When the Angels Came

By Glenda Millard

Will is desperate to cheer his grandpa up, but how?
When Will's Grandpa Jack has a stroke and can no longer live on his beloved farm, it seems like nothing interests him except causing trouble, or planning his escape from the nursing home where he now lives. Will is desparate to cheer his grandpa up, but how? then Will meets the motor-bike riding tansy and her mysterious angels! Ages 6+.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers Australia
• Release date: Jan 1, 2011
• ISBN: 9780730495499

Glenda Millard

Glenda Millard is a writer of great talent who has the ability to write across all genres and age groups - from picture books to junior fiction to YA novels. Her first novel about the Silk family, The Naming of Tishkin Silk, was published in 2003 by ABC Books. It was shortlisted in the CBC Book of the Year Awards and for the NSW Premier's Literary Awards. She has also had numerous picture books and children's novels published, including, most recently, Duck, Apple, Egg, illustrated by Martina Heiduczek.

Book preview

Chapter One

Will knew that the note was in the pocket of his mother’s jeans. It was only a matter of time till his father asked how her day had been and then she would take it out and show him. That’s when the trouble would really begin.

He watched his father take a little of everything from his dinner-plate and push it on his fork. Dad was a slow eater — it would be ages before he finished. Will wished he would hurry up and get it over with.

He looked down at his own plate. He wasn’t hungry.

Eat your vegetables, Will, said Mum.

It was the first thing she had said to him since they had left the retirement village this afternoon. Will knew by her silence that he was in big trouble. This was the calm before the storm, as Grandpa Jack would say. He imagined dark thoughts rumbling around inside Mum’s head like thunderclouds, brewing up a storm.

Lovely meal, Lou, said Dad at last, as he aligned his knife and fork perfectly in the centre of his empty plate. You’re quiet tonight, Will, what’s up?

Will sneaked a sideways glance at his Mum and the look she shot back was like a bolt of lightning. She pulled something from her pocket and slapped it on the table in front of Dad.

This is what’s up, she said.

It was the note that Will had sticky taped to Grandpa Jack’s front door.

Will couldn’t watch Dad’s face. He sat miserably, pushing peas around his plate and listening to Dad read out loud: Don’t bring no more meals here, only if you can get a roast. Signed Jack Tobias. There was a bit of a silence and then he read it again slowly, as though he was trying to make sense of it.

It was stuck on your father’s door today. Mrs Quirk, the meals-on-wheels lady, knocked when she read it, and then got abused for her trouble. Your father said, ‘Tell that woman if she brings me any more of that slop, she’ll need to bring me a straw to suck it through.’ He’s really quite rude sometimes. It’s just as well I was there, otherwise he wouldn’t have had any lunch at all, said Mum.

I didn’t know you were going to see him today, said Dad, forgetting about the note for a moment.

I wasn’t, till Matron Maddocks rang this morning. She said your father still insists he’s going home to the farm and he called a taxi again today. It’s the third time this week. He keeps his suitcase packed ready to go. I had to go to see him and try to calm him down. If it wasn’t for his neighbour, Mrs Kelly, keeping an eye on him he’d be back at the farm and no one would know.

Oh, Lou, what did you say to him? asked Dad.

"I just reminded him about the things we’ve discussed before, that he wouldn’t be able to look after himself or the farm."

And we’ve told him that the farm has to be sold.

I know, he just pretends to forget, because he doesn’t want to know about it.

I just wish we could persuade him to come and stay with us, Dad said.

Paul, we’ve tried all that, you know he won’t come.

Dad looked back at the note in his hand. Did you write this note, Will?

Will sighed and nodded his head.

I hope you’ve got a good explanation for it, said Dad.

"Well, Grandpa Jack’s always saying he hates the meals-on-wheels’ food, but