Lawrence Finn and the Pen

1. Auflage 2025
ISBN: 978-1-991001-63-4
Verlag: Exisle Publishing
Format: EPUB
Kopierschutz: 0 - No protection

E-Book, Englisch, 256 Seiten

Reihe: The Pen Series

When Finn buys a magic pen at a market stall, it seems like all his problems are solved... but the good times don't last in this action-packed adventure featuring life on the run, basketball battles, family secrets and more moral conundrums than you could shake a pen at.

Eleven-year-old Finn lives with his four foster siblings and the TERRIBLE Mr and Mrs Grimshaw. Everything might look okay from the outside, but at home the Grimshaws lock Finn in the basement, and reign terror over his little brothers and sisters. Will the power of a magic pen help Finn save himself and his siblings from their nightmare foster parents, and find out the truth about his past?

Join Finn on an adventure beyond his wildest dreams, armed with a pen that makes everything he draws come true. From defeating a bully in a basketball match, to stealing the limelight and serenading the guests at his fancy hotel, Finn discovers he has the power to do anything! But soon, the consequences to his actions start to mount up.

Can Finn resist the temptation of an easy fix and save the day without the increasingly dangerous help of the pen? Find out in this fast-paced, engaging story about family, jealousy, morals, and the importance of being kind to others.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Lawrence, David

Weitere Mitwirkende

Reece, Pj

Dignam, Cherie

Leseproben

The sound of stomping feet coming down the stairs caused Finn to panic.

He quickly removed his earplugs and hit the stop button on the old mini CD player sitting on his pillow. The blistering guitar chords of his favourite band, Cleft Field, instantly disappeared, replaced by the sound of a key being inserted into a lock and a large bolt sliding back.

CLUNK!

Finn stuffed his tiny music machine under the lumpy mattress and sat on the edge of his bed, trying to look as innocent as possible.

The thick metal door burst open and Mrs Grimshaw entered with the facial expression of a deranged zombie. The short, wiry, fair-haired woman placed her hands on her hips and her right eye began twitching uncontrollably. She reminded Finn of a creature he’d once read about — the Colombian Golden Dart Frog. It was the most poisonous animal on the planet.

There was no power connected to the basement, so the only light in the room came from a nailed-up window just above ground level. The window was reinforced with six metal bars whose shadows lined Mrs Grimshaw’s spiteful face, making her look even more fearsome.

‘What have you done?’ she fumed.

Finn stared at her blankly with his bright green eyes.

‘Don’t even … get your backside up to the lounge room … NOW!’

The gangly, red-haired boy walked past his foster mother without making eye contact, and hastily climbed the steep stairs. He tripped on the final step before turning into a broad corridor lined with dozens of framed photos of Mr and Mrs Grimshaw standing next to politicians, celebrities and smiling children.

Finn’s eyes darted left to his favourite photo. It featured him and his foster brothers and sisters being home-schooled by Mrs Grimshaw. On the whiteboard in the photo she had written the word , ensuring her own lack of was forever displayed on the wall.

A few seconds later Finn entered a stylishly decorated lounge room near the front of the house. Next to the rarely used piano, he spotted the massive frame of Mr Grimshaw squeezing into an endangered antique armchair.

Whereas Mrs Grimshaw resembled an angry squirrel, her husband looked like an alarmed puffer fish. It was as if someone had attached an air pump to his backside and overinflated him.

The shiny silver buttons on Mr Grimshaw’s expensivelooking shirt strained to hold back the mass of blubber underneath. Finn adjusted his glasses and prayed their thick lenses would protect his eyes in case one of those silver buttons suddenly burst free.

‘Stand on the Circle of Truth!’ commanded Mr Grimshaw, pointing to a round piece of carpet on the floor in front of him.

As always, Finn fought off the urge to laugh as he approached Mr Grimshaw’s lie detector mat. He had told more fibs standing on that patch of carpet than any other place on Earth … not that he’d been to many other places on Earth.

‘And you know what happens if you’re dishonest when standing on the Circle of Truth?’ boomed Mr Grimshaw.

Finn nodded. ‘I get hit by a lightning bolt.’

‘Exactly! So—’

‘But Mr Grimshaw, wouldn’t the lightning bolt destroy the house and injure you and Mrs Grimshaw too?’ asked Finn innocently.

Mr Grimshaw shifted awkwardly in his chair, creating a loud creaking noise. It sounded to Finn like the chair was pleading for mercy.

‘Well, um, I suppose … Hey! asking the questions!’

The huge man’s eyes narrowed into spongy slits as he held up a piece of paper in his giant sausage-like fingers.

‘ arrived in the mail today,’ he roared.

Mrs Grimshaw folded her arms and her right eye started twitching again.

‘Wh-what is it?’ asked Finn.

‘It seems are in order — you won a story competition,’ replied Mr Grimshaw.

Finn smiled. It was a reflex response, but one he immediately regretted.

‘Wipe that grin off your face!’ screamed Mrs Grimshaw. ‘You’re in so much trouble for going behind our backs …’

A ringing sound interrupted Mrs Grimshaw’s lecture, and as she answered her mobile phone, an amazing transformation took place.

Her frown became a smile and her voice was suddenly soft and caring.

‘Hello, Theresa speaking … Yes, we were just reading the lovely letter with Finnian now … very proud … The mayor? Really? … I’m sure that will be fine … why thank you … you have a wonderful day too!’

As soon as Mrs Grimshaw ended the call her friendly tone vanished.

‘The mayor wants to give Finnian a prize for his stupid story at the market on Saturday,’ she explained.

‘Why didn’t you say no?’ demanded Mr Grimshaw. ‘This boy can’t be trusted. You know what he did last time we let him near a journalist …’

Finn nearly made the mistake of looking happy again. He thought back to the newspaper interview two years ago, just after the Grimshaws had received dozens of toys from a local charity. Mrs Grimshaw had given Finn strict instructions: ‘Sit on the couch, smile and DO NOT say a word while the grown-ups talk!’

But during the interview, the journalist had turned to Finn and asked, ‘Which toy are you looking forward to playing with?’

Finn had replied, ‘Oh, we never get to play with the toys — Mrs Grimshaw always sells them on eBay.’

Mrs Grimshaw had laughed this off in front of the reporter, but from then on Finn was made to sleep in the locked-up room in the basement, away from his younger brothers and sisters.

Finn’s thoughts were brought back to the present by Mrs Grimshaw’s piercing voice.

‘Don’t you see, Burt? It’s an opportunity to sell more of these!’ She picked up a book with her expensively manicured fingers, called .

‘Mmm, I suppose we could set up a table by the stage,’ said Mr Grimshaw.

‘And standing next to the mayor makes us look important!’

‘As long as Finn can keep his mouth shut.’

An evil grin broke out on Mrs Grimshaw’s face.

‘Don’t worry — I’ll make sure he doesn’t say a

Finn could feel his foster parents’ eyes boring into him, causing his face to blush and his glasses to fog up.

‘Tell us how you entered the competition, Finnian. And if you lie, you’ll be living on bread and water for a week,’ threatened Mr Grimshaw.

Finn took a deep breath.

‘I-I d-did write a story… but I didn’t enter it into any competition. It disappeared from my desk in the classroom a few weeks ago, so when you told me it won, I just assumed—’

‘Assumed what?’ demanded Mrs Grimshaw.

‘That one of you must have secretly entered it for me.’

Mr Grimshaw slowly turned his head and glared at his wife.

‘Did you?’ he growled.

‘No! Why would I?’

‘Maybe to make yourself look like an amazing homeschool teacher!’

‘How dare you?’

Mr Grimshaw glanced over at Finn and held up his hands.

‘Now, now Theresa, let’s discuss this ,’ he said. ‘Finnian, as the eldest you’re supposed to set a example for your brothers and sisters. I don’t know how your story won, but Mrs Grimshaw and I are disappointed in you.’

Finn did his best to avoid rolling his eyes. Disappointing the Grimshaws was like getting wet while taking a bath: unavoidable.

‘You may go,’ snarled Mrs Grimshaw.

Finn turned and left the lounge room, shutting the door gently behind him. He stopped to briefly listen as his foster parents resumed their argument.

‘Well, there’s no way Finn could have done it; he doesn’t have access to a computer,’ said Mr Grimshaw.

‘So you still think entered the story?’ snapped Mrs Grimshaw.

‘What am I supposed to think? I know it wasn’t !’

‘Well I know it wasn’t !’

Finn smiled, and as he began walking down the corridor a small head appeared from a room on the left. It was a sevenyear-old boy with a bowl-shaped haircut similar to his own.

‘Are you in trouble again Finny?’ whispered the boy.

‘No Gus, but you will be if Mrs Grimshaw catches you with your hair sticking up all over the place!’

Gus touched his head and raised his eyebrows.

‘Oh yeah, I forgot to brush.’

Finn walked over and gave Gus a high five. He peered into the tiny bedroom, where two sets of wooden bunks took up most of the space, and waved.

‘Hey you three!’ Finn said to Li, Macie and Malosi, his three other foster siblings.

‘Hey Finny!’ they chorused back.

Like him, they were all dressed in khaki tops and shorts. They all had bowl-shaped haircuts too. To save paying for a hairdresser, Mr Grimshaw would take a cereal bowl from the kitchen, place it on the children’s heads, and cut their hair around it. Sometimes with the cereal still in it!

‘Can you tell us a story, Finny?’ begged Gus.

‘Yeah!’ shrieked the other kids.

Finn looked back down the corridor.

‘Maybe a quick one,’ he said.

He sat down on the nearest bunk bed and the four younger children swarmed around him like friendly bees. As soon as he started to speak, they fell silent.

‘This story’s called ‘Scrappy the Monkey’…’

After dinner that evening, Mrs Grimshaw walked Finn down to the basement, and shoved him inside. She narrowed her eyes then leapt onto the bed and vigorously attempted to open the window. It...