The Galaxy Boys And The Sphere by Andrew Steele.
Category: Children's book
Paperback: 285 pages
Language: English
ISBN: 1857566874

"Far from Earth, on the other side of the Milky Way, in a part of space devoid of planets and sparsely lit by stars, a small silver spaceship sought its escape. Barreling down on the sleek vessel massive dark warship relentlessly fired orange bursts. Every shot missed, but each one was close to hitting, dead-on. Suddenly, the great beast hit its mark and the silver ship vanished in a streak of light, leaving the heavens deathly quiet.

Meanwhile, in New York City, on Earth, there was no such thing as deadly quiet, as New York is one of the noisiest places in the galaxy. And, at that precise moment, it was even noisier for two boys because inside the tunnel, the one into which they had run to escape from a gang of bullies, a rumbling locomotive’s thunderous horn cracked the still air as its oculus light pierced the tunnel’s darkness.

Short of breath from running and sheer panic, Rob scampered up on to a ledge beside the tracks, snagging and ripping his jeans as he did so. Without slowing, he rolled up against a cold, hard wall, and from where he lay, he looked out and gasped at the sight of his brother attempting to follow him.

Fear laced Will’s heavy breathing as he struggled to claw his way up on the ledge. Rob lunged, grabbed his hand, and gave a firm yank. But Will, was stuck, dangling with his feet a foot off the ground below. Robe pulled harder while Will desperately kicked at the wall.

A blinding light flooded the tunnel. The air was split again by a thunderous blast from the locomotive’s horn, which forced a panic-stricken scream from Will’s gut before he found a firm footing. But it was not as firm as he’d first thought as it slipped away beneath him.

Suddenly Will shot up in the air, as though he has been thrown and landed on top of Rob, knocking the wind out of both of them.

The noise was unbearable. The vibration of the train’s steel wheels rumbling over the tracks shook every bit of the passage. It seems as if the tunnel would cave in at any moment in a cloud of dust, and a pile of rubble would cover Rob and Will’s crushed bodies. Fear gripped them as they realised that no one would ever find them. With their eyes shut tight, their teeth clenched and their hands clasped over their ears, there they remained – brave to the end."