Tara Binns: Deep-sea Explorer

Emerald Band 15

Tara Binns

Tara Binns

Deep-sea Explorer

Deep-sea Explorer

TARA BINNS DEEP-SEA EXPLORER

Earthquakes … a giant squid … freezing darkness … What else puts deep-sea explorer Tara Binns under pressure on her trip to the very bottom of the ocean?

WISE

This book has been endorsed by The WISE Campaign.

collins.co.uk/collinsbigcat

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An adventure story

Lisa Rajan

Alessia Trunfio 21/10/2021 17:23

Tara Binns Deep-sea Explorer

Written by Lisa Rajan Illustrated by Alessia Trunfio

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Chapter 1 Tara Binns climbed up the ladder to the attic and pushed open the hatch. She scrambled up onto the dusty floorboards and crawled over to the old costume box.

She smiled to herself. Opening the box was like opening the door to a world of adventure.

The box was full of uniforms, hats and shoes. It gave her a costume to wear and a job to do. She had worn helmets, goggles, overalls and flippers. She had been an engineer, an astronaut, a scientist and a pilot.

She pushed open the heavy lid.

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It made her hand tingle. The tingling spread up her arm and around her whole body. She felt herself tumbling … spinning … away from the attic … through space and time.

She squeezed her eyes tight shut and wondered …

What will I be today?

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Chapter 2

When Tara opened her eyes, she could see all the way to the horizon. There was nothing but gently swelling waves in every direction. Tara breathed in the salty sea air. She was on a ship, out in the middle of the ocean.

Am I a sailor? wondered Tara. She checked out what she was wearing. A thick woolly jumper, body warmer, warm top, thermal vest, tights, fleecy trousers, two pairs of socks and a woolly hat … she seemed to have a lot of warm clothes on but they weren’t waterproof.

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“Tara! Over here!” shouted a girl, climbing into a big yellow vehicle on the deck.

Tara walked over. “Wow! What is that? It looks like something out of a theme park.”

“It’s a submersible,” the girl smiled. “It will take you on a wild underwater ride though!”

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“I’m Ayesha and this is Ortez,” said the girl.

“We’re oceanographers and deep-sea explorers.

Climb aboard!”

Tara’s jaw dropped. “Me? I thought I was a sailor, not a diver. I haven’t got a wetsuit.”

“You won’t get wet where we’re going,” smiled Ortez.

“But you will get cold. That’s why you have all those warm clothes. The sub takes us to the bottom of the ocean.”

Tara gulped. “Sounds exciting! But is it safe?”

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“Completely safe,” said Ayesha confidently.

“The VanDover-1 is built from the strongest resin, and the bubble-shaped window helps it withstand the huge pressure caused by the weight of the ocean water above us.”

“These are the spotlights … those are the mechanical arms … the claws, vacuum, traps, motors, cameras – ” said Ortez, pointing everything out to Tara.

“What’s that?” asked Tara.

“That’s the ladder,” laughed Ortez. “Up you go!”

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Emerald Band 15

Tara Binns

Tara Binns

Deep-sea Explorer

Deep-sea Explorer

TARA BINNS DEEP-SEA EXPLORER

Earthquakes … a giant squid … freezing darkness … What else puts deep-sea explorer Tara Binns under pressure on her trip to the very bottom of the ocean?

WISE

This book has been endorsed by The WISE Campaign.

collins.co.uk/collinsbigcat

87249_Cover.indd 1

An adventure story

Lisa Rajan

Alessia Trunfio 21/10/2021 17:23