Freestyle with Avery Read online

  To: BSG

  From: Avery

  RE: Postcards

  Dudes:

  Friday night. Tower sleepover. You’ll get the whole Snurf-tastic 411, I promise!

  Shred on,

  Snurfette

  To be continued …

  Freestyle with Avery

  BOOK EXTRAS

  Trivialicious Trivia

  Avery’s Snurfworthy

  Shredding Glossary

  Good Golly, It’s Ollie!

  An Avery Madden Crazy

  Critters Exclusive

  Avery’s Avalanche of Craaazy

  Colorado Factoids

  Freestyle with Avery trivialicious trivia

  1. What’s the name of the snowboarding competition that Avery has been dreaming about for months?

  A. The Pow-Pow

  B. The Snurfer

  C. The Telluride Challenge

  D. The Boarder Boogie

  2. What charms are on the key ring Charlotte gives Avery?

  A. Basketball, dog bone, duckie pen

  B. Snowman, Eiffel Tower, doggy pen

  C. Snowboard, soccer ball, froggie pen

  D. Cowboy hat, half moon, kitty pen

  3. According to Avery, who makes the best burgers in Telluride?

  A. Andie

  B. Scott

  C. Her dad

  D. Robbie

  4. What is Donnie Keeler’s snurf-tastic nickname?

  A. The Silver Streak

  B. The Platinum Board

  C. The Golden Egg

  D. The Bronze Bacon

  5. What kind of bird is Ollie?

  A. A spotted owl

  B. A red-tailed hawk

  C. A bald eagle

  D. A crested hawk

  6. Who teaches Jason the basics of snowboarding?

  A. Avery

  B. Donnie Keeler

  C. Crazie Kazie

  D. Avery’s dad

  7. What funny image does Avery focus on to help her do an eggplant for the first time?

  A. Farkle on a pair of skis

  B. Her dad wearing his jester’s hat

  C. Marty on a snowboard

  D. Donnie Keeler eating a waffle mountain

  8. What nail-biting tale does Cowboy Jack tell at Legends and Lore?

  A. The Story of Cindy Sedona

  B. The Legend of Candy McDougal

  C. The Tale of Sandy MacPhee

  D. The Saga of Annie Canary

  9. What is Donnie Keeler’s dog named?

  A. Bud

  B. Thud

  C. Mud

  D. Crud

  10. What is Andie particularly bad at?

  A. Cooking

  B. Swimming

  C. Skiing

  D. Tying her shoes

  ANSWERS: 1. B. The Snurfer 2. C. Snowboard, soccer ball, froggie pen 3. D. Robbie 4. C. The Golden Egg 5. B. A Red-tailed Hawk 6. A. Avery 7. C. Marty on a snowboard 8. B. The Legend of Candy McDougal 9. D. Crud 10. A. Cooking

  Avery’s Snurfworthy

  Shredding Glossary

  Air-to-Fakie: (p. 42)–A trick in which the boarder takes off from the top of a snow wall, riding forward, and lands riding backward without turning around in the air.

  Alley-Oop: (p. 42)–Any maneuver in the halfpipe in which the boarder rotates 180 degrees or more in an uphill direction.

  Backside: (p. 125)–Riding turned to face up the hill; done on the toes.

  Blindsided: (p. 116)–When the boarder’s movements and visibility are limited or restrained.

  Blue Square: (p. 36)–A medium-difficulty slope to ski or board on.

  Bonking: (p. 40)–Hitting an object (like another snowboard) with your snowboard.

  Bunny Slope: (p. 108)–The super-easy hill where beginners can learn and practice.

  Butterflies: (p. 126)–A trick in which the boarder lifts up the front of her board while riding and goes in a circle.

  Chicken Salad Air: (p. 6)–A trick in which the boarder’s rear hand reaches between the legs and grabs the heel edge between the bindings, keeping the front leg straight.

  Crippler: (p. 40)–A sweet trick in which the boarder rides forward up the halfpipe wall, becomes airborne, rotates 90 degrees, flips over, rotates another 90 degrees, and lands riding forward.

  Crud: (p. 98)–Varied, inconsistent, slushy, or icy snow; snow that’s not sweet to ride.

  Dice: (p. 121)–What you say when someone smoothly nails a complicated trick.

  Digger: (p. 65)–When a boarder takes a really bad wipeout and is injured. It’s called “digger” because of the body digging into the ground.

  Double Black Diamond: (p. 38)–One of the most difficult and dangerous slopes to ski or board on, appropriate only for really advanced skiers or boarders.

  Effective Edge: (p. 173)–The length of metal edge on the snowboard that touches the snow.

  Eggplant: (p. 124)–A one-handed, 180-degree invert, in which you turn in the air and put your front hand on the lip of the halfpipe wall.

  Fakie: (p. 42)–A term for riding backward.

  Faceplant: (p. 123)–To fall with your face flat in the snow.

  Frontside: (p. 126)–Riding turned to face down the hill; a frontside turn is done on your heels.

  Garage Sale: (p. 123)–Messing up a trick on the pipe and falling on your face.

  Glading: (p. 61)–Riding through the trees.

  Gnarly: (p. 123)–Sweet. Just plain-old sweet.

  Goofy-Footed: (p. 54)–Riding on a snowboard with the right foot in the forward position.

  Grab: (p. 44)–Grabbing your snowboard with one or both hands.

  Green Circle: (p. 109)–An easy slope to ski or board on; good for grommets.

  Grommet: (p. 34)–A small, young snowboarder.

  Halfpipe: (p. 42)–A snow structure built for freestyle snowboarding in which boarders can catch air and perform tricks by riding back and forth from wall to wall.

  Hammer: (p. 120)–To ride as hard as possible.

  Handplant: (p. 126)–A halfpipe trick in which the rider does a handstand on one or both hands.

  Hardcore: (p. 121)–Sweet, awesome, challenging; especially when referring to a trick.

  Ho-Ho: (p. 50)–A two-handed hand plant.

  Hucker: (p. 120)–A boarder who throws herself wildly through the air and does not land on her feet.

  Indy: (p. 126)–A grab of the toe edge with the back hand.

  Knee Rocket: (p. 116)–A little kid who skis and doesn’t know how to stop.

  Backside air: (p. 120)–For this trick the boarder goes off a jump and twists 540 degrees (one and a half circles) in the air.

  McTwist: (p. 120)–A trick in which the athlete approaches the halfpipe wall riding forward, goes airborne, rotates a backside 540 air, and lands riding forward. This trick was named after its inventor, skateboarder Mike McGill.

  Melon: (p. 126)–A grab of the heel edge with the front hand with both legs bent evenly.

  Method: (p. 126)–A grab of the heel edge with the front hand, bending both knees and pulling the board to head level.

  Mute: (p. 126)–A grab of the toe edge with the front hand.

  Nose: (p. 42)–The front tip of the snowboard.

  Ollie: (p. 33)–A trick used to get air without jumping by lifting the front foot, then raising the rear foot and springing off the snowboard tail.

  Pop Tart: (p. 121)–Airing from fakie to forward in the pipe with no rotation.

  Roast Beef: (p. 126)–A trick in which the rider reaches between the legs, grabs the heel edge between the bindings, and holds the rear leg rigidly straight.

  Rodeo Flip: (p. 151)–An invert done riding fakie or forward in which the rider rotates frontside or backside while flipping.

  Rolling down the windows: (p. 122)–A boarder’s attempt to stop herself from losing her balance in the pipe by waving her arms wildly.

  Shred Betty: (p. 55)–An awesome female boarder.

  Stalefish: (p. 126)–A grab of the heel
edge with the back hand.

  Sick: (p. 40)–Anything awesome in the snowboarding universe.

  Slob Air: (p. 42)–Grabbing the nose of the snowboard.

  Snurfer: (p. 3)–The first snowboard invented by Sherman Poppen in 1965. Poppen got the idea on Christmas day when his daughter wanted to sled standing up. He ran inside, bound two skis together, and tied a string to the nose so the rider could have control. Poppen’s wife thought of the name “Snurfer” as a combination of “snow” and “surf.” Soon everyone in the neighborhood wanted a Snurfer, and in the 1970s Poppen held the first Snurfer Competition.

  Tail: (p. 114)–Rear of the snowboard.

  Tuck: (p. 37)–A position in which the boarder crouches with her knees bent to achieve less wind resistance.

  Wet Cat: (p. 121)–A midair flip with one hand on the lip of the pipe, rotating forward 90 degrees and landing riding backwards.

  Glossary courtesy of Telluride Ski Resort.

  www.TellurideSkiResort.com

  Good Golly, It’s Ollie!

  An Avery Madden Crazy Critters Exclusive

  When you hear the word “raptor,” do you think of a small, toothy dinosaur? Well, those raptors have been extinct for about, oh, eighty million years or so, but plenty of raptors are still making a squawk today! Yup, many of today’s predatory birds are called raptors too. Today we’ll be talking to a very special member of this meat-loving bunch: my friend Ollie the red-tailed hawk.

  Avery Madden:

  So, Ollie. Do you feel at all nervous about your upcoming release into the wild?

  Ollie Hawk:

  Puh-lease! We hawks were born to be wild. Even if we’ve gotten used to falconry, we can revert to a semiwild state with only a little help from our human friends.

  AM:

  Wait a minute. I thought you were a red-tailed hawk! What exactly is this falcon stuff?

  OH:

  Well, falcons and hawks are both raptors, but it’s true—we’re not the same. And falconry isn’t just about falcons. It’s actually the practice of training any bird of prey to hunt or pursue game.

  AM:

  Cooool. So birds can be trained to hunt food for people? That’s generous of you guys.

  OH:

  Whoa, there’s been a misunderstanding. I expect to be paid for my services. I may be a bird, but I’m still an entrepreneur. The falconer trades me a piece of ready-to-eat meat for the fresh game I catch. I have a serious weakness for fast food.

  AM:

  Whatever floats your feathers, Ollie. Hey, speaking of feathers, I noticed your tail doesn’t have the famous red-tailed hawk rusty red color. What’s up with that?

  OH:

  Simple. Adults’ tails are rusty red, and I’m not fully grown yet. Look into my eyes if you don’t believe me.

  AM:

  That’s okay … I believe you.

  OH:

  No, seriously. See the yellow in the irises of my eyes? That means I’m not completely mature yet.

  AM:

  So I take it there’s no special someone in your life right now?

  OH:

  We hawks usually wait to date until after we shed our baby feathers–you know, to make sure we’re looking our snazziest.

  AM:

  And when you do settle down …?

  OH:

  I just want the same as any other red-blooded American: a tree in a nice neighborhood, three eggs, and a cozy nest.

  AM:

  Flap happy, Ollie!

  Avery’s Avalanche of

  Craaazy Colorado Factoids

  “This is a stick-up!”

  The famous western bandit Butch Cassidy committed his first bank robbery in Telluride, Colorado, in 1889, getting away with more than twenty thousand dollars!

  It’s a red state?

  In Spanish, Colorado means “reddish-colored,” a name originally given to the reddish-looking Colorado River that runs through the state. When the state’s Capitol building was constructed in the 1890s and early 1900s, builders used a rare marble called Beulah Red to honor their namesake color. But they might have gone a teensy bit overboard, using up all the Beulah Red Marble in the world during construction! Bet they were pretty red-faced after that.

  The City of Lights

  Think you know where the “City of Lights” is located? Think again! Although Paris, France, is often called the “City of Lights” today, Telluride, Colorado, was given the distinctive title back in 1892 when it became the first city ever to have electric street lights. Ooh la la!

  How spooky is this?

  Mining booms in the late 1800s brought tons of people to Colorado towns (like Telluride) to harvest the natural resources, including silver, uranium, radium, and gold. But when people discovered richer sources in other parts of the world, most of those settlers skedaddled just as quickly as they arrived, leaving almost as many ghost towns in the state (about 500) as live ones (650)!

  You go, girls!

  Colorado may be famous for its cowboys, but it’s also seen some pretty exceptional cow girls. Katharine Lee Bates wrote the lyrics to “America the Beautiful” after being inspired by the view from Pikes Peak in Colorado.

  He loves me, he loves me not …

  Hundreds of thousands of valentines are mailed each year from Loveland, Colorado, through the town’s Valentine Remailing Program. People from all over the country send in pre-addressed valentines, and local volunteers spend hours carefully marking each valentine with a special Loveland stamp. You can be sure that when these Loveland-labeled love letters reach their recipients, they’re a real special delivery!

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  BEACON STREET GIRLS

  Special Adventure

  Katani’s Jamaican Holiday

  A lost necklace and a plot to sabotage her family’s

  business threaten to turn Katani’s dream beach

  vacation in Jamaica into stormy weather!

  CHAPTER 1

  An Important Letter

  My dear Ruby,

  I know it has been a long time since I have written. I do hope you and the family are well. In your letters to me over the years you have always expressed a desire to visit Jamaica, the home of your mother’s birth, and I would so love to see you before the days run out.

  My bakery is doing well. Though it is small, it keeps body and soul together. I bake a very tasty banana bread—nice and moist and flavorful. Truth is I can’t produce enough to fill the demand. Everybody loves Nana’s Banana Bliss.

  Well, for some time I have been putting off some surgery, but can’t do so any longer. On the 15th I will be going into the hospital. Now don’t worry. It’s just something I need to take care of. But I will have to close the bakery because the young girl who’s there just can’t manage on her own. The rest of the family can’t really help out. I couldn’t bring in a stranger. But I really don’t want to close it and lose my customers or my growing momentum.

  Another bakery has been trying to cut me out of the business. You see, there’s a man, Mr. Biggs, who owns this bakery, and he has offered to buy me out. He only wants to use my famous name, Nana’s Banana Bliss, to sell his cheaper, not better, banana bread. I’ve made it known that I am not selling to that man, so he has been trying every which way to steal my customers and force me out of business. What do you think of someone who would do such a thing to an old woman like me? If I close the bakery, even for a week, I’m afraid it will give him just the opportunity he needs to destroy our business.

  I know you are a busy person. We are so proud of you, Principal Ruby, but my dear, we need your help desperately. Do you think you could get some time off, even just a week, while I have surgery, to come and supervise the bakery for me? I would be really very grateful, and as I said, it would be very nice to finally meet you. And if you like, please bring one of your granddaughters along. Jamaica is such a beautiful place to visit, and it is the home of your ancestors.

  I am,

  Your loving aunt
<
br />   Faith

  Grandma Ruby finished reading, took off her glasses, and set them down on our kitchen table with a little sigh. When she looked up at me she had a faraway look in her eyes. I glanced at the letter with the Jamaican stamp she was holding and wondered if anything was wrong. But before I could say anything, Grandma cocked her head to one side and asked, “Katani, how would you like to go with me to Jamaica?”

  Hello! Visions of beautiful beaches, palm trees, and pineapple drinks with little umbrellas began swirling through my brain.

  Collect all the BSG books today!