This track starts with a very steep slope. I get up to top speed very quickly. At least I think it is top speed. The luge just seems to get faster and faster. The two boys in front slow up coming in the first corner and I gain on them. We all hit the corner at once with Jack and I pushing into the back of their luges.
‘Get out the way slugs!’ I call out.
When Bevan and his friends go on a school trip to New Zealand, they are hoping for some excitement and can’t wait to go skiing. But when the weather changes and skiing is cancelled, they aren’t impressed at the idea of trying out the luge instead. Isn’t the luge just like a billy cart? They are too old for that sort of thing.
When they get there, however, they learn that the luge can be pretty exciting. Flying downhill on a slippery track is a little different than riding in a billy cart. When they are challenegd to a race by the students from another school, the excitement increases.
The Golden Luge is one of 20 yellow level titles in the new Breakers series from Macmillan. With a combination of action, adventure and learning, it is a good title for classroom use, but will also appeal for private reading.
Many readers will be unfamilair with the luge and will enjoy learning about it, and teachers will appreciate that the children learn about competitiveness and fairness as they enjoy the story.
The Golden Luge is targeted at children with a reading age of approximately ten years. Its subject matter makes it suitable for older students with reading difficulties.
The Golden Luge, by Gary Underwood, illustrated by Dave Deakin
Macmillan Education, 2003