The Midnight Foxes
Meet animal lover, Tiger Days! A brand-new young fiction series about animals, friendship and adventure by bestselling author Sarah Lean.Beautiful black-and-white illustrations throughout.When nine-year-old Tiger Days stays with her grandmother at Willowgate House she never knows what might happen… new friends to meet, animals to rescue and problems to solve!Tiger returns to Willowgate and discovers that a mysterious tunnel has appeared under the shed and someone – or something – has been burying eggs in the garden…Tiger and her friend Tom decides to become detectives – determined to crack the case!.At Willowgate House, no day is ever dull for Tiger!
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First published in Great Britain by HarperCollins Childrenâs Books in 2016
HarperCollins Childrenâs Books is a division of HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd,
1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF
The HarperCollins website address is: www.harpercollins.co.uk
Text © Sarah Lean 2016
Illustrations © Anna Currey 2016
Cover illustration © Simon Mendes
Cover design © HarperCollinsPublishers 2016
Sarah Lean asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of the work.
Anna Currey asserts the moral right to be identified as the illustrator of the work.
A catalogue copy for this book is available from the British Library.
All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins.
Source ISBN: 9780008165734
Ebook Edition © 2016 ISBN: 9780008165741
Version: 2016-08-09
For Sophie
Tiger Days loved tigers. She often wore tiger-print pyjamas, socks and slippers and used to spend all her time indoors drawing pictures of tigers. Ever since sheâd been to stay with her grandmother, May Days, at her new house, Tiger was beginning to be more adventurous. May Days used to live on a wildlife reserve in Africa but now lived in a large old house in the countryside, called Willowgate House. Even now, she sometimes looked after animals that were in need of helping hands. There were lots of repairs to be made at Willowgate, and while the house was being fixed up, May Days and Tiger slept in a tent in the great, unexplored garden.
It was spring, warm and bright, and Tiger was on her way to visit her grandmother but there was a long journey in the car first. Tiger was eager to arrive and see May Days again, as there was still so much to find out about each other.
Excitement swirled in Tigerâs tummy with his grandfather next door. Tiger was also looking forward to seeing Holly Days â a white cat who had made her home at Willowgate even before May Days had moved in. She was the kind of cat that did as she pleased and Tiger thought of Holly as belonging to the house, rather than to anyone in particular. Holly had a mind of her own and was quite in charge of herself, but Tiger and the cat had become firm friends during Tigerâs last stay.
The car pulled up at the end of the drive, where Tiger had last seen Holly. Obviously Holly wasnât still sitting there, but when Tiger jumped out of the car to open the gate she looked around, hoping the cat was nearby. There was no sign of Holly, but May Days was already jogging down the drive to greet them. Tiger smiled and ran to meet her grandmother, while Dad drove up the drive.
âMay Days!â said Tiger as the two of them flung their arms round each other.
âIâm so happy to see you all over again,â said May Days, planting a big kiss on Tigerâs cheek. The garden smelled of new grass and warm breezes and Tiger hoped sheâd find everything else just as before.
In the kitchen, Mr Days had lots to talk about with his mother over gallons of tea, which Tiger didnât mind too much as she was now desperate to find the cat.
âWhereâs Holly?â she said.
âThat cat is still a bit of a mystery,â May Days said. âWhy donât you go and see if you can find her?â
Holly was not in any of the rooms downstairs, or hiding in any of the chimneys, or behind any doors. She wasnât upstairs in the bath, or in the bedrooms, or inside the cupboard with the lift in the wall where Tiger had first discovered her. Outside, Holly was not in the porch, nor sitting on the windowsills, nor in the tent.
Tiger called and called but no blossom-white cat came padding through the garden. Tiger anxiously went to her grandmother with empty news and worrying fears.
âWhat if something terrible has happened to her?â Tiger said, in the comfort of her grandmotherâs arms.
Every day May Days left out a bowl of food for Holly and the next day it would be empty, even though May Days didnât always see the cat.
âYou know what Holly is like,â May Days reassured Tiger. âShe suddenly turns up, just like that, looking quite content. That cat certainly knows how to look after herself and Iâm sure sheâll come when sheâs ready.â
Before long it was time for Tigerâs dad to return home.
âWhat if Holly doesnât come?â Tiger said quietly, with a tremble.
