4
" Hello Mrs Cannon,' said Melanie. 'Friday wants me to distract you so that she can get Parker to say something that isn't on his official scripts.'
'Really?' said Mrs Cannon. 'That sounds intriguing. Much more intriguing than this unspeakably boring polo match. Why don't you pretend to sprain your ankle, then I could pretend to be concerned?'
'Okay,' said Melanie. 'Does that mean I can lie down?'
'I wouldn't dream of trying to stop you,' said Mrs Cannon. 'I just wish I could do the same.'
'You could say you had a fainting spell,' suggested Melanie.
'What a good idea,' said Mrs Cannon. 'If you've got a sprained ankle and I have a fainting spell, then we can both have a nice rest on the grass.'
'The Headmaster can't complain about that,' said Melanie as they both made themselves comfortable.
'Of course not,' said Mrs Cannon. 'If he did I'd report him to my union. "
― R.A. Spratt , Big Trouble (Friday Barnes, #3)
5
" Friday looked up. She bit her lip. She didn’t want to say anything. She didn’t think she could without crying. But she had to say something. “Let’s make a pledge,” she finally blurted, “Four years from now, when we both finish school, we’ll meet right here.”
“In the airport terminal?” asked Ian, looking about. It wasn’t a very glamorous location. “To do what?”
“I don’t know…” said Friday, “Have an adventure?”
“What sort of adventure,” asked Ian, smiling.
“A mystery, of course,” said Friday. "
― R.A. Spratt , Never Fear (Friday Barnes, #8)
7
" Yes, I know, because schools are cruel, illogical, and unfair. But the thing is, life is cruel, illogical, and unfair. That is why the education system works so well. If schools and teachers did a good job and inspired children and made them enthusiastic about every subject, they would only be sadly disappointed when they got out into the real world. Better to disappoint them when they're young. It is more important to learn to cope with disappointment than learn how to do long division." - Nanny Piggins "
― R.A. Spratt , Nanny Piggins and the Wicked Plan (Nanny Piggins, #2)
11
" Running is a deeply unpleasant sport at the best of times, but it is particularly awful when you’re bad at it. There is so much unpleasantness at once. First, there is the shortness of breath, then the ache in the legs, then the sharp pain of the stitch, the soreness of the feet, the discomfort of the joints, and the lactic acid burn in the thighs. Eventually, some of this subsides with the increase of dizziness, delirium and sweating. Then there are the added difficulties of cross-country running – scraping through prickly bushes, standing on sharp rocks, getting jabbed by sticks and wading through icy cold streams. Altogether, it was Friday’s idea of hell. "
― R.A. Spratt , No Rules (Friday Barnes, #4)
