Taking Flight Read online

  “I’ll help you,” Joe says. “And in the spring, I’ll give you some of my newt spawn.”

  “You can come and meet my pigeons, if you like,” Luke says.

  “Tomorrow?”

  “OK,” Luke smiles.

  Luke walks home from school. It takes him exactly twelve minutes and fifty seconds. He goes straight to the pigeon loft. His pigeons are waiting for him.

  “All right, steady on,” he tells them as they push and jostle at the wire. As he unlocks each cage the pigeons hop onto the edge and spread their wings for flight.

  Luke watches them. Their silver wings flash in the sunlight as they spiral in the blue sky.

  Luke remembers his dream. “Happy flight, Grandad,” he whispers. He feels sure Grandad is still watching him, somehow.

  Mum’s car pulls up. She calls from the gate. “Luke? I’m home.”

  “Coming,” he says. “I’ll make us pancakes for tea.”

  About the Author

  Julia Green writes mainly for young adults. Blue Moon, Baby Blue and Hunter’s Heart are all published by Puffin. She lives in Bath with her two teenage children, and lectures in creative writing at Bath Spa University. She is programme leader for the MA in Writing for Young People. She also runs writing workshops for young people and adults.

  Alan MacDonald

  It’s a tough job for Paul being Jago’s ‘buddy’ at school. The new boy comes from a family of travellers and he doesn’t say much or seem interested in making friends. Then Paul discovers Jago has a secret and a special bond develops between the two boys, but how long can it last?

  Nothing But Trouble is a story about prejudice and not fitting in.

  eBook available!

  Year 4

  Stories About Imagined Worlds

  Hugo and the Long Red Arm • Rachel Anderson

  Live the Dream • Jenny Oldfield

  Swan Boy • Diana Hendry

  Stories That Raise Issues

  Taking Flight • Julia Green

  Finding Fizz • J. Alexander

  Nothing But Trouble • Alan MacDonald

  Stories From Different Cultures

  The Little Puppet Boy • James Riordan

  The Story Thief • Andrew Fusek Peters

  The Hound of Ulster • Malachy Doyle

  Historical Stories

  The Queen’s Token • Pamela Oldfield

  War Games • James Riordan

  Outbreak • Alison Prince

  Text copyright © 2006 Julia Green

  Illustrations copyright © 2006 Jane Cope

  Reprinted 2008, 2011 (three times)

  First published 2006 by A & C Black

  Bloomsbury Publishing Plc

  50 Bedford Square,

  London, WC1B 3DP

  www.bloomsbury.com

  This electronic edition published in September 2013 by Bloomsbury Publishing

  White Wolves Series Consultant: Sue Ellis, Centre for Literacy in Primary Education

  This book can be used in the White Wolves Guided Reading programme with children who need a lot of support with reading at Year 4 level

  The rights of Julia Green and Jane Cope to be identified as author and illustrator of this work respectively have been asserted by them in accordance with the Copyrights, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

  All rights reserved

  You may not copy, distribute, transmit, reproduce or otherwise make available this publication (or any part of it) in any form, or by any means (including without limitation electronic, digital, optical, mechanical, photocopying, printing, recording or otherwise), without the prior written permission of the publisher. Any person who does any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.

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

  eISBN: 978-1-4081-6343-6

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