Hank Zipzer 10

by Henry Winkler

  What are you saying, Hank? Of course it was.

  “I am tired,” he said. “Now I must go and sleep in my coffin.”

  “Vlady, you don’t really sleep in a coffin.” I laughed.

  “It belonged to my grandfather Boris,” Vlady said.

  It occurred to me that I had never seen Vlady’s apartment. I was sure he didn’t really have a coffin there.

  I mean, he couldn’t. Right?

  Because there’s no such thing as a vampire.

  Right?

  These are just weird Halloween thoughts you’re having, Hank. Everyone knows there’s no such thing as vampires.

  Right?

  Absolutely right.

  Right???????

  We never got to trick-or-treating. But I’m telling you, what we got that night was sweeter than two hundred bags of Halloween sweets. The picture of Nick the Tick McKelty streaking out of our flat like his pants were on fire is a picture I’m going to hold in my mind for ever and ever. Even as I think of it right now, it makes me feel like I want to stand up and shout “Yes!” at the top of my lungs.

  As a matter of fact, I think I will. Care to join me?

  “YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!”

  Also available as eBooks

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  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the authors’ imagination or, if real, used fictitiously. All statements, activities, stunts, descriptions, information and material of any kind contained herein are included for entertainment purposes only and should not be relied on for accuracy or replicated as they may result in injury.

  First published in Great Britain as Hank Zipzer the World’s Greatest Underachiever: My Dog’s a Scaredy-Cat – a Halloween Tail (2009) by Walker Books Ltd,

  87 Vauxhall Walk, London SE11 5HJ

  First published in the United States under the title Hank Zipzer #10: My Dog’s a Scaredy-Cat (2006) by Henry Winkler and Lin Oliver. Published by arrangement with Grosset & Dunlap™, a division of Penguin Young Readers Group, a member of Penguin Group (USA) Inc. All rights reserved.

  Text © 2006, 2013 Henry Winkler and Lin Oliver Productions, Inc.

  Cover illustration design and interior illustrations © 2013 Nigel Baines

  The right of Henry Winkler and Lin Oliver to be identified as authors of this work has been asserted by them in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, transmitted or stored in an information retrieval system in any form or by any means, graphic, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, taping and recording, without prior written permission from the publisher.

  British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data:

  a catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

  ISBN 978-1-4063-3285-8 (ePub)

  www.walker.co.uk