Star Boy's Surprise

Collins Big Cat is a guided reading series for ages 4-11 edited by Cliff Moon. Top children's authors and illustrators have created fiction and non-fiction books that your children will love to read, banded to help you choose the right book for every child. Practical ideas for guided reading are included at the back of each book.

Far, far away, in deep, dark space, was a star. From far way, that star was just a tiny twinkle. But it was Star Boy's home. Star Boy lived there all alone, with only his robot, Ace, for company. And although Ace was fun to play with, he was just a robot. For his birthday, all Star Boy wanted was a surprise - but how could a robot think of a surprise?

This deceptively simple science fiction story explores ideas of friendship and understanding.

Purple (Band 8) books contain more complex sentences, grouped in paragraphs of up to five sentences. Vocabulary is more unusual and challenging, and some literary language is used.