# Mr Charlie Chumpkins - the little friend that we'd all love to have (7 - 12)



## Helen Laycock (Apr 10, 2012)

*...the little friend that we'd all love to have.*​


*Mr Charlie Chumpkins* *£1.02*
*Mr Charlie Chumpkins* *$1.49*

*Suitable for readers aged 7 - 12*​
*Imagine Sam's shock when he discovers that a tiny man, Charlie Chumpkins, has been living under his bed for some time and imagine, too, the pressure of keeping his little friend a secret. Sam manages to come to the rescue each time Charlie gets himself mixed up in a mishap... and there are plenty of them, from being catapulted into a tree, to being dyed blue to falling into a supermarket freezer.

But what will happen when a campsite bully discovers Charlie on holiday and sends him up in a model aeroplane? Can miniature Charlie ever survive the immense power of the sea?

And what surprise does the magician have in store at Sam's birthday party?*

*There is a sequel to this:**The Further Mishaps of Charlie Chumpkins* *£1.02/$1.55*​
*~Nine children's books are available by Helen Laycock. Look out for the other threads.~*​


----------



## Helen Laycock (Apr 10, 2012)

​
*'An enjoyable and exciting read. This unbelievable event (the appearance of a tiny man under Sam's bed) is very cleverly introduced in a way which makes it seem quite ordinary; most young boys have rubbish under their beds, ask their mothers, and it would not seem surprising to most of them that Charlie has existed on the leavings from Sam's breakfast. The little man moves into Charlie's life and his adventures in the larger world are portrayed in an exciting but realistic way. The reader is carried along through a series of problems which would exist if one was as small as Charlie and when the end of the story approaches it becomes obvious that we must wait for the next book to resolve his latest escapade!'*


----------



## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

Helen,

Welcome again to the Book Bazaar and congratulations on your new book![br][br]KBoards is a Kindle fan and reader forum. As you browse KBoards, keep in mind that *self-promotion, of any sort, is ONLY allowed in the Book Bazaar*. (You've posted your book thread in the right place; this is just our standard welcome that we place in all book threads. ) [br][br]A brief recap of our rules follows: [br][br]*--Please bookmark this thread (using your browser's bookmark/favorite function) so you can update it as we ask that authors have only one thread per book and add to it when there is more information.* You may start a separate thread for each book (or you may have one thread per series of books, or one thread for all of your books, it's your choice). [br][br]--We invite you to use your book cover as your avatar and have links to your book and website in your signature. Instructions are posted here [br][br]--While you may respond to member posts to your thread at any time, *you may only bump your thread (back-to-back posts by you) once every seven days*. Once you've responded to a member, that resets the clock to zero and you must wait seven days to post, unless another member posts before then. You may modify the latest post to reflect new information. [br][br]--We ask that Amazon reviews not be repeated here as they are easy to find at your book link. Also, full reviews from other sites should not be posted here, but you may post a short blurb and a link to the full review instead. [br][br]--Although *self-promotion is limited to the Book Bazaar*, our most successful authors have found the best way to promote their books is to be as active throughout KBoards as time allows. This is your target audience--book lovers with Kindles! Please note that putting link information in the body of your posts outside the Book Bazaar constitutes self promotion; please leave your links for your profile signature that will automatically appear on each post. For information on more ways to promote here on KBoards, be sure to check out this thread: Authors: KBoards Tips & FAQ. [br][br]All this, and more, is included in our Forum Decorum: http://www.kboards.com/index.php/topic,36.0.html. Be sure to check it from time to time for the current guidelines and rules. [br][br]Thanks for being part of KBoards! Feel free to send us a PM if you have any questions. [br][br]Betsy & Ann [br]Book Bazaar Moderators


----------



## Helen Laycock (Apr 10, 2012)

*Mr Charlie Chumpkins* (U.S.) *£1.02*
*Mr Charlie Chumpkins* (U.K.)* $1.49*​
*Can life really be that difficult when you're the size of a thumb?**
*​*

To find out what happens next, check out ​
The Further Mishaps of Charlie Chumpkins $1.49
The Further Mishaps of Charlie Chumpkins £1.02

​*


----------



## Helen Laycock (Apr 10, 2012)

*Mr Charlie Chumpkins* *£1.02*
*Mr Charlie Chumpkins* *$1.49*

*Suitable for readers aged 7 - 12*​
*Imagine Sam's shock when he discovers that a tiny man, **[size=14pt]Charlie Chumpkins, has been living under his bed for some time and imagine, too, the pressure of keeping his little friend a secret. Sam manages to come to the rescue each time Charlie gets himself mixed up in a mishap... and there are plenty of them, from being catapulted into a tree, to being dyed blue to falling into a supermarket freezer.

But what will happen when a campsite bully discovers Charlie on holiday and sends him up in a model aeroplane?Can miniature Charlie ever survive the immense power of the sea?

[size=14pt]And what surprise does the magician have in store at Sam's birthday party?​​
To find out what happens next, take a look at

The Further Mishaps of Charlie Chumpkins £1.02

The Further Mishaps of Charlie Chumpkins $1.49

​​*


----------



## Helen Laycock (Apr 10, 2012)

​
*Mr Charlie Chumpkins* *£1.02*
*Mr Charlie Chumpkins* *$1.49*​
*...and don't forget the sequel:*​


*The Further Mishaps of Charlie Chumpkins* *£1.02*
*The Further Mishaps of Charlie Chumpkins* *$1.49*​


----------



## Helen Laycock (Apr 10, 2012)

​
*If you liked The Borrowers or Stuart Little, you're going to love tiny Charlie Chumpkins as he gets into all sorts of adventures in the big, wide world.*​
*Only £1.02/$1.49*


----------



## Helen Laycock (Apr 10, 2012)

​
*£1.02 or $1.49*​
*A tiny man and a whole lot of trouble!*


----------



## Helen Laycock (Apr 10, 2012)

​
Was I imagining it? Did I really have in my hand what I thought I had? I could still feel it, soft and warm. I just had to have another peek. I slowly slid my hand out of the covers and uncurled my fingers. I was right. I had seen it properly the first time!

For there, in my hand, was a tiny, but very real little man. His eyes were tightly closed and his fists were clenched down by his sides. He was as stiff as anything.

'I don't believe it,' I gasped.

He opened one eye and looked at me. Then he looked around. He opened the other eye, then slapped his hands over his face. Slowly his fingers spread apart and he peeped through the gaps.

'Oh... pah! Pah! Pah!' he stormed, his little feet writhing up and down in anger. 'I've been caught! I knew it! I knew it! I should have been more careful. I just knew it!'

His little face reddened and again, he shut his eyes tight and screwed up his little face. I examined him closely. He was wearing brown and green checked trousers, a green velvet waistcoat and gold pocket watch, a very fetching silk cravat in gold and a sort of tweedy jacket. He was real! Yet so tiny! All I could do was stare.

'What are you looking at? Put me down!' he snapped.

I sat him on top of my mountainous raised knees. He clambered to his feet and, whoosh, slid straight down onto my lap. He lay on his back, rubbing his head and right knee.

'What a fine way to treat a gentleman!'

DON'T FORGET THE SEQUEL: The Further Mishaps of Charlie Chumpkins​


----------



## Helen Laycock (Apr 10, 2012)

*Mr Charlie Chumpkins*​ *£1.02/$1.49*​*...the little friend that we'd all love to have.*​
​
And to find out what happens next, don't forget *The Further Mishaps of Charlie Chumpkins* *£1.02/£1.49*​
​


----------



## Helen Laycock (Apr 10, 2012)

*Meet* *tiny* *Charlie* *in
*



Mr Charlie Chumpkins *£1.02 or $1.49*​


----------



## Helen Laycock (Apr 10, 2012)

*Mr Charlie Chumpkins*​
​
*...like The Borrowers, but contemporary - and there's only one of him!*

*For more tiny triumphs, take a look at* 

*The Further Mishaps of Charlie Chumpkins*​
*£1.02 or $1.49 per book

*​


----------



## Helen Laycock (Apr 10, 2012)

*Here is an extract from the chapter where tiny Charlie has fallen from the supermarket trolley into one of the freezers. Sam is desperate to find him, but is stopped in his tracks by an elderly customer...*

*I felt my upper arm being grabbed and looked down to see a wrinkled hand attached to a bony arm of an old lady muffled up in a winter coat and woolly hat.

'Excuse me, son,' she warbled. 'My eyes are not so good now. Mind you, when I was a girl they were sharp as a kestrel's.' She paused for a moment to have a giggle, encouraging me to join in by slapping me in a friendly manner in the same place she had a moment ago gripped me. I was starting to become quite battered. 'Do you need glasses?' she enquired, peering into my face, her head tilted to one side.

'Oh, no, no,' I replied, desperate to get away. 'Can I help you with something?'

'Ah, what a well-mannered boy. Isn't he a well-mannered boy?' she enthused to a nearby shopper who nodded obligingly. 'I said to my Wilfred - that's my cat - I said to him the other day, you know, Wilfred, it's not all true what they say about these teenagers. They're not all hooligans, you know. Are you a teenager?'

'No, not yet,' I hurriedly replied. 'Now what was it you wanted help with?'

'What about a hooligan? You don't look like one. You haven't got any of these piercings that are all the rage, have you?'

'No, nothing like that. So, what was it -?'

'What about tattoos? Now they're all right, though probably not for a youngster like you. My Albert - that's my late husband, bless his soul - he had tattoos. Ever so manly, they were. He was in the Navy, you know...'

The old lady sank into a daydream. I picked up a bag of carrots and touched her arm gently. 'Ahem, was it these you were needing help with?'

'Carrots? Oh no. They're fine. It was this mixed veg I was wondering about. Could you just check the ingredients for me and tell me if they contain sprouts. I can't eat sprouts, you know.'

She leaned forward and in a hushed voice confided, 'They give me wind.'*


----------



## Helen Laycock (Apr 10, 2012)

Sam is just an ordinary boy, who does the types of things ordinary boys do... but he has a friend who is far from ordinary. 
Meet the tiny *Mr Charlie Chumpkins!*http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B006RIUNU6/?tag=kb1-21http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B006RIUNU6/?tag=kb1-21​

[url=http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B006RIUNU6/?tag=kb1-21]​
*£1.02 or $1.49*​
...and when you've finished, don't forget the sequel [url=http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B006YY291Y/?tag=kb1-21]*The Further Mishaps of Charlie Chumpkins*​

​


----------



## Helen Laycock (Apr 10, 2012)

​
*Mr Charlie Chumpkins**, the best friend we'd all love to have...*​
*£1.02/$1.49*​


----------



## Helen Laycock (Apr 10, 2012)

​
*For readers aged 7 - 12*

_*follow the adventures of tiny Charlie in*
_​
*Mr Charlie Chumpkins* *£1.02/$1.49* and *The Further Mishaps of Charlie Chumpkins* *£1.02/$1.49*​


----------



## Helen Laycock (Apr 10, 2012)

​
*£1.02 or $1.49*​
*A tiny man and a whole lot of trouble!*


----------



## Helen Laycock (Apr 10, 2012)

*Mr Charlie Chumpkins*​ *£1.02/$1.49*​*...the little friend that we'd all love to have.*​
​
_And to find out what happens next, don't forget_ *The Further Mishaps of Charlie Chumpkins* *£1.02/£1.49*​
​


----------



## Helen Laycock (Apr 10, 2012)

​
*Mr Charlie Chumpkins* *£1.02*
*Mr Charlie Chumpkins* *$1.49*​
*...and don't forget the sequel:*​


*The Further Mishaps of Charlie Chumpkins* *£1.02*
*The Further Mishaps of Charlie Chumpkins* *$1.49*​


----------



## Helen Laycock (Apr 10, 2012)

*Poor Charlie...
He suffers catastrophe after catastrophe.

Here is a short excerpt from the chapter where he accompanies Sam to school for the first time. Charlie is travelling in the front pocket of Sam's schoolbag when the school bully, Tony Mills, appears:*

*I was suddenly stopped in my tracks. Tony Mills, a foot taller than me and twice as wide, was blocking my path, his hands in his pockets and his elbows winged out on either side of him.

'Someone's very keen to get to school today,' he sneered. I moved to the left to get round him. Tony moved too. I dodged to the right and, like my shadow, Tony was in front of me again.

'I fink lickle boys like you need somefink to keep you busy. You wouldn't want Teacher getting the wrong expression and finking you like school, now, would you?'

With that, he grabbed my bag and threw it high into one of the trees that lined the avenue. He turned and strode off, laughing, in the direction of two other boys from my year who were comparing the contents of their lunchboxes on a nearby garden wall.

I screwed up my eyes in the sunlight that was glinting through the leaves of the tree and looked for my bag. It was caught high up and was upside down! I looked for a way up. Even the lowest branches were too high for me to reach.

Taking a deep breath, I clung to the trunk and grasping it with my legs, dug in my heels and pushed myself upwards. Slowly and painfully I ascended.

'Charlie!' I whispered in as loud a whisper I could muster without it being audible to anyone who might be passing by.

'Charlie! Are you alright?'

There was no reply. With a lump in my throat I thought about him dangling from the bag, clinging on for dear life.*


----------



## Helen Laycock (Apr 10, 2012)

*Sam buys Charlie his new home:*

Just then the silver garage door swung up and over the head of Mr.Parfitt. Inside there were two trestle tables piled high with all sorts of toys. There were dolls, furry rabbits, a drum, and there on the edge of the left-hand table was the Dolls' House. I suddenly heard footsteps behind me. More customers! It was Astrid and Jenny clutching their purses.

It was now or never. I sprinted down the driveway and into the garage, just as Mr. Parfitt was disappearing through the door at the back of the garage that led to the kitchen.

'Uh, can I buy the dolls' house, please,' I panted, '...for my cousin's birthday? She's a girl,' I added quickly. He stepped back into the garage, the kitchen door slowly closing behind him. I glanced at the price tag - two pounds.

'I've got the right money,' I smiled, trying very hard to look sweet for the second time that day.

Mr. Parfitt pulled back his sleeve and looked at his watch. It wasn't quite half-past. I was glad Holly and Sarah hadn't appeared yet.

'Go on then, as it's for a birthday present,' Mr. Parfitt chuckled, 'though you are a bit early. I'll pass the money on to the girls. They'll be sorry they've missed the first sale, though. They're still upstairs doing their hair!' He winked at me, man-to-man.

I delved into my pocket, pulled out my money and handed over two shiny coins.

'Thanks!' I shouted over my shoulder as I jogged away with my prize.

Astrid and Jenny had stopped to talk to Claire Taylor at the end of the drive. I'm sure they gave me a funny look as I passed them clutching the big white house with pink gingham curtains.

'It's for my cousin,' I felt obliged to explain as I hurried away, awkwardly crossing my fingers. 'She's a girl!'


*Mr Charlie Chumpkins*

​
* £1.02 or $1.49*​


----------



## Helen Laycock (Apr 10, 2012)

*Mr Charlie Chumpkins*

​
* £1.02 or $1.49*​
*A little price for the very big adventures of a little man!*​


----------



## Helen Laycock (Apr 10, 2012)

*Mr Charlie Chumpkins* (U.S.) *£1.02*
*Mr Charlie Chumpkins* (U.K.)* $1.55*​
*Can life really be that difficult when you're the size of a thumb?

...Oh, yes!**
*​*

To find out what happens next, check out ​
The Further Mishaps of Charlie Chumpkins $1.52
The Further Mishaps of Charlie Chumpkins £1.02

​*


----------



## Helen Laycock (Apr 10, 2012)

There was really no space into which to move the peas, as the freezer compartment was full to the brim each side, so I began hurling them behind my back into my trolley, but, Disaster of all Disasters, my aim was not accurate and a packet of petits pois landed in the centre of the aisle and split. Peas rolled in every direction like tiny marbles. Unsuspecting customers began to lose their footing. Throwing their arms up into the air and bowling them round and round into giant circles, they did their utmost to remain upright. Some of them would have fared very well in the circus, I'm sure.

Suddenly, I was aware of a very familiar figure striding towards me. It was Dad, his arms swinging widely and his legs seeming to cover metres with each step as he targeted in on me. He was pushing another trolley which was half full of provisions. I made a final grab for Charlie and pushed him into my trouser pocket. I let my right hand dangle loosely in front of it for it was vibrating wildly as Charlie shivered inside. My thigh became very cold very quickly and I longed to rub it, but that would have been very problematic.

'What are you playing at, Sam?' interrogated Dad, as he surveyed the contents of the trolley and the chaos surrounding us in the aisle.
'There was I, almost at the end of the list, or so I thought, when I turned around, found you gone and uproar erupting at the frozen peas! I've had to finish the shopping by myself.'

'I... er...' I began, struggling to find a plausible explanation as two shop assistants arrived at the scene with 'hazard' warning cones and sweeping brushes.

'I realised I had dropped my watch in the freezer when I picked up the peas, so I came back to get it,' I explained hopefully.

Shaking his head, Dad unloaded the cartload of peas I had collected and ushered me towards the checkout.

We drove home in silence, apart from the odd sneeze emanating from my pocket. Luckily, Dad didn't notice the wet patch that had formed on the front of my trousers.

I ran upstairs, retrieved Charlie, whose teeth still intermittently chattered. He looked utterly woebegone.

'Come on, Charlie. Let's get you out of these wet things,' I soothed.

Charlie was too cold to disagree, even to preserve his usual modesty and for once, quite happily changed into Action Man's combat gear, with sleeves and trouser legs rolled up. I helped to tuck him up in bed for an early night, then went downstairs to slop in front of the T.V. in my pyjamas.

When it was finally time for me to go to bed, Mum came up to tuck me in and to have 'a quiet little word'.

'I noticed you had a little accident today, love.'

Trust Mum to have noticed the wet patch.

'Don't ever be afraid to come and tell me or your Dad, will you? It could happen to anyone. I've put the potty by the bed... just in case.'

The indignity of it! I nodded silently and blushed scarlet.

And from beneath the bed an obviously recovering Charlie emitted a quite distinctive, 'Hee hee hee a-tishoooo!'




*Mr Charlie Chumpkins
*

*£1.02 $1.55*

*Charlie Chumpkins...you've got to love him!*

         ​


----------



## Helen Laycock (Apr 10, 2012)

​


*Mr Charlie Chumpkins* *£1.02*
*Mr Charlie Chumpkins* *$1.68*

*Suitable for readers aged 7 - 12*​
         ​


----------



## Helen Laycock (Apr 10, 2012)

*Mr Charlie Chumpkins* (U.S.) *£1.02*
*Mr Charlie Chumpkins* (U.K.)* $1.68*​
*Can life really be that difficult when you're the size of a thumb?**
*​*

To find out what happens next, check out ​
The Further Mishaps of Charlie Chumpkins $1.68
The Further Mishaps of Charlie Chumpkins £1.02

​*


----------



## Helen Laycock (Apr 10, 2012)

​
*Mr Charlie Chumpkins and The Further Mishaps of Charlie Chumpkins (the sequel)

~Two light-hearted adventures
Can life really be that difficult when you're the size of a thumb?*​
  ​


----------



## Helen Laycock (Apr 10, 2012)

*Mr Charlie Chumpkins* (U.S.) *£1.02*
*Mr Charlie Chumpkins* (U.K.)* $1.49*​
*He's tiny - and in loads of trouble!**
*​*

To find out what happens next, check out ​
The Further Mishaps of Charlie Chumpkins $1.49
The Further Mishaps of Charlie Chumpkins £1.02

​*


----------



## Helen Laycock (Apr 10, 2012)

*Mr Charlie Chumpkins*​ *£1.02/$1.49*​*...the little friend that we'd all love to have.*​
​
And to find out what happens next, don't forget *The Further Mishaps of Charlie Chumpkins* *£1.02/£1.49*​
​


----------



## Helen Laycock (Apr 10, 2012)

​
*Mr Charlie Chumpkins* *£1.02*
*Mr Charlie Chumpkins* *$1.49*​
*...and don't forget the sequel:*​


*The Further Mishaps of Charlie Chumpkins* *£1.02*
*The Further Mishaps of Charlie Chumpkins* *$1.49*​


----------



## Helen Laycock (Apr 10, 2012)

What boy doesn't have mess under his bed?​
Sam is no different to any of his friends in that respect... but he does have something, or _someone_, that is a little out of the ordinary underneath his bed - a quirky little fellow called Mr Charlie Chumpkins, and when I say 'little' I mean little!

You can find out what happens as Charlie fits into Sam's life in the following books:

Mr Charlie Chumpkins


The Further Mishaps of Charlie Chumpkins


Each at *£1.02*

And available in the U.S. 
Mr Charlie Chumpkins *$1.72 *
The Further Mishaps of Charlie Chumpkins *$1.68*

Many other children's books are available on my Author Page, plus several publications for adults.
​


----------

