Tall Story - Candy Gourlay [0]
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2010 by Candy Gourlay
All rights reserved. Published in the United States by David Fickling Books, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books, a division of Random House, Inc., New York. Originally published in Great Britain by David Fickling Books, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books, a division of the Random House Group Ltd., London, in 2010.
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Gourlay, Candy.
Tall story / Candy Gourlay. — 1st American ed.
p. cm.
Summary: Sixteen-year-old Bernardo, who is eight feet tall and suffers from a condition called Gigantism, leaves the Philippines to live with his mother’s family in London, much to the delight of his thirteen-year-old half sister Andi, a passionate basketball player.
eISBN: 978-0-375-89847-1
[1. Giants—Fiction. 2. Size—Fiction. 3. Basketball—Fiction. 4. Culture conflict—Fiction. 5. Brothers and sisters—Fiction. 6. London (Eng.)— Fiction. 7. England—Fiction. 8. Philippines—Fiction.] I. Title.
PZ7.G7386Tal 2011 [Fic]—dc22 2010011891
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v3.1
To Richard
Contents
Cover
Title Page
Copyright
Dedication
Prologue: Andi
Part One: Be Careful What You Wish For
Chapter 1 - Bernardo
Chapter 2 - Andi
Chapter 3 - Bernardo
Chapter 4 - Andi
Chapter 5 - Bernardo
Chapter 6 - Andi
Chapter 7 - Bernardo
Chapter 8 - Andi
Chapter 9 - Bernardo
Chapter 10 - Andi
Chapter 11 - Bernardo
Chapter 12 - Andi
Chapter 13 - Bernardo
Chapter 14 - Andi
Chapter 15 - Bernardo
Chapter 16 - Andi
Chapter 17 - Bernardo
Part Two: Mind the Gap
Chapter 1 - Andi
Chapter 2 - Bernardo
Chapter 3 - Andi
Chapter 4 - Bernardo
Chapter 5 - Andi
Chapter 6 - Bernardo
Chapter 7 - Andi
Chapter 8 - Bernardo
Chapter 9 - Andi
Chapter 10 - Bernardo
Chapter 11 - Andi
Chapter 12 - Bernardo
Chapter 13 - Andi
Chapter 14 - Bernardo
Chapter 15 - Andi
Chapter 16 - Bernardo
Chapter 17 - Andi
Chapter 18 - Bernardo
Chapter 19 - Andi
Chapter 20 - Bernardo
Chapter 21 - Andi
Chapter 22 - Bernardo
Chapter 23 - Andi
Chapter 24 - Bernardo
Chapter 25 - Andi
Chapter 26 - Bernardo
Chapter 27 - Andi
Chapter 28 - Bernardo
Chapter 29 - Andi
Part Three: Wish Fulfilment
Chapter 1 - Bernardo
Chapter 2 - Andi
Chapter 3 - Bernardo
Chapter 4 - Andi
Chapter 5 - Bernardo
Chapter 6 - Andi
Chapter 7 - Bernardo
Chapter 8 - Andi
Chapter 9 - Bernardo
Chapter 10 - Andi
Chapter 11 - Bernardo
Chapter 12 - Andi
Chapter 13 - Bernardo
Chapter 14 - Andi
Chapter 15 - Bernardo
Chapter 16 - Andi
Epilogue: Bernardo
Acknowledgements
Prologue
Andi
Rush hour.
So many armpits, so little deodorant. The whole world is heading out to Heathrow to meet long-lost relatives. I am wedged between the tummies of the two fattest men in the world.
Rank.
Mum’s practically vibrating. Like she’s overdosed on coffee. Which she probably has.
Dad’s got his arm around her like a lock. She’s fidgeting so hard and the train’s so crowded. ‘It’ll be ages yet, Mary Ann,’ he whispers into her ear.
‘I just want to make sure we’re there when he comes out.’
‘He’s sixteen. He’ll be fine!’
Dad kisses her forehead. Which isn’t a stretch because the crowd is pushing them so close together his face is practically pasted to her head.
‘But William’ – Mum glares at his chin – ‘he’s so TALL!’
Why is Mum so psycho about Bernardo being tall? She’s been going on about it since we found out he was coming to London. ‘Don’t be surprised now, Andi, your brother is tall. Tall, you hear me?’
Does she think I needed impressing?