The Jacqueline Wilson Christmas Cracker Read online

  Both Mum and I groaned, because this sounded very cheesy – but I couldn’t help hoping he meant it. No one has ever called me pretty stunning before, not even Dad.

  ‘I knew what you looked like, sort of, because I saw the back of you in my mum’s restaurant the other day,’ I said.

  ‘I don’t know which is worse – my back view or my front!’ said Michael. ‘I love going to your mum’s restaurant in my lunch hour. The service is delightful!’

  ‘I bet you get banana toffee milkshakes made especially for you,’ I said.

  ‘I don’t. You clearly get preferential treatment,’ said Michael.

  ‘Where are your children?’ I said. ‘I thought they were going to be here too?’

  ‘They’re in my bedroom, watching some film on my old portable telly,’ said Michael.

  ‘Why don’t you go and say hello, Milly, while I give Michael a hand in the kitchen?’ said Mum.

  I really didn’t want to. Michael didn’t seem too bad after all, but I was still very wary of these children. But when I went in the bedroom I got a big surprise. The girl and boy were curled up together on the bed. They both had teddies clutched to their chests. The girl went scarlet and thrust her teddy under the bedclothes in shame – but I saw. She was smaller than me, and had mousy hair that was meant to be in a ponytail, but the ends were falling out. She looked strangely familiar. Then I twigged it.

  She was in my class at my new school. She wasn’t one of the bullies. She was one of the kids who also got teased a lot.

  ‘I’m Milly. You know, I’m the new girl,’ I said.

  ‘I know,’ she said timidly. ‘I’m Moira. And this is Mick.’

  She gave her brother a little nudge. He bent his head and mumbled. His T-shirt was on inside out and his socks didn’t match. He looked the sort of kid who’d get teased too.

  ‘What’s this film then?’ I said, sitting down on the bed with them.

  It was an old old film called ‘The Parent Trap.’

  ‘Oh-oh,’ I said. ‘I’ve seen this. The parents get back together.’

  ‘Yes,’ said Moira. ‘We’ve seen it before too. It’s good.’

  ‘Yes, it’s good – but it’s not really true,’ I said. ‘Parents hardly ever get back together after they split up. My mum and dad won’t get back together and I don’t expect yours will either.’

  ‘I wish they would,’ said Moira. Mick nodded again.

  ‘Yeah, but wishes don’t come true,’ I said, feeling much older and wiser than them. ‘But even if your mum and dad hate each other you have to remember they always love you. And you have to accept it if they go on to make new relationships.’

  ‘Is your mum my dad’s new relationship?’ Moira asked, looking anxious.

  I shrugged. ‘Perhaps. They seem pretty keen on each other, don’t they?

  Moira and Mick nodded mournfully.

  ‘But my mum’s really nice. And your dad seems OK. So maybe it will work out all right.’ I decided to change the subject. ‘Do you two like chocolate cake?’

  They nodded, this time with much more enthusiasm.

  I got to cut the chocolate cake after we’d eaten our roast chicken. I gave Moira and Mick a big slice each, every bit as big as mine.

  Mum promised to let Moira and Mick help bake the next time she made a chocolate cake. She looked at me a little anxiously, as if I might object – but I just smiled.

  I don’t hate Moira and Mick. I quite like them. And maybe Moira and I can pal up in class. I think she could do with a good friend. I don’t hate Michael either, though he’s not a patch on my dad. I definitely don’t hate Mum.

  I don’t hate Nan and Grandad either. They’d bought me a baby rabbit!

  ‘I felt so mean because I knew you were missing that wretched gerbil,’ said Nan.

  ‘So I took her along to Pets at Home to see if we could find a replacement while you were at lunch,’ said Grandad. ‘She couldn’t go near all the little mice and anything too rodenty – but once your nan saw this bunny she was really smitten.’

  I love love love my little rabbit. She’s got a new hutch out in the garden but I can take her out if I’m really careful. She burrowed down my sweatshirt just like Gilbert! I’m going to call her Happy.

  Maybe it’s going to be a Happy New Year after all.

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  About the Author and Illustrator

  Jacqueline Wilson (Author)

  JACQUELINE WILSON is an extremely well-known and hugely popular author who served as Children’s Laureate from 2005-7. She has been awarded a number of prestigious awards, including the British Children’s Book of the Year and the Guardian Children’s Fiction Award (for The Illustrated Mum), the Smarties Prize and the Children’s Book Award (for Double Act, for which she was also highly commended for the Carnegie Medal). In 2002 Jacqueline was given an OBE for services to literacy in schools and in 2008 she was appointed a Dame. She was the author most borrowed from British libraries in the last decade.

  Nick Sharratt (Illustrator)

  Nick Sharratt has written and illustrated many books for children and won numerous awards for his picture books, including the Sheffield Children’s Book Award and the 2001 Children’s Book Award. He has also enjoyed great success illustrating Jacqueline Wilson books. Nick lives in Edinburgh.

  ALSO AVAILABLE BY JACQUELINE WILSON

  Published in Corgi Pups, for beginner readers:

  THE DINOSAUR’S PACKED LUNCH

  THE MONSTER STORY-TELLER

  Published in Young Corgi, for newly confident readers:

  LIZZIE ZIPMOUTH

  SLEEPOVERS

  Available from Doubleday/Corgi Yearling Books:

  BAD GIRLS

  THE BED AND BREAKFAST STAR

  BEST FRIENDS

  BIG DAY OUT

  BURIED ALIVE!

  CANDYFLOSS

  THE CAT MUMMY

  CLEAN BREAK

  CLIFFHANGER

  COOKIE

  THE DARE GAME

  DIAMOND

  THE DIAMOND GIRLS

  DOUBLE ACT

  DOUBLE ACT (PLAY EDITION)

  EMERALD STAR

  GLUBBSLYME

  HETTY FEATHER

  THE ILLUSTRATED MUM

  JACKY DAYDREAM

  LILY ALONE

  LITTLE DARLINGS

  THE LONGEST WHALE SONG

  THE LOTTIE PROJECT

  MIDNIGHT

  THE MUM-MINDER

  MY SECRET DIARY

  MY SISTER JODIE

  OPAL PLUMSTEAD

  PAWS AND WHISKERS

  QUEENIE

  SAPPHIRE BATTERSEA

  SECRETS

  STARRING TRACY BEAKER

  THE STORY OF TRACY BEAKER

  THE SUITCASE KID

  VICKY ANGEL

  THE WORRY WEBSITE

  THE WORST THING ABOUT

  MY SISTER

  Collections:

  JACQUELINE WILSON’S FUNNY GIRLS

  includes THE STORY OF TRACY BEAKER and

  THE BED AND BREAKFAST STAR

  JACQUELINE WILSON’S DOUBLE-DECKER

  includes BAD GIRLS and DOUBLE ACT

  JACQUELINE WILSON’S SUPERSTARS

  includes THE SUITCASE KID and THE LOTTIE PROJECT

  JACQUELINE WILSON’S BISCUIT BARREL

  includes CLIFFHANGER and BURIED A