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    The Treasure in the Tower
    The Treasure in the Tower
    The Treasure in the Tower
    Ebook115 pages1 hour

    The Treasure in the Tower

    By Rob Keeley

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    About this ebook

    Rob Keeley is back with The Treasure in the Tower, his first standalone novel for middle graders following the success of his Spirits series. It’s a fun, historical mystery based around a school residential trip, blending a treasure-hunting plot with a school story and a large amount of humour. 
    A school trip to historic Deanchester becomes more exciting when Jess and her friends discover the city hides a secret treasure. Local historian Dr Joseph Pyrite left a series of clues scattered around Deanchester’s landmarks, which Jess, Mason and Kessie are determined to solve. But they only have three days. And they have competition. A series of increasingly cunning tricks awaits Jess and her party as they try to beat Perdita and Thomas to the treasure. 
    “Here we have a novel with a rapid pace, a dollop of humour and a time slip... Good fun, many twists and turns, and with excellent period and political detail.”Georgina Hawtrey-Woore Award judges on High Spirits.   “A pacy adventure, a central character put into extraordinary circumstances, time paradoxes to unravel, and evil villains who lose battles but persist with the war. Rob Keeley is continuing with his winning formula and middle grade readers will eat it up.” Jill Murphy, The Bookbag on High Spirits.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherTroubador Publishing Ltd
    Release dateJan 28, 2021
    ISBN9781800467828
    The Treasure in the Tower
    Author

    Rob Keeley

    Rob Keeley is an award-winning author of children’s novels, short stories and picture books, including the Spirits series. Other credits include the award-listed stage play Mr. Everyone, and Chain Gang and Newsjack for BBC Radio. He holds author workshops in schools and libraries, and teaches Creative Writing to children and adults.

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      Book preview

      The Treasure in the Tower - Rob Keeley

      By the same author

      The Alien in the Garage and Other Stories

      The (Fairly) Magic Show and Other Stories

      The Dinner Club and Other Stories

      Childish Spirits

      The Spirit of London

      The Sword of the Spirit

      High Spirits

      The Coming of the Spirits

      For younger readers: My Favourite People

      Copyright © 2021 Rob Keeley

      The moral right of the author has been asserted.

      Apart from any fair dealing for the purposes of research or private study, or criticism or review, as permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, this publication may only be reproduced, stored or transmitted, in any form or by any means, with the prior permission in writing of the publishers, or in the case of reprographic reproduction in accordance with the terms of licences issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency. Enquiries concerning reproduction outside those terms should be sent to the publishers.

      This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

      Matador

      9 Priory Business Park,

      Wistow Road, Kibworth Beauchamp,

      Leicestershire. LE8 0RX

      Tel: 0116 279 2299

      Email: books@troubador.co.uk

      Web: www.troubador.co.uk/matador

      Twitter: @matadorbooks

      ISBN 9781800467828

      British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data.

      A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

      Matador is an imprint of Troubador Publishing Ltd

      Local knowledge is your power

      Find a place without a tower

      Or search for stories at your leisure

      Use your wits

      And find the treasure

      Dr Joseph Pyrite, The Lost Treasure of Deanchester

      Contents

      One

      Two

      Three

      Four

      Five

      Six

      Seven

      Eight

      Nine

      Ten

      One

      Two young people walked along the road to school, with rucksacks on their backs.

      I packed my bag and I packed… two spare tops.

      I packed my bag and I packed… two spare tops and my toothbrush.

      I packed my bag and I packed… two spare tops, my toothbrush… and my phone.

      I packed my bag and I packed… two spare tops, my toothbrush, my phone… and lunch.

      Mason! Mum packed that.

      Still counts. Your go.

      Yeah, all right. I packed my bag and I packed… two spare tops, my toothbrush, my phone, lunch and… and…

      Got to think of something, Jess. Or you’ll be out.

      OK, OK. And… a compendium of games.

      You never!

      I did. The little one Auntie Paula gave us. Thought it might rain.

      I don’t want to be stuck in some hostel playing draughts. I thought this was meant to be a holiday?

      Are we playing, or what?

      OK. Right. I packed my bag and I packed… two spare tops, my toothbrush, my phone, lunch, and a compendium of games, and a 90-inch smart TV with rewind facility and…

      Well, now you’re just being stupid.

      How do you know what I’ve got in my bag?

      Evil twin.

      Mason gave his sister a look. Then he laughed.

      They walked up to the school gate. It was nine forty-five on a bright and sunny May morning, the perfect day to start a holiday. It seemed strange to Jess to see the schoolyard empty, and almost no cars in the car park, and the blinds shut over the classroom windows.

      Outside the gate was Thomas. He was sitting on his rucksack, which was nearly as big as he was. He had an anorak on, and the sunlight was shining on his big pudding-bowl haircut. He was looking homesick already. And they hadn’t even left.

      Mason reached him first. You’re early.

      My mother wanted to beat the traffic, said Thomas. He looked over to the thirty-seater coach parked nearby. And I wanted to get a good seat. I get sick if I sit at the back.

      Jess made a note of this, and decided to sit near the front.

      Mason plucked at the collar of Thomas’s anorak, and found a shirt, tie and jumper.

      Hey, you’ve got uniform on. It’s a holiday, mate! You can wear your own clothes.

      Thomas looked at Jess and Mason’s tracksuits.

      But someone told me…

      Jess gave him a look of sympathy. Poor Thomas. He was far too easy to tease. She wondered which rotten person in their class had told him to wear his school clothes.

      No worries. You might need the jumper. It could get cold. She looked at his rucksack. Wow. You’re ready for anything, aren’t you?

      It’s mainly the inflatable bed that’s taking up space.

      Mason frowned. We’re staying in a hostel, there’s gonna be beds.

      I can’t sleep in a strange bed.

      Mason made no reply to this. He gave Thomas a look that said: That’s weird.

      A large group of kids and adults was coming down the path and into the street. At the head of it was Miss Tillotson. She was wearing a dark green waterproof coat, and her hair was pinned up. She had the look of someone who had already changed her mind about coming on this holiday. The excited group around her only made her look more nervous.

      "Everyone was waiting in the hall, Thomas. We wondered where you were. She looked at Jess and Mason. And you’ve missed registration, too… where’s Mr Andrade?"

      She disappeared back into the crowd. Jess smiled as her friend Kessie came over to them. Kessie was wearing dungarees and had her hair in bunches.

      Miss Tillotson’s going to need a holiday to get over this holiday. Annabel’s just had a nose bleed, and Erica’s forgotten her inhaler, and Josh’s Mum didn’t do his consent form properly so they’re trying to ring her…

      Are you lot ready to get on the coach? Mr Andrade had turned up, though without Miss Tillotson. Six foot three and shaven-headed, he towered over his students, and gleamed like a beacon in the bright sun. Now remember, sit near me. I’ll want you to help when it comes to the sing-song.

      Jess groaned inside. It didn’t take much to make Mr Andrade sing. He had no shame. He even did selections from the musicals in their Maths group.

      Now then. Mr Andrade pointed a massive forefinger towards the crowd. Let’s count up. One-two-three-four-five-six-seven-eight-twenty-four… one still missing. Oh, yes. What’s happened to the Queen?

      Mason pointed. He knew who Mr Andrade meant.

      Here she is.

      A huge 4x4 had drawn up behind the coach. Out of the back seat came a girl in jodhpurs, a bright pink top and a fur-trimmed gilet. Her hair was very silky and gushed out from beneath a spotlessly clean white baseball cap. Her mother, also well-dressed, was lifting an incredible amount of luggage onto the pavement, while the girl stood and watched her. Jess saw a massive suitcase, a huge holdall, a make-up bag…

      Mason’s eyes bulged.

      Trust Perdita. They’re never gonna let her bring all that on the coach!

      Jess smiled.

      Oh yes, they are. Her Mum’s a governor.

      Hide me. Mr Andrade dived back towards the school. That’s one woman I don’t want to argue with.

      As it happened, he was safe. Perdita’s mother had already captured Miss Tillotson as she came back into the street.

      "You will make sure she gets her five a day, won’t you… and

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