The Nicholas Club

Paper Planes

2011-07-21T08:18:00.000-07:00

Hello again!

Our teacher told us that the Minister will come to visit again our school and she said this time we don't have to sing “La Marseillaise” anymore because we forget the words all the time. The Head suggested we make some arts & crafts to show the Minister we are creative but nobody liked the idea because arts and crafts are for girls and we really just like to play football. But teacher said it was a good idea and we can make colourful paper planes and hang them on strings in the ceiling and make a giant banner that says “Welcome, Minister.” I like planes because I want to be a pilot when I grow up.

She distributed art paper but we all complained because everyone wants to have the same colour blue. Black is sad, pink are for girls and violet is not just right. She ran out of colour blue so Alec got colour pink and he cried because he said he wasn’t a girl. Teacher told him he could go to the corner and eat his croissant while we make our paper planes. When we finally made ‘em, nobody really wanted to tie them up on a string. When the Minister came, the whole classroom was full of flying blue paper planes. We were so happy but the Minister still has the same sad face as last year.

Your friend,
Nicholas

Geoffrey's kick

2011-06-19T06:00:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone,

I came home very sore today and had some bruises on my knee. Eddie went to karate class this summer and was showing off his new moves in the playground and we all gathered around him. He really made a high kick in the air and we said wow but hit Geoffrey in the face and he fell on the floor. Geoffrey started crying and called Eddie a nit and tried to punch him in the nose but Eddie got away and started running.

They ran around the playground and we all ran to follow them. Rufus was sitting down with Alec and eating croissants and we stepped on them so everyone got cross. Rufus threw Alec’s croissants on Eddie’s face. Alec thumped Rufus on his head and said he now wants to go home because he’s still hungry.

And me? I fell because I didn’t see Alec’s big lunchbox in the ground. The blood squirted from my knee and I thought I was dying and everyone stopped to see my bruise. The teacher came to bring me in the clinic and I heard Geoffrey say he will ask his dad to hire the number 1 karate teacher in

France

so he can kick Eddie back in the face. When I went home, mum asked me if it was painful and gave me a delicious pudding.

Your friend,
Nicholas

Louise's birthday

2011-05-16T10:00:00.000-07:00

Hello again!

My mum said its Louise’s birthday this Saturday and we are all invited to go and there would be other boys and girls to play with and lots of balloons and puddings to eat. My dad couldn’t go because he’s away and I asked my mum if Alec could come because he likes children’s parties and can eat all day.

My mum called his mum but Alec didn’t get a good monthly report last week so he needs to stay home. I was sad that Alec couldn’t go but I thought about Louise and I like her a lot! I want to marry her because she knows how to score goals even though she broke the garage window that day. I wish I can score more goals like her! Mum said I don’t need to buy Louise flowers and we’ll go out this afternoon to look for a gift.

Your friend,
Nicholas

Nicholas is back!

2011-04-10T06:00:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone!

Missed me? Sorry I have been very cheeky and had not been in touch for a very long time but now I’m back!

I can’t wait to tell you about what happened to me and my gang for the past few months. You’d be delighted to find that I haven’t changed at all because I still want to fly a plane and be a pilot and Alec still loves croissants. I’ve been getting really really good in football and today I almost scored a goal. Oops, mum’s calling for supper so see you in a bit!

Your buddy (is back for good),
Nicholas

Geoffrey's birthday party

2010-02-24T07:36:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone!

I am so excited because I get to go to Geoffrey's birthday party this Saturday! I just can't wait. It's only Wednesday today, so I have a very long ways to go. I like birthday parties because you get to eat cake and play games, and sometimes they give you a little bag of party favors to take home with you.

The only birthday party I ever went to that I didn't like very much was Mary Jane's (you can read all about it in my yellow book if you'd like!) I was the only boy at her party, so it wasn't very much fun for me, and all the girls did the entire time was giggle and play with their dolls. I do still like Mary Jane though, even if her party was boring.

But, oh man, Geoffrey's party is going to be great! We'll probably get to play cops and robbers in the house, and his Mum bakes the most delicious cakes you've ever had. Don't tell my Mum I told you, but the chocolate fudge raspberry cake she made last year was even better than the chocolate cake my Mum makes! And, my Mum makes GREAT chocolate cake, so you know it was really good. We've already bought a present for Geoffrey, and he is going to be so excited. It's a shiny red truck and it's so terrific that I really wanted Mum to buy one for me too, but she said that's not how birthday parties work and I should be a good boy and not complain.

Well, I hope all of you are having a great day! I can't wait for Saturday!

Your buddy,

Nicholas

Researching penguins for school

2010-01-12T12:21:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone!

We have to write research paper for school on an animal that lives in or by the sea. Teacher said it has to be at least 2 pages! That seems very long to me, but Teacher said that if we do enough research, it won't feel long enough... I don't know about that. I am going to write mine about penguins, because they are such funny birds and they look like they are wearing tuxedos all the time. I especially like they way that they waddle around on land, and Jeremy and I had a lot of fun at recess pretending to be penguins ourselves. He is writing his paper on whales, but that's harder to play pretend at when you're not in the pool.

What I've learned about penguins so far is:

1. Almost all penguins live in the southern hemisphere

2. Penguins can drink saltwater, and the extra salt comes out their nose (gross!)

3. Penguins are usually not afraid of humans, and so sometimes they will walk right up to you!

I've learned some other things too, but those are my favorite bits so far. Writing this paper is going to be hard, but it makes me feel very grown-up. Maybe one day I'll be a scientist! Anyways, I should probably go get to work on it- have a good afternoon!

Your friend,

Nicholas

Jeremy's baby brother

2009-11-12T09:21:00.000-08:00

Hello Everybody!

I don't know if you remember, but I wrote in my green book about the time that Jeremy got a younger brother, Lionel. He wasn't too happy about it then, because Rufus said that Jeremy wouldn't be able to come out and play anymore because he would have to watch his brother instead, and that he would have to share a room, and loads of other stuff that sounded pretty terrible. I have to admit, hearing that, I was very glad that I didn't have a younger brother - they just sounded like such a nuisance!

But, guess what? Now that Lionel is a little bigger, he's learning to talk, and his first word was 'Jeremy'! 'Course, he's really little, so it sounds more like 'Jermy' when he says it, but Jeremy's mum says he'll get better at it, and that it's a big honor for Jeremy because Lionel must love Jeremy very very much for that to be his first word. So now Jeremy is very happy with Lionel and says he's the best little brother a boy could have and he's very excited for him to get bigger so he can come and play with our gang. He even said he wouldn't mind sharing his room with him! So, I guess little brothers aren't so bad after all? I'm still not sure if I'd like one, but maybe I'll tell Mum that I wouldn't run away if it did happen, just in case she's not sure. Do you have any brothers or siblings? Let me know what that's like- I'm so curious!

Okay, hope you all are well!

Your friend,

Nicholas

A warm cup of tea

2009-10-20T07:28:00.000-07:00

Hello everybody!

My mum always likes to drink tea and have a pastry in the afternoon, and sometimes I sit with her. I always eat the pastries, of course, but yesterday I finally had a whole cup of tea to myself for the first time. I never used to like it, but now I think it's delicious! Mum said it's called Earl Grey, and she says it's her favorite. I think it is my favorite too! It tastes wintery and warm, and I like to put a little bit of milk and a LOT of sugar in it. Mum says I should only have two sugar cubes, but I put in two extra when she wasn't looking - it just tastes so much better when it's really sweet!

I can't have tea today though, because after school I am going to play at Jeremy's house, and I don't know if they drink tea over there. Also, we'll probably be playing Cops and Robbers again, and I'm not sure if Robbers drink tea. Do you know if they do? Well, anyway, we're going to be very busy.

Okay, I hope everyone is having a really great day, and please send me a letters or pictures- I absolutely love getting mail from my friends!

Your pal,

Nicholas

Learning to type

2009-10-02T13:25:00.000-07:00

Wow! I never thought school could be so fun! We're learning how to type now, and it is the best! Our computer's at school have really fun programs on them that are supposed to help us type faster, so we get to play games for 45 minutes when we have a typing class - and we don't even get in trouble for it, 'cause that's the assignment! We get to compete with each other, which is really great too. I want to win so badly, because Teacher said that whoever has the fastest typing score at the end of the year will get a special prize. Jeremy can type 51 words per minute, so he's winning right now, but I am going to practice until I beat him! I can type 47 words now, so I'm not too far behind. I'll let you know how it goes!

The other thing I wanted to tell you about is that Mom said she would consider letting me get a cat if I get really good grades! She says she's not promising, but I'm still very excited. I know that sometimes dogs and cats don't get along very well, but I think Rex could get along with any other pet- he's such a good dog. I want to get a cat because I can't get a lion and I think a cat would be the next best thing. Plus they purr when you pet them on the head, which is neat. Anyhow, I hope you all have a great week!

Your friend,

Nicholas

The Jewish new year and TOO MUCH HOMEWORK!

2009-09-18T08:22:00.000-07:00

Hello everybody!

I am very excited because I get to go to my friend's house for Rosh Hashanah tonight! He told me that it is a holiday to celebrate the Jewish new year, and that we will eat apples and honey because it symbolizes a sweet new year to come. Also, he said there is something called a

shofar, which a kind of trumpet made from a ram's horn that his dad will blow into. Cool! I've never seen a ram's horn close up. I wonder if they will let me try it out, too. This is going to be so much fun!

My mom almost didn't let me go because I have so much homework to do these days. Sometimes it takes me two hours a night! Mom says I have to do it though, because that's how I will learn all of the things they are trying to teach us in school. I still think it's too much. So, I had to plan ahead and do all my homework yesterday night so that I could go to my friend's house tonight. It was worth it though- he says the food will be delicious!

Okay, I should go, but if you want to send me letters, I'd love to read them, and if you want to hear more about all the fun things that happen to me, you can read my latest book, Nicholas in Trouble!

Your friend,

Nicholas

Back to school

2009-09-01T09:54:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone!

Well, it's time to go back to school. I am a little sad, because summer is so much fun, but I know I'll get to see all my friends again every day. Our whole gang always has such great adventures! (But you know that- you've read my books!)

Our teachers always tell us to "pay attention and behave this year!" on the first day of school. I do try to behave, but sometimes I just can't sit as still as Teacher wants us to! I like science though, so I'm usually very good during those classes. What's your favorite subject? And, are you excited to go back to school, or wishing that summer would last longer? What was the best thing that happened to you this summer? Write me a letter and I'll post it here to share with all my friends!

Rex has been very lazy these days because it's so hot outside. I want to get up and make him come play with me, but it's just too warm to do anything it seems! We drink a lot of ice tea and eat ice cream (well, Rex just drinks water, but sometimes I let him have a lick of my ice cream cone- don't tell my mom!) and lounge around the house, because it's a little nicer in here. That's one thing I won't mind about starting school- it means that fall is coming, and it will start to get a little cooler! I hope all of you are having a great end of summer, and I'll hope to hear from you soon!

Your friend,

Nicholas

Beach time

2009-07-14T10:28:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone!

I went to the beach this past weekend - it was so much fun! My dad and I built a sandcastle together while Mum read, and we built it right next to the water so the waves knocked it over. Then Mum let me swim in the water as long as I stayed right next to her, and it was so cool to look down through the sandy blue water at my feet on the bottom. Dad decided not to swim though, and took a nap instead. I love the beach so much, I wish we could go every day! There are crabs that make little air holes in the sand as they dig and if you're really really quick, you can catch them. I didn't manage to get any the day we were there, but maybe next time. I did get a bunch of neat new seashells for my collection though!

The only thing that wasn't so great was the sunburn I got. My mom put a big dollop of sunscreen in my hand and told me to rub it all over my body, but I thought it looked yucky, so I wiped it out on the sand when she wasn't looking. I wish I had listened to her now though, because sunburns HURT! But still, it was a pretty great day and I can't wait to go back. Maybe next time, I will find a sand dollar and then I can trade with Jeremy for the pretty rock he found that I want! Anyhow, I hope you all are having wonderful summers too, and don't forget to write me, because I love hearing from all my friends!

Your buddy,

Nicholas

Summer fun

2009-06-24T13:28:00.000-07:00

Hello everybody!

I get to go to the Zoo tomorrow!!! Mum and Dad are taking me and I can't wait! I hope it is warm and that I get to see a lion, and that maybe he will roar for me. I think that lions are my favorite animals because they are so big and ferocious, but they like to take naps in the grass sometimes, which I do sometimes also. I asked Mum if we could bring my dog Rex along, but she said it might scare him. I told her that Rex would

be very brave, but she still said no. So Rex will have to wait for me to get home, which he is usually very good about. He just sleeps in his dog bed and tips over his water bowl with his nose when he's bored. I do wish he could come though.

The other animal I am really excited to see is a gorilla. Mum said that there is a famous gorilla in California named Koko who is able to speak a little bit of sign language (that's the language deaf and hearing-impaired people learn) and she even had a pet kitten! I wish I could meet Koko. I wonder if she would let me be her pet for awhile? I think that would be fun. I could learn sign language too, and she could pick me up and carry me and we could have adventures! I would probably have to come back in time for school though, but wouldn't that be a neat way to spend your summer? Maybe next year that is what I will do. Anyways, I better go, but don't forget to write me, and if you're having a bored summer day, there are plenty of fun games to play on my website www.phaidon.com/nicholas!

Have a great day!

Your buddy,

Nicholas

So many strange and wonderful things to eat!

2009-06-01T13:13:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone!

A little while ago, I sent you all an email wondering what sort of strange things you all had ever eaten, and two of you responded! My friend Alfred said that he ate razor clams with his Mum -

Cool!! Were they delicious? They sound pretty yummy to me. Do you think you would like to eat them again?

Also, Rory sent me a really neat picture of the all the odd things he's eaten. Look at what he made:

Thanks so much for sending these pictures and stories - I love hearing from all of my friends!

Send me more letters and I'll share them with everyone here. Also, if you want to know more about me and my pals, you can go to www.phaidon.com/nicholas or you can read one of my books - the green book is the newest.

Have a great afternoon!

Your friend,

Nicholas

Hiking in the woods

2009-05-19T12:08:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone!

Last weekend my parents and I took a hike in the woods with Rex. It was so fun! Now that it is summer here and warm outside, Mum lets me play outside as much as I like, which I love. We were hiking to see a little lake that my Dad's coworker had told him about, but I forget the name. It took us almost three hours to get there, and Rex kept running ahead and then running back to see where we were, so I think he probably walked twice as far as we did. It was very pretty and I took a swim when we arrived.

The water was so cool and Rex and I played fetch in the water with a stick I found. Then we sat on a rock and ate the turkey and cheese sandwiches Mum packed for us and even some peanut M & M's! It was already a great day, but then when we were walking back I found a really old, really cool coin. It's got some lady's face on it with a crown, and it says it was made in the year 1923. I wasn't even alive then! My dad said we should see if it's valuable so we can sell it, but I think I'd like to keep it and add it to my collection of really wonderful things that I keep in a box under my bed.

I wonder how many other interesting, old things there are to be found out there. Maybe I'll be an archeologist when I grow up and find them all! Have you ever found anything really neat? Write me a letter and I'll share it with all my friends here!

Your friend,

Nicholas

Home sick from school

2009-05-06T12:50:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone!

I didn't go to school today because I woke up this morning and I felt sick and my head

hurt so mum said I had to stay home. When I started to feel better I thought I would get to go outside and play, but mum said if you stay home sick you have to stay in bed the whole day. Staying in bed all day is boring! I think Rex was sad that we didn't get to have any fun too. His absolute favorite game is when I take one of my shoes and throw it around the yard for him to bring back to me. We can only play when my mum isn't watching though, because she gets very unhappy when I get my clothes dirty. But Rex's mouth is clean and I usually don't throw my shoe towards the muddy part of the garden!

Anyway, I'm feeling better now, and look - I just got a great letter from my friend Sandeep!

Hi Nicholas,

Thanks for the new Snakes and Ladders game and the Marshmallow Crispy Squares Cake recipe. I hate snakes but the game was fun to play! Also I like cooking. Hey - I also loved the 'magic' foot trick that you emailed around last month.

Remember in my last email to you - I told you how I made a cape out of my mum's old skirt when I was younger - and I used to pretend to be Dynamo the great magician....?

Well, here is another cool trick you can try (which I made up). Do you like to drink tea? Well, even if you don't, then just offer to make some for your mum and dad. Pop a tea bag into the mugs (it's best if you use those PG Tips Pyramid ones). Then carefully pour in the hot water and add some milk.

Now the tea bags should float, right? Well, take the tea bag out of one of the mugs, and in the other, you take your tea-spoon and carefully balance it on top of the remaining tea bag, so it looks like it is magically balancing on the edge of the mug. Make sure that you can't see any of the tea bag, and then stretch out your hand and wriggle your fingers. Concentrate hard on the teaspoon, and call your mum and dad. They'll come running to see if you are okay.

Say: "look... I have the power to make this teaspoon balance... it takes great concentration". You dad will probably run off to phone the local paper to tell them that his son is a mystic or something. In the meantime, just take out the other teabag, (wink at your mum) and when your dad returns then just say "you try..."

Of course, your dad will want to think that he has passed the power on to you, but he won't be able to make the spoon balance. Your mum will then probably wink at you and say "... he must get it from my side of the family..."

Ha! Great joke, eh?

I've not managed to get hold of your book called 'Nicholas In Trouble' but I'll have to look in a different bookshop. My sister enjoys reading your books too. She likes to read them in French!

Well, Happy Easter to you and the gang!

Cheers,

Sandeep

Thanks Sandeep! That is a great joke, I'll have to try it on my dad! I love to get letters, and if you like to get letters too, you can sign up for my club at www.phaidon.com/nicholas and you'll get my emails too. Okay, I better go before my mum finds out I'm out of bed!

Your buddy,

Nicholas

Cops and Robbers

2009-04-15T12:29:00.000-07:00

Hello everybody!

It's raining outside today (mum says that April showers bring May flowers) so I have to play inside. Max and Rufus are coming over, and think we're going to play cops and robbers. I haven't decided which I want to be yet, but Rufus is ALWAYS a cop, because his dad is a

policeman. He says he's going to be a policeman too when he grows up, but Teacher says that if he wants to do that he had better stop being such a troublemaker

in school and forgetting his homework all the time. I think he'll make a brilliant policeman -- I bet he'd let us run around and make messes as much as we like! Max and I have all kinds of great ideas for what we're going to be when we grow up. Right now we're deciding between scuba divers and magicians (because you know how we like magic tricks!), and I think they both sound really fun. What do you want to do when get older? Write me a letter about it, and I'll post it here on my blog!

Oh yeah, and have you seen the new game on my website, www.phaidon.com/nicholas? It's Snakes and Ladders and it's so fun!

Okay guys, I hope you all have a good day!

Nicholas

Ladybugs!

2009-03-25T14:56:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone!

Today at breakfast I was playing under the table when I was supposed to be eating my strawberries and pain au chocolat, and I noticed two ladybugs on the floor! Mum said that's because it's Spring now and all the ladybugs have woken up from their hibernation (that's a very long sleep that some animals take during the winter - I learned about it in school!). She said that ladybugs are good luck, and that it meant that I was going to have a good day today. I got very excited about my lucky day, and I told Jeremy about it as soon as I saw him, but then he got very jealous (Jeremy's one of my gang - you can read about him in my books). We decided to go looking for a ladybug for him out behind the school building so that he could have a lucky day too, but we couldn't find one, and we ended up being late for the start of class!
Our teacher was very mad at us for being late and gave us a really boring punishment at the end of the day, so I'm not so sure I think ladybugs are very lucky after all. But, maybe I just got stuck with Jeremy's bad luck because I was with him the whole time.

Have you ever had a really lucky day? Write me a letter and tell me about it, I love it when I get letters from my friends!

Okay, time to go have dinner!

Your friend,
Nicholas

Magic Tricks!

2009-03-04T08:34:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone!

I just got back from taking a spring vacation with my Mum and Dad and my dog Rex- it was lovely! We went to visit my Granny, since she came to visit me last time. (You can read about that visit in the green book if you like - she gave me lots of attention and all sort of sweets and candies. I love it when Granny comes to stay). As soon as I got home, I found this letter from my friends -- it was so exciting!

To our cool Friend Nicholas,

My Brother Lance and I LOVED the email you sent us about the disappearing coin trick! We practiced it many times and once we had it right, we decided to put on a magic show for our friends. Everything had to be perfect! We had recently seen a great magician perform in our town, and after the show he sold magic wands for $2.00 each. I already had a black and red cape to wear and a tall velvet top hat.

My brother wore a suit jacket because he didn't have a cape. He was ok being my assistant. We have a puppet theater that we used as a ticket booth for our magic show. Four of our friends came over and our mom made buttered popcorn for the show.

I, Marc the Magnificent, will tell you how it went....AWESOME!

We started with your disappearing coin trick and our friends were amazed!

The only problem was that my five year old brother quickly told everyone that I dropped the coin down my back. We know that a good magician should never tell his tricks. I also did a card trick my uncle showed me and later pulled a green hanky out of a red velvet bag (there was a little switch inside to do this). The last trick I performed was a mind reading trick. The other person has to be in on it. You ask your partner to ask someone in the the audience to give them a number from 1-20. The magician can't know this number. Then you place your fingers on the sides of your partners head (temples) and say that you will read their mind and know the secret number. Your partner will then bite down and clench his jaw as many times as whatever the number is. This is how you know the number.

When someone clenches their jaw, you can feel this on their temples.

They should try not to make clenching the jaw so obvious.

This is a really great trick too because you are never saying or writing down the number... most people can't figure it out.

Magic tricks are as cool as ice cream...

Thank you for sharing your trick with us and we hope you like the one we shared with you!

Your friends,

Marc and Lance

Wow! That is such a cool trick! Thank you so much, Marc and Lance, I'm going to try it out on my gang as soon as possible -- I bet Jeremy will fall for it for sure! Magic IS as cool as ice cream. I'll be sure to send out more magic tricks to my friends -- if you want to get the newsletter, you can sign up for my great club by going the website www.phaidon.com/nicholas. Hope you are having nice weather, and I'll write again soon!

Your friend,

Nicholas

St. Valentine's Day is coming

2009-02-02T07:50:00.000-08:00

Hello!

Today my teacher told our class that St. Valentine's Day was coming up and that we were all going to celebrate together. She says that Valentine's Day is a holiday about love and so you cut out little paper hearts and write nice things on them and give them to your classmates.

Jeremy asked if we had to give hearts even to the people we don't like very much and Teacher got cross and said of course we do and not to give her any more trouble. Mum is going to help me with my Valentines, and I've got some glitter and pink and red paper to make them. I think all that glitter is a bit girly, but Mum says it's nice.

I think I'll make my Valentine for Louise extra special, because she's so lovely and has a fantastic kick when we play soccer. We are going to get married when we grow up, after all, and Dad says you have to be extra nice to your wife or they get will mad at you. Anyway, I am very excited about it, because Teacher said if we're good and play nicely, St. Valentine will bring us some chocolate, and I love chocolate.

Have a great day everyone, I'm off to play with Rex!

Your friend,
Nicholas

Happy New Year

2009-01-07T13:18:00.000-08:00

Hi again! I'm so excited that it's 2009 and I can't wait for all the fun things that will happen this year. Look, already two of my friends have sent me things they made:

Daniel made me a newspaper!

And so did Lisa!

Thank you so much Daniel and Lisa, I feel so special when I read these, it's like I'm famous! If you visit my website www.phaidon.com/nicholas, you can play games, color and write newspapers too- just like Lisa and Daniel did. My friends are so much fun!

So, my mum was telling me all about New Year's Resolutions today. She said at the beginning of every new year, you decide on a few things you want to better than you did last year. She said her resolutions are to learn how to make persimmon pudding and try to be nicer to our boring neighbors, the Billings. I told her I thought I was pretty terrific already, but then she got quite cross with me and told me to sit and think about it for awhile. I decided my resolutions would be to spend more time with my dog Rex (he's such a great dog!) and to try to be nicer to Cuthbert, even though he IS a huge sap. My mom says that those were a very good start and then she went off to go make dinner. I also decided to eat as much cake as I possibly could this year, but I kept that resolution secret because I bet mum won't like it very much-- so, shhh, don't tell! Did you make any resolutions this year?

Okay! Time for dinner!

Until next time,

Your buddy,

Nicholas

Happy Holidays to all my friends!

2008-12-19T07:12:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone!

I love December because there are so many holidays to celebrate! I celebrate Christmas, but I have friends all over who celebrate Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, St. Nicholas Day, The Winter Solstice, Eid'ul-Adha, St. Lucia Day, Omisoka and lots of others!

Whatever you celebrate, have a really lovely time, and I'll see you again next year!

Your friend,
Nicholas

A Lovely Day

2008-12-02T10:17:00.000-08:00

Hello!

I got to go to a really wonderful event on Saturday, November 15th at Forster's Book Garden in Bolton, Ontario, in Canada! It was great fun, and it was wonderful to see my friends there. Miss Laurie read to us from some of my books and we colored together and ate one of my most favorite treats- croissants! I like to travel all over to visit my friends, so if I'm ever in your town, I hope you'll stop by! Here are some pictures from our afternoon:

we all love to read!

Also, more of you sent me letters and drawings and I love them! Look, this one is from
Nell:There I am, next to the Eiffel Tower! And Vita wrote me a letter:

It sounds like Keely has a hard time keeping track of her things, just like I do! I hope your concert went well Vita and Keely!

Thank you so much everyone- I love the pictures you send me and I hope I get to see you soon!

Your friend,
Nicholas

My mittens and my friends

2008-11-21T07:41:00.000-08:00

Hello! I'm so excited! I want to show you the great pictures my friends just sent me!

Look, this one's from Nicole:

Wonderful work!

And this one's from Geordie:

Thank you so much for making these and sending them to me! I love them and I hope you'll send me more. My friends are terrific!

Also, I almost lost my mittens yesterday, which would have been awful! I was playing with the Avenger's Gang (those are all my friends, in case you didn't know. You can read all about us in my new green book, Nicholas in Trouble) in the old abandoned lot with a broken car. We were playing cops and robbers and I put my mittens on the ground and then I forgot them when we left! I was nearly back to my house when I realized I didn't have them, so I had to go all the way back to the lot to get them, and then mum yelled at me for being late to dinner. But just imagine if I'd lost my mittens! Then she REALLY would have been mad. It's hard to keep all your stuff together when you're out playing, but I do like my mittens an awful lot so I'll try to look after them better. Well, I'll talk to you all again soon and have a lovely weekend!

Your friend,
Nicholas

Winter Morning

2008-11-11T07:15:00.000-08:00

Hello all!

It's starting to get cold here now- I woke up this morning and the floor felt like icicles! Dad told me to stop complaining and put on some socks. It wasn't too bad once I got some breakfast and was on my way to school, though. I quite like the cold when I'm dressed properly, because the colder it gets the more likely it is that it will snow! I love it when it snows because then my gang and I can have big snowball fights, and sometimes we get off school. It hasn't snowed yet, but Mum said it would probably snow by December, which is only a few weeks away. I can't wait!

I'm working on my Christmas list to give to Santa. I think I'm going to ask for checkers and a puppy. I already have two Chutes and Ladders games, because Dad's boss sent me one in the mail. Did I tell you about that already? Well, you can read about it in the green book, Nicholas in Trouble if you'd like. Mum told me that there was a new President elected in the United States and that he told his daughters on TV that they would get a puppy! I told pop he should run for President so that I could have a puppy too. He and Mum just laughed, but maybe Santa will listen. What are you going to ask for for Christmas?

Okay! I'm off to go play, but I'll write again soon.

Your pal,
Nicholas

Halloween and Holiday Fun!

2008-10-29T10:12:00.000-07:00

Hello! Halloween is in two days and I've been so busy with school, I almost forgot about a costume! Luckily, my Mum is lovely and she helped me make it today, so now I'm ready. She even said she would take me trick-or-treating round our neighborhood! I'm going to be a cowboy, and my costume is fantastic. I bet I'll get even more candies than Geoffrey, who's father is rich and will probably buy him a smashing scary costume that costs loads of money.

I just love all the holidays, don't you? Once Halloween is over, the next one for me is Christmas. We don't celebrate Thanksgiving here in France, but I wish that we did- maybe Mum will let me celebrate now that I have so many American friends? I could invite all my friends and we could have a giant turkey and cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie with cream! If I could celebrate everyone's holidays I would, but I don't think Mum would like to throw that many parties- she says it makes her tired, but I think they are wonderful fun.

Oh! I nearly forgot! My brand new book is almost out- Nicholas in Trouble! This one's got a green cover and you can read about all the new adventures I've been having with my friends. I love the drawings you send, so if you send me more to nicholas@phaidon.com, I'll be sure to let everyone see them here!

Happy Halloween!

Your friend,
Nicholas

Fun in England!

2008-08-08T11:56:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone!

I just returned from a fun trip to Oxford, England. Do you know where that is? Oxford is a city in South East England, and it is home to Oxford University, the very oldest university in the whole English-speaking world. Wow!

I went to Oxford because my friends at Blackwell’s Bookshop invited me to their store for a day of reading and fun activities. Here is a photo one of the reading sessions!

Blackwell’s is quite nice – it has been around since the late 1800s! Many people came to the event, and it was so much fun to make new friends. Here I am outside of Blackwell’s with Ean & Willem, two of my biggest fans!

I love traveling around the world for events! If your favorite bookstores or libraries are interested in having me visit, please let me know by sending an e-mail to nicholas@phaidon.com.

***

Finally, I just wanted to share something special that I received in the post this week. Fraser Wilson sent in a painting he did of me!

Isn’t it brilliant? It’s me with my suitcase – a very appropriate image for August, since everyone in France goes on holiday during this month. I like to go to the beach on my summer holidays. Where do you like to go?

Thank you, Fraser, for my lovely painting! Don’t forget to send your artworks to nicholas@phaidon.com, and I will try my best to put them up.

Cheers!

Nicholas

National holiday!

2008-07-15T06:36:00.001-07:00

Hi Everyone!

I nearly forgot to mention that yesterday, July 14th, was a very special day!

Do you know what day it was?

In France, where I am from, July 14th is Bastille Day, our National Holiday. But amongst my pals and my mom and dad we call it Fete National or Quatorze Juillet, which just means 14th July!

Bastille Day is just like the American Independence day - we have great firework shows and parades and tons of yummy food! I was so busy celebrating that I didn't get a chance to let all of you know about it. So mark your calendars so that we can all celebrate together next year!

Happy belated quatorze juillet everyone!

Cheers!
Nicholas

Gone Fishing!

2008-07-11T14:05:00.001-07:00

That’s right, I’ve gone fishing. Or I will go fishing just as soon as my Dad gets all of his gear ready. I love fishing. The first time I went fishing was at summer camp when our camp leader took us to the pier. It was great! He got live worms and everything! Some of us got them on the hooks right away, but Paul couldn’t because he was too scared and George and Conrad were too busy having a worm race on the dock!

But sooner or later we all got our lines in the water. Do you remember who caught the first fish?

We had really hoped to get more fish that day on the pier, but in the end we only turned over two fish to our cook but said they were great! Best of all, he gave us cookies as a reward!

Well, Dad’s all set with our fishing rods so we’re going to go down to the lake and have a go. Have you ever been fishing before? Why don’t you tell me your story too!

And for more about my fishing adventure with my camp gang check out Fish Soup in the red colored book, Nicholas on Vacation!

Happy fishing!
Nicholas

Summer is here!

2008-06-27T13:40:00.001-07:00

Hi Everyone!

School is out, which means that summer is here! Do you know what I like best about the summer, besides three months without old Mr. Spuds?

The beach!

Every summer I go to the beach with my mom and dad and I meet loads of new friends who have even more fun games to play. We go swimming and kick the ball around and dig huge holes deep in the sand.

What’s your favorite thing to do at the beach?

I love the beach so much I could stay out in the sand all day long! But Mom's always on me about the sun. She says that if you're not careful you can get a terrific burn! Boy is she right cause this one time Dad was out in the sun all day and came back looking like a lobster! The Doc made him stay inside for two whole days! That's a lot of beach time and I wouldn't want to miss out on all the fun! My mom sure does know her stuff - she's OK!

For more of my adventures in sun and sand, read The Beach in the red colored book.

Cheers!
Nicholas

Weekend Birthday Parties

2008-05-30T14:15:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone!

It’s Friday, which means tomorrow starts a brand new weekend! Besides recess and soccer and playing cowboys with my friends, I like weekends the best!

I was just thinking about that weekend I was invited to Mary Jane’s birthday party. At first this seemed like an OK idea because even though Mary Jane’s a girl, she’s alright and birthday parties can be loads of fun with all of the cake you can eat and the games you can play.

Of course, when you go to a birthday party there isn’t always such a great gang as Alec and Geoffrey and Eddie and Rufus and all them, but I didn’t expect to be the only boy at Mary Jane’s party! It was all girls in pink dresses with lots of frills!

Mary Jane’s was nothing like the parties I’d been to before: no cops and robbers or kicking around the soccer ball. Do you remember some of the things we did at Mary Jane’s birthday party? I’ll give you a hint: one of them made me look like a right fool!

Even though I was the only boy at the party it wasn’t all that bad. The food was the best part because they had little cookies and chocolate milk and cake. What’s your favorite part about birthday parties?

If you want to read more about the time I survived an all-girl’s birthday party check out Mary Jane’s Birthday in the yellow colored book, Nicholas and the Gang.

Cheers!
Nicholas

What to do for Mother's Day

2008-05-09T06:46:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone,

Mother's Day in the USA is coming up this Sunday and I thought I might get my mom something nice!

I'm really strapped for ideas, though. I spent all of my piggy bank money on flowers for her birthday. I got into a terrific mess with those flowers, but my mom said they were the nicest bunch she ever had. My mom is OK!

Do you remember what happened with those flowers? I'll give you a hint: it started with Geoffrey and his big mouth!

If you have any neat ideas for a Mother's Day present, maybe you can let me know, because I haven't got a clue!

And if you want to read more about my mess with the flowers check out A Bunch of Flowers in the tan colored book, Nicholas.

Cheers!
Nicholas

More bookstore and library events!!

2008-04-29T13:41:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone,

The winter season has flown by! I have been busy making loads of new friends throughout the United States.

First, I traveled to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
for the American Library Association Midwinter meeting.

I met some really great librarians
who were terrific fun and looked fantastic wearing my badges!

Since then I have been hosting Nicholas Club Story Hour events at libraries and bookstores all over the country.

In New York City I met a few friends who recognized me from their French studies. We read great stories and had time for juice and photos!

In Tacoma Park Maryland my great new gang of friends read some of my books and later a group of them even acted out one of my stories!

At the bookstore, Books & Books, in sunny Miami Florida, my new friends ate chocolate croissants just like my pal Alec.

This weekend I'm heading out to San Francsico, to the nice people at Books Inc. for some more fun! Check in next week for more photos!

Tell me about your travels! What did you do on your spring break?

If you are interested in having me at your local library or bookstore,
just email me at nicholas@phaidon.com and maybe we can enjoy croissants and stories too!

Terrific news!

2008-03-17T08:21:00.001-07:00

Hi everyone!

This fantastic newspaper just arrived in the post. It was made by members of the Nicholas Club and it's called 'Terrific news'!
Have you tried making a newspaper on my website? You can write your own article for the front page and choose the pictures to go with it. It's great!

Why not send your finished newspaper for me and my gang to see? Everyone who sends in a paper will get a Alec badge and some of the entries will go up on this blog depending on space.

Bookstore events!!!

2007-11-02T05:01:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone!

The past couple of weeks have been very busy with lots of events and fun things happening!

Last weekend, I paid a visit to Heffers in Cambridge on Saturday and to Daunt Books in Hampstead on Sunday. The week before I was at Tales on Moon Lane in Herne Hill.

There were readings of my adventures

from my new book Nicholas and the Gang

and we all ate chocolate croissants and

drank orange juice.

There were some fantastic games to play - some of you even coloured in pictures from the club website - keep them coming!

See you soon at a bookstore near you!

When I grow up, I want to be...

2007-10-07T14:49:00.001-07:00

I want to be a pilot when I grow up, Jeremy is training to win the Tour de France and wants to be a professional cyclist and Cuthbert wants to be a teacher.

What do you want to be when you grow up?

Or what did you want to be when you were little?

Meet my Gang!

2007-10-03T02:49:00.000-07:00

There’s the teacher’s pet, the strongest of the class who likes to punch everyone, the one who eats all the time, the magician, the policeman’s son, the neighbour's daughter, the one who’s always in detention, the cyclist...

We all know and love Cuthbert, Eddie, Alec, Rufus, Matthew, Louise, Geoffrey, Max, Jeremy...

But who is your absolute favourite in the Nicholas books and why?

Drawing...

2007-09-20T04:08:00.000-07:00

It was no fun just staying there with nothing to do, so I decided to draw. I went to look in Dad's desk for the things I needed ... I nipped back into my room and got into bed, and started drawing. I drew some fabulous things: warships, castles...

Do you enjoy colouring in on my Nicholas Club website?

What is your favourite Nicholas adventure and why?

2007-09-20T03:36:00.000-07:00

Welcome to my Club!

2007-08-21T06:42:00.000-07:00

Thank you for joining my club. Not only will you be the first to read all about my latest adventures, but you will also get lots of terrific Nicholas Club stuff, like stickers and pencils and all kinds of useful things, as well as a great badge of me to pin on your jacket or schoolbag. There will be a badge of everyone in my gang for you to collect, too.

You can already design your own newspaper on my website at www.phaidon.com/nicholas, play cowboys and colour in, but look out for some great new games that will be ready for you to play soon.

I wanted to let you know that to celebrate the publication of my new book Nicholas and the Gang published next month, the club will officially be launched in November 2007. That’s when your membership packs will be arriving in the post. There will also be some bookstore events where you can come and meet me, and hear about what we have been up too from my new book, but I will tell you more about those later!

Don’t forget to tell your friends to join my Club! Membership is completely free.

See you soon and don’t get into too much trouble,
Nicholas