The Headmistress's Secret Diary E-Book

Dominik Mikulaschek

• Herausgeber: tredition
• Kategorie: Geisteswissenschaft
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 153

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2026

Beschreibung

In The Principal’s Secret Diary, a normal school day turns into a fast-paced mystery adventure full of secrets, rules, and surprises. When Milo, Fina, and Turbo discover a hidden notebook inside a plant pot at school, they think they have found something unusual. But this is no ordinary notebook. It is a stylish blue diary with an official seal — and it may belong to the strict principal herself. At first, the three friends are simply curious. Why would the principal hide a diary in a plant? Was it lost... or placed there on purpose? But the moment they open it and read the first clues, they realize they may have stumbled into something much bigger. Strange phrases, suspicious notes, and hints of a secret project begin to appear. Suddenly, the hallways of their school feel different. Every sign, every rule, and every warning seems connected to a mystery nobody was supposed to notice. Milo is cautious and thoughtful. He knows they should probably return the diary immediately — without reading another page. Fina is sharp, observant, and brilliant at spotting details. She treats every clue like a detective puzzle and writes everything down. Turbo is loud, funny, and always ready for action, even when his excitement causes total chaos. Together, they make an unforgettable team. Their friendship, teamwork, and courage are what keep them going as the mystery grows deeper. As they search for answers, the school becomes a place of hidden messages, strange devices, and strict control. New rules appear. Unusual surveillance tools seem to be everywhere. And the intimidating Inspector Order is always nearby, watching for mistakes. Milo, Fina, and Turbo must decide who to trust, what to believe, and how far they are willing to go to uncover the truth. The Principal’s Secret Diary is a funny and exciting children’s chapter book for ages 8+, combining school story humor, mystery adventure, and detective-style clues in a way that keeps young readers turning pages. With lively characters, a suspenseful plot, and plenty of laugh-out-loud moments, this book is perfect for children who love stories about friendship, school chaos, and secret missions. This children’s book is ideal for readers who enjoy: funny school stories mystery books for kids detective adventures chapter books for ages 8–12 friendship and teamwork stories humorous middle grade adventures books with secrets, clues, and suspense It is also a great choice for independent reading or read-aloud time at home, in the classroom, or before bed. The language is child-friendly and engaging, while the story offers enough mystery and action to keep both confident and developing readers interested. At its heart, The Principal’s Secret Diary is about more than a hidden notebook. It is about asking questions, thinking for yourself, and standing together when things do not feel right. It encourages children to be curious, brave, and loyal — without ever losing its sense of humor.

Leseprobe

Dominik Mikulaschek (born in Linz in 1983) writes children's books that you start reading "just one chapter" of – and suddenly it's late. He loves puzzles that can actually be solved, rules that can be politely ignored (if necessary) and stories in which friendship is stronger than any clipboard. His adventures are exciting, but never too scary: they're about discovery, about sticking together – and about that tingly feeling when you realise: something's not right here... and we're the first to notice.

Dominik Mikulaschek

The Headmistress's Secret Diary

Children's novel for ages 8 and up | School, fun & surprises

tredition GmbH

© 2026 Dominik Mikulaschek

Printing and distribution on behalf of the author:

tredition GmbH, Heinz–Beusen–Stieg 5, 22926 Ahrensburg, Germany

This work, including all parts thereof, is protected by copyright. The author is responsible for the content. Any use without his consent is prohibited. Publication and distribution are carried out on behalf of the author, who can be reached at: Dominik Mikulaschek, Holzwurmweg 5, 4040 Linz, Austria.

Contact address in accordance with the EU Product Safety Regulation:

[email protected]

Chapter 1 – The book in a flower pot

It was a Monday so grey that even the pencils in Milo Mertens' pencil case seemed to be in a bad mood, and as usual, the Regelberg Primary School smelled like a mixture of freshly waxed linoleum, old trainers and the pungent scent of freshly laminated prohibition signs. Milo (9) adjusted his satchel, which felt heavier today than a whole stack of files from the Office for Peace and Order, or ARR for short, and tried not to walk directly into the field of vision of the new whisper scanner, which sat enthroned above the entrance door like a mechanical vulture, just waiting to punish a too-loud "hello" with a deduction of order points. Right behind him appeared Tarik Tan, whom everyone called Turbo, which had nothing to do with his processing speed, but rather with the way he whirled through the corridors, usually overlooking at least one sign or getting into a diplomatic conflict with his own shoelaces. Turbo rushed towards Milo, braking so abruptly that his soles squealed on the floor, causing the whisper scanner to immediately flash nervously in orange, and his eyes widened as if he had just discovered a life-size cake made of pure secret knowledge. "Milo, you won't believe what I just saw!" Turbo shouted far too loudly for a Monday morning under ARR supervision, causing the device above them to emit a threatening PIIIEEP and a small LED display to light up, announcing TOO MUCH ENTHUSIASM in bright green letters. Milo immediately put his finger to his lips, while Fina Fuchs joined them, her hair braided so neatly today that it almost looked like a handwritten certification, and already pulling out her famous notebook in which she recorded everything that violated logic or gravity at this school. "Turbo, according to my estimate, your volume is three decibels above the permitted Monday standard for corridors without carpet," Fina remarked dryly, while giving Milo a quick glance that meant they had to be extra vigilant today because Inspector Order had allegedly been spotted in the building to check on the new duty of discretion. Turbo just shrugged, but then leaned over to his friends and attempted what he thought was whispering, but which sounded more like an aeroplane trying to take off very carefully. "I was just in the biology room, you know, by the huge spider plant that looks like it's secretly working for the secret service because it has leaves everywhere," Turbo whispered at a volume that made Milo flinch, "and there was something in it, a book, a blue book with a golden lock that looks so mysterious that my left toe started to tingle!" Fina raised an eyebrow, which was her official sign of level one scepticism, and adjusted her glasses as she began to sketch the words "flowerpot find" in her notebook. "A book in a flowerpot is either a case for the caretaker, who forgot to water his botany notes, or a serious violation of the school materials filing regulations," she stated, but Milo already felt his own curiosity beginning to wrestle with his common sense, a feeling he usually got just before a great adventure. They crept down the corridor, past a huge new sign that Inspector Order himself must have placed there, which read in bold letters: PRIVATE REMAINS PRIVATE – CURIOSITY IS ONLY PERMITTED UPON REQUEST, which Turbo completely ignored, of course, almost running Milo over in his rush to be the first to reach the aforementioned spider plant. The plant stood in a corner so shady that it probably had to be reported to the Office for Shadow Management, and indeed, something that did not look like soil or fertiliser at all was shining between the green leaves. It was a small, elegant notebook in dark blue, stamped with a silver ARR stamp that read "Secret & Conscience Department," and Milo felt his heartbeat take on the rhythm of a fast drum solo. "That's it!" hissed Turbo, and was about to stick his hand in the pot when Milo held him back by the sleeve, knowing full well that nothing in this school was just lying around without at least three traps or a sensitive infrared sensor waiting to be triggered. Fina leaned forward, narrowed her eyes and examined the cover without touching it, looking almost like a forensic expert trying to figure out if a biscuit had jumped off the plate voluntarily. "Look at the material," she whispered, "this isn't a normal school notebook, it's real leatherette, the kind only used on the upper floors of the directorate, and that film of dust on it means that it's either been lying here for exactly two long breaks or that someone has tried to make it look inconspicuous." At that moment, the whisper scanner at the end of the corridor emitted a warning beep because Turbo had started breathing so loudly with excitement that it could almost have passed for wind force four, and the three friends froze as the door to the staff room opened. They ducked behind the large plant, Turbo almost landing his bum in a cactus, and watched as Inspector Order strode down the hallway, clutching his clipboard as if it were the last lifeboat in a sea of disorder. His gaze wandered over the walls, searching for every crooked poster and every unauthorised crumb, and Milo held his breath as the tip of his trainer peeked out dangerously close from the shadow of the spider plant. When the inspector finally disappeared around the corner, once again checking his own sleeve for invisible dust particles, Turbo let out a sigh so loud that Milo almost wanted to bury him under the soil of the flower pot again. "That was close, my pulse just jumped to turbo-plus level," Turbo muttered, grabbing the blue book before Milo could stop him, sending up a small cloud of dust that smelled of old paper and very fresh secrets. On the first cover page, which opened only a little, they saw handwriting that was so lively and at the same time so strict that one was almost afraid to mispronounce it when reading. "There's a name there," whispered Milo, leaning over Turbo's shoulder, while Fina was already analysing the fold of the book to determine whether it was mass-produced or a unique piece. Turbo read the initials aloud, tracing the letters almost lovingly as if they were made of chocolate: "E. v. S. – That could stand for anything, from 'extremely lots of sweets' to 'really lots of detention', but we all know whose first name begins with E and who is the absolute S-class of strictness here." Milo swallowed, because the realisation hit him like a poorly aimed dodgeball in PE class, while Fina now touched the book very carefully with her fingertips, as if she were trying to scan the person's DNA directly through the imitation leather. "Eustachia von Stramm," Milo whispered the headmistress's full name, and instantly the temperature in the corridor seemed to drop by what felt like ten degrees, while the sign PRIVATE REMAINS PRIVATE above them suddenly rattled in the draught, as if to warn them personally. Fina shook her head and immediately noticed something that her detective's eye couldn't overlook: "Paper has fingerprints, just not real ones, but look at these adhesive marks on the edge. The book wasn't just lost, it was placed there, almost as if it wanted to be found, but why would the headmistress put her private diary in a spider plant, which is considered extremely gossipy among houseplants?" Turbo grinned, a grin that Milo didn't like at all, because it usually meant that an action would follow that would result in at least three new paragraphs in the ARR handbook. "Maybe she wanted someone to find it so we'd know what she really thinks of us, maybe it contains the secret plans for the total abolition of breaks or the list of children who will be used as ' ' statues for the entrance area at the next school festival!" Turbo whispered loudly, causing the whisper scanner to activate a red flashing light that was aimed directly at Turbo's nose. Milo felt the book in Turbo's hands almost glow, a dangerous object full of knowledge that did not belong to them, and he thought of the words of Mrs Krambeutel, who always said that trust was the foundation of every school, while Inspector Ordnung was more of the opinion that foundations should be made of concrete and prohibitions. "We should hand it in, right now, without turning a single page," said Milo, realising how difficult these words were for him to say, because a small part of him also wanted to know what was in "Project Rumour Bait," a term written in small print on the first inside page under the headmistress's name. Fina nodded in agreement, but her eyes betrayed that she was already comparing the handwriting with the headmistress's official letters to parents in her head, because for her, a mystery was only solved when all the evidence had been sorted alphabetically. "Milo is right, discretion is the first civic duty according to ARR Regulation Paragraph 12, Section 4, but look at the first entry, it's not really hidden," Fina remarked, pointing to a small scrap of paper sticking out of the book with only two sentences on it that sounded so harmless that they were almost suspicious. It read: "Operation Order is progressing. Observation of the children in the playground reveals interesting patterns of unrest." Turbo gasped as if he had just learned that the cafeteria would now only be selling broccoli ice cream. "Operation Order? Observing children? That sounds like espionage, like real, official secret agent stuff!" he blurted out, and Milo noticed how the feeling in his stomach changed from simple curiosity to genuine concern, because if the headmistress was really planning something like that, then the playground would soon no longer be a place for fun, but a laboratory for rule experiments. Suddenly they heard footsteps, heavy, official footsteps that made the floor vibrate, and the sound of a stamp hitting a clipboard in time with the footsteps, , which could only mean one thing: Inspector Order was on his way back, and he definitely hadn't requested a meeting in the corridor. "Quick, the book!" hissed Milo, and Turbo stuffed the blue diary so frantically under his jumper that he now looked as if he had swallowed a square replacement heart that glowed blue. They spun around and ran off just as the inspector turned the corner and suspiciously examined the spider plant, which now had one less leaf because Turbo had caught on it in the heat of the moment. Milo knew this was only the beginning, because finding the headmistress's diary was like carrying a bomb made of ink and secrets, and somewhere in the background of the school, something much bigger than all of them was just getting started: the Rumour Bait Project had its first bite, and the three friends were right in the middle of it.

Chapter 2 – Turbo says, "This is too exciting!"