LITMIR.BIZ

      First published in Great Britain 2018

      by Egmont UK Limited

      The Yellow Building, 1 Nicholas Road, London W11 4AN

      Text copyright © 2018 Alan MacDonald

      Illustrations copyright © 2018 Sarah Horne

      The moral rights of the author and illustrators have been asserted

      First e-book edition 2018

      ISBN 978 1 4052 8724 1

      Ebook ISBN 978 1 7803 1797 7

       www.egmont.co.uk

      A CIP catalogue record for this title is available from the British Library

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      CONTENTS

       Cover

       Title Page

       Dedication and Copyright

CHAPTER 1: Moving In

CHAPTER 2: Uppity

       CHAPTER 3: Wall Games

       CHAPTER 4: Diamond and Carrots

       CHAPTER 5: Stop Thief!

       CHAPTER 6: Dangerous Dogs

       CHAPTER 7: Counting Cats

       CHAPTER 8: Short Cuts

       CHAPTER 9: Paw Prints

       CHAPTER 10: Twinkle, Twinkle Little Cat

       CHAPTER 11: The Bottom of the Matter

CHAPTER 1

       MOVING IN

      On the first floor of 18 Beach Road a boy and his dog stood looking out of a window. The boy was wearing blue patterned pyjamas while the dog wasn’t wearing anything, apart from a collar and a worried frown. The dog’s name was Oscar and his boy was called Sam. Anyone passing by on the road wouldn’t have suspected there was anything out of the ordinary about them.

      ‘It’s okay, Oscar, it’s only a furniture van,’ said Sam. ‘I think someone’s moving in next door.’

      Oscar pressed his nose closer to the window. He didn’t trust vans, not since a black one had carried off two of his friends and they’d had to rescue them from a dog pound. This van, however, was large and blue with Heaver and Sons Removals written on the side. It was parked outside number 20, the house next door that had a SOLD sign in the front garden. The workmen were unloading the furniture onto the pavement.

      ‘Look, there’s a pet basket,’ said Sam. ‘You never know, they might have a dog.’

      Oscar gave him a look as if to say there was only one dog in the neighbourhood and that was him.

      Downstairs a heady smell of coffee, toast and sausages filled the kitchen as Mr Shilling made breakfast. The coffee was for him, the toast for everyone, and the sausages were for Oscar, who claimed tinned dog food was not fit to eat.

      ‘It looks like someone’s moving in next door,’ said Sam, pouring himself some cereal.

      Dad nodded. ‘Yes, I saw the van,’ he said, closing the kitchen door. He lowered his voice. ‘Before your mum gets down, you haven’t forgotten, have you?’

      ‘Forgotten what?’ asked Sam.

      ‘Her birthday of course – it’s next Saturday. I wrote it on the calendar so you wouldn’t forget.’

      Sam had forgotten. He rarely looked at the calendar because most of the time it recorded things like ‘dentist appointment’ or ‘parents evening’. Saturday still gave him a week to get a present but he had no idea what to get. As it was almost the end of the summer holidays, he’d spent most of his pocket money too.

      ‘What are you giving her?’ he asked.

      ‘Me? I’m working on a little idea,’ said Dad. ‘I’ll show you when it’s ready.’

      Sam nodded. He hoped it wasn’t one of his dad’s less successful inventions like the Hercules Speedy Pop-up Toaster, which had almost set fire to the kitchen.

      Dad set Oscar’s food bowl down on the floor. ‘There’s a birthday list on the fridge,’ he said.

      Sam read the list, which he obviously hadn’t noticed.

      A holiday – anywhere hot

      A new car!

      Swimming costume

      Beach towel

      Slippers

      He was pretty sure he couldn’t afford a holiday, unless his mum wanted a bus ride to Winklesea. They hadn’t gone away this summer because his parents had been busy running the beach cafe, which Dad had bought after selling one of his inventions. Originally it was called The Toast Cafe, but then Sam and Oscar had the genius idea of turning it into The Waggy Dog Cafe – the only cafe in Little Bunting to welcome dogs.

      Oscar barked loudly, interrupting his thoughts. Usually this meant someone was coming and a few seconds later the doorbell rang.

      It was Mr Trusscot, their busybody neighbour,

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