fiction Archives - Page 620 of 718

3 of a Kind
by Rohan Gavin (Author)

Booktalk: Darkus Knightley is used to expecting the unexpected. An extraordinary crimesolver, with immense powers of deduction, and regularly found bedecked in tweed, Darkus is anything but the average 13 year old.

Despite trying to leave his detective ways behind and wanting to lead a normal life, when his father’s loyal housekeeper, Bogna, goes missing, Darkus must return to the family fold to solve the mystery. Alongside his father, Alan, and his stepsister Tilly, Darkus follows the trail to America and the bright lights of Las Vegas where they must once again face the deadly criminal organization the Combination — and this time, all bets are off. With danger at every turn, Knightley and Son will need an ace or two up their sleeves in order to win this game.

Snippet: Darkus and Tilly stood on tiptoe to peer inside. Darkus leafed through the files until he reached “Theo K.”

“Bingo,” he muttered, removing the file and confirming the image of a handsone, mustachioed man in the profile picture.

Darkus began speed-reading the contents while Tilly photographed them with her smartphone. Then Darkus stopped.

“The suspect’s name is Theodore Kojak,” he whispered into his earpiece.

“What?” Knightly crackled back.

“Who’s that?” asked Tilly.

“It’s clearly an assumed name,” Darkus explained. “Theodore Kojak is the name of a fictional TV detective with a penchant for lollipops, made famous by the actor Telly Savalas.”

Squirrel in the House
by Vivian Vande Velde (Author) and Steve Bjorkman (Illustrator)

Booktalk: Squirrel is ready to party as he enters Cuddles the dog’s house through a special entrance for squirrels on the roof, aka the chimney. Holiday festivities are soon in shambles, and Cuddles, the presumed culprit, is banished to the basement. Meanwhile, the littlest human runs away into a snowstorm unnoticed by everyone except Squirrel. Long-suffering Cuddles must team up with the willfully obtuse Squirrel to rescue the child in this comical story told from a squirrel-centric point of view.

Snippet: The dog who lives next door to the yard where I live tells me that people call dogs “man’s best friend.”

Well, actually, the dog doesn’t so much tell me this as he yells it. Usually while he’s chasing me. Often the dog gets so angry when he sees me that he tries to catch me. I don’t know why he gets angry. I guess some dogs are just highly excitable that way. But when he runs after me, he can only go so far. Then his leash stops him.

I try to point things out to the dog, purely for educational purposes. I live in the school yard, so I am a very well-educated squirrel. I say, “Man’s best friend, huh? You’re tied to a tree. You did notice that, didn’t you? My friends don’t tie me to trees.”

Time and again the dog gets so angry about the life lesson I’ve tried to give that he forgets about his leash. He lunges, he runs out of leash, he bounces back.

Very calmly, not to tease him but only to explain the way things are, I say to the dog, “I think it’s squirrels who are man’s best friend. That’s why the man who lives here ties you up–so you can’t bother me.”