the Snow-Smashers! Read online

  Ian Whybrow is a bestselling author of over a hundred books who is proud to have been listed as one of the top ten most-read writers in UK libraries. Among his most popular characters are the hugely successful Harry and the Bucketful of Dinosaurs, the barking mad Sniff and the much-loved Little Wolf. Ian lives in London and Herefordshire.

  www.harryandthedinosaurs.co.uk

  Look out for more adventures with Harry and the Dinosaurs:

  ROAR TO THE RESCUE!

  Ian Whybrow

  Illustrated by Pedro Penizzotto

  PUFFIN

  PUFFIN BOOKS

  Published by the Penguin Group

  Penguin Books Ltd, 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England

  Penguin Group (USA) Inc., 375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014, USA

  Penguin Group (Canada), 90 Eglinton Avenue East, Suite 700, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M4P 2Y3

  (a division of Pearson Penguin Canada Inc.)

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  (a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty Ltd)

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  (a division of Pearson New Zealand Ltd)

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  Penguin Books Ltd, Registered Offices: 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England

  puffinbooks.com

  First published 2011

  Text copyright © Ian Whybrow, 2011

  Cover illustration copyright © Adrian Reynolds, 2011

  Text illustrations copyright © Pedro Penizzotto, 2011

  Character concept copyright © Ian Whybrow and Adrian Reynolds, 2011

  All rights reserved

  The moral right of the author and illustrators has been asserted

  Except in the United States of America, this book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, re-sold, hired out, or otherwise circulated without the publisher’s prior consent in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser

  ISBN: 978-0-14-196255-9

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  For the Campbell children:

  Anna, Thomas, Laura and Sophie

  Chapter 1

  Harry had no idea that he was in danger.

  His boots were too busy making prints on the crisp blank page of the bright white snow-filled garden.

  He loved the way the snow crunched when his boots sank deep. He loved the creak it made when he stepped forward. They said on TV it was the best snowfall for a hundred years. And look at it now! At least another ten centimetres had fallen overnight – with more to come.

  Harry hadn’t been to school for three days. Neither had the rest of his friends in the GOGOs (the Grand Order of the Great Oak), Jack, Charlie and Siri.

  Could it get any better? He turned to admire his footwork.

  WHUMP!

  Out of the blue, two snowballs hit him. One knocked his woolly hat off. The other exploded right on his neck.

  ‘Yikes!’ Harry shrieked.

  ‘Shot, Boris!’ yelled Sam as they ran off, cackling with laughter.

  Harry turned to see the grinning faces of his sister and her smug new boyfriend, Boris. What a sneaky trick! he thought. And how annoying that they had made him squeal like a piglet!

  ‘I never miss!’ boasted Boris as he and Sam ducked into the house.

  Now there was no way Harry could get them back. He stared at them as they made faces at him through the kitchen door. ‘You wait!’ he yelled.

  ‘Ha-ha!’ they replied, acting as if they were as young as Harry.

  I need back-up! Harry thought to himself.

  Thankfully he knew just where he could call on some. He ripped off one of his gloves and thrust his hand into the pocket of his jeans. He found the little collection of shiny cards that had appeared on his key-ring one day … Help was at hand!

  Chapter 2

  Not long ago Harry had stood up to a school bully, Rocco Wiley. Rocco and his friends had been teasing Harry about how he used to play with a bucketful of dinosaurs when he was younger. Rocco had set fire to a small toy spinosaurus.

  Much to Rocco’s shock and surprise, Harry had defended it fiercely and rescued it from the flames. He couldn’t help it. Even though he was much too old and cool now to play pretend games, it had reminded him of the years of pleasure his dinosaur friends used to bring him.

  But that night a huge living spinosaurus had turned up in his bedroom. A twelve-metre-long reptile with the smell of meat on its breath and a snout like some weird crocodile. In a voice like air escaping from a burst tyre the spinosaurus had told Harry he was a B.U.D. – a Back-Up Dinosaur. He explained that the dinosaurs that had meant so much to Harry as a little kid had never really gone away. Harry thought he had grown out of them, but the dinosaurs knew that deep down he still believed in them. They were just waiting for him to give them a sign.

  They got their sign when Harry took the burnt and wounded spinosaurus from the playground, wiped it clean and hid it in an empty box of plasters at home. That simple act of kindness meant that dinosaurs still mattered to him. They wanted somehow to return his loyalty.

  They understood that now Harry was older he couldn’t very well carry a bucket around with him, so the spinosaurus had told him that if he was in need of help, he should check in his pocket for his key-ring. There he would find a collection of small, flat ‘plasticated’ Back-Up Dinosaurs, waiting to be brought to life. To activate a B.U.D. all he had to do was rub it with his finger or thumb, nose-to-tail, and the right dinosaur would appear for the job. They would turn up full-size, though Harry could make them smaller if he needed to. And they would always be invisible unless he instructed them to show themselves.

  That same night, before he’d gone to sleep, he’d checked and the B.U.D. key-ring was right there in his pocket, just as Spinosaurus had promised.

  Now, in the snow-filled garden, Harry’s fingers and thumb spread the cards. Eagerly he began to feel each one for signs of activation. A B.U.D. that was warm to the touch was ready to help.

  But there was no heat at all. The cards were just cold pieces of plastic.

  Harry sighed, but then quickly cheered up. ‘What am I worrying about? Getting hit by a couple of snowballs isn’t serious. I don’t need dinosaurs to help me with that. But I know who can – Jack, Charlie and Siri! The GOGOs will give me all the back-up I need!’

  Chapter 3

  It was great in the woods. At first the GOGOs did nothing except just stand together under the Great Oak and quietly marvel. Everything felt new and special. They watched for a long time as the trees filled up with feathers of snow. Then they felt a sudden need to run about. But after a while that got them worried in case their tracks led strangers to their secret meeting place. Luckily Siri had one of his brainwaves.

  ‘Order! Order!’ he said with a grin. ‘I see that we are wearing almost the same kind of boots.’

  ‘Only yours are bigger than my dad’s!’ laughed Charlie, tucking h
er wild black curls under the ear-flaps of her fake-fur Russian hat.

  ‘I shall rise above rude remarks,’ said Siri. ‘Here is what we do: we go well away from the Great Oak and trample the snow around lots of trees. That way even Sherlock Holmes would have trouble guessing which tree is our hideout.’

  ‘Good one!’ everybody yelled.

  The four GOGOs dashed off in every direction, having the time of their lives in the enchanted woods, making tracks and snow-angels among the unspoilt drifts.

  Five minutes later, Harry was giving Siri a leg-up on the rope ladder and Jack and Charlie were hoisting him from above. Very soon the gang was snug and warm in the secret chamber deep in the trunk of the ancient oak tree. For many years kids had squeezed together here and smoothed the wooden walls with their bodies. Now the GOGOs sat, knees tucked up to their chests, facing one another over the glow from a bicycle lamp.

  ‘I wish this snow would last forever,’ said Jack, breaking the silence. He didn’t talk much, but now he was speaking for them all. ‘No school! Wicked!’

  ‘It’s all right for you,’ grumbled Siri. ‘My parents keep giving me loads of extra maths and English.’

  ‘Never mind, we’re here now,’ said Harry. ‘Let’s enjoy it while we can. And I’ve got an idea. My sneaky sister and her annoying boyfriend, Boris, attacked me this morning. How about you all help me get them back in a snowball fight?’

  Everybody started shouting at once, but Charlie managed to make herself heard. ‘I’ve got a better idea,’ she said, pulling Siri’s woolly hat down over his eyes to quieten him, and getting Jack in a playful headlock. ‘We enter the village snow-sculpture competition.’

  ‘But we’ve already made snowmen, dozens of them,’ complained Siri.

  ‘Oh, come on,’ said Harry. ‘It’s a great idea. We might never get this much snow again! And when have we ever had snow that lasts? I remember once I could only scrape together enough to make a teeny little snowman on a plate.’

  ‘Exactly my point,’ said Charlie. ‘And anyway, the competition’s not about snowmen. It’s about sculptures.’

  ‘Where’s it happening?’ asked Jack.

  ‘On the green by the village hall,’ said Charlie. ‘The first prize is a four-man racing toboggan!’

  Siri and Harry looked at each other excitedly. ‘Then what are we waiting for?’ they yelled.

  ‘Yeah, but Charlie,’ teased Jack, ‘if it’s a four-man toboggan, where are you going to sit?’

  Before she could give him what for, Jack shot up through the sacking door above them like a squirrel. He clambered down the Greak Oak and scampered away into the woods, the rest of the GOGOs soon chasing after him.

  Chapter 4

  When the GOGOs arrived at the village green, they could see that they didn’t have much of a chance of winning first prize. There were loads of sculptures already, but one was really outstanding – a pirate ship! It was the work of Tom Powell, the local handyman and carpenter. As well as the ship, there was a castle and a tractor that were really good. But the prize of the toboggan was too good to miss, so they wanted to give it their best shot.

  After collecting entry forms and being given a space to build their sculptures, the GOGOs got to work. Everyone agreed that Charlie was the most artistic of the group. She got started straight away on a polar bear. Siri and Jack decided to work together on an igloo. Harry helped them at first, but they all kept getting in each other’s way and knocking bits of wall over. So he left his friends to it. He thought he would have a go at an alligator instead.

  Without a photograph to guide him, Harry struggled to get the shape right. He worked patiently for fifteen minutes. Charlie took a break from her work and came over to see what he was doing. ‘It certainly is big,’ she said. ‘What is it, a triceratops?’

  ‘No, it’s not!’ snapped Harry. But when he stood back, he could see what she meant. It wasn’t much good, but it certainly looked more like a triceratops than an alligator. It had the three horns and the bony shield behind its neck. How did that happen? Annoyed with himself, he trod all over his work and spoilt it.

  ‘Well, what was it meant to be?’ asked Charlie.

  ‘Wait till I’ve finished and you’ll see,’ said Harry and started again.

  Charlie went back to her polar bear as Harry had another go. This time, he stretched out the shape more, trying to get the tail and the jaws right.

  After a while it was Siri and Jack’s turn to come over and inspect his work.

  ‘Ace!’ said Siri. ‘I might have guessed you’d do one of those!’

  ‘Yeah. That is some apatosaurus!’ said Jack, impressed.

  ‘What are you talking about?’ snapped Harry again. But they were right. This was no alligator. The long neck and whip-like tail of the creature definitely made it an apatosaurus. It was as if the snow had a mind of its own! Something very strange was going on.

  But Harry had no time to think about it. Charlie had nearly finished her polar bear and Jack and Siri needed help making snow-blocks for their igloo. They were at the tricky stage where the middle of the domed roof needed to be filled in. How could they make it stay up?

  ‘Jack and I will stand in the middle,’ said Siri bossily. ‘Harry will pass Jack blocks as rapidly as possible. Jack will put them in place and I will hold everything up.’

  It’s never going to work, Harry thought. Still, he couldn’t come up with a better way, so he started to lift the first snow-block ready to pass it over to Jack.

  Suddenly there was a mighty roar, so loud it made Harry jump and drop the block on Jack’s boots.

  Everyone ducked and covered their heads to protect themselves.

  Chapter 5

  Almost immediately they relaxed. The GOGOs had all heard that sound plenty of times before in the village, especially Harry. Phew! It was only Wedge, Sam’s ex-boyfriend, driving by in his shiny black 4x4 half-truck. They turned to admire the truck, its great wheels churning up packed snow as it skidded to a halt. Wow!

  Wedge opened the door and leapt to the ground. In spite of the cold, he wasn’t wearing a coat – just his checked shirt with the sleeves rolled up and a pair of ragged jeans. Everything about the eighteen-year-old was big – his grin, his scruffy hair, his strong arms, his hands, even his country accent.

  ‘I see you’re going for the toboggan, then!’ he said to Harry, admiringly. ‘Did you do that polar bear an’ all?’

  ‘Charlie did,’ said Harry.

  ‘Cool,’ Wedge said with a grin. ‘One of these has got to be the winner! Unless … Cor, this old igloo is gonna be a cracker, too, once you’ve got the roof on!’

  Good old Wedge, thought Harry. He always says the right thing. Sam must be mad to be going out with that snob Boris instead. Just because Boris is rich and drives a sports car!

  ‘Hey, maybe this’ll help.’ Wedge fetched a large plastic container with a spray attachment from the cab of his truck. ‘This is what you need to keep the roof nice and solid,’ he told the GOGOs. ‘It’ll be a bit like welding, only using quick-freezin’ water instead …’

  Talk of welding made Harry remember a disaster from when he was younger. Mum hadn’t noticed his scooter lying behind her car in the driveway and had reversed over it. Harry was heartbroken, but Wedge had told him not to worry, and took the wrecked scooter off to his workshop. By the end of the afternoon, he had straightened it out and welded the handlebars back on, good as new!

  Wedge gave Jack and Siri a quick demonstration of ice-welding, but couldn’t stay. ‘I need to get back home to help Dad rescue some sheep stuck up on the hill. Talking of which … Did you hear about the road up to Huntingdon getting blocked? The whole village is trapped!’

  ‘How many people live up there?’ called Charlie, pausing from her work on the polar bear’s paws.

  ‘Well, there’s a dozen houses at least,’ sighed Wedge. ‘And there’s quite a lot of old folks up there an’ all. Let’s hope they’ve got plenty of fuel and food until the e
mergency services can get to them, eh?’

  ‘Maybe they can work together and dig themselves out,’ said Siri.

  ‘Nah, mate!’ said Wedge, shaking his head. ‘It’s at least a mile up the lane to Huntingdon from the bottom road, and it’s sunk right deep in places. Diggin’ out would take weeks. Anyway, I’d better be off!’

  By the time the sound of the truck’s big engine faded away, two of the igloo’s roof-blocks were firmly in place. ‘Nearly ready for moving into!’ chuckled Siri.

  Not long after that, Jack was crawling out of the entrance giving a thumbs-up. ‘It’s wicked in here!’ he smiled. ‘Really snug. No wonder Inuits like igloos!’

  The GOGOs completed their entry forms and dropped them off with Mrs Jenkins inside the hall. Then they set off at a run to find other ways to enjoy the snow, just in case it did all disappear!

  Chapter 6

  Harry was woken very early next morning by the sound of cows bellowing. He flicked on his light, knelt on his bed and opened the curtains. Long icicles hung like sparkling spears from the gutter just above his window.

  Glancing down towards the lane, he saw Mr Oakley and his friend Mr Standing driving cattle up towards Mr Oakley’s farm. Harry threw open the window, shouting, ‘Mr Oakley! Do you need a hand?’

  Mr Oakley looked up and waved to Harry in the window. ‘You’re all right, Harry! We’re just shifting this lot up to the barn,’ he called.