An Eagle In the Snow 1940. Barney and his mother, their home destroyed by bombing, are travelling to the country when their train is forced to shelter in a tunnel from attacking German planes. There, in the darkness, a stranger on the train begins to tell them a story. A story about Billy Byron, the most decorated soldier of WWI, who once had the chance to end the war before it even began, and how he tried to fix his mistake. But sometimes the right thing is hard to see – and even harder to live with.
Barney on the train “I love trains, everything about them, the hissing and the puffing, the rhythm and the rattle and the rocking, the whistling and the whooping, the roar as you burst into a tunnel, into the deep thunderous blackness, and then suddenly, with no warning, you’re out again into the bright light of day, the horses galloping off over the fields, the sheep and crows scattering.”
Barney on the train “I love trains, everything about them, the hissing and the puffing, the rhythm and the rattle and the rocking, the whistling and the whooping, the roar as you burst into a tunnel, into the deep thunderous blackness, and then suddenly, with no warning, you’re out again into the bright light of day, the horses galloping off over the fields, the sheep and crows scattering.” Q: How does Barney feel about trains?
Q: How do you know?
Barney on the train “I love trains, everything about them, the hissing and the puffing, the rhythm and the rattle and the rocking, the whistling and the whooping, the roar as you burst into a tunnel, into the deep thunderous blackness, and then suddenly, with no warning, you’re out again into the bright light of day, the horses galloping off over the fields, the sheep and crows scattering.”
Storytelling challenge… Can you use the ideas you’ve seen in this extract to talk or write about a subject you love? It might be: ● Your favourite hobby (dancing, cooking, playing an instrument, fishing, drawing) ● A sport or game (football, tennis, swimming) ● A topic you’re particularly interested in (animals, dinosaurs, trains, space) ● A game you love to play ● A job you’d like to do when you’re older (a vet, a footballer, an astronaut, a scientist)