The Monster Story-Teller Read online

  It was an ordinary flower-patterned saucer. But today it had grown wings.

  "Of course!" said Natalie. "It's a flying saucer!"

  She went to have a closer look.

  There was a little creature standing in the saucer.

  Was it an ant?

  "A flying ant!" Natalie giggled.

  It wasn't an ant.

  It was a very, very, very tiny monster.

  Also available by Jacqueline Wilson Published in Corgi Pups, for beginner readers: T H E DINOSAUR'S PACKED L U N C H

  T H E MONSTER STORY-TELLER

  Published in Young Corgi, for newly confident readers: LIZZIE Z I P M O U T H

  SLEEPOVERS

  Available from Doubleday/Corgi Yearling Books: BAD GIRLS

  T H E BED 8c BREAKFAST STAR

  BEST FRIENDS

  BURIED ALIVE!

  CANDYFLOSS

  T H E CAT MUMMY

  CLEAN BREAK

  CLIFFHANGER

  T H E DARE GAME

  T H E D I A M O N D GIRLS

  DOUBLE ACT

  DOUBLE ACT (PLAY EDITION)

  GLUBBSLYME

  T H E ILLUSTRATED M U M

  JACKY DAYDREAM

  T H E LOTTIE PROJECT

  M I D N I G H T

  T H E M U M - M I N D E R

  SECRETS

  STARRING TRACY BEAKER

  T H E STORY OF TRACY BEAKER

  T H E SUITCASE KID

  VICKY ANGEL

  T H E WORRY WEBSITE

  Join the official Jacqueline Wilson fan club at

  www.jacquelinewilson.co.uk

  Illustrated by Nick Sharratt

  This eBook is copyright material and must not be copied, reproduced, transferred, distributed, leased, licensed or publicly performed or used in any way except as specifically permitted in writing by the publishers, as allowed under the terms and conditions under which it was purchased or as strictly permitted by applicable copyright law. Any unauthorised distribution or use of this text may be a direct infringement of the author’s and publisher’s rights and those responsible may be liable in law accordingly.

  Adobe ISBN: 9781407043456

  Version 1.0

  www.randomhouse.co.uk

  THE MONSTER STORY-TELLER

  A CORGI PUPS BOOK 978 0 552 55787 0

  First published in Great Britain by Doubleday, an imprint of Random House Children's Books A Random House Group Company

  Doubleday edition published 1997

  First Corgi Pups edition published 1997

  This Corgi Pups edition published 2008

  1 3 5 7 9 1 0 8 6 4 2

  Text copyright © Jacqueline Wilson, 1997

  Illustrations copyright © Nick Sharratt, 1997

  The right of Jacqueline Wilson to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publishers.

  The Random House Group Limited makes every effort to ensure that the papers used in its books are made from trees that have been legally sourced from well-managed and credibly certified forests.

  Our paper procurement policy can be found at: www.randomhouse.co.uk/paper.htm

  Set in 19/23 Bembo Infant

  Young Corgi Books are published by Random House Children's Books, 61-63 Uxbridge Road, London W5 5SA

  www. kidsatrandomhouse.co.uk

  www. rbooks.co.uk

  Addresses for companies within The Random House Group Limited can be found at:

  www.randomhouse.co.uk/offices.htm

  THE RANDOM HOUSE GROUP Limited Reg. No. 954009

  A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

  Printed in the UK by CPI Bookmarque, Croydon, CR0 4TD

  For Sean William MacLahlan

  C O N T E N T S

  Chapter One 1

  Chapter Two 14

  Chapter Three 30

  Chapter Four 53

  Series Reading Consultant: Prue Goodwin Reading and Language Information Centre, University of Reading

  Chapter One

  Natalie was fed up.

  The class were doing a project

  on flying.

  She had made a big bird but

  his wings went wonky. He

  wouldn't fly.

  Natalie talked to her friends.

  "What did you do on

  Saturday?" Natalie asked.

  1

  "I went swimming," said Clare.

  "I went to McDonald's," said Zoe.

  "I went to the football match,"

  said Lee.

  "I went shopping with my

  n a n , " said Clive. "She gave me five pounds. And she bought me

  chocolates. Y u m yum."

  " D o you want to hear what I did on Saturday?" said Natalie.

  "First I went swimming a n d there were real dolphins in the pool

  and they gave me a ride. Then I

  went to McDonald's and I had

  twenty Big Macs and twenty

  strawberry milk shakes. And then

  I went to this football match and

  I was the mascot and I scored a

  goal a n d everyone cheered. And

  then I went shopping with my

  nan and she gave me fifty pounds

  and lots and lots and lots of

  chocolates."

  " H o w many chocolates?" said Clive.

  3

  "Natalie's telling stories, silly,"

  said Lee.

  "Settle down, children!" said Mr Hunter. "Natalie, get on with your work and stop telling stories.

  It's not story-time until this

  afternoon – when we're going to

  have a special treat."

  4

  "I w a n t a special treat now,"

  Natalie muttered. "This is boring, boring, boring."

  She sighed.

  She stretched.

  She looked up at the window.

  She looked at the plant in the pot on the window sill.

  And the plant in the pot moved.

  5

  Natalie blinked.

  The plant in the pot moved

  again. Upwards!

  Was the plant in the pot flying?

  Then Natalie saw!

  The plant in the pot wasn't

  flying.

  It was the saucer.

  It was an ordinary flower-

  patterned saucer. But today it

  had grown wings.

  7

  "Of course!" said Natalie. "It's a flying saucer!"

  She went to have a closer look.

  There was a little creature

  standing in the saucer.

  Was it an ant?

  "A flying ant!" Natalie giggled.

  8

  It wasn't an ant.

  It was a very, very, very tiny

  monster.

  It had wild hair and pointy

  teeth and sharp claws and a long

  tail.

  But it didn't look fierce. It

  looked friendly.

  9

  "Hello!" said Natalie.

  "Hello!" said the tiny monster.

  "Can you speak up a bit?" said Natalie. "I can't hear you

  properly."

  "I'm shouting!" said the tiny monster. "Can you speak down a bit? You're hurting my ears."

  "Is it your flying saucer?"

  Natalie whispered, so softly her

  lips