Kids into books: The Wild Wests and Pong Castle

Author: Joy Cowley

Illustrator: Trevor Pye

Publisher: Harper Collins, $12.95

Age Group: 8-12 years

Royce grinned at me. I grinned back. I'd stopped being mad with him. that was the thing about Royce and all his family, you could never be wild with them for long because they suddenly did nice things.

Slowly, like he thought he was still on stage, Royce stood up and walked to the front of the room where Mr Fromish was waving his hands uselessly for silence. My crazy cousin put his thumb and forefinger in his mouth, breathed deep and gave a whistle as loud as a car alarm. that did it. Everyone shut up and he strolled cheerfully back to his desk, pausing to look at my drawing. 'Nice one, Mickey,' he said in a loud voice.

After school, I reconsidered my design and decided that instead of a hallway between the two houses, I'd have a path and a rose garden because my mother was dead keen on roses. I figured that if it was raining, I could order a pizza or have jam on toast.

'Suppose you learn to cook like your mother?' Royce said.

'Fat chance,' I said.

'I'll tell you something for nothing,' he said. 'The best cooks and dressmakers in the world are men. Didn't you know that?'

Tomorrow: Getting married?

To buy the book online from FlyingPig:

The Wild Wests and Pong Castle