0:00:17 > 0:00:19QUACKING
0:00:26 > 0:00:27FOOTSTEPS APPROACH
0:00:31 > 0:00:33GRUNTING
0:00:33 > 0:00:37I mean, normally grandmas are lovely and sweet
0:00:37 > 0:00:41- and kind and smell of pretty flowers, don't they?- Yep.- Hup!
0:00:41 > 0:00:45Well, not in this book, I mean, this grandma is 100% the opposite.
0:00:45 > 0:00:48I mean, she shouts, she bullies,
0:00:48 > 0:00:52she eats slugs and she's got one of those puckered-up mouths
0:00:52 > 0:00:56- that, you know, never smiles. - Eugh! Who'd want a grandma like that?
0:00:56 > 0:00:58Well, this lad, George, yeah? He's got no choice. Poor George.
0:00:58 > 0:01:02That horrible crinkly old bag is so horrible to him.
0:01:02 > 0:01:07- Ah! Until George comes up with a secret plan.- Exactly.
0:01:07 > 0:01:10And that's what this book is all about.
0:01:10 > 0:01:13Every day, George's grandma has to take a very special medicine,
0:01:13 > 0:01:16so George decides to make her a brand-new medicine,
0:01:16 > 0:01:18so he runs around the farm where he lives,
0:01:18 > 0:01:20finding all sorts of weird ingredients.
0:01:20 > 0:01:26Yeah, rotten old banana skins, shoe polish, shampoo,
0:01:26 > 0:01:29extra-hot chilli sauce, oh!
0:01:30 > 0:01:32Them.
0:01:32 > 0:01:33BANG!
0:01:33 > 0:01:37And he makes a brand-new mixture that he hopes will give his grandma
0:01:37 > 0:01:39a big whopper of a surprise.
0:01:39 > 0:01:42DICK SNIFFS Can you smell something funny?
0:01:42 > 0:01:44BOTH: Eugh!
0:01:44 > 0:01:46HISSING
0:01:46 > 0:01:49JINGLING
0:01:55 > 0:01:58I always thought in books that children were supposed to be good
0:01:58 > 0:02:01and old ladies were really kind, but when I first read this book,
0:02:01 > 0:02:03I couldn't believe what George was doing.
0:02:03 > 0:02:04And who can blame him?
0:02:04 > 0:02:07I mean, Quentin Blake's illustrations really show you
0:02:07 > 0:02:09how disgusting that grandma really is.
0:02:09 > 0:02:13Nasty piece of work, but what it makes you think, though, and wonder
0:02:13 > 0:02:17is, "What's going to happen to her when she tries the medicine?"
0:02:17 > 0:02:21You can really tell that the writer, Roald Dahl, is on George's side.
0:02:21 > 0:02:24This is one my favourite parts of the book, when George doesn't
0:02:24 > 0:02:28want his grandma to know that he's boiling her up a big surprise!
0:02:28 > 0:02:31"George!" came the awful voice from the next room.
0:02:31 > 0:02:36- "It's time for my medicine!"- "Not yet, Grandma," George called back.
0:02:36 > 0:02:39"There's still 20 minutes before 11 o'clock!"
0:02:39 > 0:02:43"What mischief are you up to in there now?" Granny screeched.
0:02:43 > 0:02:47- "I hear noises!"- George thought it best not to answer this one.
0:02:47 > 0:02:50He found a long wooden spoon in a kitchen drawer
0:02:50 > 0:02:52and began stirring hard.
0:02:52 > 0:02:56The stuff in the pot got hotter and hotter.
0:02:56 > 0:03:00Soon the marvellous mixture began to froth and foam.
0:03:00 > 0:03:02A rich blue smoke, the colour of peacocks,
0:03:02 > 0:03:04rose from the surface of the liquid.
0:03:04 > 0:03:07And a fiery, fearsome smell filled the kitchen.
0:03:07 > 0:03:10It made George choke and splutter.
0:03:10 > 0:03:13It was a smell unlike any he had smelled before.
0:03:13 > 0:03:16It was a brutal, bewitching smell, spicy and staggering,
0:03:16 > 0:03:19fierce and frenzied, full of wizardry and magic.
0:03:19 > 0:03:22Whenever he got a whiff of it up his nose,
0:03:22 > 0:03:24firecrackers went off in his skull
0:03:24 > 0:03:27and electric prickles ran along the back of his legs.
0:03:27 > 0:03:30It was wonderful to stand there, stirring this amazing mixture
0:03:30 > 0:03:34and to watch it smoking blue and bubbling and frothing
0:03:34 > 0:03:37and foaming as though it were alive.
0:03:37 > 0:03:43Soon, George started to get really excited about his wonderful mixture.
0:03:43 > 0:03:44At one point, he could have sworn
0:03:44 > 0:03:47he saw bright sparks flashing in the swirling foam.
0:03:47 > 0:03:51Suddenly, George found himself dancing around the steaming pot,
0:03:51 > 0:03:54chanting strange words that came into his head out of nowhere.
0:03:54 > 0:03:59BOTH: "Fiery broth and witch's brew Foamy froth and riches blue
0:03:59 > 0:04:03"Fume and spume and spoondrift spray
0:04:03 > 0:04:05"Frizzle, swizzle, shout hooray
0:04:05 > 0:04:07"Watch it sloshing Swashing, sploshing
0:04:07 > 0:04:10"Hear it hissing, squishing, spissing
0:04:10 > 0:04:12"Grandma better start to pray!"
0:04:12 > 0:04:15I wonder what's going to happen to her.
0:04:15 > 0:04:17- Oh?- Oh?
0:04:38 > 0:04:42This book still makes me laugh and until I read Roald Dahl,
0:04:42 > 0:04:44I didn't think it was possible for a book to make you laugh
0:04:44 > 0:04:48- so much that you fall off your chair or pee your pants laughing.- Oof!
0:04:48 > 0:04:50Yeah, I know. There are loads of funny books out there
0:04:50 > 0:04:54and you can see which stories make you laugh the most.
0:04:54 > 0:04:56You know, George is a real hero in this book
0:04:56 > 0:04:59because he has a really hard time with the whole thing,
0:04:59 > 0:05:00but then he really fights back.
0:05:00 > 0:05:04And you're probably wondering why Grandma ends up with her head
0:05:04 > 0:05:05stuck through the roof.
0:05:05 > 0:05:09And what about the chicken the size of a house?
0:05:09 > 0:05:12BUBBLING
0:05:17 > 0:05:22And of course, if you want to know more, you'll have to read the book.
0:05:22 > 0:05:23Hang on, where is the book?
0:05:26 > 0:05:28Oh, no!
0:05:30 > 0:05:35- It's amazing...- I know the book's amazing!- ..mind-blowing.
0:05:35 > 0:05:39I know the book's mind-blowing, but now it's covered in goop.
0:05:42 > 0:05:44BUBBLING
0:05:48 > 0:05:50Bit more salt.
0:05:50 > 0:05:52Yeah. Salt...
0:06:28 > 0:06:31One of my favourite books is The Wind In The Willows.
0:06:31 > 0:06:35JINGLING Oh!
0:06:35 > 0:06:38Now this funny, exciting story begins with a character called Mole
0:06:38 > 0:06:41and he decides to give up on a day of boring spring-cleaning and...
0:06:42 > 0:06:43SQUEAK!
0:06:43 > 0:06:46..and come here to the river bank.
0:06:46 > 0:06:50Now, Mole, who's usually a bit shy and quiet, soon becomes best friends
0:06:50 > 0:06:53with Ratty and they have a whole lot of adventures on the river.
0:06:56 > 0:06:59And Ratty's neighbour Toad, he loves boats as well.
0:06:59 > 0:07:02Well, until he decides he likes cars even more.
0:07:03 > 0:07:08But Toad is a great friend, though, although he's an even greater poser.
0:07:08 > 0:07:10TOAD MUTTERS
0:07:20 > 0:07:22I read this story a very long time ago.
0:07:22 > 0:07:24It's one that I've never forgotten.
0:07:24 > 0:07:27I live in the city so reading Wind In The Willows,
0:07:27 > 0:07:30it gives me my escapism to the countryside.
0:07:30 > 0:07:31I like how the writer, Kenneth Grahame,
0:07:31 > 0:07:36uses language that makes you feel how magical, beautiful, scary
0:07:36 > 0:07:40the places like rivers and woods can really be.
0:07:40 > 0:07:43Who would have thought I would care what happened to a rat?
0:07:43 > 0:07:46Who would have thought that a toad can drive?
0:07:49 > 0:07:52Not everybody is a friend of Ratty and Mole's in the story, though.
0:07:52 > 0:07:56Weasels, stoats, and foxes - eugh! -
0:07:56 > 0:07:58well, they live in the wild woods
0:07:58 > 0:08:01and Ratty has warned Mole to stay well away...
0:08:03 > 0:08:05..but Mole ignores Ratty
0:08:05 > 0:08:08and one evening, walking through the woods,
0:08:08 > 0:08:10trying to find Mr Badger,
0:08:10 > 0:08:12all of a sudden he gets a horrible feeling...
0:08:13 > 0:08:16..he's not alone.
0:08:21 > 0:08:23It was over his shoulder
0:08:23 > 0:08:26and indistinctly that he first thought he saw a face,
0:08:26 > 0:08:30a little evil wedge-shaped face looking out at him from a hole.
0:08:30 > 0:08:34When he turned round and confronted it, the thing had vanished.
0:08:34 > 0:08:36He quickened his pace, telling himself cheerfully
0:08:36 > 0:08:39not to begin imagining things or there'd be simply no end to it.
0:08:39 > 0:08:43He passed another hole, then another and then, yes!
0:08:43 > 0:08:46No. Yes!
0:08:46 > 0:08:49Certainly a little narrow face with hard eyes had flashed up
0:08:49 > 0:08:53for an instant from a hole and then it was gone.
0:08:53 > 0:08:58He hesitated...braced himself up for an effort and strode on.
0:08:58 > 0:09:01Then, suddenly, and as if it had been so all the time, every hole,
0:09:01 > 0:09:04and there were hundreds of them,
0:09:04 > 0:09:07seemed to possess its face, coming and going rapidly,
0:09:07 > 0:09:10all fixing on him glances of malice and hatred,
0:09:10 > 0:09:14all hard-eyed and evil and sharp.
0:09:16 > 0:09:18If he could only get away from the holes in the banks,
0:09:18 > 0:09:21he thought, there'd be no more faces. He swung off the path
0:09:21 > 0:09:24and plunged into the untrodden places of the wood.
0:09:24 > 0:09:27Then, the whistling began,
0:09:27 > 0:09:29very faint and shrill it was,
0:09:29 > 0:09:31and far behind him when first he heard it.
0:09:31 > 0:09:34But somehow it made him hurry forward,
0:09:34 > 0:09:36then, still very faint and shrill,
0:09:36 > 0:09:39it sounded far ahead of him and made him hesitate and want to go back.
0:09:39 > 0:09:43And as he halted in his indecision, it broke out on either side
0:09:43 > 0:09:46and seemed to be caught up and passed on throughout
0:09:46 > 0:09:49the whole length of the woods to its furthest limit.
0:09:49 > 0:09:53They were up and alert and ready evidently, whoever they were...
0:09:54 > 0:09:57..and he...he was alone
0:09:57 > 0:10:00and unarmed and far from any help.
0:10:00 > 0:10:04And the night was closing in.
0:10:04 > 0:10:06WIND RUSTLES
0:10:08 > 0:10:10BIRD CALLS
0:10:19 > 0:10:21BIRD CALLS CONTINUE
0:10:21 > 0:10:25If you read the book, you'll see things get a lot worse for Mole.
0:10:25 > 0:10:28You'll also see... RAIN PATTERS
0:10:28 > 0:10:32Ah! You'll see how he does find Badger after all.
0:10:32 > 0:10:34Now, Badger's old and wise
0:10:34 > 0:10:37and he's also not a fan of unexpected guests
0:10:37 > 0:10:40so you'll have to meet him in the book.
0:10:46 > 0:10:47Everyone who reads a story
0:10:47 > 0:10:51will have their own favourite character but MINE...mine's Mr Toad.
0:10:51 > 0:10:54He's a troublemaker and he's really enthusiastic about life
0:10:54 > 0:10:56AND he can't stop talking.
0:10:56 > 0:10:59I think reading is really important because holding a book in my hand now
0:10:59 > 0:11:03it feels like I've got a really powerful tool, cos inside these pages
0:11:03 > 0:11:06I'm learning about different emotions that I didn't realise existed.
0:11:06 > 0:11:10So, you know, you don't have to go on a plane and you don't have to walk
0:11:10 > 0:11:13hundreds of miles to go somewhere new - books can take you there.
0:11:13 > 0:11:16So if you want to go somewhere special,
0:11:16 > 0:11:20to a place that you've never even dreamed of, think of somewhere,
0:11:20 > 0:11:23and I bet you there's a book been written about it.
0:11:32 > 0:11:34So even if I'm stuck inside my house
0:11:34 > 0:11:36or I've got loads and loads of work to do,
0:11:36 > 0:11:40when all I want to do is go to the river bank or the wild wood -
0:11:40 > 0:11:42I just open my book.
0:11:47 > 0:11:49I really hope Toad knows where he's going.
0:12:18 > 0:12:21DRAMATIC ORGAN MUSIC PLAYS
0:12:25 > 0:12:28I've always loved this book. It's called The Worst Witch
0:12:28 > 0:12:31and it's all about a girl called Mildred Hubble
0:12:31 > 0:12:34who's a pupil at Miss Cackle's Academy For Witches.
0:12:36 > 0:12:39So, it's no maths and history classes for Mildred.
0:12:39 > 0:12:42Instead, she learns broomstick-riding...
0:12:42 > 0:12:46potion-making, spell-casting...
0:12:46 > 0:12:50As soon as I read The Worst Witch, I wanted to swap schools
0:12:50 > 0:12:53and go to Miss Cackle's Academy instead.
0:12:53 > 0:12:55I guess it's never too late to learn.
0:12:55 > 0:12:59Mildred isn't exactly Miss Cackle's star pupil.
0:12:59 > 0:13:02She keeps smashing her broomstick into things
0:13:02 > 0:13:04and getting her spells mixed up.
0:13:04 > 0:13:07And she's even afraid of the dark.
0:13:07 > 0:13:10Not exactly ideal for a witch, is it?
0:13:10 > 0:13:12CACKLING
0:13:14 > 0:13:17Wow! Look at the face of Miss Hardbroom.
0:13:17 > 0:13:22She's the strict and scary headmistress of the school.
0:13:22 > 0:13:23She's always looking for reasons
0:13:23 > 0:13:26to make Mildred stay behind after class or give her extra lines.
0:13:26 > 0:13:31Even Miss Cackle, who's far nicer, doesn't think Mildred stands a chance
0:13:31 > 0:13:34in getting her Witch's Higher Certificate.
0:13:35 > 0:13:38Everything that happens to Mildred feels like the kind of stuff
0:13:38 > 0:13:40that happened to me at school -
0:13:40 > 0:13:42making mistakes in class, trying to do well,
0:13:42 > 0:13:45but getting blamed when things go wrong.
0:13:45 > 0:13:49I knew exactly how Mildred felt, even though I wasn't a witch.
0:13:49 > 0:13:51Jill Murphy, the writer, makes you want to run out
0:13:51 > 0:13:52and join the school.
0:13:52 > 0:13:55Even though it's a gloomy building, high on a mountain,
0:13:55 > 0:13:57it seems like such a fun place to be.
0:13:57 > 0:14:01Who wouldn't want to know how to fly or making a laughing potion?
0:14:01 > 0:14:04Mildred's also got the worst cat.
0:14:04 > 0:14:06It keeps falling off her broomstick,
0:14:06 > 0:14:09something Ethel, the know-it-all girl at school,
0:14:09 > 0:14:11starts teasing her about one morning.
0:14:11 > 0:14:15ZOOM! I always like reading this part.
0:14:15 > 0:14:20"I think Miss Cackle gave you that cat on purpose," Ethel sneered.
0:14:20 > 0:14:22"You're both as bad as each other."
0:14:22 > 0:14:25"Oh, be quiet!" said Mildred, trying to keep her temper.
0:14:25 > 0:14:28"Anyway, it's not a bad cat, it'll learn in time."
0:14:28 > 0:14:32"Huh! Like you did," Ethel went on.
0:14:32 > 0:14:35"Wasn't it only last week that you crashed into the dustbins?"
0:14:35 > 0:14:37"Look, Ethel," Mildred said,
0:14:37 > 0:14:41"You'd better be quiet because if you don't, I shall..."
0:14:41 > 0:14:43"Well?"
0:14:43 > 0:14:47"I shall have to turn you into a frog.
0:14:47 > 0:14:49"I don't want to have to do that."
0:14:49 > 0:14:51Ethel gave a shriek of laughter.
0:14:51 > 0:14:56"Ah-ha-ha-ha! That's really funny!" she crowed.
0:14:56 > 0:14:59"You don't even know the beginners' spells, let alone ones like that."
0:14:59 > 0:15:03Mildred blushed and looked very miserable.
0:15:03 > 0:15:07"Go on, then!" cried Ethel. "Go on, then!
0:15:07 > 0:15:12"If you're so clever, turn me into a frog.
0:15:12 > 0:15:14"I'm waiting."
0:15:14 > 0:15:19It just so happens that Mildred did have an idea of that spell.
0:15:19 > 0:15:22She'd been reading about it in the library.
0:15:22 > 0:15:26By now, everyone had crowded round waiting to se what would happen.
0:15:26 > 0:15:30Ethel was still jeering. It was unbearable.
0:15:30 > 0:15:35Mildred muttered the spell under her breath and Ethel vanished.
0:15:35 > 0:15:40In her place stood a small, pink and grey...
0:15:40 > 0:15:43pig. SNORTING
0:15:51 > 0:15:54Cries and shouts rent the air, "Oh, no!"
0:15:54 > 0:16:00"That's torn it" "You've done it now, Mildred!" Mildred was horrified.
0:16:00 > 0:16:05"Oh, Ethel," she said. "I'm sorry, but you did ask for it."
0:16:05 > 0:16:10The pig looked furious. "Oink-oink! You beast, Mildred Hubble! Oink!"
0:16:10 > 0:16:12it grunted. "Change me back!"
0:16:12 > 0:16:16At that moment, Miss Hardbroom suddenly appeared
0:16:16 > 0:16:18in the middle of the yard.
0:16:18 > 0:16:21"Where is Ethel Hallow?" she asked.
0:16:21 > 0:16:25"Miss Bat would like to see her about extra chanting lessons."
0:16:25 > 0:16:28Her sharp gaze fell on the small pig
0:16:28 > 0:16:30which was grunting softly at her feet.
0:16:31 > 0:16:35"What is that animal doing in the yard?" she asked coldly.
0:16:35 > 0:16:38Everyone looked at Mildred.
0:16:40 > 0:16:42Now Mildred's got two big problems on her hands.
0:16:42 > 0:16:45She doesn't know how to change the spell back
0:16:45 > 0:16:48and she's made an enemy of Ethel.
0:16:48 > 0:16:49Not a good idea.
0:16:50 > 0:16:52I love The Worst Witch
0:16:52 > 0:16:56because I think Mildred who's the main character in the book
0:16:56 > 0:16:57is absolutely amazing.
0:16:57 > 0:17:00When I was at school, there was a girl in my class called Martha
0:17:00 > 0:17:02that looked so much like Mildred
0:17:02 > 0:17:04that that's what made me want to be her best mate.
0:17:04 > 0:17:08Reading's magic. It's a bit like a spell to me.
0:17:08 > 0:17:11You get into a book and suddenly you're somebody else,
0:17:11 > 0:17:16like a witch or a wizard or an astronaut or a jungle explorer.
0:17:21 > 0:17:25SHE CASTS A SPELL
0:17:25 > 0:17:27GRUNTING
0:17:27 > 0:17:33Pfft! My disappearing spell isn't working on this pig at all.
0:17:33 > 0:17:36Anyway, who wants to hear about how Mildred discovers
0:17:36 > 0:17:39an evil plot from rival witches that want to take over the school?
0:17:42 > 0:17:45Oh! I guess you'll have to find out for yourselves.
0:17:45 > 0:17:48I think I might have done this spell the wrong way round.
0:17:49 > 0:17:51GRUNTING
0:18:28 > 0:18:30HE CHUCKLES
0:18:30 > 0:18:33Oh, hey! This is one of the funniest books I've ever read.
0:18:33 > 0:18:35It's called The Giggler Treatment.
0:18:35 > 0:18:37It's all about the Gigglers -
0:18:37 > 0:18:39they're these little people who look after children
0:18:39 > 0:18:41and they're hardly ever seen,
0:18:41 > 0:18:43but if a grown-up ever does something mean to a kid, you know,
0:18:43 > 0:18:46like send them to bed without dinner or something like that,
0:18:46 > 0:18:49the Gigglers will punish that grown-up. You want to know how?
0:18:51 > 0:18:54Yep...with dog poo.
0:18:54 > 0:19:00See, when an adult steps in a big, squelchy one, it's no accident, no!
0:19:00 > 0:19:04They're getting the Giggler treatment and in this story,
0:19:04 > 0:19:07Mr Mack is about to become the Gigglers' next victim.
0:19:12 > 0:19:14What are you doing?
0:19:14 > 0:19:17What are you doing? Leave me alone. Go on.
0:19:17 > 0:19:19Shoo!
0:19:19 > 0:19:21HE TUTS
0:19:24 > 0:19:26Oh-h! Eugh!
0:19:26 > 0:19:29Of course, it's Rover here who provides the poo...
0:19:31 > 0:19:34..but it's the Gigglers who put it in the perfect position to cause
0:19:34 > 0:19:36a big stink for someone like Mr Mack -
0:19:36 > 0:19:39a nice dad, on his way home from work.
0:19:39 > 0:19:42Oh-ho-ho-ho!
0:19:42 > 0:19:44Come on, the biggest poo in the world was sat right there
0:19:44 > 0:19:46in the middle of the path.
0:19:46 > 0:19:48How could he miss it?
0:19:48 > 0:19:51But Mr Mack got distracted.
0:19:52 > 0:19:55Just after he turned the corner,
0:19:55 > 0:19:57he saw a seagull sitting on the branch of a tree.
0:19:57 > 0:20:01"You know what, mister?" said the seagull. "I hate fish!"
0:20:01 > 0:20:05I didn't know seagulls could perch in trees, said Mister Mack.
0:20:05 > 0:20:08He kept walking, but he looked back to have another look at the seagull
0:20:08 > 0:20:10and this was a pity because he didn't see the dog poo
0:20:10 > 0:20:12right in front of him on the footpath.
0:20:12 > 0:20:16Poor Mister Mack. His shoe was headed straight for that poo.
0:20:18 > 0:20:20Seagulls, you can't trust 'em.
0:20:28 > 0:20:31This book has got such a nutty sense of humour.
0:20:31 > 0:20:35I mean, have you ever heard of a chapter called Chapter Fridge?
0:20:35 > 0:20:37The first time I read The Giggler Treatment
0:20:37 > 0:20:39I'd never heard of the Gigglers.
0:20:39 > 0:20:41But then, saying that, I'd never heard of
0:20:41 > 0:20:43cream crackers that could talk or dogs who could send e-mails.
0:20:43 > 0:20:45But all of that is in this book.
0:20:45 > 0:20:46Crazy!
0:20:55 > 0:21:00Meanwhile, back at the poo, Mister Mack is only seconds away.
0:21:00 > 0:21:02Wait!
0:21:12 > 0:21:14I forgot to tell you.
0:21:14 > 0:21:17The Gigglers are nearby.
0:21:17 > 0:21:21Looking out, peeking, very excited.
0:21:21 > 0:21:23Listen.
0:21:23 > 0:21:25They waited for the wallop.
0:21:25 > 0:21:27Mister Mack hitting the poo.
0:21:27 > 0:21:31They waited for the squelch. SQUELCH
0:21:31 > 0:21:32Mister Mack stepping down on the poo.
0:21:32 > 0:21:35They waited for the gasp. HE GASPS
0:21:35 > 0:21:38Mister Mack seeing the poo for the first time.
0:21:38 > 0:21:40They waited for the groan. HE GROANS
0:21:40 > 0:21:45Mister Mack seeing that most of the poo was now on his shoe.
0:21:45 > 0:21:48His shoe was now very, very close to the you-know-what.
0:21:49 > 0:21:52"How close?" said the smallest Giggler.
0:21:52 > 0:21:56"Fourteen and three-quarter inches," said the biggest Giggler.
0:21:56 > 0:22:00"That's very close," said the middle-sized one.
0:22:00 > 0:22:03And she shoved her fist into her mouth to trap the giggles.
0:22:03 > 0:22:05HE BREATHES LOUDLY And they waited.
0:22:05 > 0:22:07And I can't wait either.
0:22:07 > 0:22:10I said Mister Mack was a nice dad, didn't I?
0:22:10 > 0:22:13So why have the Gigglers plonked a big squelchy wet one
0:22:13 > 0:22:15on the path for him?
0:22:15 > 0:22:18And how does Rover become a billionaire dog?
0:22:18 > 0:22:21You'll have to get reading.
0:22:21 > 0:22:23HE LAUGHS Urgh!
0:22:27 > 0:22:30Personally I think this is a book everyone should read.
0:22:30 > 0:22:35Not other adults, of course. Don't want them knowing about the Gigglers.
0:22:35 > 0:22:37One of the things I really love about this book
0:22:37 > 0:22:39is that it's true, you know?
0:22:39 > 0:22:42A lot of the time adults can be unfair towards children.
0:22:42 > 0:22:46When I read this to my daughter she thought exactly the same thing.
0:22:46 > 0:22:48You know, we both laughed as hard as each other.
0:22:48 > 0:22:51And when you really enjoy a book like that, it makes you want to read
0:22:51 > 0:22:54more and more books and The Giggler Treatment is one of the best
0:22:54 > 0:22:57and it's because it's based on truth.
0:22:57 > 0:22:58Cream crackers can talk.
0:22:58 > 0:23:01Well, no, they can't talk, but the idea
0:23:01 > 0:23:04that there's Gigglers looking out for us, that's a beautiful thing.
0:23:05 > 0:23:07Poo.
0:23:07 > 0:23:09GIGGLING
0:23:09 > 0:23:11I think I can hear giggles.
0:23:11 > 0:23:12It's a good thing I'm always nice to kids.
0:23:12 > 0:23:16Apart from that little one I was a bit nasty to...
0:23:16 > 0:23:18SQUELCH
0:23:19 > 0:23:21Argh!
0:23:21 > 0:23:24HE CHUCKLES
0:23:24 > 0:23:27Gigglers! Gig...
0:23:27 > 0:23:29Gigglers! Oh!
0:24:08 > 0:24:10I LOVE this book.
0:24:10 > 0:24:12It's called The Firework Maker's Daughter
0:24:12 > 0:24:15and it's all about a girl called Lila.
0:24:15 > 0:24:19Now Lila has always dreamed of being a firework maker.
0:24:19 > 0:24:21A FIREWORK CRACKS
0:24:21 > 0:24:24Just like her father.
0:24:24 > 0:24:27You know, fireworks can be dangerous
0:24:27 > 0:24:29and you have to be very careful around them.
0:24:29 > 0:24:33But luckily for Lila, she's got an expert teacher, her dad,
0:24:33 > 0:24:38and he shows her how to make some eye-popping fireworks,
0:24:38 > 0:24:41like Leaping Monkeys and Golden Sneezes.
0:24:46 > 0:24:49Honestly, before I started reading this story,
0:24:49 > 0:24:52I'd never thought about who actually makes a firework.
0:24:52 > 0:24:57That those explosions in the sky are actually the dreams and ideas
0:24:57 > 0:25:01of people like Lila, bursting into life.
0:25:01 > 0:25:06The stories that I like the best are those of personal challenges
0:25:06 > 0:25:09and I reckon the writer of this book, Philip Pullman, would agree,
0:25:09 > 0:25:13because Lila goes on a very dangerous adventure.
0:25:17 > 0:25:20Lila may have done her apprenticeship but in order to become
0:25:20 > 0:25:24a proper firework maker she has to travel to the Grotto of Razvani,
0:25:24 > 0:25:28the Fire-Fiend, to bring back some Royal Sulphur.
0:25:28 > 0:25:30FIREWORKS FIZZING
0:25:30 > 0:25:35Razvani lives in the smouldering centre of Mount Merapi
0:25:35 > 0:25:39and the journey to get there is a long and gruelling one for Lila.
0:25:40 > 0:25:46Finally she comes face-to-face with the Fire-Fiend, Razvani.
0:25:46 > 0:25:49This is one of my favourite parts of the story.
0:25:49 > 0:25:55Lila is in the Grotto watching the flames rise around her.
0:25:55 > 0:26:00And then into the heart of the light and the fire and the noise
0:26:00 > 0:26:05leapt Razvani himself, the great Fire-Fiend,
0:26:05 > 0:26:10whose body was a mass of flame and whose face a mask of scorching light.
0:26:11 > 0:26:14Thousands of fire imps scattered as he landed,
0:26:14 > 0:26:18and even the blazing flames bowed down to him.
0:26:18 > 0:26:21And so did Lila.
0:26:21 > 0:26:26In a voice like the roar of a forest fire, Razvani spoke.
0:26:26 > 0:26:28SHE SHOUTS "By what right
0:26:28 > 0:26:30"have you come to my grotto?!"
0:26:30 > 0:26:33She swallowed hard. It was difficult to breathe,
0:26:33 > 0:26:38because she seemed to be taking fire into her lungs as well as the air.
0:26:38 > 0:26:43"I want to be a...firework maker," she managed to say.
0:26:43 > 0:26:44He laughed a great laugh.
0:26:44 > 0:26:48SHE YELLS "You? Never!"
0:26:50 > 0:26:53Now, any firework maker visiting Razvani
0:26:53 > 0:26:56needs to bring three special gifts,
0:26:56 > 0:27:02and also needs the protection from the goddess of the Emerald Lake.
0:27:02 > 0:27:05Poor Lila! She doesn't know any of this.
0:27:05 > 0:27:07She left in such a hurry.
0:27:07 > 0:27:09Razvani shows her the ghosts
0:27:09 > 0:27:13of previous firework makers who failed before her.
0:27:14 > 0:27:18The ghosts were so pale and transparent
0:27:18 > 0:27:21that Lila could hardly see them.
0:27:21 > 0:27:23But she heard them wailing.
0:27:23 > 0:27:26"Beware! Look at me!
0:27:26 > 0:27:29"I came without the three gifts.
0:27:29 > 0:27:33"Alas! Take warning from me!
0:27:33 > 0:27:37"I hadn't worked at the craft and I wasn't ready.
0:27:37 > 0:27:40"Maiden, turn back.
0:27:40 > 0:27:42"I was arrogant and headstrong.
0:27:42 > 0:27:45"I didn't seek the water from the goddess,
0:27:45 > 0:27:48"and I perished in the flames."
0:27:48 > 0:27:53Wailing and weeping, the ghosts passed across the lake of fire
0:27:53 > 0:27:57and vanished into a crack in the opposite wall.
0:27:57 > 0:28:03"That's what happens to those who don't come prepared," said Razvani
0:28:03 > 0:28:07"But now, you must submit yourself as they did.
0:28:07 > 0:28:10"Walk into my flames, Lila!
0:28:10 > 0:28:14"You have come for the royal sulphur?
0:28:14 > 0:28:16"Receive it from my hands!"
0:28:16 > 0:28:19Poor Lila! She must be terrified!
0:28:21 > 0:28:23In this book, I have to admit,
0:28:23 > 0:28:26I absolutely love Lila.
0:28:26 > 0:28:28She is such a strong person.
0:28:28 > 0:28:32She's determined to become a firework maker.
0:28:32 > 0:28:36And even when everything is going against her, she doesn't give up.
0:28:36 > 0:28:39And that's what I found inspiring about this story.
0:28:39 > 0:28:43That, actually, if you put your mind to it, you never give up,
0:28:43 > 0:28:45you're determined and brave,
0:28:45 > 0:28:47you CAN achieve anything.
0:28:52 > 0:28:55I almost forgot to tell you.
0:28:55 > 0:28:58On her quest, Lila does get some help
0:28:58 > 0:29:04from the worst and funniest pirates you'll ever get to read about.
0:29:04 > 0:29:05Oh, and her best friend, Chulak,
0:29:05 > 0:29:10and his talking white elephant, Hamlet.
0:29:10 > 0:29:15But I'm not going to tell you how Lila's encounter with Razvani ends,
0:29:15 > 0:29:18or how she tries to save somebody's life
0:29:18 > 0:29:21with the most spectacular firework display.
0:29:21 > 0:29:25With this adventure, like any other story you want to read,
0:29:25 > 0:29:29grab yourself a book, open it up,
0:29:29 > 0:29:32and let your imagination fizz.
0:29:32 > 0:29:34FIREWORK WHOOSHES
0:29:36 > 0:29:39FIREWORKS POP
0:30:03 > 0:30:07Skulduggery Pleasant.
0:30:07 > 0:30:09That's what this brilliant book is called.
0:30:09 > 0:30:11Here's Stephanie, and the story kicks off
0:30:11 > 0:30:12when her favourite uncle Gordon -
0:30:12 > 0:30:15great guy, horror writer, mad about magic -
0:30:15 > 0:30:17suddenly dies.
0:30:17 > 0:30:19That's bad in SO many ways.
0:30:19 > 0:30:21Partly because Stephanie discovers
0:30:21 > 0:30:24that her uncle's enemies are now after her.
0:30:24 > 0:30:27Luckily, she's got some help from her uncle's friend, Skulduggery Pleasant.
0:30:27 > 0:30:30He's an amazing detective and master magician.
0:30:30 > 0:30:33He's a fighter against evil and...
0:30:33 > 0:30:35he's dead.
0:30:35 > 0:30:37DEATH BELLS TOLL
0:30:37 > 0:30:40Yup, a skeleton. This guy is SERIOUSLY dead.
0:30:40 > 0:30:41But also seriously fun.
0:30:43 > 0:30:46FLAME WHOOSHES
0:30:55 > 0:30:58This book is scary, fantastical, and funny.
0:30:58 > 0:31:01when I first picked it up, I couldn't stop reading it. It was like
0:31:01 > 0:31:02my hands were glued to the page.
0:31:02 > 0:31:05Not with actual glue. I wouldn't have been able to turn the pages
0:31:05 > 0:31:07and find out what happened next.
0:31:07 > 0:31:09And I WANTED to know what happened next.
0:31:09 > 0:31:12I love this book. It's got so many crazy characters in it.
0:31:12 > 0:31:14I think my favourite must be Ghastly Bespoke, the tailor.
0:31:14 > 0:31:17He makes all Skulduggery's suits, and he's pretty handy at magic.
0:31:17 > 0:31:19Plus, I kind of like the way his name sounds.
0:31:19 > 0:31:22HE ADOPTS SPOOKY VOICE Ghastly Bespoke!
0:31:22 > 0:31:23If there's any girls watching,
0:31:23 > 0:31:25I think they'll associate with Stephanie.
0:31:25 > 0:31:28Stephanie's so tough and adventurous and brave.
0:31:28 > 0:31:31She's not scared of being friends with a dead detective.
0:31:31 > 0:31:33And when Skulduggery knows
0:31:33 > 0:31:35that he's leading her into danger and tries to shake her off,
0:31:35 > 0:31:36she doesn't listen.
0:31:41 > 0:31:45In this part of the story, Stephanie wants to pick Skulduggery's brain...
0:31:45 > 0:31:47well, his skull, about his different magical powers.
0:31:47 > 0:31:51So he shows her his influence over water, gets her hair soaking wet,
0:31:51 > 0:31:56then moves on to the other elements of earth, wind, and fire.
0:31:56 > 0:31:59Skulduggery snapped his gloved fingers and sparks flew,
0:31:59 > 0:32:02and he curled his hand and the sparks grew to flame.
0:32:02 > 0:32:05And he held that ball of flame in his palm as they walked.
0:32:05 > 0:32:09The flame intensified and Stephanie could feel her hair drying.
0:32:09 > 0:32:10"Wow!" she said.
0:32:10 > 0:32:13"Wow, indeed," Skulduggery responded, and thrust his hand out,
0:32:13 > 0:32:15sending a ball of fire shooting through the air.
0:32:15 > 0:32:18It burned out and arced in the night sky,
0:32:18 > 0:32:20and faded to nothing.
0:32:20 > 0:32:24"What about earth?" Stephanie asked. But Skulduggery shook his head.
0:32:24 > 0:32:27"You don't want to see that, and hopefully, you'll never have to.
0:32:27 > 0:32:29"The earth power is purely defensive
0:32:29 > 0:32:31"and is purely for use as a last resort."
0:32:31 > 0:32:34"So what's the most powerful? Is it fire?"
0:32:34 > 0:32:36"That's the flashiest. That gets all the wows.
0:32:36 > 0:32:39"But you'd be surprised what a little air can do,
0:32:39 > 0:32:40"if you displace it properly.
0:32:40 > 0:32:42"Displaced air doesn't just disappear.
0:32:42 > 0:32:44"It needs somewhere to be displaced TO."
0:32:44 > 0:32:46"Can I see?" They reached the edge
0:32:46 > 0:32:48of the car park and passed the low wall that encircled it.
0:32:48 > 0:32:52Skulduggery flexed his fingers and suddenly splayed his hands,
0:32:52 > 0:32:54snapping his palm towards the wall.
0:32:54 > 0:32:57The air rippled and the bricks exploded outwards.
0:32:57 > 0:32:58BRICKS FALL
0:32:58 > 0:33:02Stephanie stared at the brand-new hole in the wall.
0:33:02 > 0:33:06"That," she said, "is SO cool!"
0:33:09 > 0:33:11That really WAS so cool.
0:33:18 > 0:33:21With Skulduggery's assistance, Stephanie has to battle
0:33:21 > 0:33:25to stop her precious key from falling into some very evil hands.
0:33:25 > 0:33:27That's so much more exciting than maths homework!
0:33:27 > 0:33:30And so much harder! If you read the story, you'll find out about
0:33:30 > 0:33:33some of the friends and troublemakers she meets along the way.
0:33:33 > 0:33:36Like the beautiful and dangerous China Sorrows.
0:33:36 > 0:33:40Tanith Low, warrior and troll splatterer.
0:33:40 > 0:33:41Vampire security guards.
0:33:41 > 0:33:45Mr Bliss, with pale blue eyes and super strength.
0:33:45 > 0:33:47The sinister army of paper-thin Hollow Men.
0:33:47 > 0:33:49Did I say vampire security guards?
0:33:49 > 0:33:53The power-hungry evil sorcerer, Nefarian Serpine.
0:33:53 > 0:33:55Maybe worst of all, Stephanie's...
0:33:55 > 0:33:57Aunt Beryl!
0:33:57 > 0:33:59BLOODCURDLING SCREAM
0:34:24 > 0:34:26Personally, for me, books have been
0:34:26 > 0:34:27a brilliant way to get away from the world.
0:34:27 > 0:34:30You can transport yourself to a different universe.
0:34:30 > 0:34:31One day, you could be in space,
0:34:31 > 0:34:34the other day, you could be in a crazy high school from the future.
0:34:34 > 0:34:36I read a load of different kinds of books.
0:34:36 > 0:34:38My favourite are actually horror books,
0:34:38 > 0:34:41not that I'm some kind of crazy horror fiend.
0:34:41 > 0:34:44I just think it's cool to be excited and tense and scared,
0:34:44 > 0:34:46but then still in the comfort of your own.
0:34:46 > 0:34:48And I think, even more so than films and music,
0:34:48 > 0:34:51books can really generate some amazing images in your head.
0:34:51 > 0:34:54It's great when a book can show you a secret side to the world
0:34:54 > 0:34:55you've never seen before.
0:34:55 > 0:34:57When it's finished, you start to think,
0:34:57 > 0:34:59"Maybe that's what the world is actually like."
0:34:59 > 0:35:01Books can change the way you think.
0:35:01 > 0:35:04Maybe I should start looking out for vampire security guards.
0:35:04 > 0:35:07HE MAKES WHOOSHING NOISES
0:35:10 > 0:35:13FLAME WHOOSHES PAST
0:35:13 > 0:35:15I did it! I did it!
0:35:15 > 0:35:18Woo-hoo! Yes! Yes! Whoa!
0:35:36 > 0:35:39Well, obviously I knew was him!
0:36:23 > 0:36:27Just reading one of my favourite stories, The Magic Faraway Tree.
0:36:27 > 0:36:31It's a bit about three children, Joe, Beth, and Frannie,
0:36:31 > 0:36:35who take their cousin, Rick, to an enchanted wood near their home
0:36:35 > 0:36:39to show him the most amazing tree you'll ever read about.
0:36:39 > 0:36:43The Faraway Tree is so tall,
0:36:43 > 0:36:45you can't see where it ends.
0:36:45 > 0:36:47But if you clamber all the way to the top,
0:36:47 > 0:36:49you'll arrive at strange and magic lands.
0:36:49 > 0:36:53A different one each time you visit.
0:37:01 > 0:37:04The children are experts at the climb.
0:37:04 > 0:37:07On the way up, they know to avoid Dame Washalot,
0:37:07 > 0:37:09who's always doing her dirty washing.
0:37:09 > 0:37:12SPLASHING NOISE
0:37:12 > 0:37:14And emptying the water down the tree.
0:37:14 > 0:37:15Phew!
0:37:20 > 0:37:22They meet lots of the people
0:37:22 > 0:37:26like Silky the fairy, and the Saucepan Man,
0:37:26 > 0:37:30who've all made their homes inside the trunk.
0:37:39 > 0:37:41DOOR CREAKS OPEN
0:37:51 > 0:37:56The tree is stuffed full of funny characters, like Mr Watzisname.
0:37:56 > 0:37:59That's his actual name, because even HE can't remember what he's called!
0:37:59 > 0:38:04Then there's Moonface, who has a big, round face like the moon,
0:38:04 > 0:38:06with a huge smile on it.
0:38:06 > 0:38:09And his best friend is the Saucepan Man,
0:38:09 > 0:38:11who's covered in pots and kettles.
0:38:11 > 0:38:15Can you imagine the noise he makes whenever he moves around?
0:38:15 > 0:38:17SAUCEPAN CLANGS
0:38:17 > 0:38:20I've always been really adventurous, so I loved reading
0:38:20 > 0:38:24about the incredible things that happened in this book.
0:38:24 > 0:38:26It's a bit like dreaming,
0:38:26 > 0:38:28because there's loads of magical things that go on
0:38:28 > 0:38:31that you'd never be able to do or see in real life.
0:38:31 > 0:38:33There was a big tree near where I lived
0:38:33 > 0:38:35and I used to climb it, look up,
0:38:35 > 0:38:39and imagine the sort of adventures I might like to have.
0:38:39 > 0:38:41On Rick's first visit,
0:38:41 > 0:38:45the Land of Topsy-Turvy is at the end of the Faraway Tree.
0:38:45 > 0:38:48As they climb higher and higher, Rick can't wait to see it.
0:38:50 > 0:38:53A huge white cloud floated above them.
0:38:53 > 0:38:57But just nearby was a hole right through the cloud.
0:38:57 > 0:38:59"That's where we go, up that hole,"
0:38:59 > 0:39:01said Joe, "See that branch that goes up the hole?
0:39:01 > 0:39:04"Come on!"
0:39:04 > 0:39:08They all went up the last and topmost branch of the Faraway Tree.
0:39:08 > 0:39:11They went up and up,
0:39:11 > 0:39:13through the purple hole in the cloud.
0:39:13 > 0:39:16At the very end of the branch was a little ladder.
0:39:16 > 0:39:18Joe climbed the ladder and suddenly,
0:39:18 > 0:39:21his head poked out into the Land of Topsy-Turvy.
0:39:21 > 0:39:24Then, one by one, all of the others followed,
0:39:24 > 0:39:29and soon, all seven of them stood in the curious land.
0:39:29 > 0:39:32And what do you think they saw when they got there?
0:39:32 > 0:39:35Well, the great thing is you don't have to guess,
0:39:35 > 0:39:37because the writer, Enid Blyton,
0:39:37 > 0:39:40takes you to the different worlds at the top of the tree, too.
0:39:40 > 0:39:43So, you'll see what it's like to be topsy-turvy
0:39:43 > 0:39:46with policemen walking around on their hands.
0:39:46 > 0:39:49Or how about spending a day in the Land of Toys?
0:39:49 > 0:39:52Or even better, the Land of Goodies,
0:39:52 > 0:39:55where chocolate muffins grow on trees.
0:39:55 > 0:39:57Of course, the magical lands
0:39:57 > 0:39:59don't stay at the top of the tree for long,
0:39:59 > 0:40:01so you've got to know how to get home.
0:40:01 > 0:40:05In one story, when the children have rescued the Saucepan Man
0:40:05 > 0:40:08from a fortress in the Land of Toys, they almost don't make it.
0:40:10 > 0:40:13"Quick! Run! Run!" cried Joe,
0:40:13 > 0:40:16and they all ran, fast.
0:40:16 > 0:40:18Soldiers poured out of the fort after them.
0:40:18 > 0:40:20Teddy bears and dolls joined in the chase,
0:40:20 > 0:40:24and animals pattered behind on four feet.
0:40:24 > 0:40:27"To the hole in the cloud!" shouted Joe,
0:40:27 > 0:40:29"Run, Beth! Run, Frannie!
0:40:29 > 0:40:30"Oh, I hope we get there in time!"
0:40:32 > 0:40:34How the children and the others ran!
0:40:34 > 0:40:36They knew well that if they were caught,
0:40:36 > 0:40:38they would be put into the toy fort,
0:40:38 > 0:40:41and then the Land of Toys would move away from the Faraway Tree
0:40:41 > 0:40:44and goodness knows how long they might have to stay there.
0:40:44 > 0:40:47So they ran at top speed.
0:40:47 > 0:40:51Frannie fell behind a little, and Joe took her hand to help her along.
0:40:51 > 0:40:56Panting and puffing, they raced down the streets of the Land of Toys,
0:40:56 > 0:40:58trying to remember where the hole was
0:40:58 > 0:41:00that led down through the cloud to the Faraway Tree.
0:41:00 > 0:41:03Joe remembered the way.
0:41:03 > 0:41:07He led them all to the hole, and there was the ladder.
0:41:07 > 0:41:08Thank goodness!
0:41:12 > 0:41:14You know, there are so many books out there
0:41:14 > 0:41:17that can make your head explode with new ideas
0:41:17 > 0:41:20and take you to places you've never imagined before.
0:41:20 > 0:41:21I'll bet you can find a book
0:41:21 > 0:41:24that will really get your head spinning,
0:41:24 > 0:41:26and make your brain go topsy-turvy!
0:41:29 > 0:41:31You know, I could read about the adventures
0:41:31 > 0:41:32in The Faraway Tree all day.
0:41:32 > 0:41:35SPLASHING NOISE
0:41:35 > 0:41:38Oh, are you all right?
0:41:38 > 0:41:41And if I can stay dry, I will.
0:42:20 > 0:42:22Now this is my kind of book!
0:42:22 > 0:42:24It's called The Demon Headmaster,
0:42:24 > 0:42:27and once you've read it, you'll never forget it. And why?
0:42:27 > 0:42:32Well, because it's just about the weirdest school you can imagine.
0:42:32 > 0:42:35And if you don't believe me, ask Dinah.
0:42:35 > 0:42:37She's the star of the story.
0:42:37 > 0:42:40And she discovers on the first day of her new school
0:42:40 > 0:42:44just how strange it really is.
0:42:44 > 0:42:47Take the children. They're super tidy,
0:42:47 > 0:42:50they have perfectly combed hair and smooth ties.
0:42:50 > 0:42:52They don't laugh or play games or shout.
0:42:52 > 0:42:54In fact, they don't do anything.
0:42:54 > 0:42:56They just work. All the time.
0:42:56 > 0:42:59And they march around the school in lines like,
0:42:59 > 0:43:00well, like robots.
0:43:05 > 0:43:08Only a few pupils seem normal.
0:43:08 > 0:43:12Of course, there's Dinah, but also, her new foster brothers,
0:43:12 > 0:43:13Lloyd and Harvey.
0:43:13 > 0:43:16Maybe that's why the headmaster hates them. Good point.
0:43:16 > 0:43:19Oh, yeah, the headmaster. Where do you start with him? He's horrible!
0:43:19 > 0:43:21He's the strangest of the lot.
0:43:21 > 0:43:26He's tall, thin, his hair is white, his skin is white,
0:43:26 > 0:43:28but his glasses...
0:43:28 > 0:43:30they're black. Like these.
0:43:30 > 0:43:33And it seems that everyone, I mean EVERYONE...
0:43:35 > 0:43:37..is terrified of him.
0:43:37 > 0:43:39BELL RINGS
0:43:41 > 0:43:43Everybody remembers their first day at school.
0:43:43 > 0:43:47You're nervous, you don't know anybody, and there's a funny smell.
0:43:47 > 0:43:51But when you compare the experience to Dinah's, we had it pretty easy.
0:43:51 > 0:43:54This is a brilliant mystery story. I love them.
0:43:54 > 0:43:57And just when you think you know what's going to happen,
0:43:57 > 0:43:59the author goes, "Ha-ha! Fooled you!"
0:43:59 > 0:44:03But the great thing about this book is that you get to be a detective
0:44:03 > 0:44:06alongside Dinah, Lloyd, and Harvey, and you actually try and work out
0:44:06 > 0:44:09what the Demon Headmaster's terrible plan is.
0:44:09 > 0:44:11Scary, that, wasn't it?!
0:44:14 > 0:44:17Just imagine the Demon Headmaster's staring at you
0:44:17 > 0:44:20with these big, dark holes where his eyes should be.
0:44:20 > 0:44:23When he invited Dinah to his office to take a test,
0:44:23 > 0:44:25this is exactly how he watched her.
0:44:25 > 0:44:27This is my favourite part of the story
0:44:27 > 0:44:31where Dinah meets the headmaster for the first time.
0:44:32 > 0:44:35The headmaster didn't seem in any hurry to get rid of her.
0:44:35 > 0:44:38He crumpled the test paper in his hand
0:44:38 > 0:44:40and dropped it into the rubbish bin.
0:44:40 > 0:44:46Then slowly, he reached up a hand to take off his glasses.
0:44:46 > 0:44:47Dinah found herself shivering.
0:44:47 > 0:44:50Ridiculously, she expected him to have pink eyes,
0:44:50 > 0:44:52because the rest of his face was so colourless.
0:44:52 > 0:44:55Perhaps, no eyes at all.
0:44:55 > 0:44:57But his eyes were not pink.
0:44:57 > 0:45:01They were large and luminous and a peculiar sea-green colour.
0:45:01 > 0:45:03She had never seen eyes like them before.
0:45:03 > 0:45:06And she found herself staring into them.
0:45:06 > 0:45:09Staring, and staring.
0:45:09 > 0:45:12"Funny you should be so tired,"
0:45:12 > 0:45:13he said, softly,
0:45:13 > 0:45:17"so early in the morning."
0:45:17 > 0:45:19She opened her mouth to say that she was not tired,
0:45:19 > 0:45:22but to her surprise, she yawned instead.
0:45:22 > 0:45:25"So tired," crooned the headmaster,
0:45:25 > 0:45:29his huge, extraordinary eyes fixed on her face.
0:45:29 > 0:45:33"You can hardly move your arms and legs.
0:45:33 > 0:45:36"You're so tired. So tired.
0:45:36 > 0:45:39"You feel your head begin to nod,
0:45:39 > 0:45:42"and slowly, slowly,
0:45:42 > 0:45:45"your eyes are starting to close.
0:45:45 > 0:45:47"So tired and sleepy."
0:45:49 > 0:45:51"He's mad!" Dinah thought, fuzzily.
0:45:51 > 0:45:53"The whole school's raving mad!"
0:45:53 > 0:45:58But, she felt her eyes start to close in spite of all she could do.
0:45:58 > 0:46:02She was drifting... Drifting.
0:46:02 > 0:46:06All she could see was two pools. Deep green, like the sea.
0:46:06 > 0:46:09And she seemed to sink into them
0:46:09 > 0:46:11as she drifted off...
0:46:11 > 0:46:14and off.
0:46:14 > 0:46:16Whoa! That was weird!
0:46:16 > 0:46:19OK, so, what about the other pupils?
0:46:19 > 0:46:22Well, Dinah gets no help from them at all.
0:46:22 > 0:46:25Everything she asks questions about the school, all they say is,
0:46:25 > 0:46:28"The headmaster is a marvellous man,
0:46:28 > 0:46:32"and this is the best school I've ever been to."
0:46:32 > 0:46:35Again, and again, and again,
0:46:35 > 0:46:37and again, and again.
0:46:37 > 0:46:40And soon, even Dinah finds herself saying it.
0:46:40 > 0:46:43Is she being controlled by the Demon Headmaster, too?
0:46:45 > 0:46:48One thing I really like to do is read the same book as a friend.
0:46:48 > 0:46:51You can find out which parts they found exciting or frightening.
0:46:51 > 0:46:53Did they laugh at the same bits as you?
0:46:53 > 0:46:55And the great thing is you can read the same book
0:46:55 > 0:46:57but have a completely different experience.
0:46:57 > 0:47:01And unlike the Demon Headmaster's robot pupils,
0:47:01 > 0:47:02you can think for yourselves.
0:47:02 > 0:47:04If you like a mystery like me,
0:47:04 > 0:47:08whether you like a story that makes you laugh, or gives you the shivers.
0:47:08 > 0:47:10Out of the thousands of great books out there,
0:47:10 > 0:47:13you get to choose which one you're going to read next.
0:47:18 > 0:47:21Dinah, Lloyd, and Harvey are going to have to work together
0:47:21 > 0:47:23if they're going to fight against the headmaster.
0:47:23 > 0:47:26That's if he doesn't get to them first. It won't be easy, bec...
0:47:26 > 0:47:27FOOTSTEPS ON FLOORBOARDS
0:47:27 > 0:47:29DRAMATIC MUSIC
0:47:34 > 0:47:37(Because the Demon Headmaster
0:47:37 > 0:47:40(always seems to know everything you're thinking.
0:47:40 > 0:47:43(I think I better finish this at home!)
0:47:46 > 0:47:49HE SIGHS
0:48:30 > 0:48:35This book, The Butterfly Lion, is such a wonderful story.
0:48:35 > 0:48:37It's about a boy called Bertie.
0:48:37 > 0:48:40He lives with his parents on a remote farm
0:48:40 > 0:48:43in the wild countryside of South Africa.
0:48:44 > 0:48:49Sitting high up in a tree, or looking out of his window,
0:48:49 > 0:48:52Bertie watches the beautiful elephants,
0:48:52 > 0:48:54giraffes and zebras come down to the water hole.
0:48:56 > 0:48:59But it's the lions Bertie likes best of all.
0:48:59 > 0:49:03And when, one morning, he sees a baby lion cub trying to escape
0:49:03 > 0:49:07from some hungry hyenas, Bertie rushes out to rescue it.
0:49:13 > 0:49:17He threw open the gate and charged down the hill towards the water hole,
0:49:17 > 0:49:20yelling and screaming and waving his arms like a wild thing.
0:49:20 > 0:49:24Startled at this sudden intrusion, the hyenas turned tail and ran -
0:49:24 > 0:49:26but not far.
0:49:26 > 0:49:28Once within range, Bertie hurled a broadside of pebbles at them
0:49:28 > 0:49:30and they ran off again.
0:49:30 > 0:49:32But, again, not far.
0:49:32 > 0:49:35Then he was at the water hole and between the lion cub
0:49:35 > 0:49:39and the hyenas, shouting at them to go away.
0:49:39 > 0:49:40They didn't.
0:49:40 > 0:49:43They stood and watched, uncertain for a while,
0:49:43 > 0:49:45then they began to circle again.
0:49:45 > 0:49:47Closer, closer.
0:49:47 > 0:49:49GROWLING
0:49:49 > 0:49:51That was when the shot rang out. GUNSHOT
0:49:51 > 0:49:55The hyenas bolted into the long grass and were gone.
0:49:55 > 0:49:58When Bertie turned around, he saw his mother in her nightgown,
0:49:58 > 0:50:02rifle in hand, running towards him down the hill.
0:50:02 > 0:50:05He had never seen her run before.
0:50:05 > 0:50:09Between them, they gathered up the mud-matted cub and brought him home.
0:50:17 > 0:50:21After five baths, he was finally clean.
0:50:22 > 0:50:24And completely white.
0:50:24 > 0:50:27Have you ever seen a white lion before?
0:50:27 > 0:50:29No?
0:50:32 > 0:50:35Well, you've probably never seen a lion live in a house before,
0:50:35 > 0:50:38but that's what he ends up doing.
0:50:38 > 0:50:41He even sleeps at the end of Bertie's bed.
0:50:50 > 0:50:54Sometimes, I read quickly. Other times, I read slowly.
0:50:54 > 0:50:56But this was a book I read in one whole go,
0:50:56 > 0:50:59because you get so involved with the story,
0:50:59 > 0:51:01you have to know what happens next.
0:51:02 > 0:51:06We've all suddenly made a new friend - I expect you have -
0:51:06 > 0:51:09and Michael Morpurgo, the writer of this brilliant story,
0:51:09 > 0:51:13knows how that friendship can change the way you feel
0:51:13 > 0:51:16about, well, everything.
0:51:21 > 0:51:26Bertie and the lion become the best of friends. Listen.
0:51:27 > 0:51:30Wherever Bertie went, the lion cub went, too.
0:51:30 > 0:51:34Even to the bathroom, where he would watch Bertie have his bath
0:51:34 > 0:51:36and lick his legs dry afterwards.
0:51:36 > 0:51:38They were never apart.
0:51:38 > 0:51:41It was Bertie who saw to the feeding - milk, four times a day,
0:51:41 > 0:51:44from one of his father's beer bottles - until later on,
0:51:44 > 0:51:47when the lion cub lapped from a soup bowl.
0:51:47 > 0:51:51There was impala meat whenever he wanted it and as he grew
0:51:51 > 0:51:55- and he grew fast - he wanted more and more of it.
0:51:57 > 0:52:02For the first time in his life, Bertie was totally happy.
0:52:02 > 0:52:06But it doesn't last.
0:52:06 > 0:52:09Soon, Bertie is sent away to a school in England
0:52:09 > 0:52:14and the lion cub is sold to a circus in France.
0:52:14 > 0:52:17PURRING
0:52:17 > 0:52:20As an actress, I read scripts all of the time,
0:52:20 > 0:52:23but I never get tired of reading, because I feel it's as if,
0:52:23 > 0:52:27each page you turn, you're discovering something new.
0:52:27 > 0:52:31Just grab any story and, once you've finished it,
0:52:31 > 0:52:34think about all the new things and all the new people
0:52:34 > 0:52:38that you've learned about just because you picked up that book.
0:52:38 > 0:52:40Some books make you laugh, don't they?
0:52:40 > 0:52:42And other books make you hold your breath
0:52:42 > 0:52:44because you can't believe what's about to happen.
0:52:44 > 0:52:46Other books make you feel sad
0:52:46 > 0:52:52because the writer has made you care for the characters so much.
0:52:52 > 0:52:56Well, I have to tell you that this book has all of that.
0:52:56 > 0:53:00I'm never going to forget reading this book and if you read it,
0:53:00 > 0:53:02I'm sure you won't either.
0:53:06 > 0:53:10Before he leaves South Africa, Bertie promises that one day,
0:53:10 > 0:53:14no matter what it takes, he will find his lion again.
0:53:16 > 0:53:18Do you think he does?
0:53:18 > 0:53:23Well, many years later, a schoolboy discovers the answer
0:53:23 > 0:53:27when he sees another lion on the side of a hill in England.
0:53:39 > 0:53:42So what's the connection between Bertie
0:53:42 > 0:53:44and this magical butterfly lion?
0:53:46 > 0:53:49I'll let you read the story and find out for yourself.
0:54:29 > 0:54:31I love running and I love reading.
0:54:31 > 0:54:33But in this book, Robo-Runners,
0:54:33 > 0:54:37a robot called Crank isn't running for fun, he's running for his life.
0:54:43 > 0:54:45No wonder he looks frightened.
0:54:45 > 0:54:48At the start of this story, Crank's about to be recycled.
0:54:48 > 0:54:50HE WHIMPERS
0:54:55 > 0:54:59Some robots - like his friend, Al - don't think this is such a bad thing.
0:54:59 > 0:55:02After all, the broken robots go into the recycling plant
0:55:02 > 0:55:03and come out shiny and new.
0:55:03 > 0:55:07But Crank doesn't want to be melted down. Crank wants to be free.
0:55:07 > 0:55:10But the horrible Tin Man's got other ideas.
0:55:21 > 0:55:23He captures all the old robots...
0:55:24 > 0:55:27..and takes them to a huge recycling plant -
0:55:27 > 0:55:29Crushem & Smeltem Incorporated.
0:55:36 > 0:55:39Crank does everything he can do to avoid getting caught
0:55:39 > 0:55:41and at this point in the story,
0:55:41 > 0:55:45finally the Tin Man roars away on his engine-powered robo-mule.
0:55:46 > 0:55:48Crank stayed hidden in the alleyway
0:55:48 > 0:55:51until the sounds of the engine had disappeared into the distance.
0:55:51 > 0:55:54The Tin Man had gone. Crank had spent his whole life
0:55:54 > 0:55:56working like a slave for other people,
0:55:56 > 0:55:59always doing as he was told, but now, for the first time ever,
0:55:59 > 0:56:02Crank was free to do what he wanted to do.
0:56:02 > 0:56:04But what would he do? Where would he go?
0:56:04 > 0:56:07Crank decided to head for the centre of Metrocity,
0:56:07 > 0:56:11he felt sure no-one would notice one more robot wandering around
0:56:11 > 0:56:13and he'd be able to decide where to go from there.
0:56:13 > 0:56:16Crank left the alleyway, turned into the street...
0:56:17 > 0:56:19..and came face to face with the Tin Man.
0:56:19 > 0:56:22"And where do you think you're going?" growled the Tin Man,
0:56:22 > 0:56:25grabbing hold of Crank's neck. He lifted Crank into the air
0:56:25 > 0:56:28with one gloved hand and shook him like a rag doll.
0:56:28 > 0:56:30"No junk gets away from me!" said the Tin Man,
0:56:30 > 0:56:33and threw Crank into the transport trailer,
0:56:33 > 0:56:35where he landed with a crunch.
0:56:37 > 0:56:40We don't know what the future's going to look like, do we?
0:56:40 > 0:56:43The nice thing about stories is they can give us some ideas.
0:56:43 > 0:56:46This book is set in the future, where robots are everywhere.
0:56:46 > 0:56:49The sad thing is, though, people don't seem to really care
0:56:49 > 0:56:53what happens to them when they get rusty or a little bit shabby.
0:56:53 > 0:56:57The great thing about this book is it's exciting, fast and funny.
0:56:57 > 0:57:00One of my favourite characters is a little maintenance robot
0:57:00 > 0:57:03called Sparks. He looks like a crab
0:57:03 > 0:57:05and he keeps getting sat on by all the other characters.
0:57:05 > 0:57:08Al and Crank also make a brilliant double act.
0:57:08 > 0:57:11Al's always trying to be really polite and helpful,
0:57:11 > 0:57:13so that one time, Crank gets his foot stuck
0:57:13 > 0:57:15and Al pulls him so hard, his whole leg comes off.
0:57:31 > 0:57:35Crank and his friends soon discover the recycling factory.
0:57:35 > 0:57:38Run by the Tin Man and his army of fierce regulators,
0:57:38 > 0:57:39it's a robot's worst nightmare.
0:57:39 > 0:57:42Have you ever been picked up by a giant claw
0:57:42 > 0:57:44and held over a boiling, stinking bath?
0:57:44 > 0:57:46Cos that's what happens to Crank.
0:57:47 > 0:57:49Bubbles erupted fiercely below him
0:57:49 > 0:57:52and clouds of foul-smelling gas rose into the air.
0:57:52 > 0:57:54Crank was sure the bath was full of acid
0:57:54 > 0:57:56and he was about to be dissolved.
0:57:56 > 0:57:58"Aargh!" he screamed,
0:57:58 > 0:58:00as the steel claw lowered him into the bath, "I'm melting!"
0:58:00 > 0:58:02BUBBLING
0:58:09 > 0:58:11And that's just the start of it.
0:58:11 > 0:58:14There's all sorts of contraptions, with spikes on them, and blades,
0:58:14 > 0:58:15and a giant crushing machine.
0:58:20 > 0:58:21Yeah, just like that.
0:58:29 > 0:58:31Reading this book really made me think about
0:58:31 > 0:58:34what our world might be like in the future.
0:58:34 > 0:58:36And wouldn't it be really cool if there were loads of robots?
0:58:36 > 0:58:40Especially like these ones - they've got really cool personalities.
0:58:40 > 0:58:42I loved reading as a kid. I really liked taking the time
0:58:42 > 0:58:45to get to know different characters and their worlds,
0:58:45 > 0:58:47and if you put the time in, you'll find it as well.
0:58:47 > 0:58:50Find the books you like - whether it's an action book,
0:58:50 > 0:58:52something about the future or something about the past.
0:58:52 > 0:58:55I think books are great.
0:59:00 > 0:59:02If Crank and his friends can escape the Tin Man,
0:59:02 > 0:59:04they dream of running away to Robotika,
0:59:04 > 0:59:07a city where robots can be free.
0:59:17 > 0:59:20You'll have to read the first book in the series -
0:59:20 > 0:59:23Robo-Runners: The Tin Man - to find out what happens next.
0:59:23 > 0:59:25But don't stop there. There's all sorts of books
0:59:25 > 0:59:29with loads of different futures that you can read.
0:59:31 > 0:59:34Like I said, reading's like doing sport,
0:59:34 > 0:59:36and avoiding giant robot crushers -
0:59:36 > 0:59:39You always get better with practice.
0:59:39 > 0:59:41Time to run.
0:59:50 > 0:59:53Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd