Kids into books: Shadrach Girl

Author: Joy Cowley

Illustrator: Dexter Fry

Publisher: Puffin Books $15.95

Age Group: 9-12 years


'Hannah-Spanner?' She grinned at him. 'It's a long time since you called me that.' Then she said to Andrea, 'When Sky was little, he used to have a thing about names, especially his own. You know, for at least six months everyone had to call him Boomy-Boomy-Nutcake. yeah. Boomy-Boomy-Nutcake. He wouldn't answer to anything else.'

He ignored their laughter. he wrote: Sky, Sky, apple pie, you've got homework and so have I. Write it down. Throw it up high. Have it land in an elephant's eye. Why? Why? I don't know why. Let the elephant fly or die. We will eat the apple pie.

'He's so cute,' Andrea said.

He looked up quickly. No. They were not talking about him but a boy at their school, someone with red hair and freckles and pouchy lips. Pouchy lips? Giddy goocha! Sounded like a goldfish!

Hannah was hanging the white blouses over a chair. Andrea, who was draining the water out of the iron, caught Sky's look and grinned. 'Don't worry, Sky. You're cute too.'