The two of us would make a great team, thought Tayla. Together, we’d be unstoppable.
The boys walked over to the classrooms beside the adventure playground.
‘The inspector brought me in her car,’ said Tayla. ‘She wanted to tell me about keeping stuff Confidential and Private.’
‘You’re not going to though, are you?’
‘Of course not,’ said Tayla. ‘Would you?’
It was getting late, and the sun was low, so the playground was all shady. The air was still warm; flies drifted in the calm air. Two long-haired girls came down the road. One was limping.
Jamie groaned. ‘It’s the evil sisters.’
The girls stopped at the fence, stared at Tayla. ‘Jamie! Mum says you’ve got to come home,’ said the taller one.
‘That’s Bernice,’ whispered Jamie. ‘She’s got sore feet.’
‘Sore feet?’ said Tayla
‘Ah, she had a wee accident,’ said Jamie. ‘Someone put stinging nettles in her socks.’
‘Um, would that someone be you?’
‘Possibly,’ said Jamie, ‘But I really couldn’t comment.’
Tayla grinned.
‘And the other one,’ continued Jamie, ‘is Horrible Hayley. She has a lock on her sock drawer. Most annoying.’
The girls glowered at their brother.
‘Mum’s still mad with you,’ said Bernice. ‘I’m mad with you, too. You’ve got to come home.’
‘I can’t. I’m busy,’ said Jamie. He went into the classroom with Tayla.
* * *
Tayla thought the room didn’t seem as clean as last time. There were scraps of paper on the floor. Good. An ultra-clean classroom always made him nervous.
Bernice and Hayley climbed the fence, Bernice carefully lifting her heel high above the wooden fence palings. The girls stomped onto the verandah and stood at the classroom door, watching Jamie show Tayla where the iPads were.
Milly waved at Tayla. ‘Hullo, Mr Sewing.’
‘Hullo,’ said Tayla.
‘You got your body back?’ The little girl looked happy to see him.
Tayla nodded.
‘It looks just like your ghost one,’ said Milly, disappointed. ‘If it was me, I’d get another body. A really tall one, with big strong arms.’
‘Jamie McCready! If you’ve broken that iPad, you’ll be in big trouble,’ said Hayley.
Milly made a face. ‘Who’s that? They sound really stupid.’
‘They are stupid,’ said Jamie with feeling. ‘And stinky.’
‘Hey, Milly,’ whispered Tayla. ‘Why don’t you show them a trick?’
Milly’s eyes gleamed madly. The iPad glowed with a strange, green-white light. Then Whoosh! Scraps of paper lifted from the floor, and formed a cloud that whirled and spun like a mid-air snowstorm. It lifted and crackled and stretched, reaching towards Hayley and Bernice.
Jamie’s sisters stood frozen to the doorstep, their mouths wide open. Then they screamed, and turned, and ran.
Jamie turned to Tayla. ‘Welcome,’ he said, ‘to Longridge Primary.’
‘Thank you.’ Tayla smiled. ‘I think I’ll like it here.’
Extra Stuff (Just for Fun)
Practically Joking Challenge
This book was originally going to be called Practically Joking. Practical jokes are tricks played on someone else. Quite often, the other person might not even realise that a trick has been played until it’s too late.
I liked the title Practically Joking because the phrase is a play on words – to say ‘I’m practically joking’ means I’m almost, but not quite, making something up. But I also liked this title because this story contains heaps and heaps of practical jokes.
Even after I changed the title, the idea of practical jokes stuck in my mind. So I made a list of all the jokes listed in the book. I’ve written them down below.
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CHALLENGE:
Before you read the list, see how many jokes you can find in the book yourself. And if you find jokes in the story that I’ve forgotten to add to this list, please get in touch and I’ll send you a signed copy of this book as a reward! You can contact me through my website - www.RLStedman.com
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WARNING:
If you want to try any of these tricks for yourself, tell an adult first. Otherwise, like Jamie, you might find yourself visiting your principal, who may not be as understanding as Mr Potts.
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List of Jokes
Chapter One: Whoopie Cushion. These are a really old-fashioned trick – a rubber cushion with a special valve. It makes a farting noise when you sit on it. This is a really good trick to play in a quiet classroom.
Chapter Two: Cling film across the toilet (gross!) or a bucket of water on the classroom door.
Chapter Three: Putting salt into the sugar bowl.
Chapter Four: A fake spider. Good for putting in your sister’s shower.
Chapter Five: A buzzer. These can be found at joke shops or online. They’re shaped like a ring, but they have a little battery so it gives someone a shock if they shake your hand. There are other ones, ideal for a teacher’s desk, that look just like pens; when you click the button you get a shock.
Chapter Six: Itching powder. An oldie, but still funny. Unless it’s you itching, of course!
Chapter Seven: An invisible friend – this is easy to do. Pretend there’s someone beside you. Talk to them as though they’re real. Watch as people try to work out who you’re talking to.
Chapter Eight: Ray gun spectacles. You can get trick spectacles at joke shops; sometimes they appear to break apart when you touch them. Others squirt ink or water.
Chapter Nine: Stink Bombs! Use with Caution!
Chapter Ten: There isn’t really a practical joke in this chapter. Except for, perhaps, hide and seek. Or a haunted house.
Chapter Eleven: Water pistols. Not really a practical joke, perhaps, but still heaps of fun. Plus: a broomstick across the bedroom door handle and, as Jamie says, ‘I swapped all the keys on the computer around once. Mum couldn’t type for a week.’
Chapter Twelve: More computer pranks. Here’s some ideas (and these aren’t written in the book): Turn the screen orientation by using screen settings; reset the keyboard to another language; replace the control screen with a screen shot of the control screen (watch as someone tries to click on the icons, and nothing happens)…
Chapter Thirteen: No jokes in this chapter. Unless you happen to have a haunted iPad.
Chapter Fourteen: Stinging nettles in a sock drawer. And of course, a ghostly internet.
Have you found any others? www.RLStedman.com
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PS: Did you enjoy this story? If so, please leave a review on Goodreads or Amazon, as this helps others to find the book too.
About the Author
Hi there! My name is Rachel Stedman. I live in the wild and windy place of Dunedin, New Zealand, with my husband and two kids.
I write mostly for children and young adults. In 2012 I won the Tessa Duder Award for an unpublished YA work and my first novel, A Necklace of Souls, was published by HarperCollins in 2013. A Necklace of Souls was awarded Best First Book at the 2014 New Zealand Post Book Awards.
Want to find out more about my books? Then check out my pinterest boards, where I’ve pinned images, links to research material and other crazy things.
Find me on
@rlstedman
soulnecklace
www.RLStedman.com
Also by R. L. Stedman
A Necklace of Souls
A Skillful Warrior
Inner Fire
The Prankster and the Ghost
Upon A Time
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Acknowledgments
In 2012 the Storylines Children’s Literature Trust of New Zealand short
listed The Prankster and the Ghost for the Tom Fitzgibbon Award, sponsored by Scholastic New Zealand. That same year my other novel, A Necklace of Souls, won the Tessa Duder Award, sponsored by Harper Collins Publishers.
The Storylines Children’s Literature Trust of New Zealand supports and promotes children’s literature in New Zealand. Membership, open to all, includes parents, grandparents, authors and illustrators, publishers, teachers, booksellers, librarians, and other professionals in the fields of reading, writing, publishing and literacy. Its activities include running the annual nationwide Storylines Festival of New Zealand Writers and Illustrators, and other book- related events; publications, including annual ‘Notable Book’ lists; general networking and advocacy; and membership of IBBY, the International Board on Books for Young People.
Since 1991, through its programme of annual awards in association with publishers, Storylines has actively sponsored new and emerging talent.
I am deeply grateful to Storylines, for the work they do and for the support these awards have offered me.
For further information, please visit www.storylines.org.nz or contact [email protected]. Or, write to: The Membership Secretary, Storylines, PO Box 96 094, Balmoral, Auckland 1342, New Zealand.
Copyright © 2015 RL Stedman
First Published 2015
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WaverleyProductions
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner.
Cover Design: Paper and Sage Design
Illustrations: ©Ronjoe via DepositPhotos.com
Created with Vellum
The Prankster and the Ghost Page 10