The Dying Photo
by Alan Gibbons
Jimmy is Christmas shopping with his parents, when a mysterious stranger offers to take their photograph. In a flash, his Mum and Dad have disappeared and all that is left is a photo of them screaming.
Jimmy must track down the photographer and find his parents in this mystery-thriller, specifically written for reluctant readers.
Publisher: Barrington Stoke
Extract
'The photographer pointed the camera at them. “Look at the birdy,” he said.
Just then Jimmy noticed somebody waving. He turned and stared. It was a girl his age.
What did she want? He was still looking at her when the camera flashed.
After that the world went crazy. Jimmy was alone. The photographer had gone.
So had the girl.
So had his parents.
“Mum?” he said. “Dad?”
But they were nowhere to be seen. He ran to the main road. Where had they gone? They had been right there, next to him. Now they were gone. His heart began to pound.
“Where are you?” he shouted.
His eyes were stinging with tears. He ran back to where they had been standing. Then he saw something on the ground. He bent down and picked it up. In his hand he had a black and white photo, one of those old negatives. The moment he looked at the photo, his skin went cold. It showed his mum and dad.
Their eyes were wide.
Their mouths were open.
They were screaming.'
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Alan Gibbons
Alan Gibbons has been writing children's books for 17 years. He is the winner of the Blue Peter Book Award 2000 'The book I couldn't put down' for his best-selling book Shadow of the Minotaur. He has also been shortlisted twice for the Carnegie Medal and twice for the Booktrust Teenage Prize. He has won the Catalyst Award, the Leicester Book of the Year, the Angus Book of the Year, the Stockport Book Award and the Salford Librarians' Special Award. His books have been published in languages including Japanese, German, Italian, French, Thai, Spanish, Danish, Dutch, Swedish.
Alan was a teacher for 16 years. He is now is a full-time writer and independent educational consultant and a campaigner for library services. He lives in Liverpool.
http://www.alangibbons.com/
Alan Gibbons Photo: Barrington Stoke
Video & audio
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The Dying Photo Booked Up video
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The Dying Photo Booked Up video (signed version)
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