Best Book Day Ever! (so far) Read online

  Cover

  World Book Day

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  Title page

  Dedication

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  Tom Gates: Best Book Day Ever! (so far): World Book Day 2013

  Copyright

  1. All the teachers are far more than usual.

  2. It’s the only time you can at a teacher and not get into trouble.

  3. We don’t do NORMAL lessons. Instead we’ll do workshops and loads of other good stuff (even in maths).

  4. You get to dress up as your FAVOURITE character from a and maybe WIN a

  PLUS there’s the

  IT’S GOING TO BE AMAZING!

  When I get back home, I tell Mum that I can’t WAIT to go to school next week because it’s going to be so much Then she says,

  And puts her hand on my head like I’m sick or something.

  I remind Mum that it’s actually and give her Mr Keen’s letter.

  Then I ask,

  Because last year, things didn’t exactly go to plan.

  (This is what happened.)

  I wanted to go dressed as

  It was quite late before we started to make it and Mum said, “This won’t take long to finish.” Then she out the foil … all five centimetres of it.

  I said, “I think we need to buy some more.” But the shops were already “Don’t worry, Tom,” Mum assured me as I went to bed.

  turned out to be Christmas wrapping paper.

  “It’s covered in Christmas trees

  “Not from a distance – or if you keep moving,” Mum told me, trying to be positive. “At least it’s all and

  “I’ll look like a GIANT PRESENT, not

  Mum suggested that maybe I could lose the head box and find something else to wear instead?

  “Like what?” I wondered.

  “Let me see what your father has in his shed.

  Which didn’t sound that promising.

  When Dad came into the kitchen, he asked, “Who’s that GIANT present for?”

  “It’s supposed to be my costume.”

  “Oh I see,” Dad said, when he obviously didn’t. I told him, “Mum’s in your shed now, looking for other ideas.”

  Which made Dad and outside.

  Left on my own and realizing I only had twenty minutes before school, I decided that maybe I should at least try on the body part of my costume, just to see what it looked like.

  Then Delia (my grumpy teenage sister) walked in and started at me …

  I told her, “Get LOST, DELIA, I’m trying on my costume.”

  And she said,

  (Which was annoying.)

  Mum came back from the shed holding an biscuit tin.

  “Will this do, Tom?”

  I said, “No, Mum, I’m not wearing a biscuit tin on my head.”

  “Why not? It’s an improvement,” Delia added helpfully.

  Dad was just pretending he didn’t know where the biscuits had gone.

  Then he EXPERTLY changed the subject by suggesting I could borrow his hat instead and go dressed as the character from the

  books. Which was a idea, because I already had a black T-shirt and socks.

  Mum said she’d draw some glasses on me with her make-up pencil too.

  Considering the I’d been in, I thought I looked OK.

  Dad even gave me a lift to school so I wasn’t late.

  The only was, when I got there …

  … I wasn’t the only kid dressed up as Frankie.

  Frankie was EVERYWHERE

  (and not difficult to find at all).

  So this year, to any more book costume I’m making mine right away.

  Mum asks.

  I show her the book Granny Mavis gave me last week. I’ve been trying to collect the series and this one is

  (so far).

  “I want to be an Alien Scale Monster.”

  Mum sighs and says,

  As I’ve already got a cardboard box and some green for the alien head, I make a list of everything else we need:

  Mum wants me to find an pair of pyjamas too. Which seems a bit ODD?

  Mum assures me,

  “But I don’t have any pyjamas,” I say.

  Mum says she’ll find something else for me to wear when she goes into

  “Nothing fancy as it’s just for a costume.”

  Which is by me. (RESULT!)

  I’m about to start making my alien head when Derek (my best mate) calls up and wants me to come over to his house.

  he says.

  As Derek only lives next door, I’m there in a

  He says, “I can’t decide who to be for . I need ideas or Mum will make me go as something embarrassing.”

  So I say, “Let’s have a snack first, then we can think of something GREAT.” Which is a good idea.

  While we’re busy thinking Derek’s dad (Mr Fingle) comes over to say hello and asks,

  Derek says, at exactly the same time as I say…

  Whoops.

  Mr Fingle says he has of we can use for ideas.

  Which makes Derek roll his eyes and say, I tell Derek that we might as well have a at them.

  Derek says as Mr Fingle brings over an ENORMOUS pile of books.

  He’s already pointing out possible costumes for Derek – who’s keen on most of them. Right up until he spots a very cool black and white photo.

  Derek says, “Now that’s a good costume.” I agree.

  Derek asks.

  Mr Fingle says no one could possibly think that dressing up as Elvis was a bad idea. So that’s settled.

  Derek’s going as and I’m going to be an

  We decide to go back to my house when Mr Fingle starts singing his favourite songs.

  Back at home, Derek helps me to finish painting my alien head.

  She tells us, “It was much better value to buy them in a large pack.” Derek and I stick most of the EYES on my costume.

  Then the rest of the eyes, we put to VERY good use around the house …

  In the morning Mum looks a bit tired. “I’ve been up all night attaching all your scales,” she says. “I’ve got a few more to add but you can try the whole costume on if you want to.”

  Which is a good idea.

  I really hope this costume will me a

  The first prize is usually a BIG – which would be very handy, as I’m trying to collect of the

  And there’s ONE in the series that’s been impossible to find...

  My Granny Mavis and Granddad Bob have been looking for it as well.

  There’s a rumour another is a LARGE jar of

  (That would be a good win too.)

  I go and put on my costume. Head first…

  Now the rest of the body.

  Then I carefully do up the zip, but one scale seems to get

  It’s not a disaster. But now that I can see a little yellow patch of fabric poking through, I’m wondering what Mum’s sewn all my scales on to?

  Not that it matters, because I think my costume GREAT!

  BOOK PARADE – here I COME!

  (Not long to go.)

  I’m being EXTRA jolly and smiley today because we have a week of GOOD stuff to look forward to. AND my Alien Scale Monster costume is looking fantastic (if I do say so myself).

  In Class 5F, Mr Fullerman thinks we are being

  He says,

  “I know you’re all excited about this week but you need to QUIETEN DOWN a bit, please.”

  But when that doesn’t work, he says it again.

  “QUIETEN DOWN!”

  (Which does the trick.)

  Marcus Meldrew

  (who sits next to me) wants to know I’m going to be in the BOOK PARADE.

>   But when I start to tell him he just BUTTS in and talks RIGHT over me, saying…

  Really, Marcus … groan.

  “How do you know that?” I say. And he says, “Because I’ve written my own story … ABOUT ME.”

  “That sounds … really interesting,” I say – trying to sound interested.

  “It. I’m the who saves the WORLD. That’s who I’m coming dressed as. ”

  And I say, “As yourself?”

  Marcus gets a bit and says, “NO, not as … as the superhero.” I say, “OH, I see.” Then I (who sits on the other side of me) and tell her, “Guess what Marcus is coming dressed as for the BOOK PARADE?”

  And she says, “What?”

  And I say, “As a SUPERMARKET.”

  “A SUPERMARKET?” Amy says, and I say, “Yes, a SUPERMARKET, how funny is that?”

  Marcus is getting He says, not a

  I’m

  Then he grabs some paper and starts doing a drawing of himself as a superhero.

  “SEE, like THIS,” he says while muttering “idiots” to himself. “Oh … now we get it,” I say (when really I got it all the time).

  While Mr Fullerman is doing the register, I decide to add a little extra something to Marcus’s picture.

  Which makes Amy laugh.

  The REST of is REALLY too.

  Every day there’s been EXTRA good stuff to do. So far I have:

  • Taken part in Mr Sprocket’s “storytelling with class.

  I thought my whoopee cushion

  really brought the story to life.

  • Made recycled paper in art.

  Miss Straw says, “You can make a with your VERY own paper now!”

  (Looking at what Norman Watson’s done – I’m not sure that’s going to happen.)

  • Listened very carefully to Mrs Nap’s story about numbers in maths. Which doesn’t sound much like but honestly, Mrs Nap surprised us all.

  • Met a REAL-life author who writes books on MONSTERS and other

  kinds of creatures. He told us how to spell “slime” like this:

  Which is a good way of remembering it.

  • But I think the EXCITING part of has been when I spotted a kid walking around school holding a copy of ALIEN MONSTERS – IN SPACE!

  I’ve been trying to get that book for AGES! It’s been everywhere. Which was driving me BONKERS.

  Right now, I’m in the queue for lunch and I see the kid again, STILL holding that book.

  I ask Norman to

  so I can go and ask where he got it from. But by the time I squeeze through the crowd – the kid’s

  AND to make things worse …

  …TAKEN BY MARCUS MELDREW, who’s jumped ahead and looks all SMUG and pleased with himself!

  He won’t let me back in, either.

  Marcus says,

  “Bad luck, Tom. You you lose.”

  Then Mrs Worthington says I need to join the queue at the END of the line.

  (Which is annoying, as I’m HUNGRY!)

  After lunch (which I’m still cross about), Mr Fullerman wants

  Mr Fullerman tells us,

  Me too. I don’t have to look far for my inspiration…

  This is a

  It’s very annoying and likes to BOAST about how good it is at everything (when really it’s RUBBISH).

  Smug Mugs have nasty skin which is a disgusting shade of green. Don’t stare at Smug Mug for too long – or you’ll feel SICK.

  Smug Mugs say really stupid things like:

  Nah nah nah nah nah…

  and

  You snooze, you lose.

  The BOOK PARADE can’t come soon enough for me. Because Marcus STILL shut up about how he’s going to win a on

  (Blah blah blah … yawn, yawn.)

  The BOOK PARADE is actually TOMORROW. I to tell him several times, but as usual, he just keeps talking.

  Instead I say, “Marcus … you are a genius.”

  (He’s not.)

  I put my costume on – then realize I can’t eat my breakfast now.

  Oh –

  When I take OFF the alien head, Delia pretends to be more scared of my face.

  “Ha ha, very funny,” I say.

  Derek is waiting for me outside so we can walk to school together and not look weird.

  “Excellent, Elvis,” I say.

  “Thanks, Alien Scale Monster.” he says.

  In school, I can see a PIRATE telling everyone to “get to your classes or you’ll have to walk the plank…”

  It’s only when I hear loads of keys jingling that I REALIZE it’s Caretaker Stan.

  I head to my class, where Mr Fullerman isn’t at his desk yet. There’s a sign on the board that says

  I give a bit of a when I ask her, “What’s that message about?”

  She says, “AGH!” followed by, “Who knows … is that you, Tom?”

  “Yes, I’m an Alien Scale Monster,” I say. “Where’s your

  points to a very impressive car.

  “Florence and I made it.

  It’s Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.”

  “Good job, Amy,” I say.

  Then I ask her,

  Amy says, “You’ll never guess what.”

  “What?” I ask.

  “He forgot it was the BOOK PARADE TODAY and didn’t wear his costume.”

  (Shame.)

  “I tried to tell him,” I say.

  Amy says, “He called home but everyone was out, so Mrs Mumble’s taken him to find a spare costume from the school dressing-up box.”

  “I wonder what it will be?” I say.

  We don’t have to wait long before Marcus comes back dressed as …

  a butterfly?

  “I’m NOT a butterfly,” Marcus tells us.

  “A moth?” I ask.

  “NO, not even close,” Marcus says. Then he takes out a missing piece of costume and puts it on.

  “I’m an elephant, from da ... DATS all dey ad.”

  (It’s hard to hear what he’s saying with the trunk on.)

  Amy and I both tell Marcus that it’s a good costume and he says,

  “Tanks.”

  (I think he means .)

  Looking around the classroom, I see there are LOADS of EXCELLENT costumes.

  Solid has come as a GIANT book.

  Norman is some kind of bug?

  Julia Morton is Alice from Brad and Paul are Thing 1 and Thing 2 from

  We’re all still waiting for Mr Fullerman when Amy says,

  “Is this yours?” She’s holding up one of my scales.

  “Yes … it is,” I say.

  I’m trying to stick it back on when suddenly…

  Mr Fullerman arrives dressed as …

  Mr Fullerman laughs and says,

  Then he tells us that Mr Keen and Mrs Nap will be making notes on all the costumes in our assembly to award the PRIZES at the BOOK PARADE.

  “And this year GREAT MANOR SCHOOL will be joining us for an EVEN BIGGER BOOK PARADE at the school fields!” And the whole class groan. (Because GREAT MANOR SCHOOL always wins EVERYTHING.)

  “Don’t worry, there’ll be PLENTY of PRIZES for BOTH schools,”

  Mr Fullerman says.

  We all cheer. Then I lift up my arm … and another scale drops off.

  My class set off down the hall for our assembly, but it’s tricky everyone in with their costumes on. I have to take off my alien head when Mr Keen starts talking so the kids behind me can see.

  “Good morning, OAKFIELD SCHOOL. GGGGGGRRRRRRrrrrrrrr!”

  We all laugh at Mr Keen’s silly noise (and his furry suit with ears).

  Ha! Ha! Ha!

  “Good morning, Mr Keen.”

  He tells us we all look

  Then he asks, “Does anyone know who I am?”

  Mr Keen does another GGGGRRRRRrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

  (Like that’s going to help.)

  One kid puts up his hand and says, “A lion?”

  “No, not quite.” Another suggests he’s
“a very angry cat?” “Try again.”

  It’s only when the other teachers join him that we can all see who they are.

  Oh yes … so they are.

  At the end of assembly, Mrs Nap and Mr Keen look carefully at everyone’s costume as they leave. They make notes on WHO’LL be the prize-winners later on.

  I’m trying to do the MONSTER walk I can to impress them. But as soon as I move, EVEN MORE scales