Mascot Madness! Read Online Free

tomorrow.’
    At that moment Jack staggered into theclassroom, looking like death after his fifty laps.
    â€˜Did I miss anything?’ he said.
    â€˜No,’ said Mr Brainfright, unable to contain his excitement. ‘Not yet!’

9
Big, yellow and banana-shaped

    We sat in class the next morning waiting for Mr Brainfright to arrive.
    Clive Durkin was flicking spitballs.
    Jack was drawing a cartoon featuring a giant spitball that looked a lot like Clive.
    Newton was looking worried.
    Jenny was kneeling beside his desk, comforting him.
    Gina and Penny were plaiting the colourful manes of their toy horses.
    Suddenly, the door of the classroom burst open.
    â€˜YIKES!’ yelled Newton.
    Coming through the doorway was a banana.
    A big, yellow, dancing banana.
    I know that sounds crazy, but I don’t know how else to describe it.
    It was big.
    It was yellow.
    It was banana-shaped.
    And it was dancing.
    It was definitely a big, yellow, dancing banana.
    We all sat there and stared (except for Newton, who dived under his desk). It’s not every day that a big yellow dancing banana comes into your classroom. But before David could get his handbook out to check whether big yellow dancing bananas were permitted in the school, the banana launched into a series of backflips, somersaults and cartwheels.
    It cartwheeled three times across the front of the classroom, along the row of desks beside the windows, across the back of the classroom, up the other side, across the front again—and then went straight out the window!
    Everyone sat there staring.
    â€˜Did a big yellow dancing banana just cartwheel around the classroom and fall out the window?’ said Jack, rubbing his eyes.
    â€˜I think so,’ I said.
    â€˜Good,’ he said. ‘For a moment there I thought I was seeing things.’
    â€˜I’m scared,’ whimpered Newton from underneath his desk.
    I knew how he felt. The sight of a giantbanana brought back a flood of bad memories . . . memories that I would sooner have forgotten.
    â€˜I’m confused,’ said Fiona, which was unusual; she was so smart that she was rarely confused about anything. ‘Why was there a giant banana in our classroom? And why was it doing cartwheels?’
    â€˜I didn’t know bananas could even do cartwheels,’ said Gretel.
    â€˜Or somersaults,’ said Grant.
    â€˜We should see if it’s all right,’ said Jenny, getting up and going to the window. She leaned out. ‘Are you okay?’ she called.
    â€˜Yes, I’m fine, thank you,’ called a voice from below.
    â€˜That’s weird,’ said Clive. ‘It sounds just like Mr Brainfright.’
    â€˜That’s because it
is
Mr Brainfright!’ said Gretel.
    â€˜But what’s Mr Brainfright doing in a banana suit?’ said Newton.
    â€˜Let’s ask him,’ I said.
    â€˜Mr Brainfright, why are you wearing a banana suit?’ Jenny called out.
    â€˜This isn’t just a banana suit,’ Mr Brainfright called back. ‘Meet the new Northwest Southeast Central mascot!’

10
An inspiring mascot?

    After Mr Brainfright made his way back into class and took off the suit, he told us all about it.
    â€˜I think this is the solution to your athletic problems,’ he said, holding up the suit. ‘An inspiring mascot!’
    â€˜I can see that a bright, colourful mascot could act as a rallying agent for our school and encourage and inspire us,’ said Fiona. ‘But a banana?’
    â€˜Yes, a banana,’ said Mr Brainfright. ‘Believe me, nothing will strike fear into the heart of your opponent more than the sight of a giant banana.’
    â€˜Confuse them, more like,’ said Jack.
    â€˜Even better,’ said Mr Brainfright. ‘A confused opponent is a weakened opponent.’

11
Mr Brainfright’s important lesson no. 1

    Nothing will strike fear into the heart of your opponent more than the sight