All chapters of

first flight:

A Letter to God :
G.L.FUENTES
Chapter Highlights
1. Lencho’s hope of good rain to have a good crops.
2. It rains but the rain soon changes into hailstones.
3. Lencho has firm faith in God.
4. Lencho writes a letter to God to help him.
5. Lencho asks God to send him hundred pesos.
6. Postmaster and other employees laugh at Lencho’s
letter to God.
7. Postmaster decides to help Lencho in his problem.
8. Postmaster wants every employee to help in this noble
deed.
9. Postmaster collects seventy pesos and gives the
envelope to Lencho himself.
10. Lencho gets angry after getting seventy pesos
amount as he had asked for hundred pesos.
11. Lencho calls the employees of post office a
‘bunch of crooks’ as he thinks that they have stolen the
rest of amount.
12. Lencho again writes a letter to God to send him
rest of the money.
13. Lencho has firm faith in the magnanimity of God;
and God never betrays the trust of a believer.
Nelson Mandela: Long Walk to
Freedom ---
NELSON ROLIHLAHLA
MANDELA

Chapter Highlights

1. 10th of May was, a day of freedom for South Africa and

there was huge gathering of international leaders and
dignitaries.
2. Inauguration ceremony or swearing in ceremony was being
held in Union Building in Pretoria and first non-racial
government took the charge.
3. Nelson Mandela gave speech on the victory for justice,
peace and human dignity.
4. Mandela pledged to liberate his people from poverty,
suffering and discrimination.
5. A colourful show by jets and helicopters to show military’s
loyalty took place.
6. Singing of two national anthems was done-the old ‘Nkosi
Sikelel’ by the whites and the new ‘Die stem’ by the blacks.
7. A new system that recognised the rights and freedom of all
people was formed.
8. Mandela remembered and thanked the people who
sacrificed their lives for the freedom.
9. Salutation to some great freedom fighters – Oliver Tambo,
Walter Sisulu, Chief Luthuli, Yusuf Dadoo and others.
10. Mandela said in speech that a country is rich because of its
people not because of the minerals. Courage is not the
absence of fear but the victory over it. People should love
others and not hate them due to colour or religion. Love
comes naturally not by force, which is the natural
goodness.
11. He also stated that a man should try to make a balance
between his duties – duty to his family and duty to his
community and country. A black person was treated badly
and not allowed to perform his duties.
12. According to Mandela, freedom has many aspects like –
for a kid it is to run and play, for an adult it is to fulfil the
needs, of his own and his family. Real freedom means equal
rights for everyone.
13. Nelson Mandela joined the African National Congress
(ANC). He desired people to live with dignity and respect.
He wanted the oppressor and the oppressed to be
liberated.
14. Patience and perseverance guided by discipline and
system yield the desire result.
15. Two Stories about Flying 32

I. His First Flight:

LIAM O’ FLAHERTY
II. Black Aeroplane:
FREDERICK FORSYTH

Story 1:Chapter Highlights:

1. Seagull family of 6 members.

2. The young seagull afraid of flying.
3. Family has concern of his food and fear of flying.
4. Cajoling and provoking him by family.
5. Family leaves him alone at the rock.
6. He cries because of heat and hunger.
7. No one looks at him except the mother.
8. Temptation by mother for a piece of fish.
9. He pretends to sleep but nobody comes to him,
10. Everybody taunts him for his cowardice.
11. The young seagull dives to catch a fish to feed himself.
12. He tries to spread his wings outwards.
13. He begins to fly slowly downwards and upwards.
14. He is now no longer afraid of flying and falling down in the
sea. He soars with a joyous scream.
15. Seagull family comes near to him and encourages him.
16. He has made his first flight successfully.
Story 2: Chapter Highlights

1. The clear sky with shining stars

2. The author was about to meet his family at breakfast.
3. At 1:30 in the morning, author flew in his Dakota
aeroplane and he was instructed to turn 12 degrees
West by Paris Control.
4. He was around 150 kilometre away from Paris.
5. The cloud storms approached him.
6. He decided to enter the storm.
7. A risky decision of the author due to his willingness to
see his family.
8. He lost the way in the storm.
9. All the instruments stopped working.
10. A black aeroplane appeared by the author side in
the storm.
11. He was instructed to follow the black plane.
12. Without much fuel he flew for half an hour.
13. He landed safely on the runway.
14. He went out from his aeroplane to thank the pilot
of the black aeroplane.
15. Got surprised not to find anyone there in the
aeroplane.
16. The author asked the woman of Control Tower
about the black aeroplane.
17. She laughed and replied in negative about such a
plane.
18. A miracle with no explanation for the author
which saved his life.

From the Diary of Anne Frank

:ANNE FRANK
Chapter Highlights:

1. Anne Frank lived in Holland after Hitler invaded.

2. His father and mother left her and her sister to her Grandma.
3. She was gifted a diary on her thirteenth birthday.
4. She named it ‘Kitty’ and made it her best friend in her loneliness.
5. She wrote every problem and happenings in her diary.
6. She was very close to her Grandma, after her death she felt very
much alone.
7. They lived in hiding for many years to survive.
8. She was lovable of every teacher except Mr Keesing who taught
Maths.
9. Mr Kessing got annoyed with her talkative nature. ’
10. He punished her by giving her extra homework many a time.
11. Her essay in verse form on topic ‘Quack’ Quack, Quack, said
Mistress Chatterbox humiliated Mr Kessing.
12. He allowed her to talk and relieved her from any extra home
work.

The Hundred Dresses–I :EL

BSOR ESTER
Chapter Highlights

1. It was Monday, Wanda was absent but nobody noticed.

2. Wanda, a quiet girl, did not talk with others too much.
3. She lived at Boggins; Height and belonged to a poor family.
4. She wore the same blue dress everyday.
5. Peggy and Maddie were good friends and teased Wanda everyday.
6. Wanda had no friends and girls used to make fun of her.
7. Wanda claimed of having a hundred dresses and sixty pairs of shoes.
8. Peggy was not really a cruel girl. She loved children and animals also.
9. Peggy would say why Wanda had spoken of her hundred dresses.
10. Maddie, herself a poor girl, did not like to tease Wanda but remained mum
for fear of being ridiculed in Wanda’s place.
11. There was a drawing competition for every boy and girl in the class.
12. Everybody expected Peggy to win.
13. There were a hundred sketches of dresses beautifully drawn by Wanda in
the classroom.
14. Miss Mason announced the winner-jack Beggles won among the boys and
Wanda among the girls.
15. Wanda was absent but everybody clapped for her.
16. Peggy and Maddie identified the blue and the green dress once spoken by
Wanda.
17. Everybody in the class clapped for Wanda’s great quality of drawing.

The Hundred Dresses–II:EL

BSOR ESTER
Chapter Highlights

1. Miss Mason makes the classroom fully attentive before

reading out the letter by Wanda’s father informing about
her absence.
2. The Petronski family decides to settle in a big city to avoid
the humiliation of Wanda at the school.
3. Everybody got shocked after listening to the letter of Mr
Petronski.
4. Every student felt sorry for Wanda.
5. Maddie was very upset and couldn’t concentrate on her
studies.
6. Maddie felt herself coward as she never stopped Peggy
from making fun of Wanda.
7. Maddie and Peggy went to find Wanda at her house at
Boggins heights.
8. They could not meet her as she had already left the place
with her family.
9. Peggy tried to defend her behaviour but Maddie was not
happy for all of that.
10. Peggy and Maddie wrote a letter to Wanda telling her she
had won the contest.
11. Wanda did not reply for a long time.
12. Wanda wrote a letter to Miss Mason to give her drawings
to the girls as she had new ones at her home.
13. She missed her old school and her teacher.
14. She wanted to gift special drawing to Peggy and Maddie, a
green dress and a blue one respectively.
15. Maddie found her own face in the drawing she got from
Miss Mason sketched by Wanda.
16. She rushed to Peggy’s house to tell that.
17. Both Peggy and Maddie’ found Peggy’s face in the green
dress gifted to Peggy.
18. Maddie cried for her behaviour and promised herself not
to be a silent spectator anymore ever if she was to lose her
close friend.
19. Peggy consoled her by saying that Wanda liked them.
20. Maddie agreed and blinked away the tears that came
every time she thought of Wanda Petronski.

Glimpses of India

I. A Baker from Goa:LUCIO

RODRIGUES
 II. Coorg :LOKESH ABROL
II. Tea from Assam: ARUP
KUMAR DATTA

Story 1: Chapter Highlights

1. The Portuguese in Goa were lovers of bread.

2. Those eaters of bread have now gone but its makers still exist.
3. During the childhood days of the narrator, a baker used to be their friend, companion and
guide.
4. The baker came twice a day- once in the morning and again while returning home after
finishing his selling.
5. The jingling thud of the baker’s bamboo woke up the sleeping children.
6. The loaves were delivered to the servants of the house.
7. The children would peep into the baker’s basket for the bread bangles.
8. The children would eat bread with hot tea.
9. The marriages were incomplete without the popular bol bread.
10. Bolinhas was a must during Christmas and all other festivals.
11. The bakers wore a particular knee length frock known as kabai.
12. Baking was a profitable profession. Bakers had a plump physique testifying to this.
13. The bakers collected their bills at the end of the month.

Story 2: Chapter Highlights

1. The Portuguese in Goa were lovers of bread.

2. Those eaters of bread have now gone but its makers still exist.
3. During the childhood days of the narrator, a baker used to be their friend, companion and
guide.
4. The baker came twice a day- once in the morning and again while returning home after
finishing his selling.
5. The jingling thud of the baker’s bamboo woke up the sleeping children.
6. The loaves were delivered to the servants of the house.
 7. The children would peep into the baker’s basket for the bread bangles.
8. The children would eat bread with hot tea.
9. The marriages were incomplete without the popular bol bread.
10. Bolinhas was a must during Christmas and all other festivals.
11. The bakers wore a particular knee length frock known as kabai.
12. Baking was a profitable profession. Bakers had a plump physique testifying to this.
13. The bakers collected their bills at the end of the month.

Story 3: Chapter Highlights

1. Pranjol and Rajvir were visiting Assam by train.

2. Rajvir was busy looking at the beautiful scenery outside the train.
3. It was green everywhere as far as the eye could see.
4. The soft green paddy bushes gave way to tea bushes.
5. Assam has the largest concentration of tea plantation in the world.
6. The Chinese are said to have discovered tea.
7. There is also an Indian legend saying that Bodhidharma discovered tea.
8. From China, tea came to the European countries and then to Asian countries.
9. Pranjol’s father managed Dhekiabari, a tea garden.
10. There were many tea pluckers around the tea bushes.
11. The best tea is obtained between May to july

Mijbil the Otter: GAVIN MAXWELL

Chapter Highlights

1. After the death of his dog, the author decides to keep an otter as his pet.
2. As per his friend’s suggestion, he got an otter from Tigris Marshes.
3. The author felt that coming of the otter started a new phase of his life.
4. The otter first appeared as a small dragon. He was coated with mud.
5. It took ajot of time and effort for the author to remove the dust.
6. The otter loved to play with water, and could not stand still in front of it.
7. He also loved to play with the rubber ball. Marble toys were his favourite.
8. After some days, the author had to come back to London.
9. The transporting of Mijbil to London became a problem. British airline did not permit
animals on its flights.
 10. Another airline agreed to take the animal if packed in a box.
11. The author made a small box for the otter.
12. While in the plane, the otter escaped from the box. Some passengers. Shouted and stood
on their seats on seeing the otter in the plane. At last, the otter came back and settled on
the author’s knees.
13. On reaching London, people did not recognise the otter. They just made random guesses.
14. Mijbil played with ping-pong ball and develops certain playing habits in London.

Madam Rides the Bus: VALLIKKANNAN

Chapter Highlights

1. The story is about an eight year old girl named Valliammai. She was very curious to know
about things.
2. Her favourite pastime was to stand at the front doorway of her house and see what was
happening in the street outside.
3. She would watch the bus that passed every hour from her village to the nearest town.
4. She developed a desire to ride the bus. This became her deepest desire.
5. Valli found out the details of the bus journey by listening carefully to the conversations
between her neighbours and regular bus users.
 6. She came to know that the town was just six miles from her village and the fare for the
bus journey was thirty paise one way. The trip took 45 minutes.
7. Valli planned her visit to the town. She saved sixty paise for the fare. Finally, one day she
took the one o’clock bus to the town.
8. Valli was very happy to have got into the bus.
9. On the way to the town, Valli saw a cow running right in front of the bus. She clapped as
the cow kept on running towards the bus despite the continuous honking by the driver.
10. Valli did not get off the bus when it reached the town. She also declined the offer of a cold
drink by the conductor.
11. On the return journey, she saw the same cow lying dead by the roadside. This unpleasant
sight made her very sad.
12. The bus reached the village at three forty. She ran straight for her home after getting
down the bus.Her mother did not come to know about her journey.

The Sermon at Benares

Chapter Highlights

1. This lesson is about the life of Gautama Buddha, who was born in a royal family as
Siddhartha.
2. He was sent to study Hindu scriptures, and later married a princess.
3. Once he saw a sick man, an old man, a funeral procession and a monk begging for
money.
4. These sights moved him and he went to search for enlightenment’.
5. He started meditating under a peepal tree and got enlightened after 7 days and became
known as the Buddha.
6. He preached his first sermon at Benares.
7. Once a woman came to him requesting to bring her dead son to life.
8. Gautama Buddha asked the lady to bring a handful of mustard seeds from a house where
there had been no death.
9. The lady moved from one house to another but she could not find a single house where
no one has lost a child, husband, parent or friend.
10. Then, she came to know that death is common to all and is the ultimate truth of life.

The Proposal :ANTON CHEKOV

Chapter Highlights

1. Lomov goes to Chubukov’s house to seek hand of Chubukov’s daughter.

2. Lomov tells Chubukov the purpose of his visit. Chubukov consents him to marry his
daughter.
3. Lomov starts talking of his land that Natalya thinks it is owned by her.
4. Lomov explains Natalya that he owns the land. Argument continues between Lomov and
Natalya.
5. Chubukov arrives and takes side with Natalya.
6. Agrument continues and Lomov leaves their house.
7. Chubukov tells the purpose behind Lomov’s visit to Natalya.
8. Natalya tells Chubukov to call Lomov. Lomov arrives and they quarrel again regarding
whose pet dog is better.
9. Lomov becomes unconscious. Chubukov gives her daughter’s hand to Lomov.