through a patch of stinging nettles and ran up the bank. I may have been cold, muddy and stung by the nettles, but I could swim.
‘Here you are, Ricky,’ Auntie Joyce said. ‘Well done.’
I looked at the ten-shilling note in my hand. It was large, brown and crisp. I had never held that amount of money before: it seemed a fortune. ‘All right, everyone,’ Dad said. ‘On we go.’
It was then that I realised he too was dripping wet. He had lost his nerve and dived in after me. He gave me a massive hug.
1. Branson’s mother wanted to make her children: a. proud
b. independent c. scared
d. sad
2. What was Ricky’s fi rst challenge? 3. Give a brief summary of how Ricky learned to swim. 4. Did anything in this extract shock you? Explain.
Spelling
Use the Look, Cover, Write, Check method to learn the spellings of the fourteen bolded words in this extract. When you’re ready, pair up with a classmate and work together to revise them. Pupil A calls out the word, Pupil B spells it. Then reverse the roles!
