The next day, Danny tells his dad what Luke said about his mum being drunk and his dad is shocked by it asking Danny if he even knows what drunk means. He tells Danny he should know his mum better than that.
Danny can’t understand why his mum is so upset if it wasn’t her fault. His dad tells him that his mum was driving down Parker Grove when the boy just ran out in front of him. Danny’s dad tells him to go outside as dinner isn’t ready yet. Danny goes outside and he notices a girl across the road watching him. He takes off on his bike.
Later that night, Danny is still out on his bike when it gets a puncture. He has gone down to the road where the boy was knocked down. He overhears a conversation between the boy’s mother and a neighbour and finds out that the boy is in a coma and that the mother is very worried about him. He continues listening in on the conversation until one of the women notice that he is listening and ask him if he is OK. He tells them that he has a puncture and he walks off, feeling their eyes behind him.
When Danny arrives home, the girl from earlier is still sitting there. She talks to him and asks him if he is Danny. Then he realises who it is, it’s the little boy’s sister. They had spent the day spying on each other’s families. Danny says that they were like secret agents who had just come clean.
Questions:
- What does Danny’s father say about Luke’s comments?
- Where did the accident happen?
- What is the boy’s name?
- Who has been watching Danny?
- Where does Danny go next?
- What does he see and hear?
- What have the parents been doing?
- How does Andy’s mother feel?
- Who was waiting in Danny’s street when he got home?
- Why did Danny think they were like secret agents?
Activity: The ‘Five Ws‘ Imagine you are writing a newspaper article about the accident. Before you write it you will have to answer the five questions: Who? What? Where? When? Why? Use what you have learned from your reading of the novel so far to answer these questions.
Enda's English Notes 