Trouble At School

Chris Higgins's Trouble At School is a giggly first-day story for 5 year olds about a very good girl with a very naughty best friend.

What happens

Bella has been looking forward to her new school for weeks. Her bag is packed the night before. Her uniform is spotless. First impressions count, Mum says.

Then her best friend Magda from next door squeezes into the car with her breakfast. The yoghurt goes all over Bella. The toast ends up stuck to her skirt, marmalade side down.

And it only gets worse! Bella takes her little brother Sid to his classroom and is far too polite to tell the teacher she's in the wrong room. So she spends the whole morning sitting with Year One.

Her real teacher is Mr Smart, who used to be in the army and has a LOT of rules. Be punctual. Wear your uniform with pride. Be prepared. Poor Bella breaks the first two before she's even sat down!

Magda is the star of the show. She's brave and bossy and full of plans, and she doesn't always tell the truth. She tries to jump the lunch queue by saying Bella is gluten free (Bella doesn't know what that means). She makes up a spell to turn the two class tell-tales into slugs. You'll probably spot what she's up to long before Bella does.

It's lovely for anyone about to start somewhere new. Bella worries about everything, and everything goes wrong, and she keeps on going anyway. There's even a head teacher with a packet of Hobnobs.

The chapters are short with big funny headings, so it works well as a read-aloud or for a new reader who wants a proper chapter book. There's a supply teacher day with paint, cows and some very sneaky swapping. There's also the odd bit of cheek, like Magda calling another girl a silly old cow and Bella's parents saying words they'd tell her off for.

Could your reader be a Bella or a Magda? It's fun to ask them!

What to read next

If they want the very beginning, Trouble Next Door is where Bella moves into her creaky old cottage and first meets the girl next door.