Authors: Ali Sparkes
Books in the
S.W.I.T.C.H. series
#1 Spider Stampede
#2 Fly Frenzy
#3 Grasshopper Glitch
#4 Ant Attack
#5 Crane Fly Crash
#6 Beetle Blast
Text © Ali Sparkes 2011
Illustrations © Ross Collins 2011
“SWITCH: Crane Fly Crash” was originally published in English in 2011. This edition is published by an arrangement with Oxford University Press.
Copyright © 2013 by Darby Creek
All rights reserved. International copyright secured. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meansâelectronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwiseâwithout the prior written permission of Lerner Publishing Group, Inc., except for the inclusion of brief quotations in an acknowledged review.
Darby Creek
A division of Lerner Publishing Group, Inc.
241 First Avenue North
Minneapolis, MN 55401 U.S.A.
Website address:
www.lernerbooks.com
Main body text set in ITC Goudy Sans Std. 14/19.
Typeface provided by Monotype Typography.
Â
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Sparkes, Ali.
Crane fly crash / by Ali Sparkes ; illustrated by Ross Collins.
p. cm. â (S.W.I.T.C.H. ; #05)
Summary: When their sister, Jenny, is accidentally turned into a crane fly by Petty Potts' SWITCH spray, twins Josh and Danny must transform themselves, as well, and rescue her before she burns her legs off.
ISBN: 978â0â7613â9203â3 (lib. bdg. : alk. paper)
[1. FliesâFiction. 2. Brothers and sistersâFiction. 3. TwinsâFiction. 4. Science
fiction.] I. Collins, Ross, ill. II. Title.
PZ7.S73712Cr 2013
[Fic]âdc23
2012026636
Manufactured in the United States of America
1 â SB â 12/31/12
eISBN: 978-1-4677-1125-8 (pdf)
eISBN: 978-1-4677-3113-3 (ePub)
eISBN: 978-1-4677-3112-6 (mobi)
Â
For Freddie Michael
Â
A horrific murder was about to take place in a dark alley. The victim fluttered helplessly in the shadow of a terrifying spiked weapon that pounded against the wall. It missed only by inches.
The murderer was cold. Unfeeling. Able to kill with a single blow and then turn away without a moment's remorse. The victim knew time was nearly up. One more attack and there would be nothing left but a mashed corpse.
The spiked weapon swung forward.
“Jenny! Stop it!” Josh leaped across his big sister's bedroom floor. He grabbed her arm just before it swung the hairbrush down again.
“Hey! Get off!” yelled Jenny, trying to shake her little brother off her arm. But now his twin,
Danny, came running in too. With an excited whoop he threw himself at her other arm.
“You're a murderer!” shrieked Josh. “Killing innocent moths! How could you?”
The poor moth in question flapped limply up the wall from behind Jenny's bed and bumbled against the windowpane, trying to get away.
“It's just a
moth
, Josh! Not a cat or a dog or a person!” snapped Jenny. Her long blonde hair whipped about as she wrestled with her brothers.
“Just because it's small, doesn't mean it doesn't have feelings,” said Danny. He climbed onto his sister's back and made her spin round furiously.
“Danny!
Get off!
” Jenny whacked her elbows back. Danny fell onto her bed. Josh had let his sister go. He was now peering closely at the brown moth. Jenny shook her head at Danny. “You don't even
like
creepy-crawlies. You go nuts if one lands on
you
!”
“True,” shrugged Danny. “They can be creepy. But they are quite amazing too. I should know. I've been a spider, you know. And a bluebottle. And a grasshopper. Ohâand an ant. That was amazing!”
“Yeah, right,” snorted Jenny. “Well, you always creep
me
out, anyway!”