Brody Cody and the Stepmother from Outer Space – Brody Cody Series #1
– A funny chapter book for children aged 6-9
Brody Cody is almost eight years old and definitely, absolutely, positively does NOT want a mother. His mother died when he was a baby but life with his dad is just perfect.
Brody is horrified when his father goes away to a publishing conference and returns with a wife, Pandora Smith, who is a children’s author. His life spirals out of control as he is forced to eat healthy food, do his homework and help with some chores.
Even worse, he and his friends suspect that his new stepmother might be an alien from outer space.
A hilarious adventure for children aged 6-9. Book 1 in The Brody Cody Series.
BRODY CODY AND THE STEPMOTHER FROM OUTER SPACE is now available on Amazon: USA – UK – Australia – Canada – France – Germany – Italy – Netherlands – Spain – India – Japan
Brody Cody and the Haunted Vacation House – Brody Cody Series #2
– A funny chapter book for children aged 6-9
Brody Cody loves his new stepmother but is surprised to hear that she is expecting a baby. To celebrate, his parents take Brody and his friends away for a week to a very spooky house in the Blue Mountains, owned by the elderly and even spookier Mr Sludge.
Very strange things start to happen, and the friends soon become convinced that the house is haunted. They love scary stories and know all about ghosts, but will they be able to solve the mystery?
A hilarious adventure for children aged 6-9. Book 2 in The Brody Cody Series.
It would be best to read the series in order. Book 1 is BRODY CODY AND THE STEPMOTHER FROM OUTER SPACE.
BRODY CODY AND THE HAUNTED VACATION HOUSE is now available on Amazon: USA – UK – Australia – Canada – France – Germany – Italy – Netherlands – Spain – India – Japan
Here is an excerpt from the first chapter of Book 1 – BRODY CODY AND THE STEPMOTHER FROM OUTER SPACE
1: Poor Baby Brody
There is something magical about babies. Most parents think that their baby is the most beautiful sight in the world. Brody Cody’s parents could stare at him all day long. They never grew tired of looking at him, as if he was the first boy they had ever seen. Stylus and Peppermint Cody didn’t mind that Brody was a red squirming bundle who made a smelly mess in his pants all the time. He had nothing to say, he slept all day and cried all night. They still loved him more than anything in the universe. The Cody family lived in a small house in Flowerpetal Street, near the centre of Sydney. Upstairs there were two bedrooms and one bathroom. Downstairs there was a kitchen and a living room. There was a small garden in the backyard and also just enough room to park their car. Everyone said they were the perfect family. But we all know that nothing is ever perfect. Then something awful happened. One day, Mrs Peppermint Cody was pushing Brody in his pram. She was taking him for a stroll around the town. Just at that moment, an empty runaway bus turned the corner. It raced down the hill, heading straight towards them. It was out of control. Mrs Cody was looking the other way, gazing at a shop window full of cuddly teddy bears. She wanted the cutest bear for her dear little baby. That was when the bus hit her, and she was killed in an instant. It was so sad. I bet you’re thinking that poor Brody was killed as well, squashed as flat as a pancake by that great big bus. The good news is that Brody was saved. Everyone said it was a miracle. He was thrown right up in the air, and you won’t believe what happened next. A policeman called Sergeant Smiles O’Grady was standing on the other side of the road. Luckily, he had once been a good cricket player. Sergeant O’Grady caught Brody with his strong hands. That was the best catch he ever made in his entire life. At first, he thought it was a giant cricket ball. After all, you don’t often see a baby flying through the air heading straight towards you. Brody landed in his arms, sound asleep as if nothing had happened.★★★
After that, there were only two people living in the little house: Stylus Cody and baby Brody. Everyone felt sad about the accident. They cried buckets full of tears and said it was the worst disaster to ever happen. “I don’t know how to manage without my darling Peppermint,” said Stylus, wiping his eyes with a tissue. “My little boy doesn’t have his mother.” But there was no need for him to worry. Brody didn’t know that his mother was dead. You see, babies don’t really know anything. A baby’s brain is almost like a blank sheet of paper. It takes years of growing up and going to school for them to learn everything they need to know. Brody just kept on burping, eating, sleeping and pooing. One day he gave his father a big toothless smile. For the first time in ages, Stylus Cody felt happy.★★★
Brody was a cute toddler. He loved playing with his friends and living in the house with his dad. You can’t expect a father to be very clever about taking care of a baby, but they can do well if they really try. Somehow, Stylus fed him and washed him and changed his diapers. Brody kept growing until, before they knew it, he was almost eight years old. Not having a mother didn’t bother Brody at all. In fact, he definitely, absolutely, positively did NOT want a mother. Peppermint Brody was just a lovely photograph hanging on the wall. There were two other women in Brody’s life, and he thought that was more than enough for him. There was Mrs Dustin, who cleaned the house once a month. That was awful. She moved and tidied everything, upstairs and downstairs. Brody could never find anything for at least two days afterwards. But with a bit of effort, his bedroom was soon back to being messy. Aunty Persimmon lived in Perth. That was four thousand kilometres away, but she visited once a year. Every Easter, she flew over in a plane and stayed for a few days. She spent the weekend spring cleaning the house. Then she took Brody out to buy some new clothes. After that, they always went to a museum. Brody loved her and thought she was pretty. She looked like that photograph of his mother. But it was such a relief when she said goodbye. Her visit was like a running race. When you get to the finishing line, you feel tired and stop to catch your breath. “Heavy weather,” his dad said when she left. “We have survived the storm for another year. Fun while it lasted, though.” “Was my mum like that?” asked Brody. He knew that Aunty Persimmon was her sister. “No, your mum was perfect, like a gentle angel. And she was so beautiful.” He always looked sad when he talked about her. Brody didn’t ask any more questions. He didn’t want his dad to get sad and start crying. Stylus and Brody looked like two peas in a pod. They were both skinny with curly brown hair and big brown eyes. They had a squishy-looking nose that Aunty Persimmon said was cute. And small ears that stuck out like wingnuts. Brody always told his friends that he didn’t want or need a mother. “Nothing will change my mind. You’re all welcome to have one, but I only want my dad.” He thought that he and his dad had the perfect life. There was just the two of them, and he felt luckier than all the other kids at school. There were five simple rules in the Cody house.- No rules.
- No cleaning.
- No chores.
- Eat whatever you want.
- No homework.
Here is an excerpt from the first chapter of Book 2 – BRODY CODY AND THE HAUNTED VACATION HOUSE
1. Scary News
Brody Cody was eight years old and thought that his life was perfect. His new stepmother, Pandora, had arrived three months ago and now he couldn’t imagine life without her. She fitted in as if she had always been there, living with him and his father, Stylus Cody. There was a family of three in the small house in Flowerpetal Street, and he did not want anything to change. Pandora was a children’s author who wrote the Lisa and Ben books for little children. She worked at home writing new adventures for Lisa and Ben, so that meant she was there every afternoon to take care of Brody. His tennis classes had inspired her latest book, Lisa and Ben Play Tennis. Stylus, his father, worked for a publisher, and that was how he came to meet Pandora at a conference. Before that, it had just been the two of them. Brody’s mother died when he was a baby and he thought he didn’t want or need a mother. How wrong he had been.★★★
Brody was busy during the last few weeks of the school term. He played tennis in the beginner’s class at the Sunshine Tennis Academy and, sometimes, he managed to hit the ball with his new tennis racquet. Pandora always applauded, just like a mother should. “Very good, Brody, very good!” she shouted. That was embarrassing but it also made him feel proud. His school teacher was Mrs Megalos and she handed out the final report card in the middle of December. Brody’s heart rate rose as his father opened the envelope, but then Stylus pulled a strange face. It was a look of shock, and Brody wondered if a big spider had fallen onto his lap. He had never seen his father look like that before. Suddenly he burst into a smile. “This is great, Brody,” he said, wiping his forehead. “An A in spelling and an A in maths. Unbelievable.” It was the first time he had received more than a C grade. Pandora made him do his homework every afternoon and helped him to study for every test. He looked at her now, and she was beaming with pride. Christmas was wonderful, despite the hot and humid weather. When it had only been Brody and his dad, the gifts were badly wrapped, the Christmas Tree was lopsided, and Christmas dinner was usually burnt. Despite that, they still thought it was the best day of the year. Now things were different. Pandora wrapped his gifts with sparkling paper and ribbons, helped him to decorate a beautiful Christmas Tree and cooked a delicious roast turkey for lunch. She even made a Christmas Cake with white icing. “This is the best Christmas I ever had,” said Brody, giving her a hug on Christmas morning. “Can I call you Mum from now on?” “Of course you can,” replied Pandora, her eyes moist with tears. Now it was early January, and in Sydney, Australia, that was the start of the summer vacation. School stopped for a few weeks, and grown-ups often took time off work as well. It was time to relax, have fun and spend as much time as possible with his friends. That, of course, meant his best friend Kyle Johnson, second-best friend Anastasia Bertorelli, and Kyle’s little sister Lucrezia, who was only six and often tagged along wherever they went. The friends spent hours at Simpson Park and talked about excursions to the zoo, the beach and the Creepy Terror Zone. That was a big amusement park that had a ghost and haunted theme. They made a plan to spend the day there in one week’s time. Kyle and Brody had been reading a lot of scary stories lately, and Kyle was the first one to get the idea of going there. Since then, he hadn’t stopped talking about it. They were both hoping to spend an entire day being scared, terrified, paralysed with fear, horrified, trembling, shaking in their shoes and filled with alarm.★★★
Brody was looking forward to the dreadful shocks he would get at the Creepy Terror Zone, but he did not expect one when he arrived home that day. As he walked into the house, he could hear his parents talking in the living room. “I’m so happy and excited,” said Stylus. “Me too,” said Pandora. It’s the most wonderful thing that’s ever happened to me, apart from meeting you and Brody.” Brody wondered what they were talking about and began to feel excited. Perhaps his mother had a won a special prize for writing her Lisa and Ben books. Perhaps they were all going on a trip to somewhere incredible, like Alaska or Fiji. Or maybe they were going to the Gold Coast. That meant they could visit Ghostworld, the best scary park in Australia. As he walked into the room, his father gave him a cheerful smile. “Brody, we have some news for you,” he said. “What is it, Dad?” he asked. He felt a nervous knot tighten in his stomach as Stylus took hold of Pandora’s hand, and then they looked at him with dreamy eyes. “It’s Pandora – she’s expecting a baby,” said Stylus. “In seven months, you’re going to have a little brother or sister.” Brody’s jaw dropped open. “A real baby?” he asked in a croaky voice. “Yes, that’s right,” said Pandora. “Won’t that be wonderful?” “Will they live in this house?” “Of course,” replied his father. “And we’ll love him or her just like we love you.” Brody wanted to say something, but he felt too shocked to speak. “Can I have a hug?” asked Pandora He went over and kissed them both. “We love you very much,” said Stylus. “Now, it’s time to wash your hands before dinner.” That was the excuse Brody needed to get away. He ran upstairs to his bedroom and shut the door. He looked at himself in the mirror as thoughts raced around in his head. He had always been the only child in the house. He never imagined that his new mother would have a baby, and perhaps that was only the start. She might have six more children and there would be babies everywhere, filling every corner of the house. Brody knew that he would soon be forgotten. He would spend his time looking after crying babies and changing dirty nappies. Wherever he went with his friends he would have to take his little brothers and sisters. His life would never be the same again. (end of the first chapter)Thank you for stopping by. My name is Toni Pike, a multi-genre author who loves writing page-turning fiction for adults, non-fiction, and hilarious books for children. I’m the author of LINDA’S MIDLIFE CRISIS, DESOLATION BLUFF, DEAD DRY HEART and The Jotham Fletcher Mystery Thriller Series: THE MAGUS COVENANT, THE ROCK OF MAGUS, THE MAGUS EPIPHANY and HOLY SPEAR OF MAGUS. The Brody Cody Series is for children aged 6-9: BRODY CODY AND THE STEPMOTHER FROM OUTER SPACE and BRODY CODY AND THE HAUNTED VACATION HOUSE. I’m also the author of two non-fiction books. THE ONE WAY DIET is a no-nonsense guide to losing weight and HAPPY TRAVELS 101 is a short book of travel tips.
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Toni Pike 