The Monster Story-Teller Read online

  "My brothers are little monsters too!" said Natalie.

  "Why aren't you at school, you bad little monster?" shouted his monster mum.

  "Uh oh. School!" said the monster.

  "Off you go!" said Monster Mum.

  49

  They flew to Monster School.

  The monster teacher had wild

  hair and pointy teeth and sharp

  claws and a long tail.

  He looked very fierce.

  He didn't look friendly.

  'Where on earth have you

  been? And who is this strange

  girl?" said the monster teacher.

  "She's my friend Natalie from another planet. We've whizzed

  back here from Earth," said the monster.

  50

  "You're telling stories again!"

  said the monster teacher. "You're in big trouble, little monster."

  " O h help!" said the monster.

  "Let's go, Natalie!"

  They jumped back on the

  saucer.

  "Planet Earth, ever so quickly, please!" said the monster.

  The saucer flew down and

  down a n d down, all the way

  back to Earth...

  51

  ...right above Natalie's school.

  "I don't think I want to go

  back," said Natalie. "I think I might be in big trouble too. I'd

  sooner stay with you and have

  MONSTER FUN."

  52

  Chapter Four

  "I don't w a n t to say goodbye!"

  said Natalie.

  "Don't worry. I'll come back,"

  said the monster.

  "Promise?" said Natalie.

  "You bet!" said the monster.

  Natalie got ready to j u m p off

  the saucer. Then she saw a

  H U G E monster.

  "Aaaaah!" said Natalie.

  53

  "Miaow," said the huge

  monster.

  "It's the school cat!" said Natalie. "But it's much bigger than me now."

  "Shake my hand, silly," said the monster. "Then you'll grow big again."

  54

  Natalie clasped the monster's

  p a w and immediately started

  growing again.

  "Get off my saucer before I get squashed!" said the tiny monster.

  Natalie jumped to the ground

  as she grew to her proper size.

  She waved goodbye, stroked

  the cat, grabbed the dustpan and

  brush, and ran back to her

  classroom.

  55

  "Natalie!" shouted Mr Hunter.

  "Where on earth have you been?"

  "I haven't been anywhere on

  Earth, Mr Hunter. W a i t till I tell you," said Natalie.

  She told everyone her story

  about Monster Planet. Everyone

  loved Natalie's story. Everyone

  but Mr Hunter.

  "You're telling stories again, Natalie!"

  Guess what. Natalie was in big

  trouble.

  56

  Natalie cheered up that

  afternoon. A special visitor came

  to the school. A story-teller.

  She told the children stories

  about mice and clowns and

  princes and elephants and

  gingerbread men.

  "And now I'll tell you my

  favourite story," said the

  story-teller. "It's all about monsters!

  "Once upon a time there was

  this very, very, very tiny monster with wild hair and pointy teeth

  and sharp claws and a long tail.

  This tiny monster had his very

  own flying saucer," said the

  story-teller.

  "That's Natalie's story!" said all the children. "Natalie's told us that story already, Miss."

  58

  " C o m e out here, Natalie. So you like telling stories?" said the story-teller.

  "You bet!" said Natalie.

  "Maybe you'll be a story-teller like me when you grow up."

  59

  "Do you want to tell the

  Monster Story, Natalie?" said the story-teller.

  "Well, it is my story," said Natalie.

  "It's my story too," said a teeny tiny voice.

  So they all told the Monster

  Story together.

  T H E E N D

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  JACQUELINE WILSON is one of Britain's most outstanding writers for young readers. She is the most borrowed author from British libraries and has sold over 25 million books in this country.

  As a child, she always wanted to be a writer and wrote her first 'novel' when she was nine, filling countless exercise books as she grew up. She started work at a publishing company and then went on to work as a journalist on Jackie magazine (which was named after her) before turning to writing fiction full-time.

  Jacqueline has been honoured with many of the UK's top awards for children's books, including the Guardian Children's Fiction Award, the Smarties Prize, the Red House Book Award and the Children's Book of the Year.

  She was awarded an OBE in 2002 and was the Children's Laureate for 2005-2007.

  ABOUT THE ILLUSTRATOR

  NICK SHARRATT knew from an early age that he wanted to use his drawing skills as his career, so he went to Manchester Polytechnic to do an Art Foundation course. He followed this up with a BA (Hons) in Graphic Design at St. Martin's School of Art in London from 1981–1984.

  Since graduating, Nick has been working full-time as an illustrator for children's books, publishers and a wide range of magazines. His brilliant illustrations have brought to life many books, most notably the titles by Jacqueline Wilson.

  Nick also writes books as well as illustrating them.

  THE DINOSAUR'S PACKED LUNCH

  Jacqueline Wilson

  "A hand reached out and patted Dinah on the shoulder. A huge scaly hand with a spiked thumb . . . "

  On a school trip to see the dinosaurs in the museum, everyone in the class has a packed lunch.

  Everyone, that is, except for Dinah. Until a friendly iguanodon decides to help . . .

  Soon Dinah has a very special packed lunch and a huge surprise to come!

  ISBN: 978 0 552 55782 5

  LIZZIE ZIPMOUTH

  Jacqueline Wilson

  "Why don't you ever say anything, Lizzie?"

  said Rory. "It's like you've got a zip across your mouth."

  Lizzie refuses to speak.

  She doesn't want to talk to Rory or Jake, her new stepbrothers, or Sam, their dad, or even her mum.

  She's totally fed up at having to join a new family and nothing can coax her into speaking to them.

  Not football, not pizza, not a new bedroom.

  That is, until she meets a member of the new family who is even more stubborn than her -

  and has had a lot more practice!

  ISBN: 978 0 552 55784 9

  SLEEPOVERS

  Jacqueline Wilson

  Sleepover parties are the greatest!

  Everybody's having one . . .

  All of Daisy's friends in the Alphabet Club - Amy, Bella, Chloe and Emily, have had sleepovers for their birthdays. Daisy has a dilemma. She'd love to have a sleepover too, but then she'd have to let her friends meet her sister...

  A funny and moving story for younger readers from the award-winning author of Lizzie Zipmouth and Double Act.

  ISBN: 978 0 552 55783 2

  THE WORRY WEBSITE

  Jacqueline Wilson

  Type in your worry . . .

  Is anything bothering you? Problems in class or at home? Don't know where to turn for help?

  Log on to the Worry Website! Type in your worry and wait for the good advice to flow in.

  At least that's the plan when Mr Speed sets up his super-cool new Worry Website for the class. Holly, Greg, N