You’re Supposed to be a Big Girl, Virginia by Kate Arnold


A little girl has concerns about an old woman in a creepy house on the walk to school.

It’s the tiny details in this story that make it feel so real. The pet names, Ginny calling her mother by her first name for a spell (and the echoes of it later in the story), the constant presence of Underbite the lion.

…I’d got round the Scary Walk to School by holding Mum’s hand until the very last possible moment, then letting go of it just long enough to skip as fast as I could, past the rusty gate of the bungalow next door to the school. That way I wouldn’t ever again have time to see the aproned figure in the peeling turquoise porch, or notice the red clotted velvet curtains parting around that slow smile of sweetcorn dentures; the chicken fingers rippling a slow wave; the American Tan knees wide apart like open sesame.

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All featured authors

Abby ManzellaAD SchweissAlex DiFrancescoAlex Marzano-LesnevichAllison Field BellAmber BairdAmelia GrayAmorak HueyAmy DeBellisAndrea BishopAndrea CavedoAndrew Bertainaandrew rutledgeAnnalisa CrawfordAnne P. BeattyAnne PanningArthur H. MannersArthur MandalAvitus B. CarleBarlow AdamsBeth KanterBeth ShermanBethany CutkompBob JohnsonBrandon ForinashBrian D. HinsonBrian EvensonCaleb BetheaCamara S. GarrettCandace Leigh CoulombeCarly AlaimoCarmen Maria MachadoCasey McFadzeanCatherine LaceyCecily CarverCharlie RogerschatgptChris ScottChristian EscalonaChristine H. ChenCiara AlfaroClare ReddawayColeman BigelowColin AlexanderCorey FarrenkopfDana WallDavid SummerfieldDavid WatersDerek FisherDouglas A WrightElda OrozcoElise JeanmarieElissa LashElizabeth JannuzziElvira NavarroEmily AustinEmily HampsonEmily RinkemaEmily WaughErik CederblomErin StriffErin WoodÉva SzékelyEvan HannonFionnuala MeehanFrances GapperFrancesca LeaderGarret CroweGary FinneganGraham MortHannah GregoryHannah SmartJ. Haase VetterJ. Malcolm GarciaJ.R. DawsonJ.W. GollJack B BedellJake MaynardJamey GallagherJamie GillJay McKenzieJeanann VerleeJeff FriedmanJennifer PintoJisun ParkJoel Henry LittleJohn HaggertyJordan HarperJosh RankJP RelphJude DoyleJuliet Gelfman-RandazzoK. A. PolzinKara OakleafKaren HeulerKate ArnoldKate AxefordKatherine PlumhoffKatie ten HagenKaty GoforthKeegan LawlerKelli Dianne RuleKelly RobsonKevin Light-RothKevin SterneKevin WilsonKim FuKim MagowanKristen ArnettKyla HaningtonLaura ZapicoLena ValenciaLillie E. FranksLincoln MichelLindsay ComerM.A. BoswellM.E. ProctorMackenzie HurlbertMadeleine VigneronMarco VisciolaccioMarijean OldhamMarilyn DuarteMark IfansonMary HeitkampMegan CumminsMeghan Louise WagnerMichelle DrozdickMonte LinNatalie WartherNathan LeslieNick EkkizogloyP.R. O’LearyPatrick FealeyPete ProkeschPhebe JewellRachel OffordRobin BeckerRose HollanderRuth BrandtS.A. GreeneSadie Sartini GarnerSamanta SchweblinSamantha Xiao CodySara McKinneySarah GerardSarah Lynn HurdSarah MullensSarah PerrinSophie HamptonSpencer NitkeyStephen DixonSudha BalagopalSumitra SingamSusan PeraboTaffy Brodesser-AknerTaisiya KoganTam EastleyTed ChiangTerese SvobodaTim MaughanTimothy ReillyTracie Adams