Horrible Harry and the Christmas Surprise

Table of Contents

 

Krikkity krikk.

Krikkity krekk.

“...
not a creature was stirring, not even a—aaaaaaaugh!”

Suddenly the creaky chair tipped all the
way
back and the bottom fell through!

Miss Mackle landed on the floor with a
THUD!
and
KABOOM!

 

PUFFIN BOOKS
Published by the Penguin Group
Penguin Putnam Inc., 375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014, U.S.A.
Penguin Books Ltd, 27 Wrights Lane, London W8 5TZ, England
Penguin Books Australia Ltd, Ringwood, Victoria, Australia
Penguin Books Canada Ltd, 10 Alcorn Avenue, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M4V 3B2
Penguin Books (N.Z.) Ltd, 182-190 Wairau Road, Auckland 10, New Zealand

 

Penguin Books Ltd, Registered Offices: Harmondsworth, Middlesex, England

 

First published in the United States of America by Viking Penguin,
a division of Penguin Books USA Inc., 1991
Published in Puffin Books, 1993
Reissued 1998

 

Text copyright © Suzy Nine, 1991
Illustrations copyright © Frank Remkiewicz, 1991
All rights reserved

 

THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS HAS CATALOGED THE PREVIOUS PUFFIN EDITION AS FOLLOWS:
Kline, Suzy.
Horrible Harry and the Christmas Surprise / by Suzy Kline;
pictures by Frank Remkiewicz. p. cm.
“First published in the United States of America by Viking Penguin,
a division of Penguin Books USA Inc., 1991”—T.p. verso.
Summary: When their teacher ends up in the hospital, the members of
class 2B find a way to include her in their holiday celebration.

eISBN : 978-1-101-07680-4

[1. Schools—Fiction. 2. Christmas—Fiction.]
I. Remkiewicz, Frank, ill. II. Title.
PZ7.K6797Hnj 1993
[Fic]-dc20 93-15137 CIP AC

 

 

 

RL: 2.4

 

 

 

The teacher rocked back and forth in her old reading chair.

Harry leaned on his elbow and made a wide smile. I could see his pink gums where his two front teeth used to be. “Don't you love that sound, Doug?”

“No,” I said, shaking my head. But Harry would. He loves things like that... slimy things, creepy things, hairy things, and
horrible sounds.
I know. I sit next to him in Room 2B. Harry's my best friend. Even his cat's name has a horrible sound—Googer. Sometimes he just calls him “The Goog,” which sounds kind of scary.

Suddenly a fire truck zoomed by South School sounding its siren.

Harry jumped out of his seat and ran to the window. “Look! There it goes, speeding in the snow!”

“Harry!” Miss Mackle called. “Sit down.”

Harry watched the fire truck zoom up and over the hill. Then he sat down, folded his hands, and gave the teacher a gummy smile.

“I think we're ready now for a story,” Miss Mackle said. “It's a very special story because it's been read over and over for 168 years!”

Sidney threw his hands in the air. “Why read it if everyone's read it so much?”

“Because it's so good, Sidney.”

“If I've heard it, I don't want to hear it again,” he said, plugging his ears.

“READ THE STORY!” the rest of us shouted.

Miss Mackle rocked in her chair as she opened her big, heavy storybook and turned to the right page.

“'Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the house ...”

“I love that story,” Mary exclaimed.

“Me, too!” Sidney said, taking his fingers out of his ears.

While everyone was clapping and cheering, Ida said, “Miss Mackle, you look pretty today in your green dress and green sparkly earrings.”

Miss Mackle whispered “thank you” as she turned the page and rocked in her chair.

“... not a creature was stirring, not even
a-aaaaaaaugh!”

Suddenly the creaky chair tipped all the way back and the bottom fell through!

Miss Mackle landed on the floor with a
THUD!
and
KABOOM!

“MY GOODNESS GRACIOUS!” she shouted.

There was our teacher, sitting on the floor, on broken pieces of wood!

The big heavy storybook went flying in the air! It knocked the globe off its stand, and sent the world bouncing into the hallway.