Authors: Ali Sparkes
Tags: #Juvenile Fiction, #General, #Action & Adventure
‘You’re turning into Mum,’ laughed Ben. ‘Hey— they’ll be home this weekend! What on earth are they going to say when they find out what’s been going on—and who’s coming to live with us?’
Outside, Professor Emerson blinked as someone went by on a unicycle, and handed him a leaflet for a Tattoo Parlour. Uncle Jerome took it off him and they all stood around, slightly awkwardly, until Polly hugged Rachel and then Ben.
‘I’m not going to blub,’ she sniffed. ‘Because we’ll see you all again in a week or so, to meet your mother and father … and I can’t wait.’
Rachel hugged her back and
did
start to blub.
Freddy shook Ben by the hand. ‘I want you to know,’ he said, ‘that I have never seen anyone do that flail thing so impressively. To see you knock out that bad sort was just so … cool!’
Ben grinned. Freddy thought
he
was cool. And well … maybe he was. He shook hands with his great-uncle and best friend and then gave him a blokey hug. This was 2009 after all.
‘I say, steady on!’ laughed Freddy. ‘No really,’ he added. ‘You’ve been an absolute brick!’
‘Um … best not say that again,’ advised Ben.
The refugees from the 1950s turned and walked along Oxford Street, a government minder discreetly a few steps behind them. Ben was glad the minder was there. London in 2009 was a big, startling place. Their new branch of family should be protected.
‘Back to normal then,’ said Rachel.
Ben grinned. ‘Do you think anything’s ever going to be normal again?’
‘I suppose not,’ smiled his sister. ‘I’m really going to miss Polly’s cooking, though. Do you think
I
could make a hot pot? In time for Mum and Dad coming back?’
‘I’m sure you could,’ said Ben, as they walked towards the tube station with Uncle Jerome. ‘I’ll help, if you like—but first you’ve got to try out Freddy and Polly’s skates! They’re super … way faster than in-lines …’
‘Ben—did you just say “super”?’
‘Me? Don’t be daft.’
‘You
did
. You jolly well did …’
Ali Sparkes is a journalist and BBC broadcaster who chucked in the safe job to go dangerously freelance and try her hand at writing comedy scripts. Her first venture was as a comedy columnist on
Woman’s Hour
and later on
Home Truths
. Not long after, she discovered her real love was writing children’s fiction.
Ali grew up adoring adventure stories about kids who mess about in the woods and still likes to mess about in the woods herself whenever possible. She lives with her husband and two sons in Southhampton, England. Check out
www.alisparkes.com
for the latest news on Ali’s forthcoming books.
More eBooks from Oxford
Eddie hates staying with his cousins—so it looks set to be a really long summer. But then they visit the amazing caves at Wookey Hole.
When Eddie wanders off down a secret passage he gets lost. Underground, on his own, and nobody knows where he is …
Then someone steps out of the blackness to save him. A runaway? A ghost? Discovering the truth will end up changing Eddie’s life for ever …
It’s just a regular trip for Kevin, and he comes back with the regular sorts of things. Some local fudge, a scented candle for his mum … and his own personal god. It’s Abandinus, a little-known Celtic deity, who has suddenly found a new purpose in his eternal life—sorting out Kevin’s.
With a god on your side, everything’s going to get a lot easier, isn’t it? After all, a god can get stuff done.
The trouble is, it’s not always the kind of stuff Kevin has in mind.
Dax Jones is an ordinary schoolboy … until something extraordinary happens one day. Whilst frightened for his life, he finds himself changing, and turns into a fox! And his change attracts attention. A government agent is suddenly waiting to whisk Dax away to a secret school, a haven for others of his kind.
But danger follows Dax. Someone else has noticed him too and will do anything to track him down.
The first title from the exciting
Shapeshifter
series.
A group of very special teenagers. Each with an incredible power, they live together, protected by the government. Out in the ordinary world they know they must not use their powers. But good intentions are easy … following them through is another matter.
For Lisa, every day is about life and death. Because she can hear the dead talking—and they never leave her alone. But on a short break in London, the tussle between life and death takes on a new twist.
Now Lisa is in fear for her own life, is there anyone to help her?
Stranded. Terrified. Alone.
Hanna and Ned face a nightmare fight for survival on a remote island after their parents are kidnapped by modern-day pirates.
It will take luck, cunning and every drop of their courage to escape and get Mum and Dad back …
An amazing story set in a deadly tropical land.
‘Exactly the sort of adventure thriller I would have devoured by torchlight under the bedclothes … a cracking read.’
Joe Simpson
, mountaineer and author of
Touching the Void