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


It was a triangle of focus, the boots, the old man, the two figures sliding into range. Outside of that focus he was vaguely aware of a sharp increase in the fear smell but he didn't notice that the door at the back of the shop was opening. Suddenly there was a giant standing in front of him, a buy who looked like an all-in wrestler.

Ashoga stopped dead still.

'You reckon on paying for those?' the giant said. He was young, with a shaved head a gold stud in his left ear. His voice was pleasant, but he was holding a long baton like a club, and was tapping it in the palm of his hand. Hell, he was big! Enormous arms, barrel of a chest. Between his shorts and his feet, his legs were like the trunks of trees.

Now Shog knew the meaning of the shop-owner's smile. He'd had a heavy hidden out the back!

Shog stepped away, shrugged and held out his hands.

'It's okay, man! Cool it! They don't fit me. I was just going to take them off.'

He meant it. He was going to take the boots off ion record time and get the hell out of there, but that was the moment when Jancie and Banjo decided to knock over the shoe racks.