The Tortoise and the Dare

750 BC. The boys at school are excited. The Olympic games are coming to the city. They may be too young to compete, but their teacher suggests the school should have its own games. Of course, girls have no part at all in these festivities, so Elena can only watch as her twin brother, Cypselis, prepares for the race. Then she discovers he has made a bet with Big Bacchiad (the school bully). If Cypselis wins he will get a new goat, if he loses then Elena will become Bacchiad's slave. Elena's freedom is at stake - she needs all her cunning to make sure her brother wins. But will he? As Aesop said, 'Slow and steady wins the race.' 750 BC. The boys at school are excited. Their teacher suggests the school holds its own Olympic games. Elena watches as her twin brother, Cypselis, prepares and discovers a bet with Big Bacchiad. If Cypselis wins he gets a new goat, if he loses then Elena becomes Bacchiad's slave. Elena needs to make sure her brother wins. But will he? Terry Deary began his writing career with fiction for A&C Black. He is now author of over 140 fiction and non-fiction books, which have been published in 32 languages. His historical fiction for older children Tudor Terror has been praised as "a marvellous blend of fact and fiction" (School Librarian). His non-fiction has been consistently in the best-seller lists since 1994. His Horrible Histories celebrated their 10th anniversary in 2003, having sold 10 million copies worldwide and been adapted as television animations, theatre tours and museum exhibitions. Terry Deary was voted "Outstanding children's non-fiction author of the 20th Century" by Books for Keeps magazine.