Book group read

Chapter 1

An ordinary spring morning in 12 Lark Lane. The birds were tweeting and whistling outside. The city traffic rumbled and roared. Lizzie’s alarm went ringadingding. She jumped out of bed, washed her face, scrubbed behind her ears, brushed her teeth, brushed her hair, put on her uniform, went downstairs, filled the kettle, switched it on, put bread in the toaster, set the table with two plates, two mugs, two knives, milk and butter and jam, then she went to the foot of the stairs.

“Dad!” she shouted. “Daddy!”

No answer.

“Dad! Time to get up!”

No answer.

“If you don’t get up now, I’ll come up there and…”

She stepped heavily onto the first step, then onto the second step.

“I’m on me way!” she shouted.

She heard a grunt and a groan, then nothing.

“I’ll count to five. One … two… two and a half… Daddy!”

There was a muffled shout from upstairs.

“Oriyt, Lizzie! Oriyt!”

There was a crash and another groan, then there he was, in a scruffy dressing-gown and holey slippers and his hair all wild and his face all hairy.

“Downstairs now,” said Lizzie.

He stumbled down.

“And don’t look at me like that.”

“No, Lizzie.”

She tugged the dressing-gown straight on his shoulders.

“Look at the state of you,” she said. “What on earth have you been doing up there?”

He grinned.