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saying that great tunes come from America, and we get lots of them first in Liverpool.’
    He had a nice smile, Grace thought, even if he was a bit cocky. But still, that didn’t mean she wanted him as her friend. Adults were in charge of most things in life, but the one thing they couldn’t do was decide who your friends were.
    He returned to going through the records, then raised an eyebrow as though surprised at what he found. “You are my Sunshine” by Jimmie Davis. That’s a decent one.’
    ‘Glad you approve,’ said Grace.
    If Barry picked up on the sarcasm he chose not to acknowledge it. Instead he handed her the record.
    ‘Want to try it?’ he said.
    Grace took it from him but didn’t put it on. He wasn’t goingto come in here and be the boss. ‘We’ll play it after this,’ she said, taking up another record.
    ‘What’s that?’ he asked.
    ‘“When You Wish Upon a Star”. I really like it,’ said Grace, and she looked him in the eye, as though daring him to run it down. He held her gaze, and she sensed that there was going to be an argument. Then he nodded and suddenly smiled again.
    ‘Good choice,’ he said.
    Grace was taken by surprise, so she made no response and instead put on the record. She wasn’t sure what to make of this Barry Malone. He was unpredictable, one moment annoying, the next moment likeable. Well, she wasn’t going to worry about it, she decided. So she sat on the sofa, listened happily to the lilting melody, and wondered how long she would have to stay here keeping him company.

CHAPTER TWO
    ‘R ight turn, arms lift, full stretch – and down!’
    Barry did the final exercise in the outdoor drill session, then lowered his arms and relaxed, the air in the schoolyard sweet this morning with the smell from a local bakery.
    ‘Very good, boys, dismissed!’ cried Mr Pawlek.
    Barry watched as the drill master moved among the pupils, exchanging a greeting here and a word of encouragement there. He had the knack of being friendly to the boys yet at the same time wielding the kind of authority that meant nobody messed about during his drill classes.
    He came towards Barry now and nodded in greeting. ‘So, Mr Malone,’ he said with a hint of playfulness in his use of the word mister, ‘how are you finding life in Dublin?’
    ‘Fine sir,’ answered Barry, impressed again at how fluent Mr Pawlek’s English was. Barry had heard Polish spoken back in Liverpool, and it sounded to him like a language that was very different to English, so Mr Pawlek must have studied hard.
    ‘I’m glad to hear it,’ continued the teacher. ‘It can be a little strange coming to a new country.’
    ‘Yes, sir, though Ireland isn’t really new to me. I’ve often visited my grandmother before.’
    ‘Good. Every boy should be spoiled by his grandmother,’ theteacher said smilingly.
    Barry smiled in return, then saw Shay McGrath over the teacher’s shoulder. He had kept well away from the other boy since McGrath had attempted to bully him yesterday, but now McGrath caught his eye. McGrath put out his tongue at Barry and made licking gestures. He was being mocked, with McGrath suggesting that he was licking up to the teacher. But what was he supposed to do if Mr Pawlek was being friendly? Not smile, in case a bully like McGrath thought he was trying to win favour? He decided to ignore the other boy’s insult and returned his gaze to the drill master.
    ‘It must be hard, away from your parents,’ said Mr Pawlek sympathetically. ‘Do you often hear from your father?’
    ‘Not too often, sir,’ said Barry.
    ‘Where is he serving?’
    ‘Somewhere in the Mediterranean. He can’t tell us where.’
    ‘Ah, right. Still, I’m sure his ship will return to England soon.’
    ‘I hope so, sir,’
    ‘And your mother isn’t too far away. She’ll probably visit regularly.’
    ‘It’s not that easy, sir. She can only really come when she takes holidays from work.’
    ‘Of course. So many women