Noodle the Doodle Steals the Show

by Jonathan Meres

  To Becca.

  Welcome to the clan.

  CONTENTS

  Title Page

  Dedication

  1. Welcome to Wigley

  2. Pizza Pals

  3. A Brilliant Idea

  4. Important Things

  5. Crash!

  6. Come Back with That Microphone!

  7. Wigley’s Got Talent!

  8. Noodle Steals the Show

  9. A Nice Problem

  Copyright

  CHAPTER 1

  Welcome to Wigley

  The day began like every other day at Wigley Primary. But it wasn’t like every other day. Because Mr Reed had some big news.

  “Good morning, everybody!” Mr Reed boomed. He was standing at the front of the class. A dog was standing next to him. His name was Noodle. Noodle the doodle.

  “Goooooooood mooooooooooorning, Mis-ter Reeeeeeeeeed!” sang all the children.

  “WOOF! WOOF! WOOF! WOOF!” said Noodle.

  “Goooooooood mooooooooooorning, Noooooooooooooooodle!” sang the children.

  “WOOF!” said Noodle. “WOOF! WOOF! WOOF! WOOF! WOOF!”

  “That’s right, Noodle,” said Mr Reed. “I do have some important news. Thank you for reminding me.”

  “WOOF!” said Noodle. He looked very pleased with himself. He was wagging his tail and panting. His tongue was hanging out. It looked like a slice of wet pink ham.

  Marty put his hand up.

  “Yes, Marty?” said Mr Reed.

  “Can you really understand what Noodle says?” said Marty.

  “Don’t be stupid,” said Josh. “He’s just pretending!”

  “That’s mean, Josh,” said Nora.

  “Sorry, Marty,” said Josh.

  “That’s OK,” said Marty.

  “Excuse me, Mr Reed?” said Shakira. “Please can you tell us what the important news is?”

  Mr Reed smiled.

  “Of course I can, Shakira,” he said.

  Everybody sat up and listened. The last time Mr Reed had important news was when he told the pupils that they were going to the seaside. And that had been one of the best days ever. They had played crazy golf. And Noodle had run off with a sausage. So what was this news going to be? Everyone wanted to know.

  “Is it your birthday, Mr Reed?” said Sol.

  Mr Reed smiled. “No, Sol,” he said. “It isn’t my birthday.”

  “You always ask that, Sol,” said Callum.

  “So?” said Sol. “One day I’ll be right!”

  Mr Reed spotted Lou’s hand in the air. “Yes, Lou?” he said.

  “Are we going to start reading a new book, Mr Reed?” said Lou. Her eyes were shining. Reading was her favourite thing in the world. Especially if she was curled up reading on a beanbag with Noodle.

  “No, Lou,” said Mr Reed. “Not today. But I’m glad you think reading is important.”

  “Ooh, ooh, Mr Reed, Mr Reed!” said Abdul. His hand was in the air. He was jumping up and down in his seat.

  Callum laughed. “I think someone needs the toilet,” he said.

  “I don’t need the toilet!” said Abdul. “But I think I know what Mr Reed’s important news might be.”

  Everyone turned and looked at Abdul. He seemed excited. Did Abdul know? the pupils wondered. Or was he just guessing?

  “Well, Abdul?” said Mr Reed.

  “Is there a new member of class?” said Abdul.

  “Correct!” said Mr Reed. “Well done, Abdul!”

  “Ooooooooooh!” said all the others. That really was important news! There hadn’t been a new member of class since Noodle the doodle had arrived! And that was ages ago.

  Mr Reed looked at the big clock on the wall. “He should be here any moment,” he said.

  “Ooooooooooh!” said everyone. So the new classmate was a boy. What would he be like? they wondered. Would he be funny, like Sol? Would he love playing football, like Josh? Or would he be into science and inventing stuff, like Nora?

  There was a knock at the door.

  “WOOF!” said Noodle the doodle. He was excited too.

  Mr Reed walked to the door and opened it.

  A boy was standing outside. A woman was standing next to him, holding a baby.

  “Welcome to Wigley Primary,” said Mr Reed. “Please come in.”

  The woman and the boy entered the classroom. But the boy didn’t look at anyone. He was staring at the floor. He seemed shy.

  “Boys and girls,” said Mr Reed. “I’d like you all to say good morning to Samir.”

  “Goooooooood moooooooooorning, Samir!” sang the children.

  “And this is Samir’s mum,” said Mr Reed.

  “Goooooooood mooooooooooorning, Samir’s mum!” sang the children.

  Samir’s mum smiled. “Hello,” she said.

  “And this is Samir’s baby sister,” said Mr Reed.

  “Goooooooood moooooooooooorning, Samir’s baby sister!” sang the children.

  Samir’s baby sister giggled. But Samir was still staring at the floor.

  “WOOF!” said Noodle. “WOOF! WOOF! WOOF!”

  Samir looked up. He saw Noodle. Noodle began wagging his tail like crazy. It smacked a wastepaper bin and made a sound like a drum.

  “I think Noodle likes you, Samir,” said Lou.

  Samir didn’t say anything. But he smiled. He thought everyone at Wigley Primary seemed very nice.

  CHAPTER 2

  Pizza Pals

  Samir’s mum and baby sister stayed for a while. But then it was time for them to go. Samir looked a bit sad. His mum hugged him and said something. She spoke in a soft voice. No one else could hear what his mum said. But Samir didn’t look so sad now.

  Samir’s mum opened the door to leave. She smiled and waved. Samir waved back. Then his baby sister did a burp. Everyone laughed. The door closed and Samir’s mum was gone.

  “Excuse me, Mr Reed?” said Marty.

  “Yes, Marty?” said Mr Reed.

  “There’s a space next to me,” said Marty. “Samir could sit there.”

  “Ooh, yes!” said Shakira. “Can he, Mr Reed? Please?”

  Shakira sat at the same table as Marty.

  “Please, please, pleeeeeeease?” said Abdul.

  Abdul sat next to Shakira.

  “Hmm,” said Mr Reed. “That’s a very good idea, Marty.”

  “WOOF!” said Noodle the doodle. “WOOF! WOOF! WOOF!”

  “What’s that, Noodle?” said Mr Reed. “You think it’s a good idea too?”

  “WOOF!” said Noodle one more time.

  Mr Reed looked at Samir. “What do you think, Samir?” he said. “Would you like to sit with Marty and Shakira and Abdul?”

  Samir didn’t reply. He looked as if he was thinking. Then Noodle trotted over. He sat on the floor next to Marty. Noodle looked at Samir. He started to wag his tail again. It thumped on the floor.

  “WOOF! WOOF!” said Noodle the doodle.

  Samir smiled. He walked to the table. He sat down next to Marty. He gave Noodle a stroke. Noodle lay down and rolled onto his back.

  Marty grinned. “Noodle wants you to tickle his tummy,” he said to Samir.

  Samir tickled Noodle’s tummy. Noodle stretched out his legs. He was very long. It looked like Noodle was flying. It made Samir laugh.

  “Do you like macaroni cheese, Samir?” asked Shakira.

  Samir nodded.

  “Shakira is bonkers about macaroni cheese,” said Marty. “It’s all she ever thinks about!”

  Shakira laughed.

  “No, it’s not!” she said. “I just like it, that’s all.”

  “What’s your favourite food, Samir?” said Marty.

 
; Samir looked at Marty for a moment.

  “Pizza,” he said. This was the first time he’d spoken.

  “Pizza?” said Marty. “Me too!”

  “Yeah!” said Shakira. “Pizza pals!”

  Samir laughed. “Pizza pals,” he said.

  Shakira and Samir did a fist bump.

  “Do you like numbers, Samir?” said Abdul.

  Samir looked at Abdul.

  “I love numbers,” said Abdul. “Adding up. Taking away. Multiplying. Dividing. Numbers are cool!”

  “OK, then,” said Marty. “What’s twelve pizzas divided by four, Abdul?”

  Abdul grinned. “Three pizzas,” he said. “Easy-peasy!”

  “Easy-pizza,” said Samir.

  Shakira laughed. “Good one, pizza pal!” she said.

  Shakira and Samir did another fist bump.

  “Mmmm, yum,” said Marty. “Three pizzas!”

  Mr Reed smiled. He had been watching. He was pleased to see that Samir was getting on with the others. Mr Reed wanted him to feel welcome. Moving to a new school could be scary.

  “OK, guys,” said Mr Reed. “Who would like to do some drawing?”

  Lots of hands shot up in the air.

  “Excellent!” said Mr Reed. “Noodle?”

  “WOOF!” said Noodle. He stood up and began wagging his tail.

  “Here, boy!” said Mr Reed, and patted his leg. Noodle the doodle trotted over to him.

  “Sit,” said Mr Reed.

  Noodle sat.

  “Good boy,” said Mr Reed. He took a stack of paper from his desk. He put it in Noodle’s mouth. “Now give all the boys and girls a sheet of paper.”

  Noodle trotted from table to table. He stopped at each one. All the children took a sheet of paper. The paper was a bit soggy, but no one cared. Noodle loved to help.

  “OK,” said Mr Reed. “Now I’d like you all to draw something that makes you happy.”

  Everyone started to draw. Mr Reed walked around the classroom. He stopped behind each pupil.

  Nora drew a picture of a rocket zooming into space.

  “That’s nice, Nora,” said Mr Reed.

  Lou drew a picture of her grandma’s house.

  “That’s lovely, Lou,” said Mr Reed.

  Sol drew a picture of a bike.

  “That’s splendid, Sol,” said Mr Reed.

  Mr Reed stopped behind Samir’s table. “How are we getting on over here?” he asked.

  “Good thanks, Mr Reed,” said Marty. “I’m drawing a pizza. Because pizza makes me happy.”

  Mr Reed looked at Marty’s drawing. “That’s marvellous, Marty,” he said. “I can almost smell it!”

  Then Mr Reed looked at Samir’s drawing. Samir was drawing a dog. It had shaggy golden curly fur, a black button nose and a bushy tail. Its tongue was hanging out. It looked like a slice of wet pink ham.

  “Wow!” said Mr Reed. “That’s very good, Samir!”

  Everyone crowded round to look at Samir’s picture.

  “It’s amazing!” said Josh.

  “It’s fantastic!” said Callum.

  “It’s Noodle,” said Samir.

  “WOOF!” said Noodle from under the table. He was having a rest. Carrying the paper to everyone had made him tired.

  “Noodle makes you happy?” said Lou.

  Samir nodded.

  “Me too,” said Marty.

  “Me three!” said Sol.

  Samir laughed. He looked down. Noodle was licking his hand. Samir laughed because it tickled.

  CHAPTER 3

  A Brilliant Idea

  Soon it was time for morning break.

  Josh, Lou, Callum and Abdul all played football. Josh and Lou were one team. Callum and Abdul were the other. Josh and Lou’s team won. The score was 37–29.

  Nora and Sol played on the climbing frame. They hung upside down from the bars and pretended to be bats.

  Shakira did some hula-hooping. She made the hoop whizz around her tummy so fast it was just a blur.

  Marty and Samir threw a tennis ball to each other. But Noodle kept jumping up and catching it in his mouth. They called the game “doggy in the middle”. Noodle barked and wagged his tail. He thought that it was the best game ever. He didn’t want it to stop.

  But then the bell rang. Break was over. Everyone went back inside.

  “OK, everyone,” said Mr Reed. “Listen carefully now. I have something else to tell you.”

  Everyone sat up in their chairs. Noodle sat up on the floor. Mr Reed had something else to tell them? What would it be? But there was no time for anyone to guess. Because Mr Reed told them.

  “You know that every year our school raises money for charity,” said Mr Reed.

  “Oooooh!” said everyone. Well, nearly everyone. Samir didn’t say it, because this was his first day at Wigley Primary. He didn’t know about these things yet. But all the other children were very excited. They loved to raise as much money as they could. And every year, they did it in a different way.

  “So,” said Mr Reed. “We have a big question. How are we going to raise money this time? Any ideas?”

  Everyone started to think. Everything went silent. The only sound was the clock ticking.

  Then Shakira put her hand up.

  “Yes, Shakira?” said Mr Reed.

  “We could bake cakes!” said Shakira.

  “Yum!” said Callum.

  “Not for us to eat!” said Shakira. “To sell!”

  Callum grinned. “I’d get my mum to buy them all,” he said. “And then I’d eat them!”

  “Could I have one?” said Sol.

  “What do you say?” said Callum.

  “Please?” said Sol.

  Callum grinned. “Just one,” he said.

  “Any other ideas?” said Mr Reed.

  “What about a read-a-thon?” said Lou.

  “A what-a-thon?” said Josh.

  “A read-a-thon,” said Lou. “It’s like a sponsored walk. But instead of walking, we read books instead.”

  “Hey, I know!” said Marty. “We could read books and walk at the same time!”

  “Someone could walk into a lamp post!” said Nora.

  “Good point, Nora,” said Mr Reed. “That could be dangerous. But a read-a-thon is a fantastic idea, Lou.”

  Everything went silent again. You could almost hear everyone thinking.

  “I know!” said Abdul at last.

  “Yes, Abdul?” said Mr Reed.

  Abdul smiled. “We could have a talent show,” he said.

  “Ooh!” said Callum. “You mean like the ones on TV?”

  “Yes!” said Abdul.

  “Hey, I know what we could call it,” said Shakira. “Wigley’s Got Talent!”

  “That’s brilliant!” said Mr Reed.

  “WOOF!” said Noodle. “WOOF! WOOF! WOOF! WOOF! WOOF!”

  “What’s that, Noodle?” said Josh. “You think it’s brilliant too?”

  Everyone laughed. Even Samir.

  CHAPTER 4

  Important Things

  There was great excitement at Wigley Primary that day. The pupils were buzzing like bees. There was going to be a talent show! People would pay to come and watch it. Then all the money would go to charity.

  There was just one problem. Wigley Primary was a very small school. There were only two classrooms. And the assembly hall was tiny. Not many people would be able to come if they did the show there. Then they wouldn’t raise very much money. There was only one solution. They would have to find somewhere bigger. And there was only one place bigger in Wigley – the village hall. Lots of people would be able to watch if they did the show there. And then lots of money would be raised.

  The village hall was like a real theatre. There was a stage. And curtains. And spotlights. It was perfect. It was going to be so much fun.

  “We must make posters!” said Nora.

  “Good idea!” said Sol.

  “Yes,” said Shakira. “We could stick a poster up outside the sc
hool!”

  “And one in the shop,” said Josh.

  “And one in the library,” said Lou. The library was Lou’s favourite place.

  “Yeah!” said Sol. “Then loads of people will come!”

  “Excellent!” said Mr Reed. “But what else do we need to think about to plan the show?”

  Everybody had a think. Well, nearly everybody. Noodle was so excited that he’d fallen asleep. He was dreaming about sausages.

  “Well, guys?” said Mr Reed. “What else?”

  “Refreshments,” said Shakira.

  “Pardon?” said Callum.

  “Food and drink!” said Shakira.

  Callum looked confused. “For us?” he said.

  “No!” laughed Shakira. “Not for us! For the audience!”

  “Oh, right,” said Callum.

  “What else?” said Mr Reed.

  They all did some more thinking.

  “Ooh, I know!” said Abdul. “We’ll need someone to sell tickets!”

  “Yes, very good, Abdul,” said Mr Reed. “We will. And what else?”

  “We’ll need to make the tickets,” said Nora.

  “That’s right, Nora,” said Mr Reed. “We will. But we’re forgetting something. Something very important.”

  “What is it, Mr Reed?” said Sol. “Please may we have a clue?”

  Mr Reed smiled. “What’s the show going to be called?” he asked.

  Josh was first to put his hand up.

  “Yes, Josh?” said Mr Reed.

  “Wigley’s Got Talent!” said Josh.

  “Correct!” said Mr Reed. “Wigley’s Got Talent!”

  “Oh, I know!” said Lou. “We need to think about what we are all going to do in the show.”

  “Well done, Lou!” said Mr Reed. “What are your skills? What are you good at? What are your talents?”

  It was a good question. No one had thought about that yet. They’d been too busy thinking about other things. But without performers there would be no show.

  “Excuse me, Mr Reed?” said Marty. His voice was quiet. He looked worried.

  “Yes, Marty?” said Mr Reed. “What is it?”