The Island of Lost Dolls

By Eric Scott

“Kellie had a dragon living the paddock at the back of her house. She also had trolls, but she didn’t know about them yet. The dragon hadn’t been there very long and it had never spoken. It hadn’t breathed fire, nor roared a scary roar. But that was because it was made from wood.” When a large tree branch dried out it looked a lot like a dragon with a long forked tail, four wriggly limbs protruding from a thick body, and a large mouth where the branch had separated from the tree. It looked fearsome enough but when Kellie and her Dad had finished with the paint tins, it looked even scarier. Kellie called it David the Snake Dragon. In this fast-moving and exciting book for early readers, which is also designed for parents to read to their children, Kellie and Gregory discover that their favourite toys have been stolen and David comes to life. He takes the children to the Island of Lost Dolls, a place where lost dolls used to live happily ever after, but when a wicked doll declares herself queen she make all the dolls her slaves. Kellie Gregory and David with the help of the mysterious Regina must fight to save not only their own toys but all the others too.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Acorn Books
• Release date: Nov 20, 2013
• ISBN: 9781783334018

Eric Scott

Eric Scott is a published novelist with adult, teenage and primary school books to his name as well as two editions of one-act Plays for teenagers. Most of his plays have been performed in amateur and professional venues. He does a regular theatre review and preview spot on the Spectrum arts program on radio 4EB, 98.1 FM, at noon each Friday and runs his own entertainment web page at www.absolutetheatre.com.au He is also an actor and director with more than 50 productions under his belt.

Book preview

coincidental.

Chapter One

Kellie had a dragon living the paddock at the back of her house. She also had trolls, but she didn’t know about them yet.

The dragon hadn’t been there very long and it had never spoken. It hadn’t breathed fire, nor roared a scary roar. But that was because it was made from wood.

After a sudden summer storm a large branch had come crashing down from a tall tree. When the hot sun dried it out and the bark had fallen off, the branch looked remarkably like a dragon with a long forked tail, four wriggly limbs protruding from a thick body, and a large mouth where the branch had separated from the tree.

It looked fearsome enough but when Kellie and her Dad had finished with the paint tins, it looked even scarier. They painted its tail a fiery red and its back a mixture of patterns, with diamonds and love hearts in purple and yellow, surrounded by blue, green, and orange spots.

Kellie called it David the Snake Dragon.

The biggest adventure of Kellie’s life began one morning when she was sitting on David’s back, swinging her legs, and cuddling Belinda. Belinda was a soft toy rabbit and she was the first toy that Kellie ever had...

These days Belinda spent most of her time lying on Kellie’s bed, but on this particular day Kellie was feeling lonely and she’d brought the rabbit into the paddock to keep her company.

If she hadn’t been deep in thought she might have noticed four very ugly trolls hiding in the shadows of the gully that ran through the paddock. She might even have noticed the arrival of her best friend, Gregory, when he came marching across the paddock in his oversized gumboots. But she didn’t.

Gregory was in the same class as Kellie at school. They were both eight years old. He was a little taller than Kellie but, like her, he had fair, sun-bleached hair. Kellie had blue eyes, but Gregory’s were big and brown.

Hi, he called as he came closer.

Kellie quickly hid Belinda behind her back. Hi, she said. She jumped down from David’s back.

Have you seen my Batman? Gregory asked. I thought I left it by that dead tree branch, he said.

It’s a dragon, Kellie told him.

Well it looks like a tree branch to me. Gregory, as he glanced at David’s brightly painted body.

Kellie stroked David’s back gently. He might have been a fallen branch once, but now he’s a dragon, she said.

Gregory shrugged. It’s just a fallen branch that you and your Dad painted, he said.

Ah, said Kellie. We used a magic paintbrush. That turned the branch into a Snake Dragon.

Gregory laughed. A Snake Dragon? There’s no such thing, he said.

There is now, retorted Kellie.

Okay, said Gregory, taking a steady walk round David. If he’s a dragon, how come he doesn’t roar and breathe fire?

Kellie paused for a moment. Then she said defiantly: Because he’s asleep.

Gregory saw the stubborn look in Kellie’s eye and knew it was a waste of time arguing. He changed the subject. Are you sure you haven’t seen my Batman. I can’t find it anywhere.

I’m not surprised, said Kellie. Your room is the messiest place in the world.

"It’s not as untidy as yours.

Oh yes it is.

It is not.

It is too.

Gregory was about to say something else, but he saw that Kellie had her chin stuck out in her stubborn way and changed his mind. Then he noticed she had her hands behind her back.

What have you got behind your back? he asked.

Nothing, said Kellie, looking guilty.

You’ve got your old rabbit haven’t you? said Gregory, moving quickly to look.

Kellie turned round quickly as well. No I haven’t, she said.

But Gregory moved more quickly than Kellie and saw Belinda. You said you didn’t play with her any more.

Kellie threw the rabbit on the ground, I don’t, she said. I just found her lying around.

Gregory picked Belinda up and dusted her down before leaning her against the tree. There’s no need to treat her like that, he said. You’ve had her a long time - ever since you were born. My Mum still has the teddy bear she was given when she was a baby. Then he looked slowly around the paddock, shading his eyes. He sighed, I can’t see Batman anywhere. Maybe I left him in the gully.

You mean the jungle, said Kellie.

All right, the jungle. Shall we go and have a look?

Okay, said Kellie. But it’s probably at the bottom of a pile of junk in your room.

Gregory shook his head. There’s something strange going on, he said. I’ve never know so many toys go missing. As soon as I turn my back, something else disappears.

You’re just careless, said Kellie. "Come on, let’s go, and search the jungle.

Chapter Two

As the children ran down the slope the trolls came out of hiding. There were four of them: Tumpy, Bumpy,