Read Online Longest Whale Song by Jacqueline Wilson - Free Book Online Page A

Anderson,’ says Joseph. ‘They’re all frayed like old hairbrushes.’
    Joseph nearly always knows the answers to everything. Some of the naughtiest boys groan and mimic his voice.
    Miss Anderson frowns. ‘Shh, now! Well done, Joseph.’
    â€˜And there are sixty-six toothed whales,’ saysJoseph. Sometimes he forgets and gives answers without even being asked.
    â€˜So my whale’s a toothed whale,’ I say.
    â€˜Ah, he’s certainly got lots of teeth,’ says Miss Anderson. ‘But as you say, he’s very big, with a massive head. That means he’s more likely to be a baleen whale. They like to scoop huge mouthfuls of food from the sea and strain it through their baleen.’
    â€˜I eat spaghetti like that, Miss Anderson,’ says Toby, laughing.
    He’s the largest boy in our class. We’re not allowed to call him fat, but he is.
    â€˜Now, Ella, I think you’d better settle down and copy from Sally’s notes,’ says Miss Anderson. ‘Why weren’t you taking your own notes, hm?’
    â€˜I like drawing whales, Miss Anderson.’
    â€˜Well, perhaps you can draw me one for homework. You can borrow a book from the book box and copy a picture, making sure all the details are accurate.’
    â€˜Can I draw a whale for homework too, Miss Anderson?’ asks Joseph.
    â€˜Of course you can, Joseph,’ she says, smiling at him.
    Miss Anderson tries hard not to have favourites, but we all know she’d choose Joseph if she had one.
    When the bell goes, she beckons both of us to the book box. ‘There we are. Choose a book each,’ she says.
    I flip through and pick out a little book on fish.
    â€˜Whales aren’t actually
fish
, Ella, they’re mammals,’ says Joseph, very gently and tactfully. He holds out his own great huge whale book. ‘You can have this one if you like. It’s the best in the box.’
    â€˜Thank you, Joseph. But it’s OK, I’ll take this one.’ I select a very thin book with big print.
    â€˜Are you sure? That one doesn’t look as if it’s got much information,’ Joseph says earnestly.
    â€˜I just need a picture to copy, don’t I?’
    â€˜I suppose.’
    â€˜Off you go then, little whalers,’ says Miss Anderson. She gives me a gentle pat. ‘Will you be going up to the hospital to see your mum today, Ella?’
    I nod.
    â€˜Well, you give her a big hug then, won’t you?’ she says.
    â€˜Miss Anderson,’ I say in a rush. ‘Miss Anderson, you know Mum’s in a coma? Well, will she ever wake up?’
    I stare at her imploringly. She stops looking like a great big teacher who knows everything. She suddenly looks much smaller, and scared.
    â€˜I hope so, Ella,’ she says. ‘Lots of people recover from comas. You read about it all the time.’
    â€˜But lots of other people . . . don’t recover,’ I whisper.
    Miss Anderson doesn’t answer. She looks very sad. Then I hear a sniff. It’s not me, not Miss Anderson. It’s Joseph!
    We both peer at him, astonished.
    â€˜I’m sorry,’ he says. ‘It must be so awful for you, Ella.’
    â€˜It is,’ I say.
    I’m very touched that he’s really crying for Mum and me. I’ve always quite liked Joseph because he’s never rough and silly like most of the other boys and he often says interesting things. Now I decide I like him quite a lot. In fact, if he wasn’t a boy I’d want him as my second-best friend, after Sally.
    She comes running back into the classroom, with Dory and Martha following her.
    â€˜Sorry, Miss Anderson, but Ella’s dad’s out in the playground and he’s getting worried because she hasn’t come out of school yet.’
    â€˜My
dad
!’ I say, and I rush off to find him, not even saying goodbye to Miss Anderson and Joseph. Sally and Dory and Martha come running after