Lizzie Zipmouth Read online

  LIZZIE

  ZIPMOUTH

  D o you ever play with dolls? Don't worry, I don't think it's at all babyish to like dolls. I played with my dolls up until I was about ten, though I didn't really tell my friends just in case they teased me.

  I think it's so sad that lots of girls stop playing with their Barbies and Bratz by the time they're six or so. I still love dolls even now. They sit in special places all over my house. I've got a doll with brown glass eyes and ringlets called Mad Alice who's over 150 years old, and she reclines decoratively on my Victorian chaise longue. I have another gentle Victorian china doll called Mabel who sits up straight in her own little chair. There are carved wooden dolls and soft cloth dolls and a row of tiny plastic baby dolls arranged on my shelves.

  There are two characters in this book who love dolls too. One is Lizzie – and the other is her very fierce Great-gran. She can be very scary at times but somehow Lizzie isn't frightened of her.

  Lizzie won't talk to anyone – but she will whisper to Great-gran. Later in the story it's Lizzie's turn to help Great-gran to speak.

  Lizzie is a little bit like me when I was little - and Great-gran is a little bit like my mum!

  Illustrated by Nick Sharratt

  This eBook is copyright material and must not be copied, reproduced, transferred, distributed, leased, licensed or publicly performed or used in any way except as specifically permitted in writing by the publishers, as allowed under the terms and conditions under which it was purchased or as strictly permitted by applicable copyright law. Any unauthorised distribution or use of this text may be a direct infringement of the author’s and publisher’s rights and those responsible may be liable in law accordingly.

  Adobe ISBN: 9781407043296

  Version 1.0

  www.randomhouse.co.uk

  LIZZIE ZIPMOUTH

  A YOUNG CORGI BOOK 978 0 552 55784 9

  First published in Great Britain by Young Corgi, an imprint of Random House Children's Books A Random House Group Company

  First Young Corgi edition published 2000

  This Young Corgi edition published 2008

  1 3 5 7 9 1 0 8 6 4 2

  Copyright © Jacqueline Wilson, 2000

  Illustrations copyright © Nick Sharratt, 2000

  The right of Jacqueline Wilson to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publishers.

  The Random House Group Limited makes every effort to ensure that the papers used in its books are made from trees that have been legally sourced from well-managed and credibly certified forests.

  Our paper procurement policy can be found at: www.randomhouse.co.uk/paper.htm

  Young Corgi Books are published by Random House Children's Books, 61–63 Uxbridge Road, London W5 5SA www. kidsatrandomhouse. co.uk www. rbooks. co.uk

  Addresses for companies within The Random House Group Limited can be found at:

  www.randomhouse.co.uk/offices.htm

  THE RANDOM HOUSE GROUP Limited Reg. No. 954009

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

  Printed in the UK by CPI Bookmarque, Croydon, CR0 4TD

  To Naomi

  With many thanks

  Chapter One

  Do you ever have nightmares? I had such a scary dream I didn't w a n t to go back to sleep. It was just starting to get light. I sat up in bed and looked at M u m . Her hair was spread out over the pillow.

  I wish I had lovely long hair like M u m . Sometimes she lets me brush and comb it. I can do it in a funny topknot. Once I put it in plaits and M u m looked just like my sister, not my mum.

  7

  I haven't got a real sister. Or a real brother. But today I was getting two new sort-of brothers, Rory and Jake.

  I didn't like them much.

  I w a s getting a stepdad too. He was called Sam. I didn't call him anything.

  I didn't like him at all.

  I frowned at my mum. I took hold of a little clump of her hair and pulled.

  8

  "Ouch! W h a t are you up to, Lizzie?" said M u m , opening one eye.

  "I was just waking you up," I said.

  "It's too early to w a k e up," said M u m , putting her arm round me.

  "Let's snuggle down and have a snooze."

  "I don't w a n t to snuggle," I said, wriggling a w a y . "Mum, why do we have to move in with Sam?"

  M u m sighed. "Because I love him."

  " I don't love him," I said.

  "You might one d a y , " said M u m .

  "Never ever," I said.

  "You wait and see," said M u m . "I think you're going to love being part of a big family. You and me and S a m and Rory and J a k e . "

  "I don't want to be a big family," I said. "I want to be a little family. Just you and me in our own flat."

  We had fun together, M u m and me.

  9

  We went to

  football matches

  and we shared big

  tubs of ice-cream and

  we danced to music.

  Sometimes I stayed up really late and then we went to bed together. I didn't like night-time because of the bad dreams.

  I dreamt about my first stepdad.

  I hate stepdads. I've got a real dad but I don't see him now. He stopped 10

  living with us ages a g o . He doesn't come to see me but I don't care any more.

  My first stepdad doesn't come to see us either and I'm very, very glad about that. He was a scary monster stepdad. He pretended to be jolly and friendly at first. He bought me heaps of presents. He even bought me a Flying Barbie. I always badly wanted a Barbie doll but M u m never bought me one. She thinks they're too girly. I like girly things. I loved my Flying Barbie but I didn't ever love my first stepdad, even at the beginning.

  W h e n we went to live with him he was still jolly and friendly when he was in a good mood but he started to get lots of bad moods. He started shouting at me. I tried shouting back and he smacked me. He said I got on his nerves. He certainly got on my 11

  nerves. He said he didn't like me. I didn't like him one bit.

  M u m didn't like him any more

  either, especially when he shouted at me. We left that stepdad. We went back to being just M u m and me.

  We got our own flat. It was very small and poky and the bathroom had black mould and the heating didn't work, but it didn't matter. We were safe again, M u m and me.

  But then M u m met this man, Sam, in a sandwich bar. They ate lots and lots of sandwiches. Then they started going out together. Then I had to start going out with them at weekends even though I didn't w a n t to. Sam's sons, Rory and J a k e , came too. They didn't see their m u m any more. They seemed to like my mum. But I didn't like their dad.

  *

  12

  "I don't want Sam to be my stepdad," I said. Again.

  "He's not a bit like the last one, Lizzie, I promise," said M u m .

  I love my mum but I don't a l w a y s believe her, even when she promises.

  "Lizzie?" said M u m . "Oh come on, don't look like that. Don't we have fun together when we all go out, the five of us?"

  Mum ha d fun.

  She larked about

  with S a m and

  sang silly songs

  and talked all the

  time and held his

  hand.

  Sam ha d fun.

  He laughed at my m u m and sang with her and told her these stupid jokes
and put his arm round her.

  13

  Rory ha d fun. He played football with M u m and she taught him how to dive when we went swimming and when he couldn't choose between pizza and pasta at the restaurant he was allowed to have both.

  Jake ha d fun. He ate

  sweets all day long

  and M u m gave him

  a musical

  toothbrush so that

  all the sugar wouldn't

  rot his teeth too much. He

  brushed his teeth all day long too. He had thirteen Beanie Babies that he carried round with him. They all had to have their teeth brushed too.

  14

  I didn't have fun. I thought J a k e was a silly baby. And it wasn't fair.

  M u m didn't mind him having his Beanie Babies. Boys are allowed to be girly.

  I didn't like Rory much either. He pushed me over when we played

  football. I don't think he meant to but it still hurt. And he splashed me when we went swimming. He did mean to do that.

  I certainly didn't like Sam. I knew he

  wouldn't be jolly and

  friendly for long. I

  was waiting for the

  shouting to start.

  He kept trying to m a k e

  friends with me. I just looked down at the floor and wouldn't say a word.

  I decided not to say a word to

  anyone.

  15

  Chapter Two

  I didn't say a word when I had my breakfast. I didn't say a word when I got washed and dressed. I didn't say a word when I packed up my books

  and my crayons and my stickers and my schoolbag and my washing things and my hairbrush and all my

  underwear and my T-shirts and shorts and trousers and jumpers and my duffel coat and my welly boots. I didn't even say a word when M u m 16

  threw my old cosy dressing-gown and last year's party dress and my school uniform in the rubbish bin.

  M u m said my dressing-gown was all stained and my party dress w a s so small it showed my knickers and I'd be going to a new school after the summer holidays with a different uniform.

  I felt stained and small and different in the car with S a m and Rory and Jake. They came to fetch us and help us with all our l u g g a g e .

  "It's going to be lovely living in a house instead of that crummy little flat," said M u m . "Won't it be great to have a garden, Lizzie? You can play football with Rory."

  "Well, I usually play football with the boys next door," said Rory. "But I suppose Lizzie can join in if she wants."

  17

  I didn't want. But I didn't say anything.

  "You'll like the swing, Lizzie," said M u m . "Imagine having your own swing!"

  "It's my swing," said J a k e .

  "But you won't mind sharing it with Lizzie, will you?" said Sam.

  J a k e looked as if he minded a lot. I didn't w a n t to go on his silly old swing a n y w a y . But I didn't say anything.

  "I don't have to share my bedroom with Lizzie, do I?" J a k e asked suspiciously. "Because there's not room. Not with all my Beanie Babies and their special beds."

  They weren't real beds. J a k e had thirteen shoe boxes with paper tissues for bedcovers. M u m acted like she thought this was sweet. I thought it was stupid. But I didn't say anything.

  18

  "I've got all my football souvenirs and my rock collection and my worm garden in my bedroom," Rory said quickly. "I wouldn't mind sharing my bedroom with Lizzie but I have to warn her that the worms wriggle around a lot. They could just end up in her bed."

  I decided I'd mind that very much indeed. But I didn't say anything.

  I stood close to M u m . She knew I wanted to share her bedroom. But she had S a m now.

  "Lizzie can have her very own special bedroom," said Sam. " W e can 19

  turn my study into Lizzie's room. My computer can easily fit into our bedroom."

  "There! Aren't you lucky, Lizzie?"

  said M u m .

  I didn't feel at all lucky.

  "I wonder w h a t sort of bedroom you'd like, Lizzie? You can choose the colour for the walls and we'll get you curtains and a duvet to match," said Sam. " W h a t about . . . pink?"

  "Pink's a bit girly," said M u m .

  "How about red, Lizzie? Or purple?"

  I liked pink. But I didn't say

  anything.

  S a m painted the walls purple and M u m bought red-and-purple checked curtains and a matching duvet. S a m bought a real little red armchair and a purple fluffy rug.

  "There! Isn't it lovely? W h a t do you say, Lizzie?" said M u m .

  20

  I didn't say anything.

  "Why don't you ever say anything, Lizzie?" said Rory. "It's like you've got a zip across your mouth."

  "Lizzie Zipmouth," said J a k e , giggling. "Can't you talk at all?"

  "Don't call Lizzie silly names," said Sam. "Of course she can talk. She's just feeling a bit shy at the moment."

  He looked round my new bedroom.

  21

  " H o w can we make it a bit more homely for Lizzie? W h a t about your toys? Shall we spread them around a bit?"

  I didn't have that m a n y .

  They all fitted neatly in

  a drawer. I wished I still

  had Flying Barbie but

  she got left behind when

  we ran a w a y from that first stepdad. I hope she managed to fly out the window a w a y from him.

  I wished it was time to leave this second stepdad. He was being jolly and friendly but he'd change soon. I was still waiting for the shouting to start. I was sure he was just pretending to be kind.

  I wasn't so sure about Rory. M a y b e he really was kind. He stuck one of his Manchester United posters up on my bedroom wall.

  22

  "There! It's

  the right colour,"

  he said.

  Sam wanted

  J a k e to give me

  one of his

  Beanie Babies.

  J a k e didn't want

  to be kind.

  "They're mine,'

  he said. "I don't w a n t to give them to Lizzie Zipmouth."

  "Hey, stop the name-calling," said Sam. " W h a t about the little purple teddy? He'd like to live in Lizzie's room."

  "No, he wouldn't!" said J a k e . "He'd hate it!"

  I hated it in my room too. All that bright red and purple hurt my eyes. I opened up my new wardrobe and shut myself inside.

  23

  It was lonely in the wardrobe. I put my slippers on my hands and made them do a dance in the dark but I couldn't think of any other games I could play.

  After a while I heard Rory calling for me. And then M u m and S a m and even J a k e .

  "Lizzie?"

  "Lizzie, where are you?"

  "Lizzie Zipmouth?"

  They shouted and shouted and

  shouted and shouted.

  I still didn't say anything at all. I kept my mouth well and truly zipped.

  24

  Chapter Three

  I got into big trouble with M u m when she found me. She was very, very cross because she thought I'd run a w a y . She shouted at me.

  S a m didn't shout at me. I was surprised. But maybe he wanted me to run a w a y ?

  "You made your mum cry," said Rory.

  "You're ever so naughty, Lizzie Zipmouth," said Jake.

  M u m wanted me to say sorry to everyone for hiding in the wardrobe. I wouldn't say anything. So I got sent to bed without any tea.

  I decided I didn't care one bit. But then S a m knocked on the door and whispered my name. He came into my room. I hid under the duvet. I w a s 25

  sure he was going to shout now.

  But he didn't sag anything at all.

  Long after he'd gone I peeped out.

  He'd left a big chocolate bar beside my bed. Purple to match my

  bedroom.

  Rory and J a k e crept in when they came to bed at the normal
time. Rory gave me a biscuit. It was a bit crumbly from being in his pocket. I didn't say anything but I did smile at him. J a k e didn't bring me any food 26

  but he ran and fetched his purple Beanie Baby teddy.

  "You can have Mr

  Purple just for one

  night," he said. "Only you will give him back

  in the morning, won't

  you, Lizzie Zipmouth?"

  I didn't say anything but I nodded at him.

  I didn't touch the chocolate but I nibbled an edge of biscuit and cuddled Mr Purple. Then I snuggled down to go to sleep.

  Then guess what. M u m came in with a tray of tea for me. I didn't have to say sorry. In fact M u m said sorry to me! She gave me a big, big cuddle and she cried. She promised she'd never ever get cross a g a i n . But as I said, I don't always believe Mum's promises.

  27

  The next day was Sunday. M u m and I used to have lovely fun Sundays when we were just a family of two.

  W e ' d lie in bed late and play Bears-in-Caves under the bedcovers and once M u m let me take a j a r of honey to bed with us and she just laughed when the sheets got all sticky.

  M u m liked reading the newspapers all morning. I liked

  drawing on the

  papers, giving all the

  ladies in the photos

  moustaches and the

  men long dangly

  earrings. Then we'd have a picnic lunch in the park. We even had picnics 28

  when it w a s raining. We didn't care.

  We just said it was lovely weather for ducks and went, "Quack quack quack." Then we watched videos in the evening. M u m liked old black-and-white movies and I liked new brightly coloured cartoons.

  We had LOVELY Sundays.

  I didn't think I was going to like the new Sundays one bit. M u m and S a m had a lie-in. Rory and J a k e had pillow fights and played on their computer. I sat in the wardrobe. I wished I had Mr Purple to keep me company but he was back in his box in Jake's bedroom.

  29

  We all went out to the pub for

  Sunday lunch. I don't like proper meals like meat and vegetables and puddings. I cut mine into teeny-tiny pieces and didn't eat any of them.