House of Spies
Griselda Gifford
Chapter 1:
WW2, 1941. “I could hear the thud, thud of bombs falling but I couldn’t move. My legs were pinned to the bed. I had to get down to get down to the cellar. I had to be safe from the bombs…….” This book so far is quite a sad book. A bomb just landed outside of their house. They had to be moved down to the local pub. The cat goes missing and Pip tries to go and find it. She found the cat but it was by the bomb and the soldiers did not let her past. She met a boy who had lost his goat, they decided that they are going to get the cat and the goat that night. Will they be in trouble? What will happen?
Chapter 2:
That night she went to bed. She fell asleep. There was a loud voice down stairs. It was Harry, Harry was wondering where Pip was. Pip’s mum shooed him out. After about 10 minutes she went downstairs. It was pitch black outside. She looked around to find Harry but he is nowhere to been seen. This hand grabbed her, “You're late” said Harry. They went to Pip’s house to find the cat and the goat. They found the goat and the cat but the goat ran away and went near the bomb! BANG!
Chapter 3:
The next day the army took all the bomb remainders away. Pip got a big telling off. Pip’s and Nurse Robin’s house will need fixing. They got Thomasina the cat back. A carriage pulled up by the pub. A big lady came out followed by Harry. Mrs Seddon said that Harry was very sorry and she said that she would like to return something for what she did. Mrs Seddon thought while your house gets rebuilt that you two can stay with us. They said yes. Once they had settled in, they did Harry’s choirs. Then they went for a ride on the horse. Harry said that townies don’t know how to ride. So Pip wanted to prove Harry wrong. So she kicked on the side of the horse and galloped into the distance. When Harry caught up, there was a gunshot!
Chapter 4:
“My heart literally thudded against my ribs as I wondered how far a bullet could go” The trees got thinner. They came to a clearing with a house. Pip and Harry saw a thin, white headed boy running with a golden dog. They followed him. The boy turned around, Harry grabbed the boy’s arm, “Did you take my goat?” The boy turned red. “I just wanted some company” said the boy. The boy carried on his story saying the people he lived with were Germans, and saying the were very cruel. The boy asked if Pip and Harry could hide. They said yes. They took Max to Harry’s sisters bird watch house. They were going home to get food for Max.
Chapter 5:
They went home. Pip’s mum was waiting for them at the gate. They had tea. Harry asked if once they had done their jobs if they can go for a ride. Harry’s mum said yes. Once they had watered the lettuces, put the geese and the hens away, they went for a ride. Before they did that Pip went to see how Thomasina and the mice were. As she opened the door Thomasina went flying out of the door. She saw a tabby and they went sprinting into the woods. They hopped on the horses and went to see Max with some food. When Pip was riding she kept calling Thomasina’s name, but she was know where to be seen. As they approached the hut they heard sobs. They went into the hut, Max was losing his mind a bit. He did not know where his mum was and his dad was fighting in the war. They gave Max some money, water, food and gave the dog some dog biscuits. Max complained that the food was dry and Winston the dog needed meat. They promised that the next day they would go to the shop and get some food for him, they also promised that they would think up a plan for Max to go somewhere. Then they went home.
Chapter 6:
The next day they went to the shop. Harry’s mum wanted a loaf of bread and oats. They got some food for Max, then they went to the butcher, to get some meat for the dog. When they got home PC Thorogood came. He said that a boy went missing (Max) and if they swore him to say so. Harry and Pip didn’t say a word. After that the postman came. He delivered the mail and talked. Percy the postman gave a letter to Pip’s mum. Pip and Harry went and got all the stuff for going to see Max. As Pip went into the cabin, she saw her mum crying. She went in. Her mum stopped crying and said it was hayfever (when she didn’t!). Pip snatched the letter, it was from her dad. He said, hope everything is alright, he was seeing another girl and that they were deeply in love…... Pip burst with anger.
Chapter 7:
Pip jumped on the back of Bracken. “Are you racing me” asked Harry. Pip didn’t want to answer. They heard voices, when they approached the bushes. There was two boys who were shooting black birds. They had tired Max up. Pip went and got Max. One of the boys called Spike and Harry had a massive fight. They were punching each other. Max started to ran away from the boys. Spike said to the other boy Benny to chase after them. As this was happening German planes flew over. The air-raid siren alarm went on. A silver egg came flying down thru the trees. BOOM! After the siren went off they went to find the other people. They found Benny. He was badly hurt. Harry and Pip had a disagreement because all Harry cared about was her animals, and Pip wanted to stay. Harry went on to find Bracken and Pip stayed. “Flies buzzed round Benny’s snotty face but he didn’t move. Was he dead? Would Harry come back? If she didn’t-what could I do.”
Chapter 8:
Pip tried yelling at Benny. “It hurts” said Benny. Pip had been to some of her mum's first aid classes. So she did first aid on Benny. Then they started walking back to the farm. Harry court up. They put Benny on the horse. When they got to the farm gate, they saw Pip’s and Harry’s mum and a RAF man. They were very glad that they were alright. They thought the bomb hit them. They walked back to the house. Nurse Robin came to fix Harry and Benny up. They all started talking about the Germans who live in the woods. The people in the wood might be spies for the Germans. Harry’s parents sent them out to search for the missing horse. While they were looking they got very thirsty. That drove them to Pip’s house. Pip went inside. Winston came rushing out. “If Winston’s shut in here that means’………. Harry didn’t finish as I opened the larder door and saw the dim shape of a boy, crouched under the shelf.”
Chapter 9:
They found Max by the shelf. They said he had to do a mission. His mission was to go back to the Germans in the wood to get proof that they were spies. He went and washed himself. But Spike came running out of the house. “Where’s Max?” “He’s not here” said Pip and Harry. He went back in the house. All of a sudden there was a loud THUMP. The house had fallen on top of Spike. There was a small “HELP” from the rubble. They quickly left to go on with their mission. Max didn’t want to go so Pip went with him. They knocked on the door………… What will happen?
Chapter 10:
The door opened. “Mein Gott! Maximillian!” said the old women. There was a strike of lighting. Pip looked up there was a gun glinting down. There was a gunshot. “Hide me!” said Max, the old lady took him and Pip went running into the bushes. She found Harry. They went back to the farm. “I don’t think they are spies said Pip” It was silent. When Pip went to bed that night she wrote in her diary.
Chapter 11:
“The next day, I was woken early by Harry prodding me.” The Seddon’s got ready for the market. Benny hopped out of a truck. He said that Spike was in deep trouble for borrowing his dad's gun and going into their house. The truck's engine turned on. “I got to go” said Benny. When the Seddon’s went to the market, Harry and Pip went and did their jobs. After they did their jobs they went to Pip’s house to see if they can get Thomasina down. The builder was there to fix their house. They used the builder’s ladder but Thomasina would not come down.
Chapter 12:
Harry and Pip went outside at 10:30pm. The got Bracken and set off. When they got to the German’s house they shone a thin thread of light. Max came out. He said that he didn’t find anything. He overheard that there was all these clues at manor. Max had to go. They went back to the farm. As Pip went into the bedroom Pip’s mum woke up. She said that she went to the toilet. The next day she woke up late. One of the pigs was having a babies. Pip and Pip’s mum went to Church.
Chapter 13:
When Pip and Pip’s mum got back from Church there was a vet to help the pig. Lunch was a bit upside down. Mrs Seddon kept checking on Bertha the pig. Pip and Harry went to groom the ponies. They started talking about Max and the Germans. Pip overheard at Church that they are sending people to investigate them. Pip now doesn’t think that the Germans are spies! Harry disagreed. Pip went to see what her mum was doing, she was asleep on the old rocking chair. There were bottles of plums beside her. Pip could he Mr and Mrs Seddon talking upstairs in their bedroom. Pip went to the hut where they were staying. She went and checked on the mice. She gave the mice food and water. She pulled out a book which was Mel’s old diary.
Chapter 14:
When Pip went for dinner Nurse Robin was there. She was dressing Dick’s arm. She stayed for tea. She said there was a meeting at the pub about the Germans. Dick stood up so suddenly the chair tipped over. He was out the door like a flash. Nurse Robin chased after him. After Pip and Harry washed the dishes they snuck out. The went to the pub saying that Pip’s mum left a pen there. Mrs Jarvis let them in. They saw Dick talking about the Germans. As they went through the door they left it open a little, so they could hear the conversation. Mrs Jarvis caught them and she shooed them out. As they were walking out Harry’s dad turned around. He got angry and told them off, Harry said the were looking for a Pip’s mum’s pen. As they were walking home a motor bike went passed, it stopped. It was Don. He gave them a lift back home. When they got to the drive way they saw Pip’s mum. Don asked her if she would like to go for a ride and the went off. The next day at breakfast there was a knock on the door. There was a telegraph boy standing there in a smart blue uniform. “A telegram for Mrs Armstrong,” he said. Pip’s mum took the envelope. “As I fell into darkness I knew I had killed Dad!”
Chapter 15:
Pip woke up on the old sofa. It was very quiet, Dick gave Pip’s Mum a bit of a hug. Harry’s mum said to Pip’s Mum to lie down but she was determined to go to the canteen. Harry did the farm jobs while Pip sat down for a little bit. Harry called Pip over she found were one of the geese were laying her eggs. One started to crack. The goose came running. They went into house. Mrs Seddon agreed to take Mr Seddon to the hall. Pip and Harry went to the Gamekeeper's house to warn them. They knocked on the door. There was a silver bit of metal. The door was opened by Max. He said that they can’t stay and that Hans has shut himself in the room. Suddenly the air raid siren wailed. German planes flew low. A bomb landed on the house. Max, Harry, Pip and the old lady were outside. There was a cry of help. Max got the lady and Pip climbed up. There was a shout for her to come down. She got down. There was all the help even Dick was there. Max got Winston out or the kennel. Dick and the Blood brothers went in. A fire engine came clanging up the path.
Chapter 16:
“Then two men came out coughing carrying a limp body.” Dick lay beside the man. Hans was dead. Pip took Max away from the fire and started talking about anything but the fire. He fell asleep. Mrs Seddon and her mum came. Mrs Seddon went to the fire. Pip’s mum said that she saw what had happened from the canteen. The Germans were going to London and dropping unexpected bombs here and there. They went back to the farm. Max and Ulla (Mrs Smith) were sleeping. PC Thorogood came and talked to Mrs Smith. She applied along time ago to become British. She was telling the truth. “I’ve got a worse feeling about the black pit under our feet. When the everyday ice cracks we fall in!”
Chapter 17:
Pip and Harry waited for the school bus. Max had gone to another school so it is not a 6 mile travel. Two boys came running up it was Spike and Benny. Spike took Pip’s and Harry’s hat and chucked the on the road as the upcoming bus approached. Harry whacked Spike with he gas mask. “Hurry up you kids! The ticket collector shouted. Don’t you know there is a war on?!”
Overall Summary:
This book was a good book. I would give it 7 out of 10 because it is really interesting. It has !got good hooks and it leaves you wanting to read more! There were a couple of spelling mistakes but otherwise it is a great book. I would recommend this book to 10-12 years of age because there are some quite scary bits in it. If you like war themed books this is a book for you
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