» Synopsis » First three chapters » Read an extract
Katie’s Zoo is an adventure story for children aged around 7-10.
It starts on the day that 10-year-old Katie finds a crocodile called George behind her settee, and follows everything that happens next. Along the way we meet a host of other unusual animals – including Claudette, a stuck-up bird of paradise, and Fingers, a rather menacing porcupine. Each of them seems to have a secret, and it’s down to Katie to figure it all out.
I got the idea for Katie’s Zoo when one of my daughters, then about 3 years old, ran into the kitchen shouting, “Mummy, there’s a monster on the settee!” Hmm, I thought, what if there really was a monster in our living room? How would it have got there? What might it want? And perhaps most importantly, would it eat us?
Here’s an extract from Chapter 5: The Wardrobe…
‘Hi Mum!’ shouted Katie as she burst through the front door. She thundered upstairs without waiting for a reply and headed straight for her room.
‘George,’ she panted, shutting the bedroom door behind her. ‘Are you there?’
‘Yes, I’m here,’ said George, already poking his head out from under the bed. ‘But listen, Katie –’
‘Can’t stop,’ said Katie, ‘I need to go out to the shop. I’ve just popped in to leave my school things.’ She threw her bag onto the bed and took off her jumper. Her room felt unusually cold.
‘Yes but please, Katie,’ urged George, ‘there’s something I need to –’
‘Later, George,’ said Katie firmly. She knew she needed to hurry if she wanted to catch the vet. ‘I’ll be back in five mi –’ But the next word died in Katie’s mouth when she noticed the window. It was wide open, and the curtains were fluttering into the room on a cold, wintry breeze. Katie felt a shiver run through her that she knew wasn’t just down to the draught.
‘Who opened that window?’ she asked.
‘I did,’ sighed George. ‘That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you. Now listen, Katie, please sit down for a moment.’
‘As soon as I get back,’ said Katie, shutting the window. She took her tie off and turned to the wardrobe. ‘And please don’t open the window again.’
‘Please don’t open the wardrobe!’ cried George, but it was too late. Katie pulled the handle and something bright-coloured came tumbling out towards her. She jumped back. It was a long stream of magnificent feathers, brilliant red and emerald green and gold. Katie looked up and gasped. At the top of the feathers was the most beautiful bird she had ever seen. It shook its huge tail, turned its head and looked straight at Katie with a face that shone with every colour of the rainbow. When it spoke, its voice was the most magical, enchanting sound Katie had ever heard.
‘Katie, darling!’ chimed the bird. ‘Close that door! The draught is playing havoc with my tail feathers!’