Moody Margaret's School

Moody Margaret's School ‘Pay attention, Susan, ' shrieked Moody Margaret, ‘or you'll go straight to the head. ' ‘I am paying attention, ' said Sour Susan. ‘This is boring, ' said Horrid Henry. ‘I want to play pirates. ' ‘Silence, ' said Moody Margaret, whacking her ruler on the table. ‘I want to be the teacher, ' said Susan. ‘No, ' said Margaret. ‘I'll be the teacher, ' said Horrid Henry. He'd send the class straight out for play- time, and tell them to run for their lives.

‘Are you out of your mind?' snapped Margaret. ‘Can I be the teacher?'asked Perfect Peter. ‘NO! ’ shouted Margaret, Susan, and Henry. ‘Why can't I be the head?'said Susan sourly. ‘Because, ' said Margaret. ‘'cause why?' said Susan. ‘'cause I'm the head. ' ‘But you're the head and the teacher, ' said Susan. ‘It's not fair. ' ‘It is too fair, 'cause you'd make a terrible head, ' said Margaret. ‘Wouldn't! ’ ‘Would! ' ‘I think we should take turns being head, ' said Susan. ‘That, ' said Margaret, ‘is the dumbest idea I've ever heard. Do you see Mrs Oddbod taking turns being head? I don't think so. '

Margaret's class grumbled mutinously on the carpet inside the Secret Club tent. ‘Class, I will now take the register, ' intoned Margaret. ‘Susan?’ ‘Here. ' ‘Peter?' ‘Here. ' ‘Henry?' ‘In the toilet. ' Margaret scowled. ‘We'll try that again. Henry?' ‘Flushed away. ' ‘Last chance, ’ said Margaret severely. ‘Henry?' ‘Dead. ' Margaret made a big cross in her register. ‘I will deal with you later. '

‘No one made you the big boss, muttered Horrid Henry. ‘It's my house and we'll play what I want, ' said Moody Margaret. ‘And I want to play school. ' Horrid Henry scowled. Whenever Margaret came to his house she was the guest and he had to play what she wanted. But whenever Henry went to her house Margaret was the boss 'cause it was her house. Ugggh. Why oh why did he have to live next door to Moody Margaret?

Mum had important work to do, and needed total peace and quiet, so Henry and Peter had been dumped at Margaret's. Henry had begged to go to Ralph's, but Ralph was visiting his grandparents. Now he was trapped all day with a horrible, moody old grouch. Wasn't it bad enough being with Miss Battle-Axe all week without having to spend his whole precious Saturday stuck at Margaret's? And, even worse, playing school? ‘Come on, let's play pirates, ' said Henry. ‘I'm Captain Hook. Peter, walk the plank! ' ‘No, ' said Margaret. ‘I don't want to. ' ‘But I'm the guest, ' protested Henry. ‘So?’ said Margaret. ‘This is my house and we play by my rules. '