The Tortoise and the Dare

Have you ever staked your own sister in a bet? Well that's what happens to Ellie when her brother Cypselis has a dare with Big Bacchiad at school.

The year is 776 BC and there's going to be a school Olympics foot race. The two boys have agreed that if Big Bacchiad wins, Ellie will become his slave. (If Cypselis wins, Big Bacchiad will give him a goat, but that's hardly consolation!) Ellie comes up with a plan to avoid disaster – but will it work?

The Tortoise and the Dare is part of the series Terry Deary's Greek Tales, a group of stories based on historical events and told with Terry Deary's usual humour and talent for spinning a good yarn.