Annie Was Warned Read online

  THIS IS A BORZOI BOOK PUBLISHED BY ALFRED A. KNOPF

  Copyright © 2003 by Jarrett J. Krosoczka

  All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. • Published in the United States by Alfred A. Knopf, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books, a division of Random House, Inc., New York, and simultaneously in Canada by Random House of Canada Limited, Toronto.

  Distributed by Random House, Inc., New York.

  KNOPF, BORZOI BOOKS, and the colophon are registered trademarks of Random House, Inc.

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

  Krosoczka, Jarrett. • Annie was warned / by Jarrett J. Krosoczka. —— p. cm.

  SUMMARY: Disregarding warnings about the creepy mansion outside of town, Annie bravely goes to investigate on Halloween night and gets a big surprise.

  ISBN 978-0-375-81567-6 (trade) — eISBN: 978-0-375-98375-7 (ebook)

  [1. Haunted houses——Fiction.

  2. Halloween——Fiction. 3. Surprise——Fiction. 4. Birthdays——Fiction.] I. Title. • PZ7.K935An 2003 • [E]——dc21 • A special acknowledgment to Ann Ritter and her indelible sense of style • www.randomhouse.com/kids

  v3.1

  Title Page

  Copyright

  First Page

  About the Author

  On Halloween night, Annie sneaked out to the creepy old Montgomery mansion.

  Annie’s parents told her not to go. “It’s got bats,” they warned.

  “Bats don’t scare me!” Annie said.

  Annie’s big sister said she should stay away. “It’s full of creepy spiders,” she cautioned.

  “I like spiders.” Annie smiled.

  Annie’s friend James nodded. “That place is haunted, all right,” he said with a shudder. Then he grinned. “I dare you to go!”

  Annie was warned …

  … but Annie wasn’t scared.

  She stole down the quiet street. The moon was shining.

  The wind was howling. The tall trees swayed in the breeze. But Annie wasn’t afraid of anything! After all, she was born on Halloween night.

  Out of the corner of her eye, she saw something black fly by! Was it a bat?

  But there was only a cat, licking its paws.

  Annie turned the corner and crept across the churchyard. Something tickled the back of her neck! Was it a spider?

  Annie spun around. It was just the leaves falling from the trees.

  The mansion loomed large in the night. Annie thought she heard whispers. Was it haunted?

  Annie took a deep breath and began to climb the stairs.

  “SURPRISE!”

  It was the best scare she’d ever had.

  Jarrett J. Krosoczka

  is the author and illustrator of many popular children's books, including Max for President, Punk Farm, Punk Farm on Tour, and the award-winning Lunch Lady comics series. A graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design, Jarrett now lives with his wife and daughter and their pug, Ralph Macchio, in Northampton, Massachusetts, where they never miss the chance to attend a Halloween costume party. You can visit his Web site at www.studiojjk.com.

 

 

  Jarrett J. Krosoczka, Annie Was Warned

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