How
do you stop the school bully? |
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'Wait
here,' Melanie Prosser said at the school gate. 'Then |
we
won't miss her.' |
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'In
her daddy's posh car,' Sally-Ann Simpson said. |
'Showoff
pig.' |
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'I'll
put an arm lock on her,' Vicky Farrant said. |
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'We've
got to get tough,' Angus was saying. 'Somebody has |
to
stop her.' |
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'Nobody
has yet,' Lucy said. 'Not even teachers.' |
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'That's
cos nobody tells them!' |
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'What
do you expect?' |
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'Well,
somebody ought to stand up to her.' |
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Lucy
Hall's life is being made an utter misery by Melanie Prosser
and her |
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two
bullying sidekicks - the present takers - who hassle and
threaten her |
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every
day at the school gate for presents and money. Too ashamed
to |
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tell
her parents, and too scared to tell her teacher, Lucy finds
an |
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unexpected
ally in scruffy Angus Burns who knows exactly what's been
|
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going
on. When things start to get really nasty for Lucy, there's
only one |
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thing
to do: take on the present takers and silence them once
and for all. |
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Dutch
Silver Pencil Award 1986
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First
published by Bodley Head, 1983
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Latest
edition, Red Fox pbk, 1994
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Also
available in More Cool School Stories, Red Fox
pbk, 1999
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FAQs
from young readers about The Present Takers |
Is
the story based on a real event?
|
Yes.
A friend found out that his daughter was being badly bullied
at school. No one seemed to be able to stop it. He asked
me - as an ex-teacher - what I would do. I didn't know.
How do you stop the school bully? I wrote the book to find
an answer. The first half of the story is pretty much the
way it happened in real life. I made up the second half. |
What
happened to Lucy and Angus? Did they stay friends? |
I
think so. In fact, I've often felt there was another story
to be told, this time about Angus when he is about thirteen
and decides to find his mother. But so far, I haven't been
able to write it. |
What
happened to Melanie? |
We
know from the story that she was sent to a home for young
people who have been abused and misbehaved. But I don't
know what happened to her after that. Maybe I should find
out? |
How
long did it take you to write the book? |
Three
years, start to finish. |
Do
you rewrite a lot? |
Yes.
I reckon I rewrote The Present Takers six times
before I was satisfied with it.
All
contents are ©Aidan Chambers unless otherwise
stated.
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