My best friend Sophie had got four kittens called Sporty, Scary, Baby and Posh. My second-best friend Laura has a golden Labrador dog called Dustbin. My sort-of-boyfriend Aaron has got a dog too, a black mongrel called Liquorice Allsorts, though he gets called Licky for short. My worst enemy Moyr...
The wind blew hard and the sky was almost black. Rebecca was getting very wet. Her dress was soaking and the Ariel ointment was beginning to bubble. ‘I think that’s enough rain for now, Glubbslyme,’ she whispered into the shopping bag. Glubbslyme sighed. ‘I summon forth a squally tempest but befo...
‘Ssh!’ said Raj. ‘Let’s listen.’ We sat still, not moving. We heard nothing. I hiccupped miserably. ‘For God’s sake, you sound like a chicken,’ said Andy, imitating me. ‘I wonder what they’re up to?’ said Raj. He started kissing his own hand, making gross slurping noises. ‘Oh, Carl, you’re dead s...
I was a total book-a-day girl, the most frequent borrower from Kingston Public Library. I think I spent half my childhood in the library. It meant so much to me to borrow books every week. It gives me such joy now to know that I’m currently the most borrowed author in British libraries. In those ...
I kept telling and telling Dad. But he wouldn’t listen to me. He never does. ‘I like the sound of this adventure holiday for children,’ said Dad, pointing to the advert in the paper. ‘Abseiling, canoeing, archery, mountain biking . . .’ ‘Sounds a bit dangerous to me,’ said Mum. I didn’t say anyth...
I didn’t dare lurk in my room. I didn’t want him thudding up the stairs and bursting into my bedroom. If he saw my broken mirror he’d explode. I went downstairs, ducking my head, fiddling with my hair, so scared of what Dad might say to me this time. But he was in one of his determinedly jolly mo...
Well, ha ha. There’s no rest as far as I’m concerned. Baby Freddie wakes up screaming just the same as always and I have to crawl out of my warm bed and change his napkins and give him his bottle, and by the time he’s settled Louisa comes trailing in clutching her doll and Victor leaps up and sta...
You’ve been gone such ages!’ said Rochelle. ‘I thought you weren’t ever coming back. And it’s getting dark and what are we going to do?’ ‘Candles!’ I said, jiggling them at her. ‘From my friend Mary’s mum.’ I shivered. I hadn’t told Jude about the slap or the crying. It seemed too private and sha...
She sat up and her head bumped against the ceiling! Her bed was so tiny she had to cram her knees right up under her chin. Her bedroom had shrunk in the night. No. Even stranger . . . Dinah had grown. She had grown and grown ...
said Chloe. “We’re all in the kitchen. I suppose you’d better come too.” Chloe’s kitchen was amazingly big and posh and shiny with all sorts of cupboards and ovens and machines. Chloe’s mum was as shiny as her kitchen. She wore a white glittery top and white satin trousers, with a little pink-and...
I didn't read teenage books: there were no such things in those days. Well, there was a small shelf in the library labelled TEENAGE BOOKS, but they were dull-as-ditchwater career books with ridiculous titles like Donald is a Dentist and Vera is a Vet. Donald and Vera were barely characterized and...
My fairy godmother has been working overtime! She made it come true. I spent the whole weekend with my mum and it was WONDERFUL and she says she wants me to go and live with her for ever and ever and ever, just as soon as Elaine gets it all sorted out officially. Elaine didn’t think my mum would ...
I peer in the window, looking at all the people eating their pizzas. I can’t see anyone on their own. No woman looking out the window, waiting for me. I walked past, down the alleyway. She’s not here. I don’t know why I’m cry...
I woke up very very early and sat up as slowly as I could, trying not to shake the bed. I didn’t want to wake Vita or Maxie. I wanted to have this moment all to myself. I wriggled down to the end of the bed, carefully edging round Vita. She always curled up like a little monkey, knees right under...
Jem bravely tried creeping round the back of the tent to see if he had strayed there. One of the circus men shouted at him, raising his fists in threat. 'Please, sir, I mean no harm. I'm looking for my little brother. He's lost!' said Jem. 'There ain't no little brother here. Now make yourself sc...
‘It’s not that big a deal,’ said Dad. ‘It’s just a chair in a little balcony, for God’s sake.’ He yawned and stirred his cornflakes. ‘I’m sick of this mushy stuff. Why can’t we have a decent cooked breakfast, a bit of egg and bacon and sausage?’ ‘You know why. You’re the one with high cholesterol...