Agatha Parrot and the Thirteenth Chicken Read online

  “I’m really sorry about your cactus, Ivy,” I said.

  “Our cactus?” asked Ivy. “What’s our cactus got to do with anything?”

  Oops!

  I shouldn’t have said anything, because Ellie got into a real panic.

  “It’s got nothing to do with anything,” said Ellie. “Nothing. NOTHING.”

  Ellie ran off into her house at number 9.

  Ivy gave me a suspicious look.

  “What’s been going on?” she asked.

  But before I could think of what to say, Ivy’s front door opened.

  “Bless you, Maria!” said a big booming voice from inside. “I’m so glad you asked me to come.”

  “That sounds like Father Bartles,” said Ivy. “He’s the priest from our church.”

  A very big man in black clothes stepped out, followed by Ivy’s mom. He scratched his chin thoughtfully.

  “Are you sure that cactus was dead yesterday morning?” he asked.

  “Dead as a doornail,” said Ivy’s mom. “And so that little flower must be a present from my dear Gilbert up in heaven! Mustn’t it?”

  “Why not?” Father Bartles laughed. “I’ll write it up in my parish report. I shall call it the Odd Street Miracle!”

  Ivy’s mom did a little happy hoppy skip dance, just like Ivy does, and she had the BIGGEST smile on her face.

  Father Bartles got on his bike, and then, with a bit of a wobble, pedaled off down the road. “See you on Sunday!” he shouted.

  Ivy’s mom kept on waving after him, even after he’d disappeared around the corner. Then she did another little happy hoppy skip dance and went inside.

  Ivy grabbed me and gave me a big hug.

  “Thanks for cheering her up,” she said.

  “Me?” I said. “What did I do?”

  “I don’t know,” admitted Ivy. “But the cactus, the flower, Mom being happy again . . . it HAS to have something to do with you!”

  I was just about to tell her, but she covered up her ears.

  “Oh, no, don’t tell me!” said Ivy. “Then it wouldn’t be a miracle anymore!”

  Then she ran inside shouting, “MIRACLE MIRACLE MIRACLE!” and slammed her door with a great big WHAM.

  So it’s official. It was a miracle, and everybody on Odd Street lived happily ever after!

  Even the cactus had a good time, because Ivy kept putting little bits of fish food in the pot in case Gilbert’s ghost was feeling hungry. And that’s not a joke, because we all believe in ghosts on Odd Street because our school had one!

  I’m not kidding. It was a horrible figure that glowed in the dark, and we ALL saw it through the windows. EEEKY FREAK! It all started when . . . Oh, sorry!

  I’ll have to tell you about the ghost another time, because the old man who’s typing this book out says we’ve only got a few pages left, and I’ve got a puzzle for you to try! I wasn’t going to tell you the answer, but the old man said that was unfair, so here’s a little secret—the answer is on page 69, 14 lines down, and it’s the last word, but DON’T LOOK YET!

  Before you put this book away, if you’ve read it all by yourself, then you deserve a big treat. Bend your mouth around and give yourself a big KISS on the cheek. Ha ha, don’t worry! I’m only kidding so don’t bother—unless you want to, of course.

  See you next time, and good luck with the puzzle!

  BYEEEEEEEE . . .

  The Chicken Puzzle by Agatha Jane Parrot

  There were four eggs in Miss Bunn’s class, painted blue, pink, green, and yellow. Four chickens, called Wizzy, Tubby, Drain Pump, and Random, hatched out of the eggs. Here are some clues:

  The green egg was the second to hatch.

  Drain Pump was the third chicken to hatch, but he did not come out of the pink egg.

  When Tubby hatched, the blue egg still hadn’t opened.

  Wizzy came out of the yellow egg, and he wasn’t the last.

  Here’s the question . . .

  What color was Random’s egg?

  Psst! If you need a hint, follow this line . . .

  (Hint: Work out what color Drain Pump’s egg was. Then what color egg was last to hatch. Then which chicken was last to hatch.)

  Hey!

  Do you want to know more about me and my friends?

  Or how about trying my book quiz?

  Or maybe you’d like to see some fun facts? Check out my website: www.agathaparrot.com.

  You can also find out about my other books, and there are some games you can print out and play—WAHOO!

  Hope to see you soon!

  Agatha xoxo

  Visit www.hmhco.com to find all of the books in the Agatha Parrot series.

  MiddleGradeMania.com

  Want more Agatha Parrot? Click below to check out these games and activities on Middle Grade Mania!

  About the Author

  KJARTAN POSKITT lives in Yorkshire, England, just down the street from the real Odd Street School! The author of many children’s books, Kjartan is also a children’s television presenter and musician.

  Learn more at www.kjartan.co.uk

  About the Illustrator

  WES HARGIS is the New York Times best-selling illustrator of several picture books, including When I Grow Up by Al Yankovic. He lives in Safford, Arizona.

  Learn more at www.weshargis.com

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