Murphy and the Great Surf Rescue - Softcover

Lewis, Gill

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1627798048 ISBN 13: 9781627798044

Verlag: HENRY HOLT, 2017

Inhaltsangabe

Meet the students at Puppy Academy―a team of plucky puppies learning to be working dogs.

Murphy is used to being top dog; no one at Puppy Academy can perform a water rescue like he can. But when he's sent to the beach to try for his Surf Rescue Badge, his first time in the ocean leaves him wave-tossed and afraid. Will Murphy find the confidence to get back in the water? Can he be brave when it matters most?

Über diesen Titel

Über die Autorinnen und Autoren

Gill Lewis spent much of her childhood in the garden, where she ran a small zoo and a veterinary hospital for creepy-crawlies, mice, and birds. When she grew up, she became a real vet and a writer for children. She lives in Somerset, England, and writes from a tree house in the company of squirrels. She is the author of the Puppy Academy books.

Sarah Horne is a versatile illustrator whose work has appeared in children's books, advertisements, and newspapers throughout the UK. She has also written and illustrated two books in her original series Molly & Mimi. Sarah lives in London.

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Murphy and the Great Surf Rescue

By Gill Lewis, Sarah Horne

Henry Holt and Company

Copyright © 2016 Gill Lewis
All rights reserved.

ISBN: 978-1-62779-804-4

CHAPTER 1

"Help! Help!"

The small Labrador puppy splashed in the middle of the river.

The pups on the riverbank barked frantically.

"Pip's in trouble!" woofed Scruff.

Pip splashed one more time before his head slipped under the water.

There was nothing they could do.

"Oh no!" yipped Star. "He's gone."

A few bubbles rose to the surface of the water, then all was still.

"Who can save him?" barked Scruff.

"WOOF!"

A big brown blur whizzed through the air.

The pups cheered. "Save him, Murphy," they shouted. "Save him!"

Murphy hit the water.

SPLASH!

He knew what he had to do. His huge webbed paws pulled him forward. His thick fur kept him warm. He swam and swam to the middle of the river.

He had to save Pip.

He had to.

But time was running out.

Murphy put his head beneath the water, grabbed Pip's collar, and pulled him to the surface.

"Come on, Murphy," barked the pups on the shore. "You can do it!"

Murphy paddled back to them, keeping Pip's head above the water. He was almost there.

Almost!

His paws touched the soft mud. His claws gripped the ground, and he pulled Pip out onto the riverbank.

The other pups bounced all around him. "Hooray for Murphy," they barked. "You did it! You saved Pip!"

But Murphy was worried. Had he saved Pip in time?

He looked across at Major Bones, who was holding up his stopwatch.

Major Bones was a teacher at the Sausage Dreams Puppy Academy for Working Dogs.

"Thank you, Pip, for pretending to be our pup in trouble today. I can now reveal Murphy's result."

All the pups fell silent.

Murphy waited. The river water dripped from his fur and pooled in great puddles around his paws.

"Well, Murphy," barked Major Bones, "congratulations. You've passed your Level One River Rescue. And," he added, "you rescued Pip in two minutes and five seconds. That's a new record for the academy."

The pups cheered.

"You're the champion," woofed Star, "the best!"

Murphy puffed out his chest in pride. He was a Leonberger pup. One day he would grow into a huge, lionlike dog. His ancestors were Newfoundlands, which had once been bred to help fishermen in icy waters. Murphy had water rescue in his blood.

Murphy did what he did best after swimming. He shook himself, starting at his nose, and then his head, and shaking out his chest and body, and then his tail, spraying water over everyone.

"Hey! Watch out!" yelped Star. "You've got most of the river in your fur. We'll all look like we've half drowned today."

Pip jumped up and bounced back into the river. "Save me again, Murphy," he barked. "That was fun. Save me again." He swam around in circles.

"No, save me," barked Star. "It's my turn."

"I want to be saved by Murphy," woofed Scruff.

Major Bones stood up. "That's it for today, pups. It's time to get back. If we hurry, we might be able to slip Murphy into the Friday award ceremony."

* * *

Murphy and the other pups trotted back to the Sausage Dreams Puppy Academy for Working Dogs. They were in the same class. At the Puppy Academy, pups trained for all sorts of important jobs, such as guide dogs, sheepdogs, and search and rescue dogs. Some pups hadn't even decided what they wanted to be yet.

But Murphy knew.

He knew from the very first moment he had seen Boris of Bognor Regis on Dog TV, flying across the sand with the sun on his coat and the wind in his ears.

Boris was a Newfoundland surf rescue dog. He was the only dog ever to have been awarded the Gold Medal of Gallantry for saving someone in peril at sea.

Boris was everyone's hero.

Murphy wanted to be just like him.

He wanted to be a hero too.

CHAPTER 2

"SILENCE, PLEASE!" yapped Professor Offenbach. "AND SIT!"

Murphy sat next to his friends in the hall. Some of the younger pups covered their ears. Professor Offenbach was the head of the Puppy Academy. No one knew how such a loud sound could come from such a small dog. She could be heard from two miles away when she was really mad.

Star nudged Murphy and pointed to a new pup in the hall. "Who's that?"

Murphy stared at the pup. He looked different from the other pups at the academy. He had no fur, except for tufts on his head and tail and at the ends of his four paws. "I don't know," he whispered.

"It looks like we're going to find out," said Scruff. "Look, Professor Offenbach is calling him over."

"BEFORE I GIVE OUT THE AWARDS FOR TODAY'S FRIDAY CEREMONY, I WOULD LIKE TO GIVE A WARM WELCOME TO A NEW MEMBER OF THE ACADEMY. WE ARE VERY LUCKY TO HAVE RODRIGO LOPEZ VISITING US FOR A SHORT WHILE."

Rodrigo gave a small wave to the puppies.

"RODRIGO HAS COME ALL THE WAY FROM MEXICO. I'M SURE YOU WILL ALL MAKE RODRIGO FEEL VERY WELCOME HERE, AND I HOPEYOU TAKE THE OPPORTUNITY TO FIND OUT ABOUT HIS COUNTRY."

"Why's he visiting us?" whispered Star.

"SOME OF YOU MAY BE WONDERING WHY RODRIGO IS HERE," woofed the professor. "RODRIGO WILL BE REPRESENTING HIS COUNTRY AT THE WORLD JUNIOR SURF DOG CHAMPIONSHIPS AT BLUE FLAG BEACH. HE WILL ALSO BE CONTINUING HIS WATER RESCUE TRAINING WITH US HERE AT THE ACADEMY. RODRIGO HOLDS THE INTERNATIONAL RECORD FOR THE LEVEL ONE RIVER RESCUE, IN AN ASTONISHING TIME OF ONE MINUTE AND FORTY-FIVE SECONDS."

Pip turned to Murphy. "Wow," he said. "That's even faster than you."

Murphy scowled. "I could have rescued you faster than that if you hadn't swum so far out into the river."

Scruff tried to get a better view of the new pup. "And he surfs too! That's pretty cool!"

"Pfff!" said Murphy. "Surfing's no big deal. It's just standing on a plank of wood in the water."

But Murphy's friends weren't listening to him. They were more interested in Rodrigo Lopez, the new pup in the school.

"AND NOW FOR THE FRIDAY AWARDS. LET'S CELEBRATE THIS WEEK'S ACHIEVEMENTS," boomed Professor Offenbach.

Murphy watched Bertie the basset hound receive the Golden Nose award for following a scent trail for two miles through the woods. He watched Carly the collie collect the Bo-Peep badge for herding Hilda and Mabel, the academy sheep. He watched Lily the labradoodle collect the Doorbell prize for alerting a deaf human to someone at the door.

All the time, Murphy couldn't help glancing at the new dog. Could Rodrigo really be that good at water rescue? Could he be better than Murphy? Maybe the other pups would like Rodrigo more. He was probably one big show-off. Murphy began to wish Rodrigo had never come to the academy.

Professor Offenbach rolled up her piece of paper.

Murphy sighed. Maybe he wouldn't receive his award this week.

"AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST ..." yapped Professor Offenbach, "MURPHY, FOR HIS LEVEL ONE RIVER RESCUE BADGE."

Scruff prodded Murphy with her paw. "Go on," she said. "Go and get your badge."

Murphy joined Bertie, Carly, and Lily on the giant sausage podium.

"WELL DONE," barked Professor Offenbach. She clipped the badge on Murphy's collar. "MAJOR BONES SAYS YOU ARE READY FOR THE NEXT TEST. NEXT WEEK YOU WILL JOIN RODRIGO AT BLUE FLAG BEACH BEFORE THE SURF DOG CHAMPIONSHIPS TO TRY FOR YOUR SURF RESCUE BADGE."

Murphy wagged his tail, although he secretly wished Rodrigo didn't have to come too.

"AND I'VE JUST HEARD," continued...

Details zur Ausgabe

• Verlag: HENRY HOLT
• Erscheinungsdatum: 2017
• Sprache: Englisch
• ISBN 10: 1627798048
• ISBN 13: 9781627798044
• Einband: Taschenbuch
• Zeichner: Horne Sarah
• Anzahl der Seiten: 128
• Kontakt zum Hersteller: Nicht verfügbar
• Verantwortliche Person: Nicht verfügbar