Scholastic Canada - My Story: Spy Smuggler

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Scholastic Canada Ltd.
ISBN 0-439-93552-0
ISBN-13 978-0-439-93552-4
PBK
192 pages
Ages 9 and up
5” x 7”

by Jim Eldridge

Paul lives in a French village which has been occupied by Nazis since 1940. One night Paul’s best friend is taken away. Then Paul decides to join the Resistance against the German occupation of his country, helping to get Allied prisoners of war and agents out of the country. Will he ever find out what happened to his good friend?


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Spread from MY STORY: SPY SMUGGLER
by Jim Eldridge

“This is the first hole,” explained Uncle Maurice. “There are four of them, all filled with wood soaked in paraffin. The wood’s in holes so that when the fires start up they won’t be seen except from the air.

“When all four are lit they show as four corners of a box. The plane is going to drop the agent in that box. When I give the word, you light the wood in this hole.” He handed me a box of matches. “Remember, there’s paraffin on the wood to help the fires start, so make sure you don’t burn yourself. As soon as you’ve done that, walk about forty paces along this furrow until you come to another hole, then light the wood in that hole. I’ll set light to the two holes on the other side.”

“What do we do after we’ve lit the fires?” I asked.

“You keep well back, unless you want to get knocked down and killed by a low-flying plane,” Uncle Maurice replied. “Stay over by the hedge at the side of the field. Once the agent’s on the ground and the plane has gone, we go back and fill in the holes with earth to put out the fires. While we’re doing that, Joseph and André will be taking care of the agent.”

“Shall I light my fire now?” I asked, opening the box of matches.

“Not yet,” said Uncle Maurice. “The less time we have the fires alight, the less chance there is of anyone noticing us.”

He stood there, and even in the darkness I could see that he was listening out for the sound of the aircraft, his head slightly to one side. I couldn’t hear anything other than the usual sounds at night: the rustling of wind in the leaves and small animals hurrying through undergrowth.

“There it is!” said Uncle Maurice. “Quick! Start the fires!”

I struck my match and dropped it in, and immediately the paraffin caught light. Uncle Maurice was already running across the ploughed field to his first hole.

I hurried along the furrow, counting paces as I did, stumbling all the time . . . 20 paces, 21, 22 . . . 35, 36, 37 . . . And then I nearly fell into the second hole. I stopped myself just in time, struck a match, and dropped it into the hole. My heart nearly stopped as I saw the match just simply go out. No fire! Maybe they had forgotten to put paraffin on the wood in this hole? How would I get it started? My fingers were trembling as I struck my second match, and this time I lowered it into the hole, rather than dropping it on the wood. As it touched the timber, the paraffin suddenly lit with a bang, and I fell back in alarm.

“Quick, Paul!” called my uncle, as he ran up to me. “Get out of the way!”

From My Story: Spy Smuggler. Copyright © 2004 by Jim Eldridge. All rights reserved.

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"omg i never read books and i think they are stupid and boring, but after my teacher assigned me this book for the book report, i thought this book was amazing." Ali A., Age 14, Ontario, Rating: 9

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