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  “You ever imagined you’re a knight?” he said, smiling his lopsided smile, like he was letting me into the biggest secret ever.

  “Not yet,” I said.

  I punched my arm across my chest. He saluted back.

  And that was enough.

  Acknowledgments

  Thank you from the bottom of my heart to my husband for his support and patience, and for lending me his ears.

  I have quite a few nephews and nieces; they are all wonderful, but some of the inspiration behind the Biggs’ family children came from three of them: Kelly, Jack and Leo. My family, as always, are my rock.

  I’d also like to thank Dave Wraight from Dorset Search and Rescue team for sharing his knowledge. My apologies if I have not done them the justice which their vital services provide, but it was always about the boy and the dog.

  I continue to feel privileged to have such a special agent, Julia Churchill, and team at HarperCollins making my own dream come true, especially Rachel Denwood, who is remarkably intuitive, and Sam Swinnerton whose care is most welcome. Gary Blythe, as always, continues to move me with his sensitive illustrations.

  About the Author

  SARAH LEAN grew up in Wells, Somerset but now lives in Dorset with her husband, son and two dogs. She has worked as a page-planner for a newspaper, a stencil-maker and a gardener, amongst various other things. She gained a first class English degree and became a primary school teacher before returning to complete an MA in Creative and Critical Writing with The University of Winchester.

  www.sarahlean.co.uk

  Also by Sarah Lean

  A Dog Called Homeless

  Winner of the Hazelgrove Book Award and the prestigious Schneider Family Middle School Book Award in the US. Shortlisted for the Sheffield Children’s Book Award and longlisted for the Branford Boase Award.

  A Horse for Angel

  The Forever Whale

  Jack Pepper

  Read about Jack Pepper’s first adventure, when he was just a puppy …

  When Ruby and Sid see a poster about a missing dog, they can’t believe it. It reminds them of an adventure they had, and a little dog they once met. Could it be the same Jack Pepper?

  Someone special will never be forgotten …

  Click on the cover to read more.

  My name is Cally Louise Fisher and I haven’t spoken for thirty-one days. Talking doesn’t always make things happen, however much you want it to.

  Cally saw her mum, bright and real and alive. But no one believes her, so Cally stopped talking. Now a mysterious grey wolfhound has started following her everywhere. Perhaps he knows that Cally was telling the truth …

  Click on the cover to read more.

  Sometimes when things are broken you can’t fix them on your own – no matter how hard you try.

  When Nell is sent to stay with distant family, she packs a suitcase full of secrets. A chance encounter with a wild horse draws Nell to Angel – a mysterious, troubled girl who is hiding secrets of her own. Both girls must learn to trust each other, if they are to save a hundred horses …

  Click on the cover to read more.

  Memories scoop you up and take you back to another time, so you can feel things all over again. I think of how important it is for all of us, but especially for Grandad, to remember the bright things from the past. But now he’s forgotten everything and he hasn’t told me his most important memory yet – the one about a whale …

  Can Hannah piece together the extraordinary story that connects Grandad’s childhood to her own?

  Click on the cover to read more.

  Copyright

  First published in Great Britain by HarperCollins Children’s Books in 2014

  HarperCollins Children’s Books is a division of HarperCollinsPublishers

  77–85 Fulham Palace Road,

  Hammersmith, London W6 8JB

  www.harpercollins.co.uk

  Copyright © Sarah Lean 2014

  Cover photographs © Mark harris (dog), Cavan images / Getty images (boy), Shutterstock (all other images)

  Illustrations © Gary Blythe 2014

  Sarah Lean asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of the work

  Gary Blythe asserts the moral right to be identified as the illustrator of the work

  A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

  All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins.

  Source ISBN: 9780007512249

  Ebook Edition © 2014 ISBN: 9780007512232

  Version: 2014-01-28

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