say to the people who came back for the summer?

  Long time no sea!

  What did the beach say to the surfer?

  Nothing. It just waved!

  If you loved meeting the besties you’ll love hanging out with the sporty kids . . .

  Felice and Tom have done so many books together that they’re practically besties! Felice is one of Australia’s best-loved children’s-book writers, but in his spare time he loves to sing and play the uke. Tom draws the most amazing comics and has done the pictures for heaps of award-winning and bestselling picture books. They BOTH love feeding the seagulls, though!

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  Penguin Random House Australia is part of the Penguin Random House group of companies whose addresses can be found at global.penguinrandomhouse.com.

  First published by Puffin Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House Australia Pty Ltd, in 2020

  Text copyright © Red Wolf Entertainment Pty Ltd, 2020

  Illustrations copyright © Tom Jellett, 2020

  The moral right of the author and illustra

tor has been asserted.

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, published, performed in public or communicated to the public in any form or by any means without prior written permission from Penguin Random House Australia Pty Ltd or its authorised licensees.

  OllieComics words and pictures © Tom Jellett, 2020

  Design by Tony Palmer © Penguin Random House Australia Pty Ltd

  ISBN 9781760147204

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