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Get to know The Magic Tree - Znak Rights

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IBBY PRIZE: BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR<br />

EMMY AWARD FOR THE FILM BASED ON THE MAGIC TREE<br />

POLAND’S NUMBER ONE BEST-SELLING<br />

CHILDREN’S BOOK, 100 000 COPIES SOLD!


A SERIES OF FANTASY ADVENTURE NOVELS FOR CHILDREN<br />

AGED FROM 7 TO 12.<br />

POLAND’S NUMBER ONE BEST-SELLING CHILDREN’S BOOK.<br />

100 000 COPIES SOLD!<br />

IBBY PRIZE FOR BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR.<br />

RIGHTS SOLD: SOUTH KOREA (ALL 3 VOLUMES), SERBIA.<br />

A FILM AND TV SERIES HAVE BEEN MADE BASED ON THE MAGIC TREE, WHICH<br />

WON EMMY AWARD. THEY HAVE BEEN SHOWN BY VARIOUS TELEVISION CHANNELS<br />

INCLU DING DISNEY CHANNEL.<br />

NUMBER OF PLANNED VOLUMES: 7<br />

VOLUME 4: OCTOBER 2012<br />

<strong>The</strong> starting point is the s<strong>to</strong>ry of a tree that has magic powers. Without<br />

anyone being aware of this, hundreds of objects have been made out<br />

of its wood, including furniture, instruments and <strong>to</strong>ys. Each of these<br />

objects has retained a bit of the magic power. One day, a magical Red<br />

Chair escapes from a consignment of furniture. Not only can it fly, it<br />

can also carry out the orders of anyone who sits on it. <strong>The</strong> Red Chair<br />

ends up at the home of the Ross family.<br />

<strong>The</strong> key <strong>to</strong> the novels’ great success is the way they combine<br />

magical events with a superb description of real children’s life. <strong>The</strong><br />

action involves a cavalcade of unusual magic events, in a real world,<br />

familiar <strong>to</strong> <strong>to</strong>day’s children. <strong>The</strong> heroes are children aged from seven<br />

<strong>to</strong> fourteen. <strong>The</strong> <strong>Magic</strong> <strong>Tree</strong> books are now the most popular children’s<br />

novels in Poland.<br />

As well as writing books, Andrzej Maleszka has also directed some<br />

excellent films for children. As a result, the novels have a fast-paced<br />

narrative, just like modern movies. <strong>The</strong>y also bring up some important<br />

<strong>to</strong>pics and show the world from the children’s point of view. <strong>The</strong> author<br />

aims <strong>to</strong> reduce the distance between printed and visual media by<br />

creating digital illustrations in the books that look like stills from a<br />

film.<br />

So far Andrzej Maleszka has written three novels in the <strong>Magic</strong> <strong>Tree</strong><br />

series, and is now working on the fourth.<br />

<strong>The</strong> <strong>Magic</strong> <strong>Tree</strong> series creates a universal world, familiar <strong>to</strong> children<br />

living in various countries and cultures. Each one features the same<br />

main characters, but each can be read as a separate s<strong>to</strong>ry.


<strong>The</strong> <strong>Magic</strong> <strong>Tree</strong>: <strong>The</strong> Red Chair<br />

This novel won the IBBY Book of the Year award.<br />

A Red Chair that can walk and fly escapes from a consignment of<br />

furniture. It also has the power <strong>to</strong> make the wishes of anyone who sits on<br />

it come true. When Kuki sits on the chair and rashly wishes his parents<br />

were rich, he sets off a whole landslide of events. His parents change<br />

in<strong>to</strong> people who are “obsessed with money”. <strong>The</strong>y hand the children over<br />

<strong>to</strong> a mean aunt and go away <strong>to</strong> work abroad. Thanks <strong>to</strong> the chair’s magic<br />

powers, the siblings change their horrible aunt in<strong>to</strong> a little girl, and set<br />

off <strong>to</strong> look for their parents. In the course of their incredible adventures<br />

they travel across Europe. <strong>The</strong>y have seven days <strong>to</strong> remove the spell<br />

from their parents and make them in<strong>to</strong> loving parents again. <strong>The</strong> red<br />

chair’s magic helps them <strong>to</strong> get out of lots of dangerous situations, but<br />

they are being followed by a man who is determined <strong>to</strong> get his hands on<br />

it. This novel provided the basis for an excellent film which won prizes at<br />

the Germany, USA and many others film festivals. It has been shown by<br />

various television channels including Disney Channel.<br />

<strong>The</strong> <strong>Magic</strong> <strong>Tree</strong>: <strong>The</strong> Secret of the Bridge<br />

Melanie uses the magic Red Chair <strong>to</strong> make Philip fall in love with the first<br />

girl he sees. Naturally, she is relying on the fact that she’ll be that girl.<br />

But Philip looks at a billboard in the street outside, and falls in love with<br />

the girl from an advertisement. <strong>The</strong> trouble is, the girl on the billboard<br />

doesn’t really exist – she is just a computerised pho<strong>to</strong>-montage. As she<br />

isn’t real, Philip will never be able <strong>to</strong> meet her, so he starts <strong>to</strong> fall ill.<br />

His younger brother and sister change Philip in<strong>to</strong> a miniature<br />

version of himself and set off for Venice, where there is a bridge made<br />

of magic wood. Anyone who crosses it forgets about being unhappily<br />

in love. <strong>The</strong> children must get over the snow-covered Alps, go through<br />

some underground caves and the mysterious canals of Venice. <strong>The</strong>y<br />

are accompanied by a mystery cat called Latte and an enchanted robot.<br />

<strong>The</strong>y are also being chased by the head of an advertising agency who<br />

wants <strong>to</strong> produce the most incredible advert ever, which will involve<br />

drowning Venice in Coca-Cola. <strong>The</strong> Secret of the Bridge is rare among<br />

children’s novels for discussing the dangers of advertisements that tell<br />

lies. It is also an exciting s<strong>to</strong>ry packed with adventures.<br />

<strong>The</strong> <strong>Magic</strong> <strong>Tree</strong>: <strong>The</strong> Giant<br />

Eleven-year-old Kuki has accidentally conjured up a Giant. To defeat<br />

it, Kuki is gifted with superhuman strength, but his incredible might<br />

causes a great deal of trouble in everyday life. <strong>The</strong> boy destroys fragile<br />

objects, and he cannot hug his mother, pet the dog or kick a ball. He’s<br />

just <strong>to</strong>o strong! Kuki and his friends set off for a mysterious hotel in<br />

Shanghai, in search of a bed made of magic wood, which is the only<br />

thing that can save him. Together the friends travel across Asia, across<br />

deserts and oceans, having some incredible adventures on the way.<br />

Hot on their trail is the Giant, who has seven different incarnations – he<br />

changes in<strong>to</strong> a steel bird that snatches up buses, a shop that’s a trap<br />

you can’t leave, or a gigantic snake that devours the light. As he battles<br />

with the Giant, Kuki is helped by an extremely intelligent girl called<br />

Gabby and a talking dog called Pudding.


Extracts from <strong>The</strong> Giant<br />

Extract One<br />

<strong>The</strong> Giant s<strong>to</strong>od still. It was huge and terrifying. It was such a dreadful<br />

sight that for a second Kuki closed his eyes. <strong>The</strong>n he regained the ability<br />

<strong>to</strong> move and rushed <strong>to</strong> the Red Chair. He sat down and shouted:<br />

“I want <strong>to</strong> be stronger than this monster. I want <strong>to</strong> be mightier than<br />

it is!”<br />

Immediately Kuki felt something strange. He thought he was growing,<br />

getting bigger and bigger. But he hadn’t got bigger at all – he was still a<br />

fairly small eleven-year-old boy. It was just his strength that was growing,<br />

as his body rapidly filled up with incredible power.<br />

He s<strong>to</strong>od up and headed <strong>to</strong>wards the Giant. He was comically tiny compared<br />

with its enormous size, but he no longer wanted <strong>to</strong> run away. He wanted <strong>to</strong><br />

fight it. He wasn’t afraid. He knew he had enough strength <strong>to</strong> beat it.<br />

<strong>The</strong> monster struck its great foot against the floor. CRASH! It struck<br />

it a second time. CRASH! CRASH! <strong>The</strong> whole building was shaking. <strong>The</strong><br />

Giant was trying <strong>to</strong> frighten Kuki, but he wasn’t at all scared. He walked<br />

straight <strong>to</strong>wards it.<br />

Suddenly the Giant thrust out an arm. Its iron hand was hanging<br />

above Kuki’s head. <strong>The</strong> boy seized a steel finger and pulled with all his<br />

might.<br />

<strong>The</strong> Giant tried <strong>to</strong> lift Kuki up in the air. <strong>The</strong> boy exerted all his magic<br />

power. As he squeezed the monster’s hand, he <strong>to</strong>ok a swing. And then<br />

spun the Giant in the air and threw him upwards.<br />

WOOSH!<br />

<strong>The</strong> Giant flew off like a rocket. It hit the ceiling, smashed it <strong>to</strong> bits<br />

and went flying <strong>to</strong>wards the sun like a comet.<br />

Kuki sighed with relief. And then he heard someone calling:<br />

“Kuki! He’s coming back!”<br />

Red hot, the steel Giant was falling like a meteorite.<br />

Extract Two<br />

“Kuki, if you’ve got such great strength, you must be careful, do you<br />

understand?” said Dad quietly. “You can’t have a fight with anyone, not<br />

even for a joke, because you could do them awful harm.”<br />

“All right. Dad... Are you really going <strong>to</strong> prison for what I’ve<br />

destroyed?”<br />

“If we pay for it, they’ll leave us in peace.”<br />

“I’ll save you! I’m strong! I can fight anyone!”<br />

Mum sighed and hugged Kuki.<br />

“I find your strength much more worrying than the court,” she said.<br />

“I’m afraid you’ll accidentally hurt someone and you’ll get in<strong>to</strong> trouble.


Remember... If anything makes you angry, just lock your hands <strong>to</strong>gether<br />

and count <strong>to</strong> ten.”<br />

“All right,” whispered Kuki. He put his arms around Mum and hugged her.<br />

“Ow!” cried Mum.<br />

Kuki instantly let go of her.<br />

“I’m sorry, Mum! I haven’t hurt you, have I?”<br />

“No...”<br />

Mum was breathing heavily and rubbing her neck. “Kuki, you mustn’t<br />

hug anyone or shake anybody’s hand. You’re <strong>to</strong>o strong – don’t forget<br />

that.”<br />

“So won’t I be able <strong>to</strong> hug you again, Mum? Not ever?”<br />

Extract Three<br />

<strong>The</strong> talking dog cautiously went in<strong>to</strong> the jungle. <strong>The</strong> trees grew close<br />

<strong>to</strong>gether, intertwined and overgrown with thorny lianas. He was<br />

dreadfully afraid. Pudding was a little mongrel from the city. He had<br />

never been in a jungle before. To tell the truth, he had never even been<br />

in an ordinary wood before. He looked around him in terror. <strong>The</strong>re were<br />

creatures creeping, crawling and flying among the trees, though the<br />

talking dog couldn’t see them.<br />

He had barely gone a hundred paces when a leopard jumped out of<br />

the undergrowth like a streak of lightning. Pudding screamed and <strong>to</strong>ok<br />

<strong>to</strong> his heels. <strong>The</strong> leopard softly and silently moved after him. It caught<br />

him up, and Pudding froze.<br />

“That overgrown <strong>to</strong>mcat is going <strong>to</strong> eat me up!” he groaned. “Help!<br />

Boss, help!”<br />

<strong>The</strong> leopard tilted its spotted head and looked at him in amazement.<br />

It had never seen a dog before, especially one that talked. Pudding was<br />

glued <strong>to</strong> the ground. He was trying <strong>to</strong> think of a way <strong>to</strong> save his skin.<br />

Suddenly he remembered what Gabby had said: “If you can’t beat your<br />

enemy, try <strong>to</strong> make him laugh.”<br />

“Yes. Right... I must make it laugh,” he whispered in despair. “But I<br />

can’t do it!”<br />

Finally, he s<strong>to</strong>od up on his hind legs and sang in a trembling voice:<br />

“Two little pups by the river were trying <strong>to</strong> get across, until they<br />

found a footbridge they were at a loss, trala lala...”<br />

As he sang, he wiggled his ears in time <strong>to</strong> the music.<br />

<strong>The</strong> leopard stared at him, as<strong>to</strong>unded. Never in its life had it seen<br />

anything quite so idiotic! It roared.<br />

<strong>The</strong>n the desperate Pudding sang:<br />

“Happy Birthday <strong>to</strong> you, Happy Birthday <strong>to</strong> you, Happy Birthday dear<br />

Leopard, Happy Birthday <strong>to</strong> you!”<br />

After this little ditty, Pudding was quite incapable of singing anymore.<br />

He sat down without moving and waited for his fate. It occurred <strong>to</strong> him<br />

that if the leopard did devour him, he’d be sorriest of all about his tail.<br />

He had always thought his tail was the prettiest bit of him.<br />

But the leopard didn’t eat Pudding, or even his tail. It just snorted<br />

disdainfully, then it turned around and walked off in<strong>to</strong> the forest. Pudding<br />

went on sitting there for a minute, petrified. Suddenly he leaped up and<br />

raced off as fast as a Ferrari.


Extract Four<br />

A dragon made out of flames came flying <strong>to</strong>wards them. <strong>The</strong> children<br />

ran away with all the strength they had left. Half way <strong>to</strong> the river Yangtse<br />

s<strong>to</strong>od a helicopter. It belonged <strong>to</strong> the fire brigade.<br />

“Let’s jump in,” cried Blubek.<br />

“We don’t <strong>know</strong> how <strong>to</strong> work it.”<br />

“I do,” shouted Blubek. “<strong>Get</strong> in.”<br />

Kuki thought it was madness. No child <strong>know</strong>s how <strong>to</strong> pilot a helicopter!<br />

But there was no alternative. <strong>The</strong> dragon was catching them up.<br />

Pudding and the children jumped in<strong>to</strong> the helicopter. Blubek slammed<br />

the door shut.<br />

“Blubek, do you really <strong>know</strong> how <strong>to</strong> do this?” whispered Gabby.<br />

“I’ve played Blade Striker thousands of times. <strong>The</strong>re’s lots of<br />

helicopter flying in that game. I’m sure I <strong>know</strong> how <strong>to</strong> take off.”<br />

“What about landing?” squeaked Pudding.<br />

“Well... I’m not quite so good at that...” said Blubek and pressed the<br />

ignition.<br />

<strong>The</strong> propellor began <strong>to</strong> spin and the helicopter <strong>to</strong>ok off in<strong>to</strong> the air.<br />

Blubek really did <strong>know</strong> how <strong>to</strong> take off! <strong>The</strong>y were flying <strong>to</strong>wards the<br />

clouds.<br />

<strong>The</strong> dragon roared with rage and chased after them. Its wings were<br />

spread out across half the sky. It was spitting fire at the machine, but<br />

Blubek pulled back the joystick and the helicopter nimbly jumped aside!<br />

“Wow! Super!”<br />

<strong>The</strong> dragon rushed <strong>to</strong>wards them. Blubek shouted: “Kuki, blast<br />

him!”<br />

Only now did Kuki remember there was a water cannon in the<br />

helicopter for putting out fires in <strong>to</strong>wer blocks. <strong>The</strong> dragon suddenly<br />

turned. Kuki yanked nervously at the cannon and water gushed in<strong>to</strong> the<br />

cabin.<br />

“I’ve broken it!” he cried in terror.<br />

Kuki had tugged <strong>to</strong>o hard at the water cannon. He had broken it off,<br />

along with a piece of the helicopter’s wall! <strong>The</strong> helicopter started <strong>to</strong><br />

fall like a wounded bird. It was diving straight on<strong>to</strong> the big television<br />

<strong>to</strong>wer in Shanghai, which was <strong>to</strong>pped with an illuminated sphere. <strong>The</strong>y<br />

were certain they’d be smashed <strong>to</strong> pieces, but at the very last moment<br />

Blubek straightened up the helicopter and landed it on the roof of the<br />

<strong>to</strong>wer.<br />

“I can do it!” he cried in joy. “I <strong>know</strong> how <strong>to</strong> land!”<br />

<strong>The</strong>y jumped out of the helicopter.<br />

Now they were on the roof of the television <strong>to</strong>wer. On the very <strong>to</strong>p<br />

there was a huge antenna. S<strong>to</strong>rm clouds were swirling just above them.<br />

Bolts of lightning went flying across the sky, but it still wasn’t raining.<br />

Suddenly the dragon flew out from among the clouds. It spread its wings<br />

wide as it prepared for the final attack. <strong>The</strong> gigantic antenna, which was<br />

standing on the roof, cast a wobbly shadow.<br />

Kuki had <strong>to</strong> do something! He looked up at the antenna. It was<br />

enormous, about a hundred metres high. If he could manage <strong>to</strong> lift it,<br />

he could fight with it like a sword. He ran up <strong>to</strong> the antenna and tugged<br />

at it, but it wouldn’t budge at all.<br />

“Boss! It’s flying straight at us!”


Kuki pulled at the antenna with all his might. Something snapped, and<br />

the antenna broke off. It was terribly heavy. Kuki had trouble holding it.<br />

He looked up. <strong>The</strong> fiery dragon was flying closer, and the <strong>to</strong>wer<br />

had gone red from the glow of the flames. Kuki knew that if he cut the<br />

dragon in half it would just change in<strong>to</strong> two more. <strong>The</strong> dragon was made<br />

of fire − the only thing that could defeat it was water!<br />

Kuki looked at the s<strong>to</strong>rm clouds overhead and had an idea. An idea<br />

that might give them their last chance. He <strong>to</strong>ok a swing and hurled the<br />

enormous antenna like a javelin.<br />

<strong>The</strong> hundred-metre structure flew in<strong>to</strong> the air with a swoosh. It<br />

went past the dragon and hit the s<strong>to</strong>rm cloud above it. A clap of thunder<br />

rang out, a bolt of lightning flew by, and streams of water came gushing<br />

out of the split cloud. Life-saving water! <strong>The</strong> rain lashed down on the<br />

fiery dragon. <strong>The</strong> dragon tried <strong>to</strong> get away, it writhed and whirled, but<br />

it couldn’t escape the downpour. HISS! BANG! With an incredible noise<br />

the dragon disintegrated and was extinguished. Its great body changed<br />

in<strong>to</strong> a stream of sparks that fell in<strong>to</strong> the river. <strong>The</strong> water hissed, clouds<br />

of steam rose in<strong>to</strong> the air, and in a short while the river Yangtze was<br />

flowing peacefully again.<br />

Extract Five<br />

<strong>The</strong>y rushed <strong>to</strong> the ship’s windows, which protruded out of its sides, like<br />

the bulging eyes of a crocodile. <strong>The</strong>y saw a pair of steel legs sticking out<br />

of the ship’s side. <strong>The</strong>y looked like the feet of an enormous crocodile.<br />

CRASH, CRASH, CRASH... <strong>The</strong> immense ship went marching across the<br />

seabed like a robot in metal armour. Or like a gigantic steel alliga<strong>to</strong>r. It<br />

was moving faster and faster.<br />

Its headlights lit up the water. <strong>The</strong> bewildered children watched<br />

images of the underwater world. <strong>The</strong>re were sea snakes and oc<strong>to</strong>puses<br />

peering through the window panes, and shoals of fishes fleeing <strong>to</strong> either<br />

side.<br />

“Where is it going?” cried Gabby.<br />

On a screen there was a map. It showed a black dot moving along a<br />

path marked by arrows. At the end there was a red cone and the word<br />

KA-VI-O-BARAT.<br />

“What does it mean?”<br />

Suddenly Gabby shouted. “I’ve remembered! Ka-vi-o-barat is an<br />

underwater volcano!”<br />

“Have you gone crazy? <strong>The</strong>re aren’t any volcanoes under water!”<br />

“<strong>The</strong>re are! This sort of volcano burns in water. When they blow up,<br />

the lava creates islands.” <strong>The</strong>y stared at each other uneasily.<br />

“Why is that rotter trudging there?”<br />

<strong>The</strong>y were speechless. Suddenly Blubek cried: “Don’t you see? He<br />

wants <strong>to</strong> go in<strong>to</strong> the volcano. Taking us with him! We’ll be turned in<strong>to</strong><br />

black s<strong>to</strong>nes.”<br />

“We must s<strong>to</strong>p him!” cried Gabby. She ran <strong>to</strong> the door.<br />

“Open it!”<br />

Kuki hesitated. He knew the whole ship was filled with water. Gabby<br />

would have <strong>to</strong> dive along lots of corridors and stairs. And all of it under<br />

water, with no chance of taking a breath of air.


“Open it!”<br />

Kuki cautiously pressed the handle and set the door ajar. Gabby<br />

dived in<strong>to</strong> the corridor, filled <strong>to</strong> the ceiling with water. Fighting back the<br />

pressure of the water, Kuki slammed the door shut. He started mentally<br />

counting the passing seconds: “One... two... three...”<br />

Filled with water, the ship looked like an incredible aquarium. Gabby<br />

swam as fast as she could. Suddenly some black arms emerged from<br />

the open door of a cabin. Eight arms.<br />

“An oc<strong>to</strong>pus!<br />

Evidently, along with the water various creatures had floated in<strong>to</strong><br />

the ship. Luckily it was a small oc<strong>to</strong>pus. At the sight of Gabby it fled. But<br />

then sharks could have got inside <strong>to</strong>o... Gabby tried not <strong>to</strong> think about<br />

the dangers. She was starting <strong>to</strong> run out of air. “I won’t be able <strong>to</strong> do it,”<br />

she thought in despair.<br />

Kuki waited with his face pressed <strong>to</strong> the glass panel in the door.<br />

He was counting the seconds: “43... 44... 45... Fifteen seconds left! If<br />

anything happens <strong>to</strong> her, I’ll smash this ship <strong>to</strong> bits!” he thought. He<br />

turned around and shouted: “If Gabby doesn’t come back I’ll rip you <strong>to</strong><br />

pieces, you stupid monster!” He wanted IT <strong>to</strong> hear him. To be afraid, and<br />

not <strong>to</strong> harm Gabby.<br />

“If I don’t get some air immediately I’m done for!” thought Gabby,<br />

desperately searching for help. She saw a large bottle floating near the<br />

ceiling, turned upside down. <strong>The</strong> bottle was open and empty.<br />

“Maybe there’s air inside it?” thought Gabby. When she was little she<br />

used <strong>to</strong> love watching the air bubbles coming out of bottles under water.<br />

With the last of her strength she swam up <strong>to</strong> the bottle. She grabbed it,<br />

pressed it <strong>to</strong> her lips and breathed. <strong>The</strong>re was air inside it!<br />

Extract Six<br />

“Food!” cried Blubek. “What a lot of nosh!”<br />

<strong>The</strong>re, on silver platters, lay all the most wonderful dishes. <strong>The</strong> food<br />

smelled so good their heads began <strong>to</strong> spin. Next <strong>to</strong> it s<strong>to</strong>od piles of<br />

biscuits, creamy desserts and big cakes. <strong>The</strong>y rushed <strong>to</strong> the table in<br />

a frenzy. <strong>The</strong>y hadn’t eaten anything for two days! <strong>The</strong>y were terribly<br />

hungry.<br />

“It’s so good!”<br />

“Lovely!”<br />

“Yum, yum!”<br />

“Very tasty!”<br />

<strong>The</strong>y had forgotten that the ship might be an incarnation of the<br />

monster. <strong>The</strong>y just kept eating, guzzling, devouring! And they couldn’t<br />

s<strong>to</strong>p.Pudding the mongrel, whom everyone had forgotten about, jumped<br />

on<strong>to</strong> the table and raced <strong>to</strong>wards a plate of delicious-smelling ham. He<br />

grabbed a big slice and was just about <strong>to</strong> gobble it up. But suddenly he<br />

s<strong>to</strong>pped himself. He let go of the ham and started <strong>to</strong> sniff it carefully. He<br />

ran up <strong>to</strong> a plate of pasta, and gave that a sniff <strong>to</strong>o.<br />

“Boss... Something doesn’t smell right <strong>to</strong> me!” called the dog. “Don’t<br />

eat it!”<br />

“Whazzat you’re saying?” lisped Kuki, whose mouth was full of pizza.<br />

“I can smell something suspicious. It could be poison.”


“Don’t talk nonsense!” laughed Blubek. “It’s lovely!” And crammed<br />

half a bowl of pasta in<strong>to</strong> his mouth.<br />

“It’s poison!” shouted the dog. “Leave it!”<br />

But the children weren’t listening <strong>to</strong> him. <strong>The</strong>y were eating like<br />

crazy, as if they had lost their minds. <strong>The</strong>y kept on guzzling more and<br />

more. Finally the dog grabbed the tablecloth in his teeth and pulled. <strong>The</strong><br />

dishes began falling <strong>to</strong> floor with a crash.<br />

“What are you doing, you silly dog!” Infuriated, Blubek rushed at<br />

Pudding, waving a fork.<br />

Suddenly he s<strong>to</strong>pped. Kuki and Gabby also s<strong>to</strong>pped eating and froze<br />

motionless.<br />

Blubek looked at Kuki as if seeing him for the first time ever.<br />

“I don’t <strong>know</strong> you. Who are you? What’s your name?”<br />

“I can’t remember,” replied Kuki, and looked at Gabby. “And who are<br />

you? What’s your name?”<br />

“Name?” whispered Gabby. “What’s a name?”<br />

“You see,” groaned Pudding. “I knew it was poison.”<br />

Kuki looked at the dog in amazement.<br />

“What sort of an animal is that?”<br />

“I don’t <strong>know</strong>,” said Gabby. “Maybe it’s a cow?”<br />

“I most certainly am not a cow! I’m a dog!”<br />

“What does ‘dog’ mean?”<br />

“I think it’s a make of car...” mumbled Blubek.<br />

“Oh heavens! <strong>The</strong>y’ve lost their memory!” groaned Pudding.<br />

“Memory... What’s memory?” asked Kuki. “I can’t remember.”<br />

Kuki slumped on<strong>to</strong> a chair. Blubek and Gabby sank on<strong>to</strong> the chairs<br />

next <strong>to</strong> him. <strong>The</strong>y all sat without moving, gazing blankly around them.<br />

<strong>The</strong>y had lost their memory.<br />

“Kuki” Blubek! Gabby!” cried the terrified Pudding, but the children<br />

didn’t answer − because they had also forgotten how <strong>to</strong> talk.<br />

Translated by An<strong>to</strong>nia Lloyd-Jones


Extracts from <strong>The</strong> Secret of the Bridge<br />

Extract One<br />

Melanie sat down on the red chair. It was the first time she had been left<br />

completely on her own with the magical object. She glanced <strong>to</strong>wards the<br />

door. Through its tinted glass, she could see in<strong>to</strong> the living room where<br />

Philip was flying the model helicopter. She could hear him laughing.<br />

Suddenly, Melanie sat bolt upright, and looking straight at Philip she said in<br />

a heartfelt whisper, “I wish Philip would fall in love with…” She didn’t dare<br />

say ‘me’. She had always been timid. Instead she whispered, “I wish Philip<br />

would fall in love with the next girl he sees!”<br />

<strong>The</strong>n she shouted out, at the <strong>to</strong>p of her voice, “Philip!”<br />

That would have been enough if Philip had glanced over at her just then,<br />

if he had glanced at her for just a second, even for a fraction of a second.<br />

<strong>The</strong>n he would have loved her forever.<br />

If only he had looked at her!<br />

But he didn’t. And that was because just at that moment the helicopter<br />

whizzed over <strong>to</strong> the window and flew out in<strong>to</strong> the street. Someone shouted,<br />

“<strong>The</strong> helicopter’s escaped!”<br />

Philip dashed <strong>to</strong> the front door. He rushed down the stairs several steps<br />

at a time, and ran out in<strong>to</strong> the street. He looked around. <strong>The</strong> helicopter was<br />

hovering in front of the huge billboard that hung on the wall. It was right in<br />

front of the advertising model’s beautiful smiling face. Philip glanced up at<br />

her.<br />

He s<strong>to</strong>pped dead, as if mesmerised.<br />

<strong>The</strong> helicopter circled around, crashed in<strong>to</strong> the billboard, and plummeted<br />

<strong>to</strong> the ground. Philip <strong>to</strong>ok no notice of it. He was staring at the girl on the<br />

poster.<br />

At that point Melanie ran up <strong>to</strong> him. She s<strong>to</strong>od right in front of him, but he<br />

didn’t even notice her at all. He walked past her, as if she were invisible. He<br />

walked up <strong>to</strong> the billboard, and looking in<strong>to</strong> the eyes of the girl advertising<br />

Choo Gums, he whispered, “I love you. I love you, and will love you forever!”<br />

Everybody at the party rushed out in<strong>to</strong> the street. Someone picked up<br />

the smashed helicopter. Someone else shouted, “Don’t worry Philip. It’s<br />

guaranteed.”<br />

“Let’s go back inside.”<br />

“Oi, Philip! Come on then!”<br />

Philip didn’t react. He s<strong>to</strong>od motionless, staring in<strong>to</strong> the eyes of the girl<br />

on the poster.<br />

“What’s wrong with him?”<br />

“He’s mucking around.”<br />

Philip paid no attention <strong>to</strong> them. He appeared <strong>to</strong> be in a trance. Tosia ran<br />

up <strong>to</strong> him, and <strong>to</strong>ok a close look at him.<br />

“Vicki, call Mum and Dad! Quickly!”<br />

Vicki rushed in<strong>to</strong> the house. Tosia kept watching Philip, and grew<br />

increasingly worried. Her parents had once looked like that when they were<br />

bewitched by a terrible enchantment. But surely, as the magic chair was<br />

out of action now…<br />

Mum and Dad came running out of the house. Mum <strong>to</strong>ok Philip in her<br />

arms.<br />

“Philip, what’s the matter?” <strong>The</strong> boy didn’t even bat an eyelid. “Come<br />

inside.”<br />

“I want <strong>to</strong> stay here. I want <strong>to</strong> go on looking at her,” Philip said quietly.<br />

Mum looked at him anxiously.<br />

“Tosia dear, has he been drinking alcohol?”


“I don’t think so…”<br />

Dad <strong>to</strong>ok hold of Philip and pulled him <strong>to</strong>wards the house.<br />

Philip resisted and kept turning his head <strong>to</strong> look at the girl on the poster.<br />

<strong>The</strong> neighbours started peering out of their windows, wondering what was<br />

up. <strong>The</strong> children, who were still out in the street, were whispering amongst<br />

themselves. Mum said quickly, “I’m sorry… the party’s over now. Please go<br />

home.”<br />

Extract Two<br />

“We’re going <strong>to</strong> destroy her!”<br />

“Who?”<br />

“<strong>The</strong> girl on the poster.”<br />

“We have <strong>to</strong> change her in<strong>to</strong> something else, something Philip can’t<br />

stand,” said Tosia.<br />

“So that he finds her disgusting,” whispered Melanie.<br />

“So he can’t bear <strong>to</strong> look at her! So that he hates her!” added Vicki.<br />

“I <strong>know</strong>,” said Kuki. “Let’s turn her in<strong>to</strong> a spider. Philip hates spiders.”<br />

Tosia looked around. <strong>The</strong> street was empty.<br />

“OK, Ginger. Go for it.”<br />

Melanie sat down on the chair facing the billboard. She looked at the<br />

girl on the poster and said, “I want her <strong>to</strong> turn in<strong>to</strong> a spider. Now!”<br />

She said it with real anger. Kuki noticed Melanie looked pretty when she<br />

was angry, but had no time <strong>to</strong> think it over, as he heard Tosia shout, “Watch<br />

out! It’s real!”<br />

<strong>The</strong> girl on the poster had turned in<strong>to</strong> an enormous spider, as big as the<br />

billboard. But the spider wasn’t a picture, it was a real, live, creepy-crawly<br />

monster! <strong>The</strong> enormous spider slipped off the poster and crawled <strong>to</strong>wards<br />

them.<br />

Melanie was terrified, leaped off the chair, and ran away. She escaped at<br />

the last possible moment, as the gigantic spider let fly a ball of black spit,<br />

covering the chair in a sticky web.<br />

<strong>The</strong> children hid in the entrance <strong>to</strong> a courtyard. <strong>The</strong> Red Chair was<br />

jerking around trying <strong>to</strong> tear itself free of its bonds, but the gummy web<br />

had tied it down completely. <strong>The</strong> spider scuttled <strong>to</strong>wards it, and grabbed<br />

it in its disgusting hairy legs. It probably thought the chair was a huge fly.<br />

“Oh gosh, what a mess we’re in!” whispered Tosia. “How are we going<br />

<strong>to</strong> get the chair back?”<br />

Kuki realised they really needed Philip at this point. Philip was the one<br />

who usually <strong>to</strong>ok action in dangerous situations. Kuki decided he had <strong>to</strong><br />

stand in for his brother.<br />

“I’ll distract the creepy-crawly monster,” he whispered, “and while I’m<br />

doing that Ginger can sit down on the chair and zap it.”<br />

“Wait, Kuki, I’ll do it…” cried Tosia.<br />

But Kuki had already run out of the passage-way <strong>to</strong>wards the spider.<br />

On the alert, it turned its head <strong>to</strong> look at the boy with its protruding<br />

eyes. Suddenly, it launched a blob of black spit at him. Kuki ducked, but the<br />

spider squirted out some more gooey liquid. This time Kuki didn’t move out<br />

of the way fast enough, and several drops landed on his cheek. He felt a<br />

stinging pain as if he had been lashed by nettles. Worse yet, there was now<br />

a black silk thread connecting him <strong>to</strong> the spider. Fortunately, it was thin and<br />

Kuki managed <strong>to</strong> break it easily. <strong>The</strong> spider scuttled <strong>to</strong>wards him. It was<br />

much bigger than Kuki.<br />

<strong>The</strong> boy ran <strong>to</strong>wards the bridge. <strong>The</strong> spider s<strong>to</strong>pped and started puffing<br />

itself up. It was now huge and fat and looked like a hideous, hairy balloon.


It spat at Kuki with all its might and a huge ball of black gunk flew through<br />

the air. This time it hit its target. Kuki got it in the back and dropped <strong>to</strong> the<br />

pavement. He tried <strong>to</strong> get up, but the spider’s spittle had glued him <strong>to</strong> the<br />

paving, like a huge piece of chewing gum. He struggled <strong>to</strong> turn his head,<br />

only <strong>to</strong> see the hairy monster crawling <strong>to</strong>wards him.<br />

“Here comes trouble!” groaned Kuki, barely able <strong>to</strong> move his glued-up<br />

lips. <strong>The</strong> spider wasn’t in a hurry. It knew it could deal with Kuki whenever<br />

it wanted…<br />

Extract Three<br />

First, they conjured up a spare battery for the robot. Vicki found a battery<br />

compartment hidden behind his left ear. Beside it was a tiny screen and<br />

several but<strong>to</strong>ns. Vicki examined them with curiosity.<br />

”Oi, Kuki,” she shouted, “Ro-Bob has some sort of control panel here.<br />

What’s it for?”<br />

”It’s a working mode selec<strong>to</strong>r: you can have Friendly Guardian or Super-<br />

Bossy Ta... Don’t press it!!!”<br />

Too late! Vicki had already flicked the switch out of curiosity. CLICK.<br />

<strong>The</strong> robot immediately turned <strong>to</strong>wards her, and he wasn’t smiling.<br />

”No - <strong>to</strong>uching! You - must - obey!” he barked. “Repeat - three - times,<br />

‘I - must - obey’!”<br />

”What’s he on about?” asked Vicki, taken aback.<br />

”Flick the switch back,” shrieked Kuki in alarm. “Quickly!”<br />

Vicki reached out, but the robot wouldn’t let her <strong>to</strong>uch the switch. He<br />

lifted an as<strong>to</strong>nished Vicki by the collar, and sat her on the bed.<br />

“You - are - naughty. Be - obedient.”<br />

”Why’s he speaking <strong>to</strong> me like this?”<br />

You switched on the Super-Bossy Taskmaster mode,” cried Kuki in alarm.<br />

”What on earth did you wish that up for?” whispered Vicki.<br />

”Well, just in case he had <strong>to</strong> deal with horrible children or criminals.”<br />

<strong>The</strong> robot shouted, ”Silence. Time for - exercise - routine. Jump - <strong>to</strong> it!”<br />

<strong>The</strong> children didn’t budge, but Kuki whispered, ”Here comes trouble!”<br />

<strong>The</strong> robot grabbed them by the ears, and dragged them in<strong>to</strong> the centre<br />

of the room.<br />

”Squats - first! <strong>Get</strong> a - move on!”<br />

Obediently, they started doing squats. <strong>The</strong>y were afraid if they didn’t, the<br />

robot would go on the rampage, just as he had in the restaurant. <strong>The</strong>y had<br />

done nearly a hundred squats when the robot gave a blast on his whistle,<br />

and barked, “Running - now! At the - double!”<br />

<strong>The</strong>y started <strong>to</strong> run around the table.<br />

After running, the robot ordered them <strong>to</strong> do star jumps, press-ups and<br />

loads of other crazy exercises. <strong>The</strong>y were exhausted.<br />

”Kuki, we have <strong>to</strong> find a way <strong>to</strong> change the mode, otherwise he’ll finish<br />

us off,” moaned Vicki.<br />

”Halt!” <strong>The</strong> robot gave a signal with the whistle. ”Time for - work - now.”<br />

”What! What work?”<br />

”Tidy - up. At the - double!”<br />

<strong>The</strong> robot forced them <strong>to</strong> clean the house. <strong>The</strong>y couldn’t find a vacuum<br />

cleaner, so they had <strong>to</strong> sweep the floors with an old-fashioned broom, beat<br />

the carpets with a carpet beater, and clean the windows. <strong>The</strong>y worked like<br />

mad. <strong>The</strong>y had no choice because the robot kept an eye on them. Any shirking<br />

and the robot would immediately grab them, and force them <strong>to</strong> work.<br />

”Kuki, this is absolutely barmy! Did you have any idea what you were<br />

wishing for? It’s like a penal colony!”


”S<strong>to</strong>p!” bawled the robot. “Lesson - time!”<br />

”What?”<br />

”Time for - lessons.”<br />

”Surely not?”<br />

Ro-Bob forced them <strong>to</strong> sit round the table. He started setting them<br />

really stupid questions.<br />

”Capital - of - Madagascar. Answer?”<br />

”Don’t <strong>know</strong>.”<br />

”Fail! Stay - at your - desk!”<br />

<strong>The</strong>y had <strong>to</strong> sit very still, and learn lots of facts. <strong>The</strong>n Ro-Bob ordered<br />

them <strong>to</strong> sit a test. Anyone making a mistake was ordered by the robot <strong>to</strong> eat<br />

the question paper as a punishment.<br />

”Ginger, he’s gone mad. We have <strong>to</strong> do something!”<br />

<strong>The</strong> robot whistled.<br />

”No - talking. Break time - now.”<br />

<strong>The</strong> robot went rigid and s<strong>to</strong>pped moving, but still watched them keenly.<br />

Vicki put her hand up, and asked with an innocent smile, “May I go <strong>to</strong> the<br />

<strong>to</strong>ilet?”<br />

”Yes. One - minute.”<br />

”I need <strong>to</strong> go as well.”<br />

”Me <strong>to</strong>o.”<br />

”One - minute.”<br />

<strong>The</strong> three of them ran out of the room. <strong>The</strong>y held a council of war in the<br />

bathroom.<br />

”We have <strong>to</strong> hatch a plan quickly,” whispered Vicki, “otherwise we’re in<br />

for a year’s boot camp.”<br />

”I’ve got it!” said Melanie. “We have <strong>to</strong> ask him a nonsensical question.”<br />

”What for?” whispered Kuki.<br />

”If you do that <strong>to</strong> a computer, it gets stuck in a rut.”<br />

“So how will that help?”<br />

”When Ro-Bob loses concentration, you can steal up behind him, and<br />

change the mode over.”<br />

<strong>The</strong>y heard him shouting from the other room, “Toilet break - end.<br />

Return.”<br />

<strong>The</strong>y went back. Vicki and Melanie approached the robot, both smiling<br />

innocently.<br />

Melanie said, “Mr Robot, can we ask you a question?”<br />

”Be - brief.”<br />

”Is the capital of Blah-blah-land really Gobbledygook-ville?”<br />

”What?”<br />

”Is Gobbledygook-ville the capital of Blah-blah-land?”<br />

<strong>The</strong> robot glanced at her, and his eyes started <strong>to</strong> flicker. You could see<br />

he was searching his database, but couldn’t find any data about the country<br />

Blah-blah-land, because it doesn’t exist. <strong>The</strong> effort was making his insides<br />

churn and his whole body shake.<br />

Meanwhile Kuki quietly crept up behind the robot. He got on<strong>to</strong> a chair.<br />

He stretched his arm <strong>to</strong>wards the small but<strong>to</strong>n behind the robot’s ear. <strong>The</strong><br />

robot felt the <strong>to</strong>uch, and turned round like a flash, but Kuki had been fast<br />

enough and had flicked the switch.<br />

CLICK!<br />

<strong>The</strong> robot froze for a second, and then, smiling, he said, “How - can I -<br />

help? I am - friendly. Very - friendly.”<br />

<strong>The</strong> children heaved sighs of relief.<br />

Translated by Kasia Beresford


Extracts from <strong>The</strong> Red Chair<br />

Extract one<br />

“<strong>The</strong>re’s Auntie!”<br />

<strong>The</strong> children rushed headlong as fast as they could, but their backpacks<br />

and the chair were weighing them down. Auntie had spotted them, and moved<br />

off with a squeal of tyres.<br />

“Over there!” shouted Philip, turning in<strong>to</strong> a narrow little street, where he<br />

thought it would be easier for them <strong>to</strong> hide. Unfortunately, the far end of the<br />

street was blocked by a gate, locked shut with a padlock. <strong>The</strong>y had gone down<br />

a blind alley! In a flash, Philip sat on the chair. His brother and sister s<strong>to</strong>od<br />

behind him. Just then, Auntie’s Mercedes drove up and braked a few yards<br />

away from the children. Auntie jumped out of the car.<br />

“Where do you think you’re going? You were trying <strong>to</strong> run away, weren’t you?”<br />

As she headed <strong>to</strong>wards the siblings, Kuki whispered <strong>to</strong> Philip: “Change her<br />

in<strong>to</strong> a cockroach... Quick!”<br />

“No!” cried Tosia. “Because someone will put an end <strong>to</strong> her with Off! spray...”<br />

“So change her in<strong>to</strong> a dog!”<br />

“She’ll bite us!”<br />

Auntie came up <strong>to</strong> them and screamed: “<strong>Get</strong> in the car!”<br />

“I’ve got it!” cried Philip. “Make Auntie smaller than us!”<br />

Instantly a terrible gale blew up. <strong>The</strong> wind struck Auntie and pushed her<br />

away. She went spinning like a roundabout, shouting at the <strong>to</strong>p of her voice. <strong>The</strong><br />

wind raised the sand and <strong>to</strong>re off leaves that all went flying along with Auntie in<br />

a frenzied dance. <strong>The</strong> whirling Auntie continued <strong>to</strong> shout as loud as she could,<br />

and the wind kept pushing her away, until finally she fell in<strong>to</strong> the car. <strong>The</strong> door<br />

slammed shut and the wind died down. <strong>The</strong> siblings, who had shielded their<br />

eyes against the gale, slowly lowered their hands and began <strong>to</strong> look around<br />

them. Auntie was nowhere <strong>to</strong> be seen.<br />

“Where has she got <strong>to</strong>?” asked Philip in a whisper.<br />

“Maybe she’s as small as some bacteria...” whispered Kuki.<br />

“She must have changed in<strong>to</strong> a little troll. Be careful not <strong>to</strong> tread on her.”<br />

Tosia set off, looking carefully underfoot. Her brothers came after her<br />

cautiously, as if crossing a mine field. Suddenly they heard someone calling:<br />

“<strong>Get</strong> in the car, you little brats!”<br />

But it wasn’t Auntie’s voice. Instantly they turned round and saw a face in<br />

dark glasses leaning out of the car window. It was the face of a seven-year-old<br />

little girl!<br />

“What a stunt!” whispered Philip.<br />

<strong>The</strong> little girl gave him a hostile look and called out in a squeaky voice:<br />

“Can’t you hear what I’m saying? <strong>Get</strong> in the car!”<br />

At that point the siblings burst out laughing. <strong>The</strong> little girl was still dressed<br />

in a coat and huge glasses, and she looked very funny. <strong>The</strong>y went up <strong>to</strong> the car.<br />

“You’re <strong>to</strong>o small <strong>to</strong> drive a car, Auntie,” said Philip, smiling cheekily.<br />

Finally Auntie grew alarmed. She glanced at her tiny hands with the<br />

fingernails painted red. And then in the car mirror, and began <strong>to</strong> scream. She<br />

howled as if she had seen a ghost.<br />

“So long then, Auntie!” said Philip. “We’ve got <strong>to</strong> run! Bye!”<br />

Auntie got out of the car, comically tiny in spite of her high-heeled shoes,<br />

and stared after them as they walked off, wiping away her tears. Tosia s<strong>to</strong>pped.<br />

“Wait a minute.”<br />

“What for?”<br />

“We can’t leave her like that. She’s <strong>to</strong>o small.”<br />

Tosia turned around and went up <strong>to</strong> the small Auntie. She glanced<br />

uncertainly at the little girl, who until not long ago had been a tall, fierce


woman. She wasn’t entirely sure how <strong>to</strong> talk <strong>to</strong> her, as a grown up or a child.<br />

“Come along with us, Auntie,” she said.<br />

“I’m not going anywhere with you!” replied the little girl angrily.<br />

“You’ll get hungry... Or someone might kidnap you.”<br />

“Some dreadful auntie, for instance,” added Kuki.<br />

“…All right,” she said through clenched teeth. “I’m coming with you. But as<br />

soon as I’m big again, I’m going <strong>to</strong> give you a thrashing!”<br />

Extract two<br />

<strong>The</strong> red number seven bus was packed full, so the siblings s<strong>to</strong>od on the back<br />

platform. <strong>The</strong> little Auntie kept at a certain distance from them, glaring in a<br />

hostile way.<br />

“What time does the plane leave?” asked Kuki.<br />

“We’ve still got half an hour.” said Philip “We’ll make it.”<br />

“No you won’t,” said Auntie.<br />

“Why not?”<br />

“Because this bus isn’t going <strong>to</strong> the airport. It’s going in the opposite<br />

direction.”<br />

“How do you <strong>know</strong>, Auntie?”<br />

“Because I’m older and wiser than you,” growled the seven-year-old.<br />

“Besides, there’s a timetable over there.”<br />

<strong>The</strong> siblings ran up <strong>to</strong> a board on which the route was displayed.<br />

“She’s right! We’re going the wrong way,” cried Tosia. “We have <strong>to</strong> get out!”<br />

“No, we don’t,” replied Philip, then sat on the red chair and calmly said: “I<br />

want this bus <strong>to</strong> go straight <strong>to</strong> the airport.”<br />

At once that was that – the bus braked so abruptly that several passengers<br />

fell over on<strong>to</strong> the floor. <strong>The</strong>n it turned around with its tyres squealing and set<br />

off in the opposite direction. In amazement the passengers cried out: “What’s<br />

going on? Has he gone mad? Where’s he going?”<br />

<strong>The</strong> siblings were swapping glances with satisfaction, but just then<br />

something incredible happened. <strong>The</strong> street turned <strong>to</strong> the right, but instead of<br />

turning, the bus drove straight on! It crashed in<strong>to</strong> a barrier, smashing it <strong>to</strong> bits,<br />

and raced straight on across the park. <strong>The</strong> passengers started screaming.<br />

“What’s it doing?” shouted the terrified Philip.<br />

“It’s going straight! You <strong>to</strong>ld it <strong>to</strong> go straight!” cried the terrified Tosia.<br />

<strong>The</strong> bus was jumping about like crazy on the bumpy grass, flattening the<br />

flowerbeds and rubbish bins. At the next bump Philip flew out of the red chair<br />

and landed on the floor, while a fat lady fell on<strong>to</strong> the chair, shrieking hysterically.<br />

<strong>The</strong> crazy bus raced across the marketplace, driving in an exact straight<br />

line. A crowd of specta<strong>to</strong>rs who had been standing in front of a stage ran off in<br />

all directions. On the stage s<strong>to</strong>od Max in his springy shoes. He turned around<br />

and saw the bus speeding straight <strong>to</strong>wards him. When the vehicle hit the stage,<br />

Max made a desperate jump and landed on its roof.<br />

“Philip, s<strong>to</strong>p it or we’ll kill someone!” shouted Tosia. “Call off the spell!”<br />

Philip and Kuki were actually trying <strong>to</strong> do that, but the fat lady was still<br />

sitting on “their” chair, shrieking hysterically, and couldn’t be pushed off it.<br />

<strong>The</strong> bus squashed the stage flat and raced <strong>to</strong>wards an inflatable gateway<br />

with a sign saying: “<strong>The</strong> Best Show in Town! Crocodile and Piranha Display”.<br />

“Philip! S<strong>to</strong>p this bus!” shouted Tosia.<br />

Philip braced himself with all his might as he tried <strong>to</strong> pull the screaming<br />

lady off the magic chair.<br />

“Please!!! <strong>Get</strong> up, Madam!”<br />

Just then the bus drove in<strong>to</strong> the oceanarium. One after another, the<br />

enormous fish tanks shattered, and hundreds of gallons of water came


pouring out, along with the crocodiles and piranhas. Lying on the roof of the<br />

bus, Max was desperately tearing off the fish that were biting him. Suddenly, <strong>to</strong><br />

his horror he saw an enormous crocodile land next <strong>to</strong> him. <strong>The</strong> reptile opened<br />

its jaws wide, baring its horrible great teeth, and it didn’t look <strong>to</strong>o happy.<br />

Extract three<br />

Inside the airport there was a large crowd of travellers milling about. <strong>The</strong><br />

holidays had just begun, and hundreds of passengers with suitcases and<br />

boisterous children were streaming through the departures hall.<br />

Philip said: “I’m sorry, Auntie, but for the time being I’ve got <strong>to</strong> deprive you of<br />

your voice.”<br />

“What did you say, you little brat?”<br />

Instead of replying, Philip sat on the chair and whispered something.<br />

“What are you doing?” asked Tosia.<br />

“I gave an order for Auntie <strong>to</strong> speak only in the Madagascan language. So<br />

she can’t tell anyone what has happened.”<br />

Auntie gave him a furious look and let fly a stream of strange words. It<br />

sounded something like this: “Mami taka! Manary! Miota! Mikasika! Very aho<br />

mikasika! Kalifaty fanalana amin!”<br />

She was evidently making desperate attempts <strong>to</strong> talk in her own language,<br />

but she couldn’t do it. Finally she fell silent and just glared at Philip furiously.<br />

Just then the check-in lady called: “Next, please!”, so they went up <strong>to</strong> the<br />

counter.<br />

“Good morning.”<br />

<strong>The</strong> woman looked at the children in surprise.<br />

“Good morning. Who are you flying with?”<br />

“With our auntie.”<br />

“Where is she?”<br />

“Here.”<br />

<strong>The</strong> check-in lady <strong>to</strong>ok a look at the little girl in dark glasses. <strong>The</strong>n she<br />

looked at the passport.<br />

“I don’t understand. So this child is forty years old?”<br />

“Yes, if you please, Miss,” replied Philip quickly. “Our auntie had plastic<br />

surgery <strong>to</strong> make her look younger, and she went a bit <strong>to</strong>o far with it.”<br />

“Very aho mikasika!” cried Auntie.<br />

<strong>The</strong> bewildered check-in lady handed back the passport.<br />

“All right. Put your luggage on the scale. That chair <strong>to</strong>o.”<br />

“What for?” asked Philip mistrustfully.<br />

“I have <strong>to</strong> weigh it. Put it on there!”<br />

Philip hesitantly put the red chair on the scale. Some white tickets emerged<br />

out of a printer, and the check-in lady stuck them on the backpacks and the<br />

chair. <strong>The</strong>n she pressed a but<strong>to</strong>n, the conveyor belt began <strong>to</strong> move and the<br />

magic chair went off with the luggage.<br />

“What are you doing?” shouted Kuki.<br />

“What do you mean?” said the check-in lady in surprise.<br />

“Give us back our chair!”<br />

“But it’s <strong>to</strong>o big for the cabin. It’ll travel in the baggage hold...”<br />

“No, we won’t let you! Give it back <strong>to</strong> us!”<br />

“I can’t turn the conveyor belt backwards. Hey! What are you doing?!”<br />

Philip and Kuki had jumped on<strong>to</strong> the conveyor belt. Tosia jumped after<br />

them, and then the little Auntie, who was afraid that if the chair got lost, she’d<br />

stay a seven-year-old speaking in Madagascan for the rest of her life.<br />

Translated by An<strong>to</strong>nia Lloyd-Jones


About the Author<br />

ANDRZEJ MALESZKA<br />

Film direc<strong>to</strong>r, author of novels, scripts and plays. Winner of Emmy Award<br />

and several dozen of prestigious awards at the festivals in Chicago, New<br />

York, Munich and others. One of the best European direc<strong>to</strong>rs for the<br />

young audience, an artist famous for his unusual imagination. Fantastic<br />

and realistic motifs are interwoven in Maleszka’s works. Usually the plot<br />

takes place in real, modern world, where amazing, magic events suddenly<br />

appear. We receive a very dynamic plot and strong, authentic emotions<br />

of its heroes. In spite of the fantastic elements, his works tell a lot about<br />

real problems of contemporary children. Andrzej Maleszka is an expert in<br />

working with children ac<strong>to</strong>rs, who in his films create great roles. <strong>The</strong> films<br />

by Andrzej Maleszka are shown all over the world. His film experience is<br />

vividly present in his books, rich in dynamic plots and fascinating visual<br />

scenes, in which children’s authentic world never ceases <strong>to</strong> be present.<br />

<strong>The</strong>se modern s<strong>to</strong>ries combine realistic and fantastic elements in a way<br />

that is very close <strong>to</strong> young readers. His novels in <strong>The</strong> <strong>Magic</strong> <strong>Tree</strong> series are<br />

a Poland’s number one best selling children’s books.<br />

MAJOR AWARDS:<br />

EMMY AWARD, USA 2007, for the film “<strong>The</strong> <strong>Magic</strong> <strong>Tree</strong>”.<br />

IBBY AWARD for “<strong>The</strong> <strong>Magic</strong> <strong>Tree</strong>”, <strong>The</strong> Best Children’s Book of 2009.<br />

SILVER HUGO AWARD, USA 2007, for the best film series of 2007, “<strong>The</strong><br />

<strong>Magic</strong> <strong>Tree</strong>”.<br />

CHICAGO CHILDREN’S FILM FESTIVAL – awards in 2009, 2006, 2005 and<br />

1994.<br />

PRIX JEUNESSE INTERNATIONAL IN MUNICH, Germany, Grand Prix<br />

2008, 2006, 2004 and 1998.<br />

MUNICH FILM FESTIVAL 2010 Audience Award<br />

BANFF FESTIVAL CANADA 2005, Grand Prix-Rockie Award.<br />

SHANGHAI CHINA WHITE ORCHID FESTIVAL Grand Prix nomination<br />

TICEF TAIPEI 2009 Grand Prix & Children Jury Award<br />

CAIRO FILM FESTIVAL, EGYPT 2005, two awards.<br />

THE NEW YORK TV FESTIVAL, USA 1993, Silver Medal (the film “Race”).<br />

B.A.M Festival NEW YORK 2010<br />

SCHLINGEL FILM FESTIVAL, Germany, First Award (the film “Brothers”).<br />

OULU FESTIVAL, Finland 2009, CIFEJ AWARD.<br />

CHRISTIANSAND Denmark 2010 Grand Prix<br />

ZLIN FESTIVAL Grand Prix 2010<br />

PRIX DANUBE, Bratislava, Slovakia 2005 – Grand Prix.<br />

AN EMMY AWARD NOMINATION 1998 (the film “Telejulia”).<br />

INTERNATIONAL CHILDREN’S FILM FESTIVAL in Poznań Platinum Goats<br />

at the, Grand Prix 1994, 1998, 2001, 2004.<br />

DIVERCINE FESTIVAL Montevideo Grand Prix & Children Jury Award.<br />

UNESCO AWARD for “<strong>The</strong> Babel Tower” at the Prix Jeunesse International<br />

in Munich 1994.


SOME FACTS ABOUT ZNAK<br />

ZNAK was founded in 1959 in answer <strong>to</strong> a call from the weekly newspaper Tygodnik Powszechny<br />

<strong>to</strong> preserve in book form the work of those writing for it and for the monthly <strong>Znak</strong>. Despite<br />

all sorts of obstacles, including censorship, political upheavals and the <strong>to</strong>ugh demands of<br />

capitalism, <strong>Znak</strong> is doing well on the publishing market and is achieving success. For the past<br />

few years <strong>Znak</strong> has been the best literary publisher in Poland and we have been very successful<br />

as far as the sales of both adult and children’s literature are concerned.<br />

In our publishing work we meet a wide range of needs, producing publications that interpret the<br />

world, mankind, his<strong>to</strong>ry and the modern era, through <strong>to</strong> <strong>to</strong>p-quality fiction and non-fiction, as<br />

well as light reading and books for the youngest generation.<br />

Our list includes Nobel Prize winners and bestselling authors such as J.M. Coetzee, Mario<br />

Vargas Llosa, Wisława Szymborska., Czesław Miłosz, Margaret Atwood, John Banville, Zadie<br />

Smith, Ryszard Kapuściński, Joseph Brodsky, Seamus Heaney, Ian Mc Ewan, Malcolm Gladwell,<br />

and JJ. Sempe& R. Goscinny. We <strong>know</strong> very well how <strong>to</strong> promote authors and how <strong>to</strong> achieve<br />

high sales figures.<br />

RIGHTS DIRECTOR<br />

Anna Rucińska<br />

e-mail: rucinska@znak.com.pl<br />

direct line: (+48) 12 61 99 506<br />

SENIOR EDITOR<br />

Maria Makuch<br />

e-mail: makuch@znak.com.pl<br />

direct line: (+48) 12 61 99 516<br />

Społeczny Instytut Wydawniczy ZNAK<br />

ul. Kościuszki 37<br />

30-105 kraków<br />

Poland<br />

www.znak.com.pl<br />

tel.: (+48) 12 61 99 506<br />

fax: (+48) 12 61 99 502

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