Charming Charlie and the Spectacular Sophia

By Fiona Ware and Samantha Zaleski

When Charlie gets teased one too many times, he and his new best friend Sophia come up with a master plan – but there is a major stumbling block!

Mr Dodds, the Principal of Warm Gully State School, is getting ready to retire. He doesn’t want anyone or anything to get in his way. He knows that Sophia and Charlie are up to someth

• Language: English
• Publisher: FW Publishing
• Release date: Jul 8, 2017
• ISBN: 9780648108320

Fiona Ware

Fiona Ware is an Arts Therapist and Educator. She has worked for over 30 years in the community endeavouring to assist children, teenagers, adults, seniors and families to live productive and fulfilling lives. She lives in Brisbane and has three sons, three grandchildren and two sisters. Like the characters in her books, she is passionate about social justice for all and pursuing her hopes and dreams.For more information visit www.fionaware.com.au

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charming-charlie-cov.jpgcharming-charlie-title-page

FW Publishing

14a Nettleton Crescent

Moorooka, 4105, Australia

fionaware.com.au

Published July 2017

Copyright © Fiona Ware 2017

This book is copyright. Apart from fair dealing for the purposes of private study, research, criticism and review as permitted under the Copyright Act, no part of this book may be reproduced by any process without the express permission of the publisher.

Ribbon image © Madlen via Bigstockphoto.com

ISBN

Paperback: 978-0-6481083-0-6

Mobi: 978-0-6481083-1-3

Epub: 978-0-6481083-2-0

Cataloguing-in-Publication entry is available from the National Library of Australia

http://catalogue.nla.gov.au

Managing editor: Belinda Pollard

Copy editor: Alix Kwan

Proofreader: Lorraine Page

Illustrator: Samantha Zaleski

E-book conversion: BookCoverCafe.com

This book is dedicated to

my mum, Daphne

and my granddaughter, Circe

This story is about two little people whose worlds came together. They were not what you would call ordinary children – although no children are ordinary in my mind. These two were way ahead of their time! They changed the community of Warm Gully forever.

Contents

CHAPTER ONE

toc-leaf My name is Charles – but you can call me Charlie.

CHAPTER TWO

toc-leaf Meeting Mrs Palmer

CHAPTER THREE

toc-leaf The coolest teachers in town

CHAPTER FOUR

toc-leaf The incidents

CHAPTER FIVE

toc-leaf The Camaras come to dinner

CHAPTER SIX

toc-leaf The plan is hatched

CHAPTER SEVEN

toc-leaf Winchester Dodds – the Principal

CHAPTER EIGHT

toc-leaf Everyone’s in on it except me!

CHAPTER NINE

toc-leaf What next?

CHAPTER TEN

toc-leaf Matty

CHAPTER ELEVEN

toc-leaf A difference in the classroom

CHAPTER TWELVE

toc-leaf Mr Dodds on board!

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

toc-leaf Being on a committee is not all it’s cracked up to be

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

toc-leaf Warm Gully buzzes!

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

toc-leaf It’s time for our celebration!

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

toc-leaf Friendship means so much

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

ALSO BY THIS AUTHOR

CHAPTER ONE

scne-break

My name is Charles – but you can call me Charlie.

In a corner of the Warm Gully State School yard sits a big, sleepy, old paperbark tree. It has shaded many children while they sat on the wooden bench eating their lunch. Lots of the bark has been peeled off over time, but the old tree doesn’t seem to mind. In fact, I think it secretly loves to feel the little hands and hear the chatter and giggles.

There, with his shiny silver lunch box perched neatly on his knees, sat a boy. He was sweet, gentle and charming. His neatly combed hair was so blonde it was nearly white. His skin was very pale and his eyes a sparkling blue, like the sky on a clear and perfect day.

Charlie was staring off into space, which he often did when he was anxious. He was deep in thought about all the different shades of green in the leaves. Some people might laugh and call it ‘daydreaming’, but he figured it was a peaceful experience.

08

As he gazed, he thought, ‘This is only the third day I’ve been at this school, and already I’m being called all sorts of ridiculous names. They say I’m a freak, or stuck up. It can’t be my British accent, because I haven’t said anything to anyone yet.’

Charlie didn’t have a school uniform yet, but he loved his red, white and blue polka dot bow tie and striped grey vest that his mum had made for him. He personally thought the red braces went magnificently with the vest.

Some of the children had thrown gross, slimy paper rolled up in their disgusting, sticky spit at him. ‘What in the world is that about?’ he thought. ‘So disrespectful. Mum says that people who pick on others are unhappy with who they are and how they look, and how they feel inside. I wonder why?’

Charlie and his parents had come all the way from England to live in Australia. His dad had a brand new, important position with the bank. His mum taught piano at home. Charlie had been teased at school back in England but had hoped it would be different here in Australia. So far, it wasn’t looking too promising.

scne-break

Charlie gasped as a girl bent down, right in front of his face. He hadn’t even seen her coming.

‘That’s a really, really excellent lunch box!’ she said.

She was close enough that he could see some random freckles across the bridge of her nose, one very white front tooth and only half of the other. Her breath smelled of olives and garlic. Fortunately for Charlie, he liked olives and garlic.

She stood with her hands placed squarely on her hips and her feet planted firmly on the ground. She, too, had her own unique style, wearing bright pink and purple striped tights under her uniform, and a grey suede jacket with fluffy fur around the edges.

Once he recovered from the fright of her sudden appearance he immediately relaxed.

He said, ‘You actually have the most delightful dimples.’ Charlie’s mum always said if you liked something about someone it was important to let them know – at the right time, of course. Charlie was working on the second part. Sometimes he