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GHOSTSITTERS

as told to

ANGIE SAGE

illustrated by

JIMMY PICKERING

For Charlie Denchfield

CONTENTS

-1

SLUGS - 1

-2

BATS - 20

-3

NURSE WATKINS - 33

-4

GIRLS! - 50

-5

NED AND JED - 65

-6

PIZZA - 86

-7

GHOST CATCH - 102

-8

SECRETS - 116

-9

BIRTHDAY BOTHER - 126

-10

HORSE-WITH-PEDALS - 143

-11

THE RING - 159

-12

GHOST BATTLE - 174

-13

SURPRISE, SURPRISE! - 193

About the Author

About the Illustrator

Other Books by Angie Sage

Credits

Cover

Copyright

About the Publisher

-1

SLUGS

My uncle Drac says some funny things.

Last week he said, “There is always a slug in the lettuce sandwich of life, Minty. ”

I had to think for a while until I understood what he meant. You see, Uncle Drac loves lettuce sandwiches, but even he does not like slugs. I figured he meant that just when you are enjoying something—like eating your favorite kind of sandwich—something yucky

-1

always happens (like finding a slug in it) to stop you from enjoying it.

Sometimes Uncle Drac is a little bit gloomy, so I do not always take notice of what he says—but last week I could see exactly what he meant. I kept thinking really good things were happening and then they turned out to have a great big fat slug in them.

Last Monday was the beginning of spring break, which Wanda and I had been looking forward to. And in two days’ time it was going to be my birthday, which I was really looking forward to—although I am not sure if Wanda was.

Wanda is Wanda Wizzard, and she lives with me in Spookie House. She didn’t always live here, but it is much more fun since Wanda, her mom, Brenda, and her dad, Barry, moved in.

Of course there is also my uncle Drac, who can be quite fun sometimes too, and then there is my aunt Tabby, who is never fun—even though she thinks she is.

Wanda and I were eating our

breakfast in the third-kitcheno n - t h e - l e f t - j u s t - p a s t the-boiler-room when Aunt Tabby—who was

stirring the oatmeal and

opening her mail at the

same time—let out

an excited shriek.

Wanda and I both

nearly jumped off our chairs, as Aunt Tabby does not usually shriek (unless Uncle Drac drops a wardrobe on her foot). In fact Aunt Tabby was so excited that she dropped the rest of the mail in the oatmeal and all the ink ran off the envelopes and turned it blue, so we were allowed to have Brenda’s Choco-Drop Krackles for breakfast instead.

Aunt Tabby threw the letter on the table and squeaked, “I’ve won!”

“Won what, Aunt Tabby?” I asked.

“The competition!” said Aunt Tabby.

I was surprised, as it is Wanda’s mother, Brenda, who enters tons of competitions, not Aunt Tabby.

“Drac will love this,” said Aunt Tabby.

Although this did not exactly answer my question, it did narrow the field, as Uncle