My name is Thomas Reginald Hudson, but I go by Tommy. I’m five years old, and I live in a town called Wendover with my mummy, daddy, and twin sister Alice. We also have a cat named Poofy because he has poofy fur and I have a stuffed elepant named Roger who I’ve had since I was a baby. I’m taller than most boys my age because Mummy makes me eat lots of green veggies, which she said makes me grow big and strong. Alice and I are twins, but we are fraternal twins, which means we don’t look very much alike. We both have dark hair and brown eyes like Daddy. We don’t look very much like Mummy, which is silly because she is our mum. 

Mummy and Daddy are my favorite people ever! Alice is also my favorite, but sometimes we don’t get along, so she becomes my least favorite. Mummy loves to call me and Alice a miracle, and Daddy calls me his special little guy. I like being called a miracle because a miracle is something really cool, so that makes me really cool! I’m Daddy’s special little guy because I’m his only son, which makes me special to him. Mummy and Daddy always make me feel very loved and special. They say me and Alice being born is the best thing that ever happened to them. Mummy works as a nurse in a hospital, helping people get the babies out of their stomachs so the baby can become a real person. This means she works for a long time every few days, and sometimes, I don’t even get to see her, which makes me sad. Daddy stays home and cares for me and Alice while Mummy works. On the weekend, Daddy’s job is to go to the old people’s home near us and teach them how to paint. Daddy is really good at painting. He says I’m also good, too, which is good because I also want to be a painter when I grow up. 

I really love to make things! I’ve made many Play-Doh sculptures, finger-painting pictures, and crayon drawings. My favorite things to draw are elephants, which are my favorite animals. I love how they are so big but look so cute, too! I’ve drawn a lot of drawings of Roger and I think they are very good. I also enjoy dancing, singing songs with Mummy, and watching cartoons. My favorite cartoon to watch is Bluey because she is very silly. My favorite food is spaghetti with meatballs because it’s yummy. Sometimes, Mummy makes giant meatballs, which are silly and taste so yummy. I also enjoy taking walks with my family every Sunday. We like to walk around the town and through the trees on Sunday afternoons. It’s a nice way to spend time with my family and get some exercise. However, I really don’t like bugs, lizards, or snakes. They scare me because I’m worried they’re going to bite me. One time, we walked in the summer and saw a giant snake. I kept screaming and crying because I was worried it was going to bite me. A snake bite is a bad thing not only because they hurt but also because they are poisonous, which means it could kill you. Mummy and Daddy sometimes take Alice and me to church, mainly around Christmas. I like going to church at Christmas because the songs are pretty, and if you close your eyes, you can imagine you’re in any story you want to be in.  

Tomorrow is my first day of school at Crunchem Hall, and I’m really nervous! Alice and I will be in the same class, which is alright, but I’m also in the same class as my friend Nigel. I’m friends with Nigel because we live on the same street and my Mummy and Daddy and his Mum and Mummy are friends. Nigel and I like to play pretend to be soldiers and fight each other. I like to be mean to Nigel, but only pretend mean because he is my best friend. I’m really happy he’s in my class! Our teacher is Miss Honey. Mummy and Daddy met her last week, and they said she’s really lovely. I’m glad she’s nice because I’ve heard a lot of people at Crunchem Hall are mean, but not in a pretend way. My cousin Louisa is a Year 6 student at Crunchem Hall, and she’s told me many scary stories. The school’s headmistress is named Miss Trunchbull, a big, tall, scary woman who likes to throw hammers. She has something called Chokey that she sends children to when they misbehave. Chokey is full of broken glass, spikes, and nails, so it really hurts inside it. Louisa’s never been in it, but her friend James did, and he told her that it was the worst place he’d ever been to. He had a cut on his leg so bad he had to get stitches! I don’t know why Mummy and Daddy are making me attend this school. If I’m a special little guy, why must I go to a place so scary? I will be good and not misbehave so I don’t have to go to Chokey. I haven’t even met Miss Trunchbull yet; she scares me.  

After starting school, I’ve decided that my favorite subject is art and then reading. Art is fun because it’s a secret class Miss Honey teaches. She brings out crayons, paint, and colorful paper from under her desk for us to create art with. Miss Honey says we must keep art hidden from Miss Trunchbull because she doesn’t like it when children are creative. I like Miss Honey because she likes us to use our imagination! She is very nice to us which makes coming to school easier. I like the pretty dresses she wears because they are colorful and most of the school has no color. She also smells like hot cocoa which is a very pleasant smell! I feel bad because Miss Trunchbull is so mean to Miss Honey. I wish Miss Honey would stand up for herself, but then I remember how much Trunchbul scares me and I understand why she can’t. 

I really want to have fun and learn new things, which we do in Miss Honey’s class, but Miss Trunchbull keeps us from having fun and learning anything. The Trunchbull likes to make us do Phys-Ed, which is when you have to do lots of jumping jacks and squats and run all over the place until you can’t feel your legs. Phys-Ed is my least favorite part of school because it’s not fun, and I’m not learning anything. But since I’m little and Miss Trunchbull is big, I can do nothing to stop her. My classmate Matilda is good at standing up to Trunchbull and doesn’t seem scared of her. I wish I was more like Matilda that way, but sometimes my heart starts beating so fast, and it won’t stop until I calm myself down. Miss Honey taught me how to breathe to calm myself down, and it’s really helpful. You have to breathe in for 10 seconds, hold your breath for 10 seconds, then breathe out for 10 seconds, and keep going until you feel better. Breathing helps me focus on the good, fun things in my life. Miss Trunchbull is the worst, but once she’s gone for good, I know school will always be fun, and I will always learn new things. Sometimes, you must put up with the bad things until someone brave like Matilda inspires you to be brave, too.