Here are the first two chapters of Toni and Friends. If you'd like to read the whole book, send me an email and I'll email it to you in PDF format (file is 276kb). There is no charge.

© copyright Derek Gillard 2001
Toni and Friends is my copyright. You are welcome to download these sample chapters and print them for your own personal use, provided my name as the author is attached. But you may not publish them, upload them onto any other website, or sell them, without my permission.

The characters and events portrayed in Toni and Friends are entirely fictitious. Any similarity to actual persons living or dead is purely coincidental.

Chapter 1: Red

The car pulled into the drive and stopped in front of the bright red garage doors.

'Here we are, then,' said mum. 'Home again. Good holiday, wasn't it?'

'Brilliant,' said Toni.

'Hmmph!' said dad.

'Oh come on, Dear.' She fumbled in her bag for the front door key. 'You know you enjoyed it. All that lying about on the beach all day.'

'Exactly. And look what it's done to me.' He pulled back his shirt collar to show her his raw, red, sunburnt shoulders.

'Well I did warn you.' She got out of the car.

Toni got out too. 'It's boring being back home,' she said. 'What can I do today?'

'You can unpack your things and get ready for school tomorrow,' said dad. He slammed the car door shut. 'Whose class are you in this term?'

'Miss Roberts. Year 5.'

'Year 5! Seems only yesterday mum was taking you for your first day at school.'

Mum opened the front door. 'She'll be ten in a couple of weeks, won't you Love?'

'Ten! No wonder I feel so old,' said dad, grabbing a bag from the back seat and slinging it over his shoulder. 'Ouch!' he said. 'I keep forgetting the sunburn.'

'Never mind Dear,' said mum. She dumped her bag in the hall. 'There's some stuff in the bathroom cabinet. Look, it's half past twelve. You unpack and I'll pop round to the fish and chip shop.' She looked at Toni. 'And you can help your dad.'

'I want something interesting to do.'

'Toni ...'

'OK, OK.'

So mum went off to the fish and chip shop and Toni opened her holdall and took out the bright red bucket and spade they'd bought her so that she could build sandcastles on the beach. Except that, actually, it was dad who'd built most of the sandcastles.

Dad came in with another bag. 'Toni! You're getting sand all over the kitchen floor. Take them outside.'

'OK, OK.' She took the bucket and spade out on to the patio and came back into the kitchen.

'Now what can I do?'

'Take your bag upstairs and unpack it, of course.'

She took her bag upstairs, emptied the contents on to her bed, said Hello to her favourite bear and then went downstairs again. Dad came in the back door with some more bags.

'Now what can I do?'

'Toni, if you say that once more ...'

The phone rang. Dad went through to the hall and picked it up.

A minute later he came back into the kitchen looking even more annoyed than before.

'Who was it?' asked Toni.

'Mr Evans, my boss. It's those reports. The ones I brought home to finish before we went away. Only I didn't. He wants them put in the post to head office today. As if I haven't got enough to do already.' He picked up his briefcase from the hall and took out some papers. 'Look, you take those bags upstairs, will you?'

Toni took the bags upstairs while dad sat at the dining room table working on his reports.

Mum arrived back from the fish and chip shop. She got out some plates and knives and forks and took them through to the dining room.

'Oh, hello Dear. I thought you were unpacking.'

'Toni's doing it. Mr Evans wants these in the post today.'

She stood behind him and looked at the papers all over the table. 'Oh well, we'll eat in the kitchen, then.' She looked down at her husband. 'You're bleeding.'

'What? Where?'

'Your neck. Oh no. Just a minute.'

'What is it?'

'It's not blood. It's red ink.' She picked up a biro from the table. 'You've been scratching your neck with this, haven't you? And it's leaking. Come into the kitchen and I'll clean it off.'

Toni came downstairs and found mum dabbing dad's neck with a damp tissue and dad making a fuss about it.

'Ouch! Careful! Remember it's sore!'

'Oh, stop making such a fuss. There you are.' She threw the tissue into the pedal bin. 'Come on, now, let's eat before the chips get cold.'

She unwrapped the paper bundles, tipped the fish and chips on to three plates and they all sat at the kitchen table.

Toni squeezed the plastic ketchup bottle but nothing came out.

She looked at the spout. 'It's blocked up,' she said.

'Let me look,' said dad. 'No, it's all right. If I squeeze really hard ...'

A large blob of red tomato sauce spurted across the table and landed on dad's white shirt.

'Toni! For goodness' sake!'

Mum tried not to laugh. 'Never mind, Dear. That shirt needed washing anyway. Go and put something else on.'

He went upstairs and came back wearing an old red T-shirt.

'What did you put that old thing on for?' asked mum.

'Because it won't show the ketchup,' he said, glaring at Toni.

'I didn't mean to do it.'

'I know you didn't. Now just find something to do this afternoon and keep out of my way, will you?'

When they'd finished the fish and chips, mum cleared the plates away. 'How about ice cream and raspberry sauce for afters?' she said.

Dad stood up. 'Raspberry sauce? No thanks. I'm going before Toni gets her hands on that! I'll go and finish those reports and then I'll take them down to the post.'

Toni helped her mum wash the plates, then she went up to her room. She sat in front of the mirror, brushed her short fair hair and counted the freckles on her nose. There were still six. She knelt on her bed with her nose squashed against the window. It was really boring being back home. She wanted something interesting to do.

She watched her dad wander off down the road with a big brown envelope under his arm. She looked across the road at the house opposite. It had been empty for a few weeks now, since the Johnsons had moved out. She wondered how long it would be before someone moved in. And who would it be? It would be nice if it was someone the same age as her, someone she could be friends with, walk to school with.

Something at the end of the road attracted her attention. She pressed her face against the glass, trying to see. A big red removal van was coming along the street. It stopped at the house opposite. This was more like it! A car pulled up and a woman got out. And then a girl, about the same age as Toni but with long brown curly hair. She watched as the men started unloading beds and sofas and cupboards.

She leapt off the bed, ran downstairs and bumped into her dad in the hall.

'Toni! Watch where you're going!'

'Sorry Dad.' She looked at his hands. They were all red.

'Dad, you're bleeding again.'

'No I'm not. Some idiot has painted that pillar box at the end of the road.'

Mum came out of the kitchen and looked. 'Didn't they leave a Wet Paint sign on it?'

'Course they did. I didn't notice until it was too late.'

Toni left her mum and dad and went across the road. At last! Something interesting to do today!

The new girl was carrying a bag up the drive.

'Hi. I'm Toni. Can I help?'

The girl looked round. 'You could bring some of those if you like.' She pointed at some bags on the pavement and as she did so, a load of dolls fell out of the bag she was carrying.

The woman appeared at the front door. 'Bridgette, I know you're trying to help, Dear, but why don't you take your new friend to your room and play for a bit?'

'This is Toni,' said Bridgette.

'Hello Toni,' said Bridgette's mum.

'Hello Mrs ...'

'Tomkins.' said the woman, picking the dolls up and putting them back in Bridgette's bag.

'Come on then,' said Bridgette.

She led Toni up to her room and tipped the dolls out on to her bed.

The walls were covered in pictures of spaceships and people out of Star Wars.

'Awful, isn't it?' said Bridgette. 'Must've been a horrid boy's room.'

'Barry,' said Toni.

'Barry?'

'Yes. Barry Johnson. That was his name. The boy who used to live here. He was always playing with space ships and things.'

'Well mum says I can have the room done how I want it,' said Bridgette.

'You're not going to keep the spaceships then?'

Bridgette grinned. 'What do you think?'

They played with the dolls for a while. Then Toni said, 'Bridgette, have you got any card?'

'Card?'

'Yes. I want to make my dad a card. He's been in a foul mood ever since we got back from our holiday. Everything keeps going wrong for him. He needs cheering up.'

Bridgette looked through some boxes and found a piece of red card and a blue felt tip. 'How about these?' she said.

'Great! Thanks.'

'Can I help?'

They folded the card in half and Toni wrote 'Welcome Home Dad' inside and drew a picture of their house on the front.

Bridgette went and asked her mum for an envelope.

'Thanks Bridgette,' said Toni, stuffing the card into the envelope and sticking it down. 'I'd better go. Are you starting school tomorrow?'

'Yes.'

'What year are you?'

'Five.'

'Great! Same as me. We'll both be in Miss Roberts' class.'

'See you in the morning, then.'

'See you.'

She found her mum and dad sitting in the lounge, having a cup of tea. She handed him the card.

'What's this?' he said. He tore open the envelope and took out the card. 'Oh no!' he said, showing it to mum.

'What's the matter? Don't you like it?' said Toni.

'Course I do. It's lovely. But it's ... well ... it's red!'

Toni looked puzzled. 'What's wrong with that?' she said.

'There's nothing wrong with it, Love,' said mum. 'It's just that, what with the sunburn and your bucket and spade and the leaking pen and the tomato ketchup and the raspberry sauce and the pillar box paint and now your card, your dad's been seeing red all day!'

And they all laughed.

Chapter 2: Green

'Mum, can I have a telly in my room?'

'A television? You'll have to ask your dad.'

'Where is he?'

'In the front garden. Look, never mind that now. Just sit down and eat your breakfast, will you? You don't want to be late for school on the first day of term.'

Toni sat at the kitchen table and spread marmalade on a piece of toast and then picked all the bits of peel out and put them on the side of her plate. 'Ugh!' she said, 'why do they have to put these skinny bits in it?'

Mum poured some tea. 'Why do you have to ask that every time we have toast?'

Dad appeared at the back door. 'That grass!' he said. 'It's full of weeds and moss again.'

'Never mind Dear. Have some breakfast.'

'But the other side of the road, where those new people are. Their lawn's beautiful. Green, and not a weed in sight.' He helped himself to some toast.

'Dad, can I have a telly in my room?'

'A television? What do you want a television for?'

'To watch, of course!'

'Well I'm sorry Love, we can't afford another telly. I've just had to pay out for the holiday.'

Mum put some more bread in the toaster. 'Are you going in to work today?' she said.

'Only for an hour or two. I'm still owed a few days' holiday so I thought I'd take the afternoon off and have another go at that front lawn.'

'I don't know why you bother,' said mum. 'It looks fine to me.'

'Ah, well ...'

There was a knock at the back door.

'I'll get it,' said Toni, jumping up from the kitchen table. She opened the door.

'Hi Bridgette.'

'Hi Toni.'

'Mum, Dad, this is Bridgette. She's just moved in over the road.'

'Morning Bridgette,' said mum. 'Welcome to Oak Road.'

Dad looked round. 'Ah, so you're the people with that wonderful lawn,' he said.

Bridgette looked puzzled. She wasn't the sort of person who noticed grass.

'Come on, then,' said mum. 'Off to school, you two.' She gave Toni a kiss.

'Bye Love,' said dad. 'Have a good day.'

The two girls walked to the end of Oak Road and turned right into Woodland Drive.

'You've got a new sweatshirt,' said Toni, admiring her friend's smart green sweatshirt with 'Chestnut Way Primary School' printed on it in yellow letters and the little picture of the tree underneath.

'Well, I had to have a new one, didn't I?' said Bridgette. 'It's my first day, remember.'

'I asked mum if I could have a new one,' said Toni. 'I mean, look at this one. It's gross!'

Bridgette looked at Toni's sweatshirt. It was certainly a bit faded and the ends of the sleeves looked as if a mouse had been nibbling them. But she didn't want to hurt her new friend's feelings, so she said nothing.

'Toni!' shouted a voice behind them. They looked round. The voice belonged to Rohim, a boy in her class. He pulled up beside them on his bike.

'Hi Rohim,' said Toni.

'Who's this?'

'It's Bridgette. She's new.'

'Hi Bridgette,' said Rohim.

Bridgette smiled. 'I like your bike,' she said.

'It's new,' said Rohim. 'Dad just bought it for me. D'you like the colour?'

Toni looked at the bright green frame and wheels. 'It's cool,' she said, approvingly. 'I wish I had a new one. Mine's all rusty now. And it's too small. I've had it for years.'

'See you then,' said Rohim, pedalling off to join some friends he'd just seen ahead of him.

Toni and Bridgette turned left along the main road and soon arrived opposite the school gates.

'Morning Toni,' said Mr Grimble, the crossing patrol. 'Had a good holiday?'

'Yes thanks,' said Toni. 'This is Bridgette, by the way. She's new.'

'Morning Bridgette,' said Mr Grimble, looking up and down the road and then leading them across.

After Miss Roberts had done the register, they all went into the hall for assembly. The Head Teacher, Mrs Walmisley, talked about envy - how we shouldn't always want what other people have got. 'The grass is always greener on the other side,' she said. 'That means it always looks as though other people are better off than us, but it's not always true.'

Toni wasn't sure she could see the point.

At playtime she and Bridgette sat on the seat by the bike sheds and ate their snacks.

'There's Gordon over there,' said Toni.

'Gordon?' asked Bridgette.

'Yes. He lives in our street. He always looks a bit miserable. I don't know why. His mum bought him a cat last term. Big fluffy brown one. He calls it Scruffy. I told mum and dad I wanted one, but they said I couldn't. Hi Gordon,' she called. 'How's Scruffy?'

Gordon came over. 'Scruffy's all right,' he said. 'It's gran.' He looked as though he was about to start crying.

'What about your gran?' asked Toni.

'She's not so good,' said Gordon. 'Mum says she might not ...' A tear trickled down his cheek.

'Have a crisp,' said Toni, deciding that it would be best to change the subject quickly.

As they were coming out of school at the end of the day, they bumped into Emmie Foster.

'My dad's made me a house in the garden,' she said.

'A house?' said Toni.

'Yes. Would you like to see it?'

'Please,' said Toni.

'OK,' said Bridgette.

So they walked home with Emmie. She lived in a great big old house on the main road with her mum and dad and four small brothers.

She took them round the back. 'I'll just tell Fiona I'm home,' she said, opening the kitchen door.

'Fiona?' said Bridgette.

'My mum,' explained Emmie. 'They're very modern, my parents. They believe in children's rights, so I'm allowed to call them Fiona and Michael.'

A huge woman who looked as though she was about to give birth to Emmie's fifth brother - or possibly twins - appeared.

'Hello Emerald. Oh, you've brought some friends with you. How nice.'

'I'm going to show them my house.'

'Good. I'll just feed Emsworth and then I'll bring you all a drink.'

'Thanks.'

They followed Emmie past the greenhouse and the vegetable beds.

'I didn't know your name was Emerald,' said Toni.

'Michael says they called me that because of my beautiful green eyes.'

Toni had never noticed that Emmie's eyes were green, never mind beautiful. But she didn't say anything.

At the end of the garden, between some trees, was a shed, painted green, with its own little door and window.

'Emmie, it's brilliant,' said Toni.

They went in and sat on some little chairs. Looking out of the window, they saw Emmie's mum coming down the garden. She was carrying some glasses of lemonade on a tray in one hand and Emmie's smallest brother, Emsworth, in the other.

'Thanks Fiona,' said Toni, feeling strange at calling a grown-up by her first name. Especially a grown-up as big and important-looking as Mrs Foster. 'I really like this house,' she said. 'And I love Emsworth.'

Fiona smiled. Emsworth gurgled.

They drank the lemonade and chatted, and then Toni and Bridgette said thanks to Emmie and made their way back down Oak Road.

'See you tomorrow, then,' said Toni.

'See you,' said Bridgette. She looked both ways and crossed the road.

Toni opened the back door. 'Mum, I'm home.'

Mum came out of the dining room. 'Hello Love. Had a good day?'

'Brilliant. Mum, I want a new sweatshirt like Bridgette's.'

'A new sweatshirt? What's wrong with the one you've got on?'

'And I want a new bike like Rohim's. Shiny green.'

'A new bike? But you never use the one you've got now.'

'And I want a big fluffy brown cat like Gordon's.'

'A cat? You know what your dad thinks about cats.'

'And I want a house in the garden like Emmie's.'

Mum was speechless. Well, almost. 'You're always wanting something. This morning it was a television for your bedroom.'

'Well? Other children have tellies in their bedrooms.'

'Never mind what other children have. You've got lots of things they haven't got.'

'Such as?'

'Well, there's ...'

The back door opened and dad came in. 'Hello Toni. Has mum told you yet?'

'Told me what?' She looked at her mum.

Mum smiled and then looked at dad. 'Go on,' she said, 'you show her.'

'Come on then,' said dad.

He led the way upstairs and into Toni's room. There, on the drawers behind the door, was a television.

'Well? D'you like it?' he asked, switching it on.

'It's brilliant,' said Toni, 'but you said ...'

'I know. But I mentioned you wanted a telly in your room at work this morning and Mr Evans said they didn't need this one anymore so he's given it to us.'

'Thanks Dad.'

'It's a pleasure, Love. Glad you like it.' He went over to the window and looked across the road. 'That lawn,' he mumbled. 'How do they do it?'

Toni sat on her bed and watched her new television for a while. Then she switched off and went downstairs. She found mum in the kitchen.

'You like your telly then?'

'It's brilliant,' said Toni. She helped her mum set the table.

Dad came in from the front garden. 'That grass!' he said. I don't know why I bother mowing it. How do they manage over the road? They've got a beautiful lawn. So green.'

'Dad!' said Toni. 'You said all that this morning. Mrs Walmisley says you shouldn't envy other people's things.'

'You can talk!' said mum. 'What was it you wanted today? A TV in your room, a new sweatshirt like Bridgette's, a shiny green bike like Rohim's, a big fluffy brown cat like Gordon's and a house in the garden like Emmie's.'

She got some plates out. 'Mind you, your dad's just as bad. Only in his case, the grass really is greener on the other side!'

And they all laughed.