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S T O R IE S
David
and the Great Detective
Martyn Hobbs
II I H I IN< i
I AN(iUA(il
H elbling R e a d e rs R ed S e rie s
Graphic Stories
Stories with com ic strips for a fresh contemporary approach.
David and the Great Detective stf Level 1
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Holly the Eco Warrior <bbs Level 2
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Ricky and the American Girl Hobbs Level 3
Grace and the Double Life .>b;
C lassics
C lassic stories chosen to appeal to young learners.
The Happy Prince and The Nightingale and the Rose Oscar Wiirie Level 1
The Hound of the Baskervilles thurC .an I to y '
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz >aak Baum
The Red-headed League Aithur Coftan Poyte' Level 2
Mowgli’s Brothers wd Ktpfmg
Black Beauty
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland Lewis Carroll
Fiction
A series of original fiction by top international E F L authors.
Short Reads
Short stories easy to read in one sitting.
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HELBLING LANGUAGES
© 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.
Reprinted 2 0 1 1
IS B N 978 -3-85272-016-6
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
1 Find these things in the picture on page 6 and 7 and label them.
0 .
L ' i 6 A n sw er th e questions.
9
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.
Men and women are leaving for work, getting into cars
or w alking to bus stops.
It's a cold dark n igh t in N ew York. The snow is fallin g on the tall
buildings and the streets.
*
I
16
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
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 ...
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.
23
T h e re 's an e m p ty d e sk at the front of th e cla s s. 1 He takes his books out of his bag, finds
W ithout lo o king at th e other stu d e n ts, his pen, then looks up at his teacher.
David walks straight to it, pulls out the chair, and sits down. '
David looks round. The teacher’s right. He is sitting in the wrong class!
but Mr Johnson, his maths teacher, isn’t very pleased.
Thank you.
■ ^ n e y , ir a v t . —
'H
TVa
w the Preamer. You can't do maths.
”"V M )u can't do sport. You're a bit stupid.
'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
1 M i/ lf nof f a UZ. In
1 M l/if not- Ffllt.
1 M i / i f n o t" fA lfe .
1 wvJif nof f CJjL
I he Great Detective!
swap numbers.
v nv
1
1
Hi. Jack. *
i »n looking behind
tN newsagent's,
ain't see the bovs.
Where are youf
I'm near N\
the Indian restaurant/^-
You know, the one \
that's closed down.
There's
a lot of rubbish j
v here - but no bike. /
th is is hopeless. !S!p ®
We can't find them
like this. ^
David runs quickly along one side of the factory. He looks around
I he corner - and sees a group of four boys. A tall boy with red
hair is riding a bike. David remembers him from the morning.
A small boy is looking at him. He is unhappy.
'Come on, it's my turn to ride the bike now,' the small
boy says.
'Shut up, Bobby. You can wait,' the red-haired boy
replies.
The two other boys laugh. One of them
says, 'You can have a ride
tomorrow!’
It's the other boy from
that morning.
There are six bikes next
to the wall. The two
boys have got cans of
paint and they are
spraying the bikes
blue.
David calls Jack on his mobile. He whispers* into his phone.
'Hey, Jack. I'm at the old factory.'
'W hat are you doing there?'
'Well, I’m looking at the bicycle thieves' David says.
'Really?' says Jack. 'That's brilliant! But how do you know they're
the thieves?'
David tells Jack about the boy with the red hair. And then he says,
'There are other boys here. They've got seven bikes'
'Seven! That's terrible.'
Then Jack asks, ‘How many kids are in the gang?'
'Four.'
‘How old are they?'
'About thirteen or fourteen. I'm not sure.'
'Do you know them?'
'No,' whispers David. ‘They aren't
from our school.'
38
David and the Great Detective
We ean't do this on our own. There are too many of them,' says
D.ivid. 'Can you ring Liam and the others?'
'()l course!’ says Jack. 'That's a great idea. OK, now listen. You stay
I here. Give me five minutes. Then we can - '
But David doesn't wait for
Jack to finish his sentence.
‘Jack, I’ve got to go,' he
says, and he turns off his
mobile. The boy with red
hair is cycling towards
him! David runs quickly
tow ards a huge old
engine. He hides behind
it, then watches the
red-haired boy come
round the corner and
cycle past. He doesn't
see David!
First Jack calls Liam. But it's bad news.
Tm sorry, Jack. I can't come out.'
'W hy not?' asks Jack.
Tm doing my homework.'
Then Jack calls Tareq.
'It's no good, Jack. I have to stay at home.'
'But why?' asks Jack.
Tm babysitting my kid brother*.'
Finally Jack calls Kyle. It's the same story.
'I can't help, Jack. I'm making a pizza for my mum and
dad.'
'You're making a pizza for your mum and dad?
Cooking's a girl's thing. You're in my gang!'Jack
says.
Tm sorry, Jack.'
Jack turns off his phone. Fie can't
believe it. His gang are useless.
David and the Great Detective
I )avid is hiding behind the old engine when a boy shouts, 'Hey!'
I t.ivid puts his mobile in his pocket and turns around. The
icd haired boy is sitting on his bike, looking at him.
Who are you?' the red-haired boy asks.
I)avid doesn't answer.
'What are you doing here?'
David doesn't know what to say. He thinks of
II h-Great Detective. He always gets into trouble*
m David's stories - but he always escapes.
And he always wins. But David can't
irmember what the Great Detective
docs in situations like these.
In (act, he hasn't got time to
Hunk at all.
I le goes to my school.'
’And where's Jack now?'
I don’t know,' says David.
'What's your name?' the red-haired boy asks.
'David!
'Well, David, I hate stupid kids like you!
'What do we do with him?' one of the boys asks.
I el's finish spraying the bikes first. Then we can decide!
I hey walk back to the bikes.
'OK, stand over there! the red-haired boy says.
So David stands next to the bikes. It’s a bad situation. But he has
(jol an idea.
Ten minutes later, Jack is walking along a road of terraced houses
towards the old factory when he gets a text message. It's from
David.
Jack doesn't know what to do. His gang can't help. He's on his own.
But David needs him. So he starts running towards the factory.
Then he sees two people on bikes at the end of the road. They are
wearing sports clothes and carrying tennis rackets. He can see their
faces. Zadie and Holly! Jack calls out and waves at them.
They can't hear him. They are cycling away. Then he shouts with
all his strength*.
And this time the girls hear him!
David and the Great Detective
READ Y?
Jack sends a reply.
REA D Y!
David and the Great Detective
When David finally gets home his mother is angry. After all, he's
dirty and he's late. And his lunch is still on the kitchen table,
hut David knows that this is a very special day.
And he is happy.
A f t e r R e a d in g
§
T F
56
After Reading
1 □
58
After Reading
uVlickey
V|uy. In
Everybody's 6.....
me. I don't know
5 Now find the phrases in the story. Who says them? W rite their
names next to the phrases.
59
After Reading
Gram m ar
Fill in the blanks with the correct form of the verbs in the box.
3 You are a detective and you are interviewing the red-haired boy.
Detective: ?
Boy: My name's Joe.
Detective: ?
Boy: I'm fifteen years old.
Detective: ?
Boy: 1 live on Green Park housing estate.
Detective: ?
Boy: 1go to Park Lane High School.
Detective: ?
Boy: Yes, I've got two brothers and a sister.
Detective: ?
Boy: No, 1haven't got a bike.
Detective: ?
Boy: No, 1don't recognize that bike.
Detective: O K ,......Thank you. That's all for now.
61
After Reading
Test
2I I6
I--------1 / i , 0 ‘I I
4
I
I----1
° ° °
0° °
0° ° 0 '
S «.
t a
62
After Reading
63
Glossary
11 not too bad: not very good and not 40 kid brother: younger brother
very bad 41 gets into trouble: has problems; is
shade: not in the sun in difficult situations
12 business parks: areas with lots of 43 trip: fall
factories 46 hurts: is sore
heading out: going towards 48 with all his strength: (here) as loud
housing estates: area with lots of as he can
houses 49 shocked: had a bad surprise
ring road: big road around a town spare: extra
13 jogging: running 50 crawl: go on their hands and knees
litter: rubbish in a street pile of crates: big boxes one on top
tak e aw a ys: food cooked in a of the other
restaurant and eaten in another place 51 duck: put their heads down
14 rattling: making noise on target: where they want to hit
16 pale: white scream: shout
shape: form 53 get out of here: go away
17 huge: very big
21 a day off: a holiday
odd: strange
23 deep breath: when you take a lot
of air into your lungs
26 flavour: taste
27 pretending: making others think
something is true in a playful way
29 judges: people who decide what
happens to criminals
31 charity shop: shop where the profits
are used to help others
33 nods: moves his head up and down
to say 'yes'
rough: not gentle
35 hang on: wait
hopeless: (here) impossible
36 hang out: be (with your friends)
38 whispers: talk in a low voice
64
David and the Great Detective
M artyn Hobbs
H E L B L IN G R E A D E R S
A g re a t n e w s e r ie s o f g ra d e d re a d in g m a te ria l.
C h o o s e fro m w e ll- lo v e d c la s s ic s a n d h ig h - q u a lity o rig in a l fictio n .
1 A1 Breakthrough KET 12
RED A1 Breakthrough/ A 2 Waystage KET 2 ,3
2
2I I I I
SERIES
3 A 2 Waystage KET
BLUE
SERIES
4 A2 Waystage / B1 Threshold PET
■9
5 Bl Threshold PET iits if
9783852720166