Leif Frond and Quickfingers by Joan Lennon Read Free Book Online Page A

he yelped. “What? Oh. Right. Yes. Ah, I need an apprentice.”
    â€œI need help with the laundry!” bleated Thorhalla, just too late. (See,
I knew
that was what she was thinking.)
    My father hid a smile in his beard.
    â€œWell, then, young Sigli,” he said in his kindest voice. “I think if you’d like to stay here and have a try at being our Artificer’s apprentice, that would be very good. We’ll give it the winter, shall we, and see if you suit each other? And if not, then there’s always laundry.”
    Thorhalla scowled, I grinned, Queue looked smug and Sigli – well, Sigli looked as if he really
had
been hit over the head. But in a good way.
    Afterwards, we three gathered in Queue’s workshop, where Sigli would be living from now on.
    â€œWe got away with it!” said Sigli, sounding dazed and amazed.
    â€œOf course we did,” said Queue. “Build up the fire, Apprentice – my old bones are still frozen. Leif, put Sigli’s sleeping furs over there.”
    When we had everything to the Artificer’s satisfaction, we flopped down by the fire, too tired to do anything more. There was silence for a while, broken only by the sound of a log shifting or the crack of sap into flame. And then, “It’s too bad we couldn’t tell the real truth,” murmured Queue. “The bards could make up a fine song about us. All about Sigli Quickfingers, the cunning trickster.”
    â€œAnd Queue, the greatest inventor the world has ever known.” said Sigli.
    â€œAnd what about me?” I asked. “What would I be in this song?”
    â€œOh, that’s easy,” the others replied. “You’d be the hero.”
    Leif the Hero
, I thought with a happy smile.
I like the sound of that.

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    Leif wants to be a hero, but as the youngest and smallest member of his huge Viking family, he’s never had the chance to shine. Can he finally become a champion at the Midsummer Games?
    All he has to do is compete with some fully grown Viking heroes at sports including archery (no problem, with his very special bow from Queue the Artificer) and wrestling (big problem, the other contenders are all twice his size). Oh, and keep the Widow Brownhilde away from his father before he does something stupid like marrying her. And stop his meddlesome granny from cheating. And avoid his gigantic troll-like sister and her list of chores....
    Easy.
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    Â£
4.99
    ISBN: 9781472904621
    Â 
    Copyright
    First published 2014 by A & C Black
    An imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
    50 Bedford Square, London, WC1B 3DP
    www.bloomsbury.com
    Bloomsbury is a registered trademark of Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
    Copyright © 2014 A & C Black
    Text copyright © Joan Lennon
    Illustrations copyright © Brendan Kearney
    The rights of Joan Lennon and Brendan Kearney to be identified as the author and illustrator of this work have been asserted by them in accordance with the Copyrights, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
    eISBN 978-1-4729-0454-6
    A CIP catalogue for this book is available from the British Library.
    All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form or by any means – graphic, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or information storage and retrieval systems – without the prior permission in writing of the publishers.
    This book is produced using paper that is made from wood grown in managed, sustainable forests. It is natural, renewable and recyclable. The logging and manufacturing processes conform to the environmental regulations of the country of origin.
    Printed by CPI Group (UK) Ltd, Croydon CR0 4YY
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