Kids into books: Ticket to the Sky Dance

This week's title: Ticket to the Sky Dance

Author: Joy Cowley

Illustrator: Nik Andrew

Publisher:Penguin Books, $15.95

Age Group: 8-13 years


Shog was so alert, he felt as though he were crackling with electricity. He moved lightly around the racks of shoes, ready for flight. Then he saw the store-owner's hands on his newspaper, fingers swollen and twisted sideways with arthritis, worse even than Gran's. The man couldn't hold a pen, let alone a gun. It was going to be all right. He smiled at the man while, outside, Jancie and Banjo were pretending to look at shoes in the window.

'I want some Zeus boots. Size eight.'

The man hobbled out from behind the counter. 'Zeus boots, eh? They're all the go with you kids. Everyone's got to have a pair of Zeus boots. In my day it was Reeboks.' He said it with a straight look into Shog's face as though he knew he was going to be robbed. But he still got the boots from the box and held them out. Shog blinked and sucked in his breath. Mario Vanelli had Zeus boots. So had McCready, before he had left the camp. But although Shot had admired their boots, he had never actually had them in his hands. He was surprised that they were almost weightless! They looked like metal, shining stainless steel, yet they were as soft and flexible as ilk and so light they would hardly kiss his feet. Oh man, the boot of boots! El Supremo! Chief of Olympus!

He took off his old frayed sneakers and put the boots on, did up the laces. Light struck the toes and flashed rainbows like the discs on Gran's old CD player. They were perfect! He took several careful steps round the shop, looking from the edge of his vision at Jancie and Vanjo who were now in the doorway.