“We wish you a merry Christmas . . .”
“Good grief! What is that ghastly racket?” Miss Ree said after pulling open her front door. “Maxine, Anthony, Edward, what are you three doing?”
I turned around to look at Mum. She was at Miss Ree’s gate and looking anywhere except at us.
“We’re carol singing, Miss Ree,” I replied. “If you want to donate something we’re collecting for charity.”
“Will you go away if I give you some money?” Miss Ree asked.
“Yes.” I frowned.
Miss Ree dug into her skirt pocket, gave us a coin and quickly shut the door.
“I don’t think she liked our singing . . .” Anthony said.
“Maybe she didn’t like the song,” said Edward.
“She’s just tone-deaf and doesn’t have any taste,” I decided. “It’s a shame though. We didn’t even get past the first line of ‘We Wish You a Merry Christmas’.”
“But we’re doing really well,” said Anthony. “We’ve already collected some money for charity.”
“This is fun,” added Edward.
“Let’s try Mr McBain,” I suggested.
Mr McBain is our other next door neighbour. We walked up to his front door.
Anthony blew his trumpet – ROOOOMPH! ROOOOMPH! – I banged my drum – DUUUM! DUUUM! – and we started singing.
“O come, all ye faithful . . .”
Mr McBain opened his door.
“What is that dreadful din?” he said.
“We’re collecting for charity, Mr McBain,” Edward said.
Mr McBain dug into his trouser pockets.
“Here, take that,” he said, handing us five coins. “It’s all I’ve got but take it, please.”
And he shut the door.
“Hhmm!” I said. “He doesn’t appreciate good singing either.”
We went to the next house.
“Silent night, holy night . . .” we sang.
The front door was flung open.
“What a frightful noise,” Mrs Johnson said.
When she saw us she took some coins out of the drawer of the little table in her hall. She didn’t even wait for us to explain that we were collecting for charity!
When she closed the door we looked around for Mum. She appeared from behind Mr and Mrs Johnson’s car.
“You were hiding, Mum!” I said.
“Er . . . no I wasn’t,” Mum replied. “My shoe slipped off and I just went back for it.”
“I think Mum was hiding,” Anthony whispered to me.
“I know Mum was hiding,” Edward said.
We went to three more houses. At each house we didn’t even finish the first two lines of our carols before we were paid by our neighbours to go away.
“That’s it,” Mum said, her eyes glinting. “I can’t take any more embarrassment. I’ll never be able to look our neighbours in the eye again. We’re all going home – NOW!”
“But Mum, we’re collecting for charity,” we argued.
“No ‘buts’,” Mum said. “As it’s for a good cause I’ll sponsor all three of you when we get home.”
“Sponsored carol singing?” I asked.
“No, a sponsored silence!” Mum replied.
“Our singing isn’t that bad,” mumbled Anthony.
“Yeah, it can’t be that bad,” Edward grumbled.
“It’s WORSE!” Mum replied. “You three have given me a raging headache!”
We all walked home. I thought we’d been quite good!
“That didn’t work out very well,” Anthony said.
“That didn’t work out very well at all,” agreed Edward sadly.
“But it sort of worked,” I whispered. “We are going to raise some money for charity through our carol singing.”
“Mum’s paying us NOT to sing,” said the twins.
“Exactly!” I replied.
Christmas Spying and Prying
We were bursting to know what Mum had bought us for Christmas but she wouldn’t tell us.
“Did you buy me a space explorer outfit?” I asked. “And did you get the science kit belt that goes with it? I’ve got to have the science kit belt. Then I can test for new plants and animals on other planets.”
“What about my model plane kit? Mum, is that what you bought me? Is it? Is it?” Anthony asked, jumping up and down.
“Did you get me a toy guitar? Please, please say yes,” said Edward. Mum just smiled and said nothing.
When the twins went out into the garden to throw snowballs at each other, I tugged at Mum’s arm.
“What did you get us for Christmas? I’ll keep it a secret. I won’t tell the twins – honest,” I whispered to Mum.
“If I don’t tell you then you won’t have any secrets inside you bursting to get out,” Mum replied. “I know you, Maxine, you can’t keep a secret to save your life.”
“I can, I can,” I said.
“No you can’t. If I told you, the secret would sit inside your chest like a balloon. And the more you tried to say nothing, the more that balloon would grow. It would get bigger and Bigger and BIGGER until it EXPLODED from you!”
“Hhmm!” I sulked. I got the feeling Mum wasn’t going to tell me, no matter how much I begged.
I put on my coat and my wellies and stomped out into the garden. CRUNCH! CRUNCH! went the snow under my feet. It was just like walking on scrunched, crunched, crushed, crumbled ginger biscuits.
“Did you find out what we’re getting for Christmas?” asked Anthony.
“Yeah, did you?” Edward said.
“No . . . but I’ve got a plan,” I said. “This is a job for Girl Wonder . . .”
“And the Terrific Twins,” Anthony and Edward shouted. “Hooray!” And we spun around until we fell down, whirling-swirling dizzy.
“It’s a really good plan,” I said. “Tonight when Mum’s asleep, we’ll sneak downstairs and open our presents at just one end. Then we’ll be able to see what Mum bought us without Mum ever finding out about it.”
“If Mum catches us we’ll be in serious trouble.” Anthony frowned.
“Yeah, seriously serious trouble,” agreed Edward.
“Then we won’t wake her up,” I said.
“This had better work, Maxine,” Anthony told me, his arms folded across his chest. “If we get caught then I’m blaming you.”
“Of course it’ll work,” I said, crossing all my fingers and even crossing my toes.
That night I had to fight to stay awake. Mum stayed up watching the telly for ages and ages. My eyes felt so sandy and sleepy that I had to keep pinching myself to stay awake. At last I heard Mum come up the stairs and go to bed. I searched for Mum’s torch under my pillow. (I’d hidden it there when I came to bed.) I switched on the torch and pointed it down at the carpet – I didn’t want to trip over my slippers and wake up Mum. I got up carefully and tip-toed out of my bedroom and into the twins’ bedroom. They were fast asleep in their bunk beds.
“Wake up,” I hissed, giving them a good shake. “Wake up, it’s Girl Wonder . . .”
“And the sleepy Terrific Twins . . .” Anthony said drowsily, before turning over and going back to sleep.
“Come on, you two,” I whispered. “Don’t you want to know what Mum’s bought us for Christmas?”
They moaned and grumbled, grumbled and moaned but at last I managed to get them out of their beds. I led the way downstairs, shining the torch as the three of us crept down the outside of the stairs. We had to creep down the outside because some of the stairs creaked horribly. We tip-toed over to our presents scattered underneath the Christmas tree. The twins were fully awake now.
About time too! I thought.
We knelt down and searched for our presents from Mum. It was exciting. Anthony found his present first.
“Open it carefully,” I whispered. “We don’t want Mum to know that we had a peek.”
Slowly Anthony peeled back the sticky tape on one side of his present. Carefully he pulled
it out from the wrapping paper. It was a book. I shone my torch on it. Maths for Everyone it said on the front.
“Yuk!” Anthony wailed. “Where’s my model plane kit?”
“Shush! Or Mum will catch us,” I whispered.
Edward opened his present next. It was another book. English for Everyone.
“Double yuk!” wailed Edward. “Where’s my toy guitar?”
Next I opened my present. It was the same size as Anthony and Edward’s so I didn’t hold out much hope.
Science for Everyone.
“What happened to my space explorer’s outfit?” I said sadly.
“I wish you’d never woken us up now,” Anthony said to me.
“Yeah, me too,” Edward said.
We all walked slowly up the stairs and the twins went into their bedroom whilst I went back into mine. I was so looking forward to my space explorer’s suit. A science book wasn’t the same at all.
The next morning, it was CHRISTMAS DAY. It might as well have been a school day! The twins and I didn’t say much as we ate our Christmas breakfast, listening to the hymns on the telly.
“What’s the matter with you three?” Mum smiled. She had a really funny look on her face, as if she was trying her best not to burst out laughing.
“Nothing . . .” Anthony sighed.
“Not a thing . . .” Edward sighed even harder.
“Nothing . . .” I put my head on my hands.
“Aren’t any of you going to open your presents?” Mum asked. “I thought you would do that before anything else this morning.”
“There’s no point . . .” Anthony began before I kicked him under the table.
“Why is there no point?” Mum asked, her hands on her hips. “Do you already know what your presents are? I hope you three haven’t been getting up in the middle of the night to see what I bought you . . .”
The twins and I looked at each other guiltily.
“Of course not, Mum,” I said quickly.
“Hhmm!” Mum replied. “Well, if you don’t open your presents soon I’m going to think that you don’t want them.”
We got up and went over to the Christmas tree.
“That’s your present,” Mum said, handing a present to Edward – a present that was guitar-shaped.
Edward tore off the paper. It was a guitar. A wooden guitar with lovely silver strings.
“Hooray!” Edward shouted.
“And this is yours,” Mum said, handing Anthony his present.
Anthony tore off the wrapping paper. It was a model plane kit. It was just what Anthony wanted. One of those where you had to glue all the pieces together yourself and then paint them.
“Yippee!” Anthony clapped his hands.
“Your turn, Maxine,” Mum said, handing me a large, square-shaped present. It was too big to be the smelly Science for Everyone book. I ripped off the paper.
It was my space explorer outfit with a special science kit belt for finding new animal and plant life on other planets.
“Thanks, Mum.” We all grinned. “Thanks very much.”
“But what happened to the books?” Anthony asked.
“What books?” Mum frowned.
“The books that were under the Christmas tree last night,” Edward said before I could stop him.
I could have kicked him!
“I think you two must have been dreaming,” Mum said sternly. “I know my children wouldn’t be so sneaky as to try to open their presents before Christmas Day, unless they were dreaming about opening them. Isn’t that right, Maxine?”
“Yes!” I agreed, very quickly. “Merry Christmas, Mum.”
“Yeah, Happy Christmas,” said Edward.
“It’s a lovely Christmas, Mum,” said Anthony.
“Merry Christmas to us all,” said Mum. And we all hugged each other, tight, tight, tight.
Then Mum walked back into the kitchen – and she was smiling.
Girl Wonder’s Winter Wordsearch
There are seven words hidden in this wonderfully wintry wordsearch. Can you find them all?
1. Blackberry
2. Carols
3. Christmas
4. Hallowe’en
5. Presents
6. Snow
7. Toboggan
Spot the Difference
There are five differences between these two pictures. Can you spot them all?
The Terrific Twins’ Tricky Quiz
How well do you know Girl Wonder and the Terrific Twins? Take this super tricky quiz to find out!
1. What does Mum make for dinner with the blackberry gravy?
2. What costume does Edward wear for Hallowe’en?
3. Where does Maxine suggest finding a real live frog to scare Mum with?
4. In which country did Dad’s grandma use marl to make fake snow?
5. What type of tree do Maxine, Anthony and Edward have in their garden?
6. Where are the carol singers when they get hit with snow from the biggest snowball in the universe?
7. What are the names of Maxine, Anthony and Edward’s aunt and uncle?
8. What does Jayne find to use as the eyes for the snowman?
9. What does Anthony think he’s getting for Christmas?
10. What is Edward’s new guitar made of?
Answers
Girl Wonder’s Winter Wordsearch
Spot the Difference
The Terrific Twins’ Tricky Quiz
1. Sausages and mashed potatoes
2. A pumpkin costume
3. In Miss Ree’s pond
4. Barbados
5. An apple tree
6. In the children’s playground
7. Aunt Joanne and Uncle Stan
8. Two satsumas
9. A book called Maths for Everyone
10. Wood
About the Author
Malorie Blackman has written over sixty books and is acknowledged as one of today’s most imaginative and convincing writers for young readers. She has been awarded numerous prizes for her work, including the Red House Children’s Book Award and the Fantastic Fiction Award. Malorie has also been shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal. In 2005 she was honoured with the Eleanor Farjeon Award in recognition of her contribution to children’s books, and in 2008 she received an OBE for her services to children’s literature. She has been described by The Times as ‘a national treasure’. Malorie Blackman is the Children’s Laureate 2013–15.
Also by Malorie Blackman
The NOUGHTS & CROSSES sequence:
NOUGHTS & CROSSES
KNIFE EDGE
CHECKMATE
DOUBLE CROSS
NOBLE CONFLICT
BOYS DON’T CRY
HEART BREAK GIRL
THE STUFF OF NIGHTMARES
TRUST ME
PIG-HEART BOY
HACKER
A.N.T.I.D.O.T.E.
THIEF!
DANGEROUS REALITY
THE DEADLY DARE MYSTERIES
DEAD GORGEOUS
UNHEARD VOICES
(A collection of short stories and poems, collected by Malorie Blackman)
For younger readers:
CLOUD BUSTING
OPERATION GADGETMAN!
WHIZZIWIG and WHIZZIWIG RETURNS
GIRL WONDER AND THE TERRIFIC TWINS
GIRL WONDER TO THE RESCUE
Coming soon:
BETSEY BIGGALOW IS HERE!
BETSEY BIGGALOW THE DETECTIVE
BETSEY’S BIRTHDAY SURPRISE
HURRICANE BETSEY
MAGIC BETSEY
For beginner readers:
JACK SWEETTOOTH
SNOW DOG
SPACE RACE
THE MONSTER CRISP-GUZZLER
GIRL WONDER’S WINTER ADVENTURES
AN RHCP DIGITAL EBOOK 978 1 448 19301 1
Published in Great Britain by RHCP Digital,
an imprint of Random House Children’s Publishers UK
A Random House Group Company
r /> First published by Victor Gollancz Ltd, 1992
Tamarind edition published 2014
This ebook edition published 2014
Copyright © Malorie Blackman, 1992, 2014
The right of Malorie Blackman to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
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 unauthorized 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.
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A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
Malorie Blackman, Girl Wonder's Winter Adventures
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