The Dare Game: Part 1

By JACQUELINE WILSON, Illustrator NICK SHARRATT

You know that old film they always show on the telly at Christmas, The Wizard of Oz?

I love it, especially the Wicked Witch of the West with her cackle and her green face and all her special flying monkeys.

I'd give anything to have a wicked winged monkey as an evil little pet. It could whiz through the sky, flapping its wings and sniffing the air for that awful stale instant-coffee-and-talcum-powder teacher smell and then it would s-w-o-o-p straight onto Mrs Vomit Bagley and carry her away screaming.

That'll show her. I've always been absolutely Tip Top at writing stories, but since I've been at this stupid new school Mrs V. B. just puts "Disgracefully untidy work", Tracy and "Check your spelling!"

Publisher: Random House, $16.95
Age group: 8-12 years