Funny Kid Slapstick Chapter Sampler

me the thumbs-up. Except for Abby. Her thumbs are down and she’s sticking out her tongue. That’s motivation enough for me! I put two hands on the stick because that seems to be the most sensible way to hold this thing. I bend over at the waist like I saw those Rhino guys do it.

‘Ooh, Max says, “Easy!”’ Mayor Lopez says into the microphone. He turns to the crowd. ‘What do we think, Redhill? Can Max shoot the puck into the goal from right here?’ I grin confidently at the crowd. These guys have my back, I can tell. ‘Noooo!’ they all yell at once. Oh. Right. Well, you can all go and suck an iceberg, can’t you? ‘There’s your challenge, Max.’ Mayor Lopez winks. ‘Show us what you’ve got. Could you be a future ice-hockey champion?’ I look down at the puck and then all the way along the ice to the open goal. It is a long way away, but there’s nothing to stop it. Ice is pretty slippery, as I’ve already proven. Surely if I just hit it hard and straight, it will slide all the way there? ‘Max! Max! Max!’ the crowd starts chanting again. I look over at my friends. They’re all giving

I look down the ice towards the goal. I play a dramatic sports movie soundtrack in

my head.

I raise the hockey stick up behind me. I give myself a pep talk: ‘Don’t slip over!’

34

35