Chapter 1

Standing on the ledge of the mountain, Amber knew what she had to do. She took a deep breath, jumped off the mountain, and went flying into the air, landing straight in a-

"Betty! You have to put your book away. It's bedtime," Betty's mom called from downstairs.

"Mom, I'm at a really good part! Just a few more minutes, please? Amber just jumped off a mountain, and who knows where she's going to land!" Betty pleaded.

Betty's mom strode into the room, took the book away, and set it firmly on the dresser beside her as an answer to Betty's question.

If it wasn't clear before, Betty loved reading, and her favorite books were adventure stories. All the action, all the excitement-every moment was a new journey. Betty dreamed of the day she might go on an expedition, just like the characters in her books. However, unlike those heroes and heroines, who were always saving the world, Betty had a boring life (or so she felt). The characters in the book she was reading, Amber the Brave, faced risks on every page. Why couldn't her life be the same?

Betty had gotten hooked on Amber, the heroine of Amber the Brave, the day she had seen the display in the bookstore. In big red letters it had said "Want Adventure? Get the First Book in The Greatest Adventure Series in History!" When she read that, Betty had heard trumpets blaring and people clapping, and she knew she just had to read the book.

But even Betty knew that when her mom made her put her book aside it was really time for bed. Her mom kissed her good night, flicked off the lights, and padded back down the stairs. Meanwhile, Betty was wide awake in the dark room. It was hard to fall asleep when such a tempting book lay next to her, mere inches away. Betty twirled her dark brown hair around her finger. It was already tangled, and Betty knew she shouldn't be making it worse, but it was a habit of hers that was hard to break. Besides, she was trying to keep her mind off the book. It wasn't working. She slipped her finger out of her curl and touched her new dangly green earrings. She'd forgotten to take them out before going to bed. They tugged a bit on her ears, but that was okay. Even though Betty was only nine years old, she already contemplated how she should dress and what each piece of clothing or accessory said about her.

Betty sighed and stood up to look in the mirror. The room was dark, but she could still see her reflection. She carefully removed her dangly earrings so they wouldn't get tangled in her hair while she slept. Then she gave her reflection a smile. She would need glasses soon-having her nose buried in a book wasn't the best for her eyes-but for the time being, Betty enjoyed looking at her hazel eyes and making different faces, as if she were posing for a camera. This time, her eyes widened and she scrunched up her nose and pursed her lips, looking angry. As she continued to look in the mirror, Betty realized her fair skin was a little tan, and summer vacation hadn't even started.

Betty sat down on her bed. She wasn't sleepy. Her mom was gone. The book was there...

She had never read under the covers before, which was a surprise even to her. She'd read about people doing it, but then something horrible would happen to them the same night. That's one big reason why Betty had never wanted to take chances by reading a book at night, with only a small light for company. However, today she felt she could-she had to. The book was good, really good, and Betty just couldn't wait till tomorrow to read it. She needed a penlight.

Slipping off her bed, Betty went outside into the hall. The double doors of her parents' room were closed. Were they watching a movie? Already sleeping? It didn't matter. She was on a mission.

Shh! Shh! Betty reminded herself, as she went down the hardwood stairs, making her way to the kitchen. She was sure she was making as much noise as an elephant stampede, and she prayed her parents wouldn't hear her.

Betty tried to recall if she had seen a penlight in the junk drawer-which was exactly what it sounded like: a drawer full of odds and ends that had slowly built up after three or four years. It was rarely cleaned-the job was too scary. The drawer always held lots of papers, pencils, pens, cords, locks, expired coupons, and, Betty thought to herself, the occasional penlight.

"Betty, what are you doing? You're supposed to be in bed. You do still have one more day of school, you know."

Betty froze. Her mom and dad stood in front of her in the kitchen. She didn't know what they were doing down here, but either way, Betty couldn't get the penlight now. She would have to do some fast thinking. Her eyes darted to the water dispenser.

"Cup of water," she said. "My mouth felt dry."

With her parents watching her, Betty grabbed a glass and poured some cold water from the dispenser. The trickle of water was the only sound in the room, and Betty felt nervous. She had been caught. Bye-bye penlight!

"Mmm...Delicious!" Betty said as she gulped the water down.

Her mom eyed her suspiciously and her dad raised an eyebrow. Betty tried to hide her guilty expression.

"Back to bed!"

And with that, Betty trudged upstairs.

Trying to get a penlight and failing had been the most exciting thing that had happened to Betty all day. And, if you asked her, that was pretty sad.

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Excerpted from Adventure of a Lifetime by Ravina Thakkar
All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.