CHAPTER 1 BIRTHDAY BOY

Sam Green Was really , really, really , really , really, really , really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really Looking Forward to his Eleventh birthday.

I mean Really. He couldn't wait. In the days leading up to it - his birthday was on the eighth of September- he simply wouldn't talk about anything Else.

" Have You sorted you school bag ? " his mother Vicky , would say in the morning .

"I'm thinking an Adventure Time cake this year , Mum" Sam would reply . "with Finn , Jake and ice King figures. What do you think? "

"I think you should get your school bag sorted ," she'd answer.

"Do You want to play football?" his friends would say to him at break time.

" What about a magic party ?" he would reply . "You All come , having learnt a different magic trick , right and then we each perform it in turn - me last , of course - and then ... Where are you going ?

"To Play football," they'd answer. "Break's nearly over. "

"What would you like for dinner ? " his dad , Charlie , would say to him and his younger sister, Ruby , in the evening .

Ruby would open her mouth and say :

"Actually" - she said "actually" a lot - "I fancy shep -" but before she got any further Ssm would be saying:

"I'd like a telescope. And A skateboard. And new trainers . And a guniea pig . And a tool kit . And an Ipod . And some of David Williams's books. "

"-herds pie , " Ruby would say .

"For dinner , I said Sam ," his dad would say . "Not For your Birthday. "

Obviously, Sam wouldnt always say these things (and so , obviously, the people he was speaking to wouldnt always say those things back ). No . sometimes it sould be a different type of cake , a different style of party and a different list of presents (although always including a telescope: Ssm was a big fan of star trek , and sci-fi generally and wanted to see as much of the solar systems he could from the window of is room in order to watch out for visiting aliens). Which did mean that he ended up with a very long prest list , and a very long selection of party themes idea . which , in turn, presented a bit of a problem for his mum and dad, both in terms of choice and in terms of money, because they didn't have alot of that.

But the thing that never changed was Sam's excitement about the day .

And then, Finally , it came.