Horrid Henry Tricks the Tooth Fairy

When Perfect Peter's tooth falls out, Henry gets a great idea. He will steal the toth and put it under his own pillow so that the Tooth Fairy gives him the reward instead of Peter. Will the Tooth Fairy fall for it? Plus three other stories so funny they are sure to make your teeth fall out. (Okay, not really…)

TRICKS THE TOOTH FAIRY

HORRID HENRY

TRICKS THE TOOTH FAIRY

Francesca Simon

Illustrated by Tony Ross

Cover and internal design c 2009 by Sourcebooks, Inc.

Cover and internal illustrations c Tony Ross

Sourcebooks and the colophon are registered trademarks of Sourcebooks, Inc.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems—except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews—without permission in writing from its publisher, Sourcebooks, Inc.

The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious or are used fictitiously. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.

Published by Sourcebooks Jabberwocky, an imprint of Sourcebooks, Inc.

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Originally published in Great Britain in 1997 by Orion Children’s Books.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Simon, Francesca.

Horrid Henry tricks the tooth fairy / Francesca Simon ; illustrated by Tony Ross.

????p. cm.

[1. Behavior—Fiction.] I. Ross, Tony, ill. II. Title.

PZ7.S604Hrf 2009

[Fic]—dc22

2008047822

Printed and bound in the United States of America.

VP 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

For Victor and Susan Bers,

and all our good times

CONTENTS

1 Horrid Henry Tricks the Tooth Fairy

2 Horrid Henry’s Wedding

3 Moody Margaret Moves In

4 Horrid Henry’s New Teacher

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HORRID HENRY TRICKS THE TOOTH FAIRY

“It’s not fair!” shrieked Horrid Henry. He trampled on Dad’s new flower bed, squashing the pansies.“It’s just not fair!”

Moody Margaret had lost two teeth. Sour Susan had lost three. Clever Clare lost two in one day. Rude Ralph had lost four, two top and two bottom, and could spit to the blackboard from his desk. Greedy Graham’s teeth were pouring out. Even Weepy William had lost one—and that was ages ago.

Every day someone swaggered into school showing off a big black toothy gap and waving fifty cents or even a dollar that the Tooth Fairy had brought. Everyone, that is, but Henry.

“It’s not fair!” shouted Henry again. He yanked on his teeth. He pulled, he pushed, he tweaked, and he tugged.

They would not budge.

His teeth were superglued to his gums. “Why me?” moaned Henry, stomping on the petunias.“Why am I the only one who hasn’t lost a tooth?”

Horrid Henry sat in his fort and scowled. He was sick and tired of other kids flaunting their ugly wobbly teeth and disgusting holes in their gums.The next person who so much as mentioned the word “tooth” had better watch out.

“HENRY!” shouted a squeaky little voice.“Where are you?”

Horrid Henry hid behind the branches. “I know you’re in the fort, Henry,” said Perfect Peter.

“Go away!” said Henry.

“Look, Henry,” said Peter.“I’ve got something wonderful to show you.”

Henry scowled.“What?”

“You have to see it,” said Peter.

Peter never had anything good to show. His idea of something wonderful was a new stamp, or a book about plants, or a gold star from his teacher saying how perfect he’d been. Still…

Henry crawled out.

“This better be good,” he said.

“Or you’re in big trouble.”

Peter held out his fist and opened it.

There was something small and white in Peter’s hand. It looked like…no, it couldn’t be.

Henry stared at Peter. Peter smiled as wide as he could. Henry’s jaw dropped. This was impossible. His eyes must be playing tricks on him.

Henry blinked.Then he blinked again.

His eyes were not playing tricks. Perfect Peter, his younger brother, had a black gap at the bottom of his mouth where a tooth had been.

Henry grabbed Peter.“You colored in your tooth with black crayon, you faker.”

“Have not!” shrieked Peter.“It fell out. See.”

Peter proudly poked his finger through the hole in his mouth.

It was true. Perfect Peter had lost a tooth. Henry felt as if a fist had slammed into his stomach.

“Told you,” said Peter. He smiled again at Henry.

Henry could not bear to look at Peter’s gappy teeth a second longer.This was the worst thing that had ever happened to him.

“I hate you!” shrieked Henry. He was a volcano pouring hot molten lava onto the puny human foolish enough to get in his way.

“AAAAGGGGHHHH!” screeched Peter, dropping the tooth.

Henry grabbed it.

“OWWWW!” yelped Peter.“Give me back my tooth!”

“Stop being horrid, Henry!” shouted Mom.

Henry dangled the tooth in front of Peter.

“Nah nah ne nah nah,” jeered Henry.

Peter burst into tears.

“Give me back my tooth!” screamed Peter.

Mom ran into the garden.

“Give Peter his tooth this minute,” said Mom.

“No,” said Henry.

Mom looked fierce. She held out her hand.“Give it to me right now.”

Henry dropped the tooth on the ground.

“There,” said Horrid Henry.

“That’s it, Henry,” said Mom.“No pudding tonight.”

Henry was too miserable to care.

Peter scooped up his tooth.“Look, Mom,” said Peter.

“My big boy!” said Mom, giving him a hug.“How wonderful.”

“I’m going to use my money from the Tooth Fairy to buy some stamps for my collection,” said Peter.

“What a good idea,” said Mom.

Henry stuck out his tongue.

“Henry’s sticking out his tongue at me,” said Peter.

“Stop it, Henry,” said Mom.“Peter, keep that tooth safe for the Tooth Fairy.”

“I will,” said Peter. He closed his fist tightly around the tooth.

Henry sat in his fort. If a tooth wouldn’t fall out, he would have to help it. But what to do? He could take a hammer and smash one out. Or he could tie string around a tooth, tie the string around a door handle, and slam the door. Eek! Henry grabbed his jaw.

On second thought, perhaps not. Maybe there was a less painful way of losing a tooth.What was it the dentist always said? Eat too many sweets and your teeth will fall out?

Horrid Henry sneaked into the kitchen. He looked to the right. He looked to the left. No one was there. From the living room came the screechy scratchy sound of Peter practicing his cello.

Henry dashed to the cupboard where Mom kept the candy jar. Candy day was Saturday, and today was Thursday. Two whole days before he got into trouble.

Henry stuffed as many sticky candies into his mouth as fast as he could.

Chomp Chomp Chomp Chomp.

Chomp Chew Chomp Chew.

Chompa Chew Chompa Chew.

Chompa…Chompa…

Chompa…

Chompa…

Chew.

Henry’s jaw started to slow down. He put the last sticky toffee in his mouth and forced his teeth to move up and down.

Henry started to feel sick. His teeth felt even sicker. He wiggled them hopefully. After all that sugar one was sure to fall out. He could see all the comics he would buy with his dollar already.

Henry wiggled his teeth again.And again.

Nothing moved.

Rats, thought Henry. His mouth hurt. His gums hurt. His tummy hurt.What did a boy have to do to get a tooth?

Then Henry had a wonderful, spectacular idea. It was so wonderful that he hugged himself.Why should Peter get a dollar from the Tooth Fairy? Henry would get that dollar, not him.And how? Simple. He would trick the Tooth Fairy.

The house was quiet. Henry tiptoed into Peter’s room.There was Peter, sound asleep, a big smile on his face. Henry sneaked his hand under Peter’s pillow and stole the tooth.

Tee hee, thought Henry. He tiptoed out of Peter’s room and bumped into Mom.

“AAAAGGGHH!” shrieked Henry.

“AAAAGGGHH!” shrieked Mom.

“You scared me,” said Henry.

“What are you doing?” said Mom.

“Nothing,” said Henry.“I thought I heard a noise in Peter’s room and went to check.”

Mom looked at Henry. Henry tried to look sweet.

“Go back to bed, Henry,” said Mom.

Henry scampered to his room and put the tooth under his pillow. Phew.That was a close call. Henry smiled.Wouldn’t that crybaby Peter be furious the next morning when he found no tooth and no money?

Henry woke up and felt under his pillow. The tooth was gone. Hurray, thought Henry. Now for the money.

Henry searched under the pillow.

Henry searched on top of the pillow. He searched under the covers, under Teddy, under the bed, everywhere.There was no money.