The Monster Story-Teller (5 page)

The saucer flew down and down and down, all the way back to Earth . . .

. . . 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.”

“I DON’T WANT
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 jump off the saucer. Then she saw a HUGE monster.

“Aaaaah!” said Natalie.

“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.”

Natalie clasped the monster’s paw 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.

“Natalie!” shouted Mr Hunter. “Where on earth have you been?”

“I haven’t been anywhere on Earth, Mr Hunter. Wait 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.

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.”

“Come 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.”

“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.

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.

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.

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 & BREAKFAST STAR

BEST FRIENDS

BURIED ALIVE!

CANDYFLOSS

THE CAT MUMMY

CLEAN BREAK

CLIFFHANGER

THE DARE GAME

THE DIAMOND GIRLS

DOUBLE ACT

DOUBLE ACT (PLAY EDITION)

GLUBBSLYME

THE ILLUSTRATED MUM

JACKY DAYDREAM

THE LOTTIE PROJECT

MIDNIGHT

THE MUM-MINDER

SECRETS

STARRING TRACY BEAKER

THE STORY OF TRACY BEAKER

THE SUITCASE KID

VICKY ANGEL

THE WORRY WEBSITE

Join the official Jacqueline Wilson fan club at

www.jacquelinewilson.co.uk

THE MONSTER STORY-TELLER
AN RHCB DIGITAL EBOOK 978 1 446 49574 2

Published in Great Britain by RHCB Digital,
an imprint of Random House Children’s Books
A Random House Group Company

This ebook edition published 2011

Text copyright © Jacqueline Wilson, 1995
Illustrations copyright © Nick Sharratt, 1996

First published in Great Britain by Doubleday