Author(s): Robyn Cooper

NZ Middle Fiction

Can I use your computer, Millie?’ I said. ‘Just for a sec. Ours is stuffed.’ I typed in ‘Snails, Spells and Snazzlepops’ like I’d seen in the library. The green screen began pulsating again as the witch sailed around the page. I moved the cursor, searching for the hidden skull. It appeared in the middle of the screen. I quickly clicked on it and a couple of pages opened. ‘Snails’ was first up.

Charlie is sick of living in a house with door handles that drop off and a mum with no money. It’s time for him to take the family finances into his own hands. TV chef Pierre Pascal has got rich from serving up weird stuff like frog legs and snails, so Charlie starts cooking.

After all, the ingredients are just outside his kitchen window and he’s persuaded Millie next door to help. But live food isn’t easy, especially when it tries to escape …

A story of crazy cook-ups, magic and mayhem that will scintillate the brain cells and seriously snazzle your pops.