Into the Fire Read online

  BLACK FRIDAY (1939)

  In terms of land devastated, the fires that swept through parts of Victoria on Friday, 13 January 1939, are regarded as one of the worst bushfire disasters in recorded history. Almost 2,000,000 hectares (that’s 20,000km2 of land) were burnt, affecting 75% of the entire state of Victoria in some way. Several towns were completely destroyed, and 71 people died. Temperatures in Melbourne reached 45.6°C, which made Black Friday also Australia’s hottest day ever recorded until that time.

  THE CANBERRA FIRES (2003)

  Fire raged around the outskirts of Canberra for over a week before threatening and then actually entering some of the suburbs. In ten devastating hours after the fires entered the nation’s capital on Saturday, 18 January 2003, four people died and over 500 homes were either badly damaged or completely gutted. The fires came about after lightning strikes on 8 January caused about 160 fires to start. Wind gusts were so strong that they uprooted fully grown gum trees. When the fires were eventually controlled, almost 70% of the Australian Capital Territory’s nature parks, forests and pasture had been severely damaged.

  More Great Books You Will Enjoy

  Faster than Lightning

  MICHAEL PANCKRIDGE AND PAM HARVEY

  Thirteen-year-old Angus lives and breathes horses. His father is a horse trainer, and on most mornings before school, Angus is down at the track helping out.

  One morning, when Angus is training a skittish new horse on the track, a group of erratic riders almost push Angus and the young colt into the railing. From here the mystery begins.

  With the help of his friends, Angus discovers shady and possibly illegal goings-on at the local stud farm. When a horse, Lightning Strikes, appears to be the exact replica of a dead horse, Gale Force, Angus becomes suspicious.

  Is the stud involved in a special breeding program, or something more sinister? Is it possible that they could be cloning famous racehorses? Angus and friends must find out before it is too late.

  In the Deep End

  MICHAEL PANCKRIDGE AND PAM HARVEY

  Something is not right in Teasdale. First, Gabby, one of the most talented swimmers in the state, is well beaten in the swimming trials by Andrea Taylor. Second, Hannah, the brightest kid in the school, misses out on the national Whatever, Wherever competition when she loses to her classmate Dave Kelly.

  Neither Andrea nor Dave has posed any threat to the girls before, so who—or what—is helping them to win?

  As Gabby, Hannah and their friends investigate, the clues point towards an unexpected villain.

  And when Gabby finds herself trapped and in real danger, the kids set out on an urgent mission to rescue her and finally uncover what’s been going on.

  Ghost of a Chance

  MICHAEL PANCKRIDGE AND PAM HARVEY

  School’s finally out and Ling and her friends head for a beach holiday looking forward to fun, excitement and exploring the derelict lighthouse around the bay. They soon find out, though, that their holiday destination was the scene of a tragic boating accident years ago.

  At night, Ling is haunted by the image of a girl who whispers words, then fades away. During the day, a gang of hostile local kids searches the island for lost treasure. And in the background, the story of the orphanage and the children who lived there threads its way into the mystery.

  Attempting to find out the truth from the locals only leads to frustration…and raises more questions. Why is Ling the only person who can see the ghost? What really happened all those years ago on the island? And why has the man who ran the orphanage—the frightening Mr Jamison—returned to his home town?

  Ling and her friends must brave stormy seas and stay one step ahead of the other kids in a daring mission to uncover the truth and help restore peace to those who have been left behind.

  Taking the Chequered Flag

  MICHAEL PANCKRIDGE AND PAM HARVEY

  E.D. is the youngest of three brothers, all of them motocross fanatics. He’s always been the support crew, fixing up his brothers’ bikes, rather than racing. But this time, after losing a bet with his brother Tony, he’s reluctantly competing in a race.

  It doesn’t seem as if the race track is a level playing field, though. There’s a mysterious rider on a lime-green bike who doesn’t play fair, and a whiff of high-tech cheating going on around the nearby motorbike shop, which seems to have developed into a thriving business in a suspiciously short time.

  When a serious crash puts Tony in hospital, E.D. must step up and compete on his behalf, even though he knows he doesn’t have much chance of getting through to the Inter Club Meet. But E.D. proves once again his capacity to surprise everyone—in an unexpected way.

  Toby Jones and the Magic Cricket Almanack

  MICHAEL PANCKRIDGE

  WITH BRETT LEE

  Toby Jones and his friends are obsessed with cricket. They all play in the Under-13 school team and hang out in their own online cricket chatroom after school. Luckily, they also have a sports-mad teacher who lets them do projects on cricket.

  While on a school excursion Toby visits the Melbourne Cricket Club Library, where he meets fellow cricket buff Jim Oldfield and stumbles upon the secret of the Magic Cricket Almanack. This secret, which Jim shares, is so extraordinary it could change Toby’s life forever.

  Life for Toby and his friends becomes a balancing act—following their passion of playing cricket while keeping Toby’s new-found secret. But are they ready for the dangers this secret holds?

  Toby Jones and the Magic Cricket Almanack is the first book in an exciting new series that combines cricket with fantasy. Featuring cricket commentary co-written with Australian fast bowler Brett Lee, this is a book guaranteed to leave you wanting more.

  Toby Jones and the Secret of the Missing Scorecard

  MICHAEL PANCKRIDGE

  WITH BRETT LEE

  Toby Jones lives and breathes cricket. He plays in a local cricket competition, follows the professional players and knows all the stats. But Toby has a secret—he can travel back through time to watch famous cricket matches and players. And he can take his friends with him. But it’s not all good news…

  There are dangers. Toby has seen the strange, hooded figure lurking in the background. What, or who, is this creepy character after? And how desperate is he to get what he wants?

  If you love fantasy or sport, you’ll love reading the Toby Jones books.

  ‘Kids, cricket, fun—always the perfect combination.’ BRETT LEE

  Toby Jones and the Mystery of the Time-Travel Tour

  MICHAEL PANCKRIDGE

  WITH BRETT LEE

  Toby Jones is not your average cricket fan—he can travel through time, back to the great matches of the past. When his friend and fellow time traveller Jim Oldfield is left behind—last seen watching Bradman play at Leeds in 1930—Toby knows he’s the only one who can find Jim.

  Meanwhile, Phillip Smale, ruthless team manager of the rival Scorpions, is working on a secretive scheme to lure rich cricketlovers to his Timeless Travel Tours…but there is no guarantee of a return ticket.

  Can Toby save Jim and also thwart Smale’s perilous plan? Or will the dangers of time travelling lead to disaster?

  Toby Jones and the Timeless Cricket Match

  MICHAEL PANCKRIDGE

  WITH BRETT LEE

  It isn’t Toby Jones’ passion for cricket that makes him unusual—it’s his ability to travel through time, back to the great matches of the past.

  Just when Toby thinks his time-travel adventures are over, he has to make another dangerous journey. He must travel to The Oval—the famous English cricket ground—to save his friend Ally, who has been ill since she broke the laws of time travel on her last trip with him.

  Toby will have to face the embittered Cricket Lord, Hugo Malchev, and the ruthless Phillip Smale, who has his own agenda as far as time travel is concerned, and doesn’t want anyone getting in the way.

  And if that isn’t enough, Toby is training at the cricket
camp at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, hoping to be selected for Australia against England in the junior Ashes. If he doesn’t get stuck in the past during his travels. Or worse…

  Toby Jones and the Clash with Father Time

  MICHAEL PANCKRIDGE

  WITH BRETT LEE

  Toby Jones is not your average cricket fan. As well as being an ace player, he has the amazing ability to travel through time, back to the great matches of the past.

  Toby is playing for Australia in a junior Ashes match at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. It’s the most important game of his life so far. But things take a dramatic turn when one of a band of sinister soul-snatchers—known as Grubbers—makes a ghostly appearance in the outfield and takes over the body of one of the England players. To make matters worse, Toby discovers that his friend Georgie has gone missing.

  Toby must return to the Timeless Cricket Match and confront the powerful and evil Father Time. Only by doing so can he save all the former and future Test cricketers doomed to be trapped in the past forever…and the game of cricket itself.

  A thrilling conclusion to the bestselling Toby Jones series.

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  Thanks to the supportive team at HarperCollins, with special mention to Lisa Berryman, Liz Kemp and Anne Reilly for their continued support and professional expertise.

  Pam would like to thank Michael for throwing petrol on the fire, and Michael would like to thank Pam for calling the fire brigade.

  About the Authors

  MICHAEL PANCKRIDGE is the author of the bestselling Toby Jones cricketing adventure series. He lives in Geelong, Victoria. His main interests include a wide variety of sports, music, reading and keeping fit. He has worked as a teacher for just over twenty years and currently teaches part-time at Geelong College.

  Visit Michael’s website at www.michaelpanckridge.com.au

  PAM HARVEY lives in Bendigo with her husband, two children, two dogs, two goldfish, two ducks, fifteen chooks and a ghost horse. Pam works as a lecturer in medical education and writes whenever she can get to the computer. She’s enthusiastic about a lot of things—including books, chocolate and getting up in the morning—and wears a bracelet made out of spoons. Pam has been writing since 1993.

  Visit www.AuthorTracker.com for exclusive information on your favorite HarperCollins author.

  BY MICHAEL PANCKRIDGE

  Toby Jones and the Magic Cricket Almanack

  (with Brett Lee)

  Toby Jones and the Secret of the Missing Scorecard

  (with Brett Lee)

  Toby Jones and the Mystery of the Time-Travel Tour

  (with Brett Lee)

  Toby Jones and the Timeless Cricket Match

  (with Brett Lee)

  Toby Jones and the Clash with Father Time

  (with Brett Lee)

  Shielding the Truth (League of Legends, Book 1)

  (with Laurie Daley)

  Live Action (League of Legends, Book 2)

  (with Laurie Daley)

  On the Whistle (League of Legends, Book 3)

  (with Laurie Daley)

  BY MICHAEL PANCKRIDGE AND PAM HARVEY

  Faster than Lightning

  In the Deep End

  Ghost of a Chance

  Taking the Chequered Flag

  Copyright

  Angus&Robertson

  An imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers, Australia

  First published in Australia in 2008

  This edition published in 2010

  by HarperCollinsPublishers Australia Pty Limited

  ABN 36 009 913 517

  www.harpercollins.com.au

  Copyright © Michael Panckridge and Pam Harvey 2008

  The right of Michael Panckridge and Pam Harvey to be identified as the authors of this work has been asserted by them under the Copyright Amendment (Moral Rights) Act 2000.

  This work is copyright. Apart from any use as permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, no part may be reproduced, copied, scanned, stored in a retrieval system, recorded, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

  HarperCollinsPublishers

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  National Library of Australia Cataloguing-in-Publication data:

  Panckridge, Michael, 1962-.

  Into the fire / Michael Panckridge, Pam Harvey.

  ISBN: 978 0 2072 0061 8 (pbk.).

  ISBN: 978 0 7304 0143 8 (ePub)

  For primary school age.

  Harvey, Pam, 1965-

  A823.4

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