Maddie and the Ocean

This passage is about the first time Maddie sees the ocean.

Lexile Level: 610L

Categories: Animals & Nature Adventure

Maddie felt her heart pounding in her chest as she climbed up the small hill. It was all that separated her from the ocean. She could hear the waves crash into the beach and the water pull back. There was salt in the air, and she thought about how she liked the smell. Her friends at school had told her how they loved the ocean and what it looked like. But as she reached the top of the hill, she gasped. No one had prepared her for just how large the ocean was. Standing in front of it and seeing it stretch to the horizon made Maddie's head swim. To her left Maddie could see the pier. It reached into the ocean as far as it could. The water stretched beyond it. To her right she could see the gleam of a distant lighthouse. It looked as if it was in the middle of the water.