Bravo, Max! - Softcover

January 12

Dear D.J.,

It's me again! Are you back from Australia yet? I bet you missed my letters while you were away. I had a great Christmas at Uncle Derek and Pauline's. Their mad dog Scallywag stole some of Gran's Christmas pudding when she wasn't looking. Lucky it wasn't the bit with the money in!

Thank you, thank you, thank you for your postcard and for the signed copy of your new book -- My Teacher's a Fruitcake. I've already read it and it's just as funny as My Teacher's a Nutcase. I love it when the teacher falls into the sandpit and a dog eats her shoes.

Have you made any New Year's resolutions? I made one. I was going to try not to step on any cracks in the pavement on my way to and from school, but I forgot and trod on one on the very first day! Doh!

Love, Max

P.S. You're still my favorite author.

January 17

Dear D.J.,

I don't think you can be home because you haven't written, but I'm going to keep writing until you write back -- so there!

You'll never guess what. You know my Uncle Twinkle Toes Derek and his girlfriend Pauline, well, they belong to a theater club and they're in a play called Cinderella and the Beanstalk and Mum and I are going to see it. I bet it'll be amazing because Uncle Derek's in it.

Have you ever written a play? When I told my teacher, Miss Dimmer, that I was going to see a play, she said jolly good, because we'll be doing plays in class soon.

Hurry up and write, or I'll have to find a new favorite author!

Love, Max

P.S. We've got a soccer game on Saturday and I'm on the starting team. YIPPEE! Huge Bigbottom was rude about me being on the team, but he doesn't scare me. Just let him try!

D.J.LUCAS

30 Pencil Drive, Writingdom, DJ1 0AU

January 21

Dear Max,

We're back. Phew! What a trip! Your two letters were waiting impatiently for me on the doormat, and I'm rushing to answer them because I don't want someone else taking over as your favorite author. Thank goodness you enjoyed My Teacher's a Fruitcake, or there might not have been any letters waiting!

We had a wonderful trip, Max. The highlight was walking over Sydney Harbour Bridge, which is so high it makes your stomach drop into your boots. I tried surfing for the first time, but I spent more time under the water making friends with the local fish than I did on my board. Christopher is a whiz at surfing, but he has flown to Australia lots of times so he's had plenty of practice. Now I must get down to some serious writing and thread all my research into my new story.

You sound really happy, Max. Well done for getting onto the soccer team. Just you prove Huge Bigbottom wrong.

Love, D.J.

P.S. I haven't written any plays, but one day...I just might.

January 23

Dear D.J., I'm soooooo glad you're back. It seemed like you were away forever!

Guess what, guess what, GUESS WHAT! Uncle Derek and Pauline have gotten engaged and they're going to get married this September! And guess what happened. In Cinderella and the Beanstalk, Uncle Derek played the giant and Pauline was Cinderella. The best bit was when Uncle Derek sat in the biggest custard pie you've ever seen just before he left for the ball. He was soooooo funny, Mum had tears rolling down her cheeks. She laughed just like she used to before Dad died.

Anyway, right at the end, when Cinderella danced with the prince, giant Uncle Derek pushed the prince out of the way and asked Cinderella -- well, Pauline -- to marry him. And she said yes. And everybody in the audience cheered like mad. Mum cried again because she was so happy and said if Dad had been there he would have called her a silly daft duck.

Love, Max

P.S. I nearly scored a goal in our soccer game, and I'm on the team again this week. Huge Bigbottom never passes to me, but Ben does because that's what best friends are for.

D.J.LUCAS

30 Pencil Drive, Writingdom, DJ1 0AU

January 27

Dear Max,

That's great news about Uncle Derek and Pauline. What a dramatic way to propose to someone. Thank goodness Pauline said yes!

Love, D.J.

February 1

Dear D.J., Seeing Cinderella and the Beanstalk has made me want to write a really, really, really funny play to make everyone laugh. And I like all the bits where the audience have to join in and shout things, especially when they have to boo the bad guy. Will you help me with it, please, please, please? I promise to help you with your new story too, like I did with Dear Max (hee hee!). When is Dear Max going to be published?

You haven't told me what's happening with your new story since you went to Australia to do research. Will it have kangaroos in it? BOING! BOING! BOING!

Love, Max

P.S. I've got a new friend at school. Her name's Emily, and she's got really, really, really long hair.

D.J.LUCAS

30 Pencil Drive, Writingdom, DJ1 0AU

February 4

Dear Max,

Writing a play will be no problem for a boy with a big imagination like yours. You'll need a good plot and strong characters, but the plot will have to unfold through the words and actions of the characters on stage, rather than through description like in a story.

When you've thought about a subject for your play, decide how many characters you are going to have and write out a cast list, perhaps with a line about each person. But don't forget that you won't be able to fit too many people on stage at the same time. They might topple off or knock the scenery over!

I'm calling my new story Where There's a Will. It's about a boy named Will who is brilliant at surfing but has an accident that leaves him unable to walk. It's more serious than my other books, but it still has lots of funny moments, though no kangaroos so far.

Good luck with the play, Max.

Love, D.J.

P.S. I don't know when Dear Max is going to be published, but I've just heard that a very famous illustrator called Tony Ross is going to do the illustrations.

P.P.S. Say hello for me to Emily with the long hair.

February 6

Dear D.J.,

I can't wait to see Tony Ross's illustrations for Dear Max. I looked at some of his books in the library and he's the best.

Mum took me out to a restaurant last night. She's got a new job working in a bank and she wanted to celebrate, even though she said it doesn't mean we're going to be millionaires. We had such a brilliant time, D.J. The food was delicious. Our waiter called me "Sir" and made me feel like a grown-up, so when we stood up to go, I said to Mum, "Would madam like to take my arm?" and she did. We walked all the way home like that, and when we went through the front door, Mum said, "Thank you, sir, you're a real gentleman." I love it when me and Mum act silly together.

Love, Max

P.S. I've decided to write a play about George and the dragon, except it's going to be called Buster and the Dragon.

P.P.S. How do I write my play out?

D.J.LUCAS

30 Pencil Drive, Writingdom, DJ1 0AU

February 11

Dear Sir,

I understand Sir would like to know how to write out a play. He will be delighted to know that it is not a complicated exercise. He simply has to follow the example below:

MAX: I'm going to write a play about a boy who has to fight a dragon.

DRAGON: Will the dragon be fierce and scary but handsome?

MAX: The dragon will be the ugliest dragon ever seen.

DRAGON: Then the dragon will have to eat the boy before the boy can write his play!

(The dragon chases the boy, but the boy escapes. Smoke fills the stage as the dragon shows his anger.)

I do hope this will be of some help to Sir.

Kind regards, D.J.

P.S. You don't need to use speech marks, Max, and you need to put in parentheses all the notes about who is doing what on stage and any details about sound and lighting effects.

Have fun!

February 12

Dear D.J.,

I can't believe your book My Teacher's a Nutcase is being made into a film!!! It said so in the newspaper this morning -- Mum showed me. Why didn't you tell me? It's my favorite book of all time and now there's

a film -- YIPPEE! Does that mean you're going to be a movie star?! You'll be an even more famous author than ever now. You will still write to me, won't you?

Love, Max

Text copyright © 2005 by Sally Grindley