Diane Redmond - The Grumpy Bridesmaid

First published in Great Britain by HarperCollins Children’s Books in 2000

HarperCollins Children’s Books is a division of HarperCollins Publishers

77–85 Fulham Palace Road,

Hammersmith, London W6 8JB

www.harpercollins.co.uk

Text Copyright © Diane Redmond 2000

Illustrations copyright © Strawberrie Donnelly 2000

Cover photograph copyright © Alan Powdrill

Diane Redmond asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work

All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.

HarperCollins Publishers has made every reasonable effort to ensure that any picture content and written content in this ebook has been included or removed in accordance with the contractual and technological constraints in operation at the time of publication.

Source ISBN: 9780006754664

Ebook Edition © DECEMBER 2014 ISBN: 9780007571703

Version: 2014-11-12

Cover

Title Page

Copyright Copyright Copyright Chapter One Chapter Two Chapter Three Chapter Four Chapter Five Chapter Six Chapter Seven Chapter Eight Chapter Nine Chapter Ten Keep Reading About the Publisher First published in Great Britain by HarperCollins Children’s Books in 2000 HarperCollins Children’s Books is a division of HarperCollins Publishers 77–85 Fulham Palace Road, Hammersmith, London W6 8JB www.harpercollins.co.uk Text Copyright © Diane Redmond 2000 Illustrations copyright © Strawberrie Donnelly 2000 Cover photograph copyright © Alan Powdrill Diane Redmond asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books. HarperCollins Publishers has made every reasonable effort to ensure that any picture content and written content in this ebook has been included or removed in accordance with the contractual and technological constraints in operation at the time of publication. Source ISBN: 9780006754664 Ebook Edition © DECEMBER 2014 ISBN: 9780007571703 Version: 2014-11-12

Chapter One Chapter One Izzy did not want to be a bridesmaid. Well, that isn’t quite true, she did want to be a bridesmaid, in fact she’d always wanted to be a bridesmaid, but NOT on Saturday May 8th. And not at two o’clock in the afternoon. Her sister Clare had chosen to get married on the exact date and time of her riding school’s gymkhana. A day she had ringed on her Pony Club calendar ages ago. How could her sister have forgotten that she was going to ride Crackers in the Chase me Charlie race and dress him up as a unicorn for the fancy dress competition? Izzy wanted to get excited, she really wanted to, but every time she heard the word ‘wedding’ she’d think ‘gymkhana’ and scowl. “My sister, Isabella,” said Clare when her best friend, Zoe, came round, “is going to be my bridesmaid – my grumpy bridesmaid,” Clare added with a laugh. Izzy stuck her tongue out at her big sister who knew she hated being called Isabella. “Zoe is going to be my ungrumpy bridesmaid,” said Clare. “Hmph!” snorted Izzy. Izzy ate her supper in a grump. Clare pretended not to notice – she was too busy talking to Zoe about her plans for the big day. “I want a silvery wedding dress, with a billowing veil held by a tiara dotted with blue stars.” “You got that idea from the pantomime!” Izzy interrupted grumpily. Clare had played the part of the Fairy Queen in the local drama club’s Christmas production of “Cinderella”. “So what if I did,” said Clare, sailing on like a ship in full flow. “I thought of dressing the bridesmaids in gold, like fairies tripping before their fairy queen!” “I don’t think I fancy that!” giggled Zoe. “And an open-topped carriage pulled by silver horses,” Clare finished in a rush. Mum, who’d been worrying about the cost of the wedding for weeks, choked as some of her food went down the wrong way. “WHAT?” she spluttered. “There’s no such thing as a silver horse,” said Izzy. “You can have grey, dark grey or light grey but not silver. “’Course there are palominos,” she added helpfully. “They’re pale blonde with creamy mane and tails…” her voice trailed away. Nobody was listening to her – not even her mum!

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Keep Reading

About the Publisher

Izzy did not want to be a bridesmaid. Well, that isn’t quite true, she did want to be a bridesmaid, in fact she’d always wanted to be a bridesmaid, but NOT on Saturday May 8th. And not at two o’clock in the afternoon. Her sister Clare had chosen to get married on the exact date and time of her riding school’s gymkhana. A day she had ringed on her Pony Club calendar ages ago. How could her sister have forgotten that she was going to ride Crackers in the Chase me Charlie race and dress him up as a unicorn for the fancy dress competition?

Izzy wanted to get excited, she really wanted to, but every time she heard the word ‘wedding’ she’d think ‘gymkhana’ and scowl.

“My sister, Isabella,” said Clare when her best friend, Zoe, came round, “is going to be my bridesmaid – my grumpy bridesmaid,” Clare added with a laugh.

Izzy stuck her tongue out at her big sister who knew she hated being called Isabella.

“Zoe is going to be my ungrumpy bridesmaid,” said Clare.

“Hmph!” snorted Izzy.

Izzy ate her supper in a grump. Clare pretended not to notice – she was too busy talking to Zoe about her plans for the big day.

“I want a silvery wedding dress, with a billowing veil held by a tiara dotted with blue stars.”

“You got that idea from the pantomime!” Izzy interrupted grumpily.

Clare had played the part of the Fairy Queen in the local drama club’s Christmas production of “Cinderella”.

“So what if I did,” said Clare, sailing on like a ship in full flow. “I thought of dressing the bridesmaids in gold, like fairies tripping before their fairy queen!”