The Apostrophe Posse

By Teena Raffa-Mulligan

Trouble comes to Tea Tree Bend…

In cowboy movies the sheriff forms a posse to round up all
the bad guys. Cam and Ellie from Daisy Cottage and their friends Billy and
Louisa have formed a different posse. Their mission is to find and fix all
the signs in Tea Tree Bend with missing apostrophes. The summer holidays are
almost over so they have just nine days to complete their task.

How can doing the right thing go so wrong?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Sea Song Publications
• Release date: Apr 9, 2019
• ISBN: 9780648250340

Teena Raffa-Mulligan

Teena Raffa-Mulligan is a reader, writer and daydream believer who believes there is magic in every day if you choose to find it. She discovered the wonderful world of storytelling as a child and decided to become a writer at an early age. Teena writes for children and adults and her publications range from poetry and short stories to picture books and novels. Her writing life has also included a long career in journalism. She shares her passion for books and writing by presenting talks and workshops to encourage people of all ages to write their own stories.

Book preview

1. Possums and Apostrophes

CAM Terry started the Apostrophe Posse because Jimmy Leeds made a mistake in the sign he painted on the bread and pastry shop next door to the Blue Gum Café. Louisa’s little sister Lindy was just a tag-along. She was too little to be part of the gang of four that planned to round up all the wrong signs in the town of Tea Tree Bend and make them right.

It was nine days before the end of the summer holidays and Mrs Terry had taken Cam and Ellie shopping for new school shoes. On their way to the café afterwards, they met Billy, Louisa and Lindy, who were also heading there to buy lunch after seeing a movie.

They all arrived at the café just as Jimmy was leaning on his ladder in the footpath admiring the sign he’d finished writing above the front window of the bread and pastry shop.

Looks good, don’t it? he said, looking pleased with himself.

Mrs Terry glanced at the brightly coloured sign that said:

MRS BROWNS BAKEHOUSE BIN

FRESH BREAD, CAKES, PASTRIES

She nodded. Yes, Jimmy, it will once you’ve put the missing apostrophe in Brown’s.

Jimmy looked puzzled. He pulled a scrap of paper from the pocket of his faded jeans and studied it.

Ain’t no apostrophe on this.

There isn’t, Mrs Terry corrected him.

Nope, he agreed with a grin. So - no problem. I’m done here. Time for me tucker break. He began to pack up his gear and stash it in the ute that was parked near the kerb.

Mrs Terry sighed. Nobody seems to care these days about proper punctuation.

She led the way into the café and none of the children would have given the missing apostrophe in the sign another thought except the subject came up again while they were eating their lunch. They’d settled at two tables near the window where they could see Jimmy sitting outside in his parked ute munching on a meat pie and playing about with his phone.

Mrs Terry shook her head.  I can’t believe someone who paints signs for a living doesn’t know something as basic as how to use an apostrophe. Surely one of the requirements would be to pass a written English test.

Jimmy does ’is best. Cam began sprinkling salt into the sugar bowl.

His mother reached across and took the salt shaker. "He does his best."

Cam nodded. Yeah, that’s what I said.

No, love, you said ’is instead of his. You dropped your aitch.

Me get it! Lindy squealed.

Louisa grinned and looked at Mrs Terry. "You mean I’ll get it."

No! wailed Lindy. Me! She dived under the table.

Mrs Terry raised her eyebrows. Is she doing what I think she’s doing, Lou?

Yup. Louisa