Billie B Brown, Collection 2

  Contents

  Title Page

  The Little Lie

  The Best Project

  The Spotty Holiday

  The Copycat Kid

  The Cutest Pet Ever

  The Pocket Money Blues

  The Deep End

  The Night Fright

  The Missing Tooth

  The Bully Buster

  Copyright Page

  www.BillieBBrown.com

  Billie B Brown has two colourful slings, three pink bandaids and a bandage around her head. Do you know what the B in Billie B Brown stands for?

  Broken.

  Billie B Brown has been hunting dinosaurs with her best friend Jack. A dinosaur trampled all over Billie. It is a terrible emergency!

  Now Billie has two broken arms. And maybe a broken head, too!

  No, not really. Billie and Jack are just playing hunters. Now Hunter Jack is pretending to bandage up Billie’s broken bones.

  Jack and Billie live next door to each other. They play lots of made-up games together.

  ‘I feel much better now,’ says Billie.

  She takes off all the bandages.‘Let’s go back out and catch another dinosaur!’

  Jack and Billie run outside into the garden.

  Billie has a toy bow and arrow. She shoots the arrow up into the air. Up, up, up it goes.

  Then down, down, down. Right onto the roof of the shed.

  ‘Oh no!’ says Billie. ‘That was our last arrow!’

  ‘Don’t worry,’ says Jack.‘We can play something else.’

  But Billie doesn’t want to play anything else. She wants to keep playing hunters!

  Billie climbs the fence to see if she can find the arrow.

  The fence is very high. Billie climbs up and up until she is as high as the shed roof.

  ‘I can see the arrow!’ Billie calls down to Jack. ‘It’s just on the edge of the roof. I’m sure I can reach it.’

  ‘Be careful, Billie!’ calls Jack. He looks worried.

  ‘Maybe we should get your mum or dad?’

  Billie leans forward, slowly, slowly, then – oh no! Billie tumbles right off the fence. Crash!

  She lands on her arm and shouts in pain.

  Jack runs over.‘Are you all right, Billie?’

  Billie holds her arm tight against her tummy and rocks back and forth.

  She scrunches up her eyes. ‘Ow, ow, ow!’ she yells.

  Billie’s mum runs in to the garden. She bends down beside Billie.

  ‘Oh dear!’ she says. ‘What happened?’

  ‘I fell off the fence,’ wails Billie.

  Mum frowns.‘What were you doing…? Never mind. We’d better get you to the hospital!’

  The hospital! Even though her arm hurts, Billie can’t help feeling a teensy bit excited. It’s a real emergency!

  Billie’s mum leaves Baby Noah with Jack’s mum and drives Billie straight to the hospital. A doctor takes Billie into a special room for an X-ray.

  ‘Well,’ says the doctor. ‘I’m afraid your arm is broken, Billie. We’ll have to put a plaster cast on it until it heals.’

  A real plaster cast and a real sling! Billie can’t wait to show everyone at school.

  Billie remembers when Lola came to school with a twisted ankle. She limped around all day and everyone wanted to sit next to her at lunchtime.

  Having a broken arm is very exciting.

  The next morning Billie’s dad walks Billie and Jack to school. When they get there, Poppy is at the gate.

  ‘Oh!’ says Poppy. ‘What happened to your arm, Billie?’

  ‘I broke it!’ says Billie.

  ‘Wow,’ says Poppy. ‘How did you do that?’

  ‘She fell off the fence,’ says Jack.

  ‘Cool!’ says Poppy. ‘I’m going to tell Ella and Tracey!’ She runs off.

  Billie and Jack walk into the playground.

  Soon Tracey, Ella and Poppy run up to her.

  ‘Poppy says you fell off a fence and broke your arm!’ Ella says.

  ‘That’s right,’ says Billie. She feels very proud that all the girls want to see her arm. It makes her feel very special.

  Then Billie has an idea.

  She’s just thought of something that will make everyone want to be her friend.

  ‘Actually, I was rescuing my baby brother,’ Billie says loudly.

  ‘What?’ says Jack.

  Billie jabs him in the ribs with her elbow.

  ‘He crawled up the fence and got stuck there,’ she says.‘It was really, really high.’

  ‘Wow!’ say Poppy, Ella and Tracey. ‘That’s amazing! Let’s go and tell the others.’ They run into the playground.

  ‘Tell Lola!’ Billie calls out after them.

  Billie turns to smile at Jack. But Jack isn’t smiling.

  In fact Jack doesn’t look happy at all!

  ‘What?’ says Billie. Jack frowns.‘That didn’t happen,’ he says.‘You’re making up stories.’

  ‘So?’ says Billie.‘I’m just playing a game.’

  ‘No, you’re not. You’re lying!’ says Jack.

  Billie frowns. ‘Well, not really. It’s just a little lie.’

  ‘It’s not! A lie is a lie,’ says Jack.

  Billie glares at Jack and Jack glares at Billie.

  The girls come back with Rebecca and Lola.

  ‘Ella says you rescued your brother and broke your arm!’ says Rebecca. She is out of breath from running so fast.

  ‘That’s right,’ says Billie.

  She doesn’t look at Jack. ‘And also, there was a fierce dog on the other side of the fence.’

  The girls gasp. Billie grins proudly.

  ‘Actually it was a crocodile,’ she says. ‘Our neighbours have a fierce crocodile.’

  Lola looks at Billie in a funny way. ‘I don’t believe you,’ she says. ‘Nobody keeps crocodiles as pets. You’re a fibber!

  I bet your arm isn’t even broken!’

  Lola spins around and walks to the classroom. The other girls follow her.

  ‘It is! It is broken. Really and truly!’ Billie shouts after them. ‘Isn’t it, Jack?’

  Billie looks at Jack but he doesn’t say anything.

  Then he walks away without Billie.

  Billie can’t believe it. Having a broken arm was meant to make Billie the most popular girl at school!

  And now even her best friend won’t talk to her.

  Billie sits down under the big peppercorn tree. She feels terrible. Her arm hurts and her tummy hurts. She wants to go home.

  All Billie wanted was for everyone to sit next to her at lunchtime.

  All she wanted was for everyone to sign her cast. Now nobody will want to sit next to her and nobody will sign her cast.

  Billie B Brown is lots of things. She is bold and bouncy. Sometimes she is even a teensy bit bossy.

  But most of all, Billie B Brown is brave. She knows what she has to do. She takes a big breath and walks into class.

  What do you think she is going to do?

  When Billie walks into class, everyone is sitting on the floor in front of Ms Walton. Show and Tell is just about to start.

  ‘My goodness, Billie,’ says Ms Walton. ‘It looks like you have something very special for Show and Tell this morning. Would you like to go first?’

  Billie nods and walks up to the front of the class. Her heart is beating very fast.

  ‘Um, yesterday I broke my arm,’ Billie says.

  She points at her arm.

  ‘I can see that,’ Ms Walton says. ‘How did it happen, Billie?’

  Billie feels her cheeks get hot. She looks at Jack. He looks away. ‘Um, I fell off the fence,’ she says in a little voice.

&
nbsp; ‘I was trying to get an arrow down from the shed roof.’

  Billie hears Lola giggle.

  ‘Oh dear,’ Ms Walton says. ‘You’ll have to be more careful next time, won’t you? Are there any questions for Billie?’

  Lola is the first to stick up her hand.

  ‘I thought you were rescuing your brother from crocodiles,’ she says. Some of the girls giggle.

  Billie takes another deep breath.

  She sees Jack watching her. Her tummy is jumping around nervously, but she doesn’t stop.‘I was just making up stories,’ she says.‘I thought it would sound more exciting that way.’

  Ms Walton smiles. ‘You obviously have a very good imagination, Billie.

  Perhaps you could write a story. Any more questions?’

  Rebecca jabs her hand into the air.

  ‘Yes, Rebecca?’ Ms Walton says.

  ‘Can I sign your cast, Billie?’ says Rebecca.

  ‘Me too!’ says Poppy.

  ‘Me too!’ says Ella.

  ‘All right girls, settle down,’ Ms Walton says. ‘You will all have plenty of time to sign Billie’s cast at lunchtime.

  Thank you, Billie. You can sit down now.’

  Billie smiles. She feels happy again. Everyone will want to sit next to her at lunchtime now!

  But at the moment there is only one person she wants to sit next to. Billie looks towards Jack.

  He has a big smile on his face. Best of all, he has wriggled over to make room for Billie. Right next to him.

  Billie B Brown has twenty-seven icy-pole sticks, twelve pipe-cleaners and one glue stick. Do you know what the B in Billie B Brown stands for?

  Busy!

  Billie is very busy today. She has homework! She is making a tower for her school project.

  Billie’s teacher is away all week. Another teacher is looking after Billie’s class. Her name is Miss Swan. She wears long skirts and lots of silver bracelets.

  When Miss Swan walks, her skirts go swish, swish, swish. Her bracelets go jingle, jingle, jingle. Billie thinks she is wonderful.

  Miss Swan has decided that Billie’s class will build a model city. Everyone in the class will make something to put in it.

  Some kids are making boring things like hospitals or schools. But not Billie. She is making a tower.

  But Billie is having a lot of trouble getting her tower to stay up. It wibbles and wobbles, and then it falls down. Billie is beginning to feel very cross.

  ‘Stupid tower!’ she says.

  She throws the glue stick across the room.

  ‘Billie!’ says her mum. ‘We don’t throw things in the house.’

  ‘Why don’t you try something simpler?’ says her dad. ‘You could use a box, like Jack did.’

  Jack is Billie’s best friend. He lives next door. Billie and Jack are in the same class at school. Jack finished his project yesterday. He has made a house out of a box.

  It has windows and doors that open and close.

  But Billie doesn’t want to make a boring old house. She wants to make a fancy tower.

  She feels so angry that her head is fizzing.

  ‘I hate this stupid project!’ Billie shouts. ‘My tower will never be ready for school tomorrow!’ She runs upstairs and flops down on her bed.

  There is a knock on Billie’s bedroom door. Her dad comes in. Billie buries her face into the pillow. She wants her dad to know that she is really, really cross.

  ‘Hey, Billie,’ says her dad, patting her head. ‘Come on. I’ll help you build your tower. You just need some stronger glue, that’s all.’

  ‘All right,’ says Billie in a grumpy voice. But secretly she feels a little better.

  Billie and her dad go downstairs to build her tower. Strong glue is too dangerous for Billie to use on her own. So she holds the sticks and her dad glues them together.

  Soon the tower is finished. It looks brilliant! Billie feels very proud. She is sure it will be the best project in the class.

  Usually Lola is the best at school projects. But Lola is only making a hospital. Billie has made a tower!

  Billie hopes so much that Miss Swan will like her tower. She hopes Miss Swan will put her tower right in the middle of their city.

  ‘What a beautiful tower, Billie!’ says her mum. ‘You’d better put it up on the dining table. You don’t want Noah getting hold of it!’

  Billie frowns. Babies can be so annoying sometimes. Especially when they start crawling. Noah gets into everything!

  ‘I can’t move it yet,’ says Billie.‘It still has to dry.’

  ‘Why don’t you get ready for bed first?’ says her dad. ‘Then you can come back and move it. It will be dry by then.’

  ‘OK,’ says Billie, yawning. She has been working on her project all evening and now it is late.

  Billie puts on her pyjamas and brushes her teeth. Her dad comes upstairs to tuck her in. Her mum is putting Noah to bed.

  ‘Have you moved your tower?’ asks Dad.

  ‘Just going now,’ says Billie. She runs down to the lounge room. But her tower is still wobbly. She doesn’t want to move it yet. It might fall to pieces again.

  Billie decides she will come back later. She can creep downstairs after her dad has read her a story.

  Billie’s dad tucks her in. He reads her a book about a little girl who lives in Paris. Billie’s dad tells Billie that Paris is a big city in France.

  The little girl in the book walks her dog through a park full of statues and sculptures. Billie loves this book.

  The pictures of Paris are very beautiful.

  Billie falls asleep dreaming of the wonderful city her class is going to make with Miss Swan.

  Uh-oh…

  Billie has forgotten to do something very important.

  Can you remember what it is?

  The next morning Billie finds it hard to wake up.

  ‘Billie,’ her mum calls. ‘Hurry and come down for breakfast. You’ll be late for school!’

  Billie is feeling very sleepy. She pulls on her clothes and goes downstairs for breakfast. Her dad pours some milk on her cereal.

  Suddenly he stops pouring. He has a funny look on his face.

  ‘Billie,’ he says slowly. ‘Did you move your project last night?’

  Billie spins around. Baby Noah is sitting on the kitchen floor. He has a big grin on his face. Poking out of his mouth is an icy-pole stick with a bit of pipe-cleaner stuck to it.

  ‘The tower!’ Billie and Dad shout together.

  Billie rushes into the lounge room. Sticks and pipe-cleaners are everywhere!

  Billie storms back to the kitchen.‘Noah! You ruined my school project!’ she shouts at her baby brother. Noah begins to cry.

  ‘Oh, Billie, I’m very sorry,’ says her dad. ‘But we did tell you to move your project. Noah is too little to know not to touch your things.’

  Billie looks at the ground. She is angry, but she didn’t mean to make Noah cry. Billie gives Noah a cuddle. He stops crying.

  Billie’s dad puts his arm around her.‘How about we try to stick it back together?’ he says.

  But Billie shakes her head. It won’t dry in time now. Today is the day they are making their city. She has to think of something else. And fast!

  Just then, Noah holds out his hand towards Billie. In his fist are two bits of pipe-cleaner twisted together.

  It reminds her of something. Suddenly, Billie has an idea.

  A super-dooper idea!

  ‘Thanks, Noah!’ she says.

  Billie runs into the lounge room. ‘I’ll be ready in five minutes!’ she calls.

  What do you think she is up to?

  Soon Jack arrives to walk to school with Billie.

  Billie walks into the kitchen. She is carrying something covered in a tea towel.

  It is something tall and bumpy.

  ‘Is that your tower?’ says Jack.

  ‘Nup,’ says Billie. ‘I decided to make something different.’

  ‘What is it?’
Jack asks.

  ‘It’s a surprise!’ says Billie. ‘I’ll show you when we get to school.’

  Billie has a big grin on her face. But her tummy is full of butterflies.

  What if Miss Swan doesn’t like her project? What if everyone laughs at her?

  ‘OK, then,’ says Billie’s dad. ‘Time to go!’

  He drives Billie and Jack to school because they are running late.

  Billie and Jack walk into the classroom.

  Miss Swan is at her desk. Lola and her friends are there too. They are all looking at Lola’s project.

  Lola has made a hospital out of a big cardboard box. When you peek in the windows it has matchboxes for little beds and people made out of pipe-cleaners.

  It is perfect. Just like Lola.

  Billie puts her project on her desk. Her heart is beating very fast.

  She pulls off the tea towel.

  Underneath is a very strange-looking thing made out of twisted pipe-cleaners and icy-pole sticks.

  Jack looks puzzled.

  Lola turns around. When she sees Billie’s project, she laughs loudly.

  ‘What is that, Billie? It looks crazy!’

  Lola’s friends giggle.

  But Billie just smiles bravely. ‘It’s a sculpture!’ She replies. She hopes Miss Swan is listening.

  Miss Swan gets up from her desk.

  She swishes towards Billie in her long skirt. Billie holds her breath. Her heart jumps up and down.

  ‘A sculpture!’ says Miss Swan. She claps and her bracelets jingle.

  ‘What a marvellous idea! I love it!’

  Billie grins. She is almost bursting with pride.

  ‘Thank you, Miss Swan,’ she says.‘I got the idea from a book about Paris. In Paris there are sculptures everywhere!’

  ‘You are absolutely right, Billie,’ Miss Swan says. ‘Every great city needs art. We will put your sculpture right in the middle of our city!’