Читать книгу Muckabout School - Ian Whybrow, Tony Ross - Страница 7

Gary was such a good, well-behaved child that his anxious parents thought there must be something wrong with him. That’s why they had sent him to Muckabout School. The “Muckabout Method” promised to make children happy and confident “through jollification and tomfoolery”. Of course, that was really a fancy way of saying that it encouraged children to be naughty, but it sounded to Gary’s mum and dad to be just the sort of thing Gary needed to make him a bit more normal.

The trouble was, Gary didn’t really belong at Muckabout School. He just wasn’t very good at… mucking about.

That’s why at playtime on this, his fifth day at his new school, poor Gary felt it was his duty to stay indoors and write “Muckabout for ever!” until his arm ached. He glanced out of the window at the other children in the playground. They were having a great time playing football.

Franky Fearless, who kicked the ball again and again, might have scored if it wasn’t for the giant William Whale, who blocked the goalmouth. Tim Tattle, the class stirrer, was encouraging Ricky Rude to pelt everyone with smelly mud. Whilst the others were busy, Wanda Offalot was quietly slipping out of the school gates.

Gary looked back at the lines he was writing.

“At least I’m getting into Mr Dawdle’s good books,” he thought.

It was ages before all the children came back into the classroom. They threw themselves on the floor in front of the telly. “Video, video, video, video!” they chanted.

Mr Dawdle smiled and opened the cupboard. “Alright, listen up, guys! You can have The Revenge of Harry Potter, The Lord of the Rings Meets the Incredible Hulk, or Rugrats Go Mad in Jurassic Park. Which do you fancy?”

He let them all have a good scream and shout about it. Then he noticed Gary bent over his desk at the back of the class. He was still writing, slowly and painfully doing the ‘r’ at the end of his ninety-ninth Muckabout for ever.

“Wait up a second, Gary!” called Mr Dawdle. “What’s that you’re doing?”

Gary blushed. He rose to his feet and made his way to the teacher’s desk.

Mr Dawdle took the carefully written lines and frowned.

“Who told you to do this?” the teacher asked. “You did sir,” said Gary.

“I did? Oh Gary,” Mr Dawdle sighed. “You didn’t actually follow my orders, did you?”

“Yes sir,” Gary replied.

“And this is your best writing, isn’t it?” asked Mr Dawdle. “Proper, joined-up writing, with all the ‘t’s crossed!”

“Yes, sir, sorry, sir,” mumbled Gary.

“Oooo!” chorused the class. “Did you hear that, Mr Dawdle? He said he was sorry!”

“And he called you ‘sir’,” sneaked Tim Tattle.

“Gar-ee!” everyone groaned.