The Loo Lid Larceny

By Alan Horsfield

Disaster has hit the home suburb of Marnie and Tiana. Someone started stealing toilet lids, and often the whole seat. It started in public places then it started in private homes! Why would anyone contemplate such a vile act? Tempers, anxieties and frustration rise as more and more lids disappear. People go to futile extremes to protect their toilets. What is behind the wave of odious thefts? Is it Cec Pitt, TV presenters of The Collectors and Gatherers Show and, antique and preloved goods dealer involved? Marnie and Tiana are determined to get to the bottom of the mystery and save the nation from an evil, embarrassing scam.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Austin Macauley Publishers
• Release date: Feb 2, 2024
• ISBN: 9781035807161

Alan Horsfield

Alan Horsfield has published more than one hundred books, many of them educational texts in literacy and numeracy. His works have been published around the world. Alan is a former teacher and past president of the New South Wales Children’s Book Council and is a former judge for the New South Wales Premiers Book Awards. He loves writing books for children with interesting and quirky story lines that encourage children to read and look at things differently.

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About the Author

Alan Horsfield is an established children’s writer. He is a past president of the NSW Children’s Book Council (CBC) and a former judge for the NSW Premiers (Children’s) Book Awards. His books have been included in Australian State Premiers’ school reading lists. Industry reviews have been positive. First published in 1996, he presently has over 35 works of fiction for younger readers and the YA market. He intends to stretch the imagination of readers. He has written/co-written over 140 educational texts and worked with UNSW educational assessment. Alan is a full member of SCBWI.

Dedication

For Trudy, Gavin and Jason who have outgrown dad jokes.

Copyright Information ©

Alan Horsfield 2024

The right of Alan Horsfield to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by the author in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publishers.

Any person who commits any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

A CIP catalogue record for this title is available from the British Library.

ISBN 9781035807154 (Paperback)

ISBN 9781035807161 (ePub e-book)

www.austinmacauley.com

First Published 2024

Austin Macauley Publishers Ltd®

1 Canada Square

Canary Wharf

London

E14 5AA

Acknowledgement

Thanks to Rosemary Peers who bravely undertook the preliminary edit of the manuscript.

Chapter 1

The Loo Lid Lifters Strike

I WAS WONDERING why people collect things when Dad gave a fiendish chuckle. Probably reading the Sunday paper comics—again! Not that there’s many of those nowadays.

A moment later, he chuckled a second time—louder and longer.

Mum raised an eyebrow as she continued to dust her collection of odd teapots. She has a massive collection of teapots, all shapes and sizes. Has one that looks like an old railway steam train. Never uses them to make tea!

Uncle Oscar lives on a small farm. He collects old movie posters! Drives Auntie Merle mad. He has a genuine reproduction of Psvcho and an original photocopy of The Blob. He has movie posters taped all over the place.

Planet of the Apes is taped to their front door. King Kong in his man shed. Black Beauty in the stable. Jaws in the kitchen and in their toilet (Wait for it!) he has The Sound of Music and Gone with the Wind. That one sounds like some embarrassing complaint!

Tiana’s mum collects teaspoons. Started as souvenirs of her round-Australia caravan trips but it has become an obsession. Always off checking out flea markets and garage sales.

Dad gave a couple of sudden guffaws.