Lizzie and Dad live in a rainy town in the north of England. It's just the two of them, and Auntie Doreen, who pops round to check Lizzie's spellings and tell Dad he's daft - and make them nice hot dumplings. But today there's something unusual going on: why is Dad building himself a pair of wings and studying the birds to see how they fly? The Great Human Bird Competition of course!

Author Biography

David Almond is one of the most exciting children's authors writing today. His acclaimed books include Skellig, winner of the Whitbread Children's Award and the Carnegie Medal; Kit's Wilderness, winner of the Smarties Award Silver Medal, Highly Commended for the Carnegie Medal, and shortlisted for the Guardian Award; and The Fire-Eaters, winner of the Whitbread Award, the Smarties Gold Award and shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal. He lives in Northumberland. Polly Dunbar is a bright new talent in the world of children's books. The author and illustrator of Flyaway Katie (9781844285174), Dog Blue (9781844285143) and Penguin (9781844280650), she also illustrated Shoe Baby (9781406301618), written by her mother, distinguished author Joyce Dunbar. Polly lives in Brighton and was selected as the 2006 National Children's Book Week artist.