David and the Great Detective (1)

HELBLING READERS

GRAPHIC S T O R IE S

David

and the Great Detective Martyn Hobbs

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The Red-headed League Aithur Coftan Poyte' Mowgli’s Brothers wd Ktpfmg Black Beauty Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland Lewis Carroll

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The Stolen White Elephant Mark Twain A Christmas Carol Charles Csckwss The Adventures of Tom Sawyer Mark Twain The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Marts Twain

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Fiction A series of original fiction by top international E F L authors. Next Door Rt.be t Campbells A New Home for Socks Antoinette.Moses

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Princess on the Run Pass! Davenport The Time Capsule Robert Csmphett

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Short Reads Short stories easy to read in one sitting. Fireball’s Heart Herbert Puchta The Clever Woman Herbert Puchta

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For a complete list of all our titles, information and downloadable activities: w w w .helblingreaders.com

HELBLING LANGUAGES

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David and the G re a t D e te ctive by M a rty n Hobbs © H E L B L IN G L A N G U A G E S 2007

All rights reserved. N o p art o f th is p u b lication m ay be reproduced, stored in a re trie va l system , or tra n sm itted , in a n y form or by a n y m eans, e lectro n ic, m ech a n ical, p h otoco p ying, recording, or o th e rw ise , w ith o u t th e prior w ritte n perm ission o f th e Publishers.

First published 2007 Reprinted 2 0 1 1

IS B N 978 -3-85272-016-6

Se rie s e d ito r M a ria Cleary Illu strated by Lorenzo S ab b atin i A c tiv itie s by Elspeth R aw stron Design and la yo u t by C ap olinea Printed by A thesia

About this Book For the Student

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Listen to all of the story and do some activities on your Audio CD

P1

Talk about the story

trip® When you see the blue dot you can check the word in the glossary on page 64.

For the Teacher Go to our Readers Resource site for information on using readers and downloadable Resource Sheets, photocopiable Worksheets, Answer Keys and Tapeseripts. Plus free MP3 sample tracks from the story.

www.helblingreaders.com For lots of great ideas on using Graded Readers consult Reading Matters, the Teacher's Guide to using Helbling Readers.

Level 1 Structures Present simple of be

A / an

Have g ot

The

There is / There are

Subject pronouns

Present Simple

Object pronouns

Can (ability and permission)

Plural nouns

Present Continuous

Countable and uncountable nouns

Like/love / hate / don't like doing Imperatives

Adjectives

Short answers

Possessive adjectives

W ho? W hat? W here? W hat colour? How m uch? How m any?

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Possessive 's

......

Demonstrative adjectives and pronouns

very Adverbs of frequency

Before Reading 1 Look at the picture and answer the questions on pages 8 and 9

David and the Great Detective

Before Reading 1 Find these things in the picture on page 6 and 7 and label them. a) tennis racket

b) old van

c) wire fence

d) bicycle

2 The objects in exercise 1 are important to the story. W hy are they important? Can you guess? In groups write a story. Include all these objects in your story. Then tell the class. Choose the best scenario. 3 Find these things in the picture and label them. a)

factory

b) terraced houses

c) streetlamp

4 Talk about the picture. Does it look like your neighbourhood? W hat are the similarities? W hat are the differences?

d) restaurant

David and the Great Detective 4 I 5 Listen and write the names of each of the characters.

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6 A n sw er th e questions. a) Where is David standing?

b) W hat is Jack doing?

c) W hat pet has Zadie got?

d) W hat can Joe do?

e) Which sport does Holly like?

7 Can you guess? Who is the hero of the story? Who is the villain?

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1 It's the first day of summer, the twenty-first of June, like so many days of the year in England, is often cloudy, or wet, or windy, or ‘not too bad*'. But today is a lovely summer's day. The sun is shining. The fields are bright green and yellow in the morning light. And birds are singing in the trees. In the distance, on both sides of the river, the red and grey town of Westbourne is getting ready for a new day. It's a perfect day for staying at home, for going swimming, playing football, or listening to music in the shade* of a tree. Unfortunately, today isn't a holiday. It's Monday. And it's seven thirty. it

Lorries and cars are rushing around the ring road* that circles the town. On one side o f the ring road are fields, car parks, some new houses and a few old farms. On the other side are housing estates*, business parks*, a few apartment blocks from the 1960s, and lots of old terraced houses. Some cars are driving into the centre. Some are going to the business parks with their new offices, new roads and tidy bushes. Other cars are heading out* to the motorway and the long drive to London.

David and the Great Detective It's early, but in the parks some people are taking their dogs for a walk. Or rather, the dogs are taking their owners for a walk. The dogs look happy and full of energy. Their owners look very tired. Other people are jogging* and listening to their MP3s, doing some exercise before the working day begins. Buses are taking some early workers into the town centre. Street cleaners are picking up the litter* from last night's takeaways*. And in the town centre, the clock on the tower of the old Town Hall shows five to eight.

In the suburbs, a m ilk float is moving quietly up a road with its electric purr. Its glass m ilk bottles are rattling'in the back.

rap music on the car stereo is very loud, A cat runs quickly out of the way!

Paper boys and girls are delivering newspapers.

Men and women are leaving for work, getting into cars or w alking to bus stops.

A girl is skating along a pavement. She is holding a lead, and on the end of the lead her dog is running and barking!

Som e people are getting ready in the bathroom 01 ihey are w aiting to use the bathroom . S o m etim es th eir fifteen -year-o ld siste r gets to the bathroom first and they have to w ait for hours.

Som e p eop le a re n ’t liste n in g to th e ir p arents. I hoy are s e n d in g text m e ssag e s to th e ir frie n d s.

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And in a secon d-floor fla t near the park, a boy is lying in bed. He has long fa ir hair and a thin pale* face. His eyes are closed. He's dream ing. It's a cold dark n igh t in N ew York. The snow is fallin g on the tall buildings and the streets. The streets are em p ty and w hite. Then a shape® m oves in th e darkness and a m an steps into th e street. The y e llo w light from a streetlam p show s his face. It's David Delgado, the G re at D etective.

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David and the Great Detective David Delgado is tall and thin with fair hair. He is wearing a black jumper, a long dark coat, and black leather boots. He looks up and down the street, then holds his hand up to the light. His watch says 1:30. He has an appointment with Harry, but Harry's late. Where is he? I hen David hears a sound - it’s a car! A white limo comes round I he corner and stops about 30 metres away. The door opens ... and a huge® man gets out. This isn't Harry. It's Mickey Malone, the King of Crime! Mickey looks at David then takes something from his pocket. What is it?

'It's eight o' clock! You're late for school! Now hurry up!' His mother goes back to the kitchen. David doesn't want to leave David Delgado in a dangerous situation, but he has no choice. So he gets up. There are books and comics all around his room. David loves reading, but he loves writing, too. He writes stories about a lot of different characters. And his favourite character is David Delgado, the Great Detective.

18

David and the Great Detective I).iv id lives alone with his mother. He hasn't got a father. He hasn’t got any brothers or sisters. And he hasn't got a pet. He likes * a Is, but his mother says he can't have one. She says they can't have a cat because they haven't got a garden. David thinks his mother simply doesn't want a cat. A boy in his class lives in a flat and he has a cat. And David knows that pirates have cats, and lhey haven't got gardens! But in a way he doesn't mind. He doesn't feel lonely. His head is lull of explorers, gangsters, astronauts, cowboys, Native Americans and secret agents.

'Eat your breakfast quickly, love,’ says his mum. She is making his lunch. She works at the hospital and she is wearing her nurse's uniform. She starts work in half an hour and she is in a hurry. 'OK,' David replies, starting to eat his cereal. His mother looks quite serious. He knows she worries about him a lot. ‘Sorry I'm late, Mum.' ‘That's all right,' she says, and smiles. 'Now don't forget your sandwiches,’ she says. 'Don't worry.' But ten minutes later, when David runs out of the front door to catch the bus, his lunch is still on the table. And then David misses the bus. He waits another fifteen minutes for the next one.

David and the Great Detective When it arrives he gets on and goes up the stairs to sit on the top I loor. He sees that he is the only person on the bus wearing a blue sweatshirt and grey trousers - the uniform of Westbourne High School. He's very late. I )avid likes looking out of the window at the cars, the people, the .hops and houses. He soon sees two boys. They aren't wearing school uniforms. A boy with red hair is riding a bicycle, the other one is running beside him. They are laughing. 'that's odd®,' thinks David. 'They aren't going towards a school. Maybe they have a day off® ... Lucky them !’

But David soon forgets them ... The snow is falling on the streets and buildings of New York. It is falling on a long white limo. It is falling on David Delgado, the Great Detective. It is falling on Mickey Malone, the King of Crime. And it is falling on the object Mickey is holding in his hand. He moves it into the light of the streetlamp. It's a gun! David Delgado doesn't change his expression. 'Where's Harry?’ asks the Great Detective. 'Harry’s fine,' says Mickey. 'He's in the back of the limo.' 'Can I see him?' 'Not now,' says Mickey. 'He doesn't feel very well.' And then Mickey points the gun at David Delgado ...

David and the

b.ivid doesn't know what happens next to the Great Detective. I lc hasn't got time to continue the story. The bus stops outside his ■.chool. David runs down the stairs, jumps off the bus, and rushes II trough the school gates. The playground is empty and silent. David inns to the entrance. Inside, the school is empty and silent, too. David walks quickly ilong the corridors. He can hear teachers talking in the classrooms. I le looks through the windows and sees the students at their desks. I le is the only student not in a class. I inally David stops outside a classroom. He takes a deep breath*, knocks at the door, and walks in.

23

T h e re 's an e m p ty d e sk at the front of th e cla s s. 1 W ithout lo o king at th e other stu d e n ts, David walks straight to it, pulls out the chair, and sits down. '

He takes his books out of his bag, finds his pen, then looks up at his teacher.

David looks round. The teacher’s right. He is sitting in the wrong class!

but Mr Johnson, his maths teacher, isn’t very pleased.

Mu "".I of the morning is a bit of a disaster, too. Pavid, what's 12 times 7?

Thank you. ■

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n e y , ir a v t .

—

'H TV a w the Preamer. You can't do maths. ”"V M )u can't do sport. You're a bit stupid.

C Stop talking, David! —

_________

W hat?... Oh, sorry, M r Johnson,^/ I'm sorry, too. xVCom e and see me at 3:30.

At lunehtime, David looks for his sandwiches in his bag ... but they aren't there. They are still sitting on the table in the kitchen at home. He only finds an open bag of crisps and an old apple. The apple is very old and the crisps are cheese and onion - NOT his favourite flavour®. But he eats them and then goes out to the playground. Some girls are talking in small groups, some boys are playing football, and a small group of his classmates are sitting on a bench. 'Hey! Dave! Dave the Dreamer!' Jack calls out and the others laugh. Jack's friends, Liam and Tareq start chanting: 'Dave the Dreamer! Dave the Dreamer!'

David and the Great Detective 11iri) a girl says loudly, ‘Leave him alone, Jack!1 And another girl says. ‘W hy don't you grow up? You're pathetic!' David, Jackand hisgangall lookatZadieand Holly. Zadie is holding .1 football. 'Il’s your fault David's in trouble,' says Zadie.

'No, it isn't,' says Jack. 'Yes, it is,' says Holly. David feels a bit silly. He looks at Zadie and Holly, and then he Hunks of the Great Detective. Girls never save David Delgado! '()oooh, I'm really scared,' says Jack, pretending® to be frightened, '('nine on, let's go inside. This is getting boring.' And Jack leads his gang into the school. 'Do you want a game?' Zadie asks David, bouncing the ball. 11, no, that's OK,' David says.

After the last lesson, Mr Johnson makes David stay behind at school. He has to write ‘I must not talk in class' a hundred times. First of all, David writes the sentences carefully on separate lines in his notebook: 1 m i/if no!" fA lfe. In C lA ii. 1 »u A lf nof fo lk . In clA -tl. 1 hmAIf not" f