Deep Secret: Reading Adventure & Quiz

Grace and Madeleine's mother had sent them to find wood for the fire. As they climbed up towards the forest the long grass was still very wet underfoot, spongy and slippery. It felt like a puppy they could not get rid of, who kept sniffing at their feet and slowing them down.

'This is fun,' Grace said. Madeleine pulled a face and tipped up her foot to show that the sole of her boot was leaking. Grace pouted in sympathy. They arrived at the forest. They collected some wood, and were about to split it between them and stagger down with it when they saw Colin coming. He had his head down, pretending not to see them.

Grace and Madeleine didn't have to say anything. They just looked at each other.

Shall we tease him or be nice?

Tease first, then nice.

That's what I thought.

"spongy and slippery": The grass is so soaked with rain that it feels soft and squelchy underfoot, like stepping on a wet sponge. This tells us it has been raining heavily.
"It felt like a puppy they could not get rid of": This is an extended simile — a comparison that keeps going. The wet grass is compared to a playful puppy that won't leave them alone: 'sniffing at their feet' (the grass brushing their ankles) and 'slowing them down' (hard to walk through). It makes the grass seem alive and annoying, but in a cute, harmless way.
"pouted in sympathy": Grace pushes out her lips in a sad expression to show she feels sorry for Madeleine's leaky boot. This tells us the twins are close and care about each other.
"pretending not to see them": Colin has his head down and acts as if he hasn't noticed the twins. This suggests he is shy or self-conscious around them — perhaps he likes one of them and feels awkward.
The italicised thoughts: The twins communicate without speaking — they just look at each other and know what the other is thinking. This shows their incredibly close bond as identical twins. The writer uses italics to show us their silent, shared thoughts.

Spongy: Soft and full of water, like a sponge — squashy when you step on it. The ground was spongy after the storm, and my shoes sank into the mud.
Pouted: Pushed out the lips to show displeasure or sympathy — a sad, sulky face. She pouted when told she couldn't have ice cream.
Stagger: To walk unsteadily, swaying from side to side, usually because you're carrying something heavy. He staggered down the hill under the weight of his backpack.

1. What had Grace and Madeleine's mother sent them to do?

2. The wet grass is compared to a puppy. Which of these is NOT something this comparison tells us about the grass?

3. Why does Grace say 'This is fun' when walking through wet grass?

4. Why do the twins not have to say anything to each other when they see Colin?

Madeleine waved to Colin. 'If you can catch us, I'll give you something nice!' she shouted. Grace giggled. 'And if you can't, you can carry all the firewood down!'

'I'll catch you both, then,' Colin laughed. He ran towards them, hopping from side to side to stop them in their tracks as they danced away from him.

'Which of us do you want, Colin?' Madeleine teased him. 'Me or Madeleine?' And Grace echoed, 'Me or Grace? Or me and Madeleine?'

'Or Madeleine?' Madeleine chanted, and gave him her special smile, sure that this time he would know one from the other of them and say her name out loud.

'But you'll have to catch her first,' said Grace, dancing back and round him in that elfin way of hers, which Madeleine copied immediately. Colin laughed out loud, pretending to ignore Grace, and then when he turned towards her he caught her red ribbon. She twisted out of his reach and ran, head back, so her hair streamed. He grasped out for her again and Madeleine ran between them, letting her own hair loose, so her blue ribbon floated away and tangled with Grace's red one.

'Maddy? Is it you? It is, isn't it? Got you this time!' Colin laughed. Madeleine lingered just for a moment, letting him nearly catch her; his arm just trailed across her shoulder and then she skipped away too. And the chase was on, that never should have been on. First it was Grace and then it was Madeleine, and Colin still darting after them, zigzagging from the one to the other, the three stumbling and giggling as they hurtled down the slope and on to the track to the river.

"Me or Madeleine?" / "Me or Grace?": The twins deliberately confuse Colin by each pretending to be the other. Since they're identical, he can't tell who is who. This is their 'teasing' — they enjoy having this power over him. Notice how the names swirl around until even the reader might feel confused!
"her special smile, sure that this time he would know one from the other": Madeleine secretly WANTS Colin to recognise her. Despite the teasing, she hopes he'll see past their identical appearance and know which twin she really is. This hints that Madeleine has special feelings for Colin.
"dancing back and round him in that elfin way": 'Elfin' means small, delicate, and quick — like an elf. Grace moves in a playful, light-footed, almost magical way. And Madeleine copies it immediately, showing how in sync the twins are.
"her blue ribbon floated away and tangled with Grace's red one": The ribbons are the ONLY way to tell the twins apart. When they tangle and fall, the twins become truly indistinguishable. This is playful now, but it will become very important later.
"the chase was on, that never should have been on": This is foreshadowing — the writer is warning us that something bad is going to happen because of this chase. The phrase 'never should have been on' creates a sudden shift from fun to dread.

Elfin: Small, delicate, and quick — like a mischievous fairy or elf. She had an elfin face with pointed features and sparkling eyes.
Lingered: Stayed somewhere a little longer than necessary, not wanting to leave. He lingered at the school gate, hoping to see his friend.
Darting: Moving quickly and suddenly in a particular direction — like a dart being thrown. The fish kept darting between the rocks.
Zigzagging: Moving in a line that keeps changing direction sharply from left to right, like a Z shape. The rabbit went zigzagging across the field to escape the fox.
Hurtled: Moved extremely fast in an uncontrolled way — rushing so fast you might not be able to stop. The shopping trolley hurtled down the car park slope.

5. What advantage do Grace and Madeleine have over Colin when teasing him?

6. Why does Madeleine give Colin 'her special smile'?

7. Why do Grace and Madeleine wear different coloured ribbons?

8. What does the phrase 'the chase was on, that never should have been on' tell us?

Grace ran ahead and Colin was nearly with her, heading for the river. When she reached the bank of the river, she turned and shouted to Colin, 'You can't catch me!' But the bank was wet from the rain, and she lost her footing. The river was deep and the current was fast. As she landed in the water, Colin felt as if he had been kicked in the stomach. If it's Madeleine, she can swim, he thought, if it's Grace she can't.

What happened next changed all their lives forever.

"You can't catch me!": Grace shouts this triumphantly, still treating the situation as a game. She doesn't realise the danger of running near a wet riverbank. These become deeply ironic last words before the accident.
"she lost her footing": The wet bank — caused by the same rain that made the grass 'spongy' at the start — makes her slip and fall into the river. The dangerous conditions were there from the very beginning.
"Colin felt as if he had been kicked in the stomach": This is a simile describing the sickening shock Colin feels. It's not physical pain — it's the sudden, horrible realisation of what has happened. His fun game has turned into a potential tragedy.
"If it's Madeleine, she can swim... if it's Grace she can't": Because the twins look identical and their ribbons came off during the chase, Colin doesn't know WHO fell in. This is dramatic irony — WE know it's Grace (the writer told us), but Colin doesn't. And Grace is the one who CANNOT swim. The twins' teasing game has had terrible consequences.
"What happened next changed all their lives forever": The final line is a cliffhanger — the writer ends just at the moment of crisis, leaving us desperate to read on. It also tells us this is not just a scare — it will have permanent effects on all three characters.

Footing: A secure grip with your feet on the ground — losing your footing means slipping. Be careful on the icy path or you'll lose your footing.
Current: The steady flow of water in a river in one direction. A fast current is dangerous because it can sweep you away. The current was so strong that even experienced swimmers avoided the river.

9. Why did Colin feel 'as if he had been kicked in the stomach'?

10. Why is Colin's thought — 'If it's Madeleine, she can swim; if it's Grace she can't' — so important?

11. Which two words from this list best describe Grace and Madeleine throughout the passage? Cautious / Kind / Close / Mischievous / Shy

12. How does the writer create tension throughout the passage, building from fun to danger?

Reading: Deep Secret

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