First published in Great Britain by HarperCollins Children’s Books in 2019
Published in this ebook edition in 2019
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Text copyright © Tibor Jones 2019
Cover design copyright © HarperCollinsPublishers 2019
Cover illustration by Alba Filella
Tibor Jones asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
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Source ISBN: 9780008211950
Ebook Edition © September 2019 ISBN: 9780008211967
Version: 2019-06-17
The students at Corpus Christi Primary School, Brixton, south London The coolest Agatha fans anywhere
Contents
4. All the Signs Point to Nowhere
7. A Message From Beyond the Grave
13. Out with the New, In with the Old
15. Will the Real Arthur Fitzwilliam Please Stand Up?
17. Chocolate Cake for Breakfast
Read all the Agatha Oddly adventures
‘You’ve been gazing at that painting for at least ten minutes.’
Liam appears at my side, head tilted in front of Vincent Van Gogh’s Sunflowers. It’s a Tuesday in November, and we’re in the National Gallery on a school trip. ‘You’d think it had one of those hidden pictures in it, the way you’ve been staring at it,’ he continues. ‘You know – the sort you can only see if you look at it for long enough?’
‘It’s just my favourite, that’s all,’ I say, smiling at him.
‘I can tell!’
‘Mum loved it too. She used to bring me to see it whenever we were passing this way.’
‘How many times have you visited this place, just to behold its beauty?’ He says the last bit dramatically, sweeping his arm round with a flourish, as if he’s reciting a very corny poem.
I laugh. ‘Quite a lot!’ Then I pause. ‘It looks different today, though.’
‘How do you mean?’
I point to the vase, where the name ‘Vincent’ appears in blue script. ‘Well, that bit’s the same shade as normal, but the flowers –’ I gesture to the yellow petals – ‘they’re paler and clearer, if that makes sense.’
‘Less orangey-brown?’ suggests Liam.
‘Exactly!’ I smile at him. Nobody gets me like Liam.
Liam shrugs. ‘Perhaps they’ve had it cleaned.’
‘That would make sense … although I was actually wondering if it was more to do with where it’s hanging now. I mean, they’ve moved it from its usual spot, to make it part of the Van Gogh exhibition, so maybe the lighting’s different.’
My