Free Horrid Henry and the Mummy's Curse by Francesca Simon Page A

Ross

Text © Francesca Simon 2000
Internal illustrations © Tony Ross 2000
Cover illustrations © Tony Ross 2008
Cover and internal design © 2009 by Sourcebooks, Inc.
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    All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems—except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews—without permission in writing from its publisher, Sourcebooks, Inc.
    The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious or are used fictitiously. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.
    Published by Sourcebooks Jabberwocky, an imprint of Sourcebooks, Inc.
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    Originally published in Great Britain in 2000 by Orion Children’s Books.
    Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
    Simon, Francesca.
  Horrid Henry and the mummy’s curse / Francesca Simon ; illustrated by Tony Ross.
    p. cm.
     Originally published: Great Britain : Orion Children’s Books, 2000.
     [1. Behavior—Fiction.] I. Ross, Tony, ill. II. Title.
     PZ7.S604Hoaq 2009
     [Fic]—dc22
    2008039688
     
    Printed and bound in the United States of America.
    VP 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

 
     
    For my friends and advisers,
Joe and Freddy Gaminara

1
HORRID HENRY’S HOBBY
    “Out of my way, worm!” shrieked Horrid Henry, pushing past his younger brother Perfect Peter and dashing into the kitchen.
    “NO!” screamed Perfect Peter. He scrambled after Henry and clutched his leg.
    “Get off me!” shouted Henry. He grabbed the unopened Sweet Tweet cereal box. “Nah nah ne nah nah, I got it first.”
    Perfect Peter lunged for the Sweet Tweet box and snatched it from Henry. “But it’s my turn!”
    “No, mine!” shrieked Henry.
    He ripped open the top and stuck his hand inside.
    “It’s mine!” shrieked Peter. He ripped open the bottom.
    A small wrapped toy fell to the floor.
    Henry and Peter both lunged for it.
    “Gimme that!” yelled Henry.
    “But it’s my turn to have it!” yelled Peter.
    “Stop being horrid, Henry!” shouted Mom. “Now give me that thing!”
    Henry and Peter both held on tight.

    “NO!” screamed Henry and Peter. “IT’S MY TURN TO HAVE THE TOY!”
    Horrid Henry and Perfect Peter both collected Gizmos from inside Sweet Tweet cereal boxes. So did everyone at their school. There were ten different colored Gizmos to collect, from the common green to the rare gold. Both Henry and Peter had Gizmos of every color. Except for one. Gold.
    “Right,” said Mom, “whose turn is it to get the toy?”
    “MINE!” screamed Henry and Peter.
    “He got the last one!” screeched Henry. “Remember—he opened the new box and got the blue Gizmo.”
    It was true that Perfect Peter had got the blue Gizmo—two boxes ago. But why should Peter get any? If he hadn’t started collecting Gizmos to copy me, thought Henry resentfully, I’d get every single one.
    “NO!” howled Peter. He burst into tears. “Henry opened the last box.”
    “Crybaby,” jeered Henry.
    “Stop it,” said Peter.
    “Stop it,” mimicked Henry.
    “Mom, Henry’s teasing me,” wailed Peter.
    “I remember now,” said Mom. “It’s Peter’s turn.”
    “Thank you, Mom,” said Perfect Peter.
    “It’s not fair!” screamed Horrid Henry as Peter tore open the wrapping. There was a gold gleam.

    “Oh my goodness,” gasped Peter. “A gold Gizmo!”
    Horrid Henry felt as if he’d been punched in the stomach. He stared at the glorious, glowing, golden Gizmo.
    “It’s not fair!” howled Henry. “I want a gold Gizmo!”
    “I’m sorry, Henry,” said Mom. “It’ll be your turn next.”
    “But I want the gold one!” screamed Henry.
    He leaped on Peter and yanked the