Free Sample TerraNova Grade 4 Reading

Andrew and Gill

Andrew dashed up the front steps of the little log cabin as the sun was rising. “Gil,” he hollered, “let’s go! We’ve got to get on the lake before the ranger does!” Slowly, shuffling like an old man, Andrew’s friend Gil headed toward the door.

“I don’t think this is such a good idea. If we get caught we’ll be in really big trouble,” Gil moaned.

“Why are you being such a wimp? We won’t get caught–the park ranger won’t be up this early,” chided Andrew.

“If you say so, then let’s get the oars and the fishing rods from the shed out back.” Gil walked passed Andrew and headed toward the shed, wearing a worried look on his face.

Once the two boys gathered their fishing equipment in their arms, they made for the rowboat down at the dock in front of their family’s cabins.

“Okay, untie us,” commanded Andrew as he loaded the last of the fishing equipment into the rowboat. Gil unwound the rope and the boys began to drift out to the center of the placid lake. As they drifted over the glassy water, a man watched them from the shore.

“I hope we have better luck than yesterday. Must have been three hours before–“

“Wzzzzzzzzz!” Andrew’s fishing line whirred like crazy through his rod. “I’ve already got something!” he exclaimed, as his line continued sailing through the rod. “This fish must be a monster!”

“Well what are you waiting for? Start reeling it in!” Gil said, urging his friend to haul up whatever was on the other end of the line.

Andrew leaned back, planted his feet firmly on the edge of the boat, and reeled in his catch. His fishing line danced around as he pulled up a glistening largemouth bass, still wriggling and trying to get free.

“Look at the size of this thing!” Andrew exclaimed. “It’s got to be at least 15 pounds!”
“Sssshhhh!” Gil whispered loudly. “We’ve got to get this fish back to our cabin, and we don’t want the park ranger to hear us!”

I don’t see what the big deal is about fishing when we could fish here last year,” Andrew began, but he was interrupted by an unfamiliar voice.

“Not so fast, son.”

Andrew and Gil whipped their heads around to the other side of the rowboat just as a uniformed park ranger pulled up alongside them. “I already told you why there’s no fishing this year,” he stated firmly. “The fish population has been completely depleted from overfishing. This is your second warning, and now you boys are going to have to come with me.

” The next morning, Andrew and Gil trudged slowly up the steps of the boat rental office. Once inside, they stepped behind the counter, each putting on a vest with “Silver Lake” stitched on the pocket.

“I can’t believe the ranger is making us work here without pay just because we caught a stupid fish,” muttered Gil.
“Yeah, there goes summer vacation,” sighed Andrew in agreement.

Tim and John

“Hurry up, Tim, or we’ll be late for the game!” yelled John.

“Hold on, I just want to call Doug.” Tim picked up the phone and dialed, excited about the favor he and John were doing for their friend. “Hi, Doug? John and I are heading to the game right now–you should have an official baseball by the end of the day!” He smiled as he hung up the phone, knowing that Doug would be thankful for the upcoming gift.

John and Tim grabbed their backpacks, shoved in their gloves and some sandwiches, and headed for the bus stop. This was the first time their mother and father were letting them go to a baseball game on their own.

“John, did you remember the tickets?” asked Tim.

“Of course, we want to get into the game, don’t we?”

Once the boys got off the bus at the ballpark, they ran toward the stadium. “We’ve got the best seats for catching a foul ball, and Doug will be so happy when we bring one home for him,” beamed Tim. “I’ve been waiting all season to catch one. Wouldn’t it be great if we both could?” asked John.

Tim smiled, replying, “Yeah, then we could give one to Doug and keep one for ourselves!” Tim and John got to their seats just as the pitcher threw the first pitch of the game. It was a strike, as were the next two. The batter threw down his bat and trudged back to the dugout, angry that he had not made a hit.

“Wow! He’s the best pitcher they have,” exclaimed John.

During the seventh inning they bought peanuts and lemonade. They were having fun, but Tim had a worried expression on his face. “It’s the seventh inning already, and there hasn’t been one foul ball hit near our seats. We can’t go home without a baseball for Doug!”

John nodded in agreement. “It would really cheer Doug up if we could bring him a ball from the game. He hasn’t had much to be happy about lately, and I heard he has to go back in the hospital next week.”

At the bottom of the ninth inning, still no balls had been hit toward the two boys, and Tim and John rose to leave the game empty-handed. They had not caught a foul ball for their friend, and the boys wore sad, tired expressions on their faces.

“Maybe we could go to the game on Saturday,” John suggested.

Tim shook his head dejectedly as he replied, “We’re going to Aunt Jane’s this weekend, so this game was our only chance.” The boys dragged their feet as they slowly walked to the bus stop.

“Why do you boys look so sad?”

At the sound of that voice, Tim and John wheeled around, and there in front of them stood the star player of their favorite team.

“I– we–” stuttered Tim, while John just stared at the ballplayer with his mouth open in amazement. “Would a couple of autographed game balls cheer you up?” offered the player, as he pulled two baseballs out of his bag.
The boys looked at each other, then Tim asked timidly, “Could you sign one for us and one for our friend?”

“I think I can manage that–just tell me the name and I’ll write it!” The player grinned as he signed the baseballs. When he finished, the player tossed the balls to Tim and John. “Thanks for coming to the game, boys. See you next time!”

Tim and John ran to the bus stop with big grins on their faces and the autographed baseballs held tightly in their fists.