A short story from the Fighting Words collection, BEYOND THE STARS, written and illustrated by two of the most outstanding talents in children's fiction today

Ireland, 1955: Charley's used to being lookout for Mammy - or `Sal Capone', as she's known in the local papers. He doesn't want to be part of a criminal gang, but he'd rather that than have his mammy dragged off to prison; she's only trying to keep him safe from Dad.

But on the day of Charley's fourteenth birthday, when Mammy takes him along on her latest job - a hold-up at gunpoint of the village post office - Charley's role changes and he has to protect her from the Guard. The stakes have been raised and Charley realises that the outcome of this crime could change their lives for ever. Will it be like in a Hollywood movie? Or will it be `like life in Ireland: cold and hard and with no happy ending'?

This book is part of a book series called Beyond the Stars .

This book has been graded for interest at 9-13 years.

There are 50 pages in this book. This is a short story book. This book was published 2014 by HarperCollins Publishers .

MARY-LOUISE FITZPATRICK is the author and illustrator of many award-winning books for children. She lives in Dublin, Ireland. Robert Dunbar said of Eoin Colfer's first novel, BENNY AND OMAR (an instant number one bestseller in Ireland), "A wonderful book, absolutely hilarious. "