at Shadow Lane
• Pay attention to the clues.
UNIT 1
In this unit, you will read the chapter Welcome to Shadow Lane. It is the first chapter of the story Clues at Shadow Lane. You will meet Tara, her family and their dog Jambo. They have just moved from South Africa to England. There is something spooky going on in their new house. And who is the strange old lady?
• Vocabulary in focus: home and family.
• Grammar in focus: a, an, the and prepositions of place.
Practise Your English Skills
READ chapter 1, the dialogues, the texts about South Africa and England and more.
LISTEN to chapter 1, the dialogues, the texts about South Africa and England. Do the listening exercises.
TALK about chapter 1, the dialogues, home and family and more.
WRITE the focus words, sentences, a diary entry and more.
• What does ‘clues’ mean?
• ‘Shadow Lane’ is an address. What does it mean?
Chapter 1
Welcome to Shadow Lane
YEAR 1941. Bang! Lightning strikes the house. It sounds like an explosion. The people at Shadow Lane run out to see what has happened. They stare at the big, white brick house. The roof has collapsed, all the windows are broken and one wall is gone. Are the children at the orphanage still alive?
Suddenly, a young girl comes out of the house. She is barefoot and dusty. Blood is running from her forehead and down onto her white cotton dress. She doesn’t cry or say anything. Slowly, she walks towards the little playhouse. She enters and locks the door behind her.
• Who is the girl?
• What is an orphanage?
• What has happened?
lightning blixten strikes slår ner brick tegel
• roof taket collapsed rasat
• windows fönster
• wall vägg orphanage barnhemmet suddenly plötsligt barefoot barfota dusty dammig forehead panna cotton dress bomullsklänning towards mot playhouse lekstugan
YEAR 2026. “Come on Jambo!
We’re here! Welcome to Shadow Lane.”
Tara lets the bulldog out of the car.
“How lovely,” says Tara’s mum, Erin. “Much bigger than the apartment in South Africa. And what a pretty little playhouse!”
“This will be great!” says Henry, Tara’s dad.
The house is nice, Tara thinks, but it feels strange to move to a small village in England. In South Africa, they lived in a big city.
And what would she do with a playhouse? She’s eleven, not three.
Henry knocks on the blue front door, but no one opens.
“Maybe Mrs Johnson has already moved out and into the guesthouse,” he says.
• apartment lägenheten village by lived bodde knocks knackar front door ytterdörren guesthouse gästhuset
“Guesthouse?” Tara asks.
“Yeah, there are three houses in total. This house, the brown guesthouse and the playhouse. Mrs Johnson had nowhere else to go, so she’ll be staying in the guesthouse.”
Tara sees an old lady coming out from the other house in the garden. She’s holding a white cat in her arms.
“Both keys are under the doormat! And get that dog away from here!” the lady yells. “My Luna doesn’t like dogs!”
Henry looks at his daughter. “Just ignore that nosy old woman, darlin’.
Someday she’ll move out.”
“Come on Jambo, let’s go to that silly playhouse!” Tara says.
Jambo wags his tail. He always does that when Tara speaks in a funny voice. Jambo follows Tara to the playhouse. She tries to open the door.
“Oh no! It’s locked! Maybe the key is hidden somewhere? Could it be here?” She looks in the letterbox next to the door. It’s empty.
TARA’S ROOM IS nice and big, but there’s only a bed, a bookcase and a mirror there. The furniture from South Africa will be delivered the following day. She will probably feel more at home then.
“You can sleep here,” she whispers to Jambo and points at the dog bed.
“Here is your blanket.” Jambo wags his tail and looks at her with his big, friendly eyes.
“I know,” Tara says. “I miss South Africa too.
Especially Aunt Elna and Uncle Mike. I wish we were there.”
She gives Jambo a hug and they instantly fall asleep.
nowhere else ingen annanstans
• garden trädgården
• keys nycklarna
• doormat dörrmattan
• daughter dotter nosy nyfikna wags viftar
hidden gömd letterbox brevlådan empty tom
• bookcase bokhylla
• mirror spegel
• furniture möblerna be delivered levereras
whispers viskar
• blanket filt
• Aunt faster/moster
• Uncle farbror/morbror instantly omedelbart
THE NEXT MORNING, Tara can hear her parents talking in the kitchen.
“I didn’t put the candle in the fireplace,” Henry says.
“Well, I didn’t put it there either. If none of us put that candle in the fireplace, then who did?” Erin asks.
Then they see Tara and Jambo coming down the stairs.
“Tara, were you up last night? Did you light a candle in the fireplace?” her dad asks.
“No!” Tara shakes her head. “What’s going on?”
“Then someone must have been here!” Erin says, upset.
“What? Does Mrs Johnson have a key to our house?” Tara asks.
• parents föräldrar
• kitchen köket
• candle stearinljuset
fireplace öppna spisen
either heller
none ingen
• stairs trappan shakes skakar What’s going on? Vad händer? someone någon upset upprörd
“No, Mrs Johnson said there were only two sets of keys to the house, and they were both under the doormat,” her dad says.
“I’ll go and talk to her,” says Erin, and leaves.
She returns a few minutes later and says, “Mrs Johnson promises that she doesn’t go into other people’s houses.”
“But who else could have been here then?” Henry asks.
Furniture and boxes are delivered in a large container. It takes all day to unpack and put everything in place. After dinner, Tara and her dad take Jambo for a walk. They are curious to see if there are any other children in the neighbourhood, but they don’t see any. Maybe they are still having dinner?
When they return, they see Mrs Johnson staring at them behind the curtains.
She’s holding that cat again. Tara shudders and grabs her dad’s arm.
“Dad, what’s wrong with that old lady? Why is she staring at us?”
But Henry isn’t looking at Mrs Johnson’s house. He is looking at the playhouse.
“Hey,” he says, “the lights are on in the playhouse. How strange, there is no electricity there.”
THEY WALK TO the playhouse and Tara tries to open the door. It’s still locked. She notices the letterbox. Something is different from before. The lid is open, and a red envelope is sticking out.
returns kommer tillbaka a few några promises lovar unpack packa upp curious nyfikna other andra
• Who do you think put the candle in the fireplace?
• What do you think is in the envelope?
• What do you think will happen next?
• neighbourhood bostadsområdet staring stirrar
• curtains gardinerna shudders ryser grabs tar tag i tries to försöker
notices lägger märke till different annorlunda lid locket envelope kuvert
Dialogues
It’s Emma’s birthday. Her grandparents knock on the door.
Emma Hi! Welcome to my party! Come on in.
Grandad Thank you, Emma! Well, Grandma and I have something to tell you.
Emma Okay …?
Grandad We are now husband and wife!
Emma What? Wow, that’s great!
Grandad Yes, we finally got married!
Emma I have to tell Sally and my cousin Jack! Sally! Jack! Guess what! Grandma and Grandad …
Rana Stepmum? I didn’t know Granny’s parents were divorced. 1. 2. 3.
Daniel and Alice are siblings. They often fight over clothes.
Daniel Alice, have you taken my T-shirt again?
Alice No! You probably dropped it on the floor somewhere.
Daniel Oh, please! That’s such a lie!
Alice Hey, maybe Pluto took it.
Daniel Right. He always chews on everything … Found it! It was in my wardrobe.
Alice See? Don’t blame me next time!
Daniel Why not? You always take my stuff.
Alice No, I don’t. I wish I was an only child!
Colin and Rana are in their grandparents’ study to have a look around.
Colin Come, look! A photo of Granny as a young child!
Rana Oh, cool. Who’s that? Are they her relatives?
Colin I think that’s her parents. I recognise Granny’s dad. And that must be her stepmum.
• grandparents mor-/farföräldrar
• husband make, man
• wife maka, fru finally äntligen got married gift oss
• cousin kusin
• siblings syskon
• floor golvet lie lögn found hittade
• wardrobe garderob don’t blame skyll inte på
• only child enda barnet
• study arbetsrum
• relatives släktingar recognise känner igen
• stepmum styvmor
• divorced skilda
Colin Yeah! Apparently, Granny’s mum remarried.
Rana She got a new husband?
Colin Yes. And Granny’s dad got a new wife. They both remarried.
Rana How do you know all of this?
Colin Don’t you know? I can talk to people from the past, muahaha!
Rana Yeah, right! And I can see into the future. You’re not going to be a famous footballer!
Keep Talking
1 Read one of the dialogues in pairs.
2 Describe what you see in your classroom.
3 Talk about the families in the pictures. Who are they? Next to the … There is/There are … In front of the … Behind the …
I think they live … I think he/she is …
What would your dream room look like?
apparently tydligen remarried gifte om sig future framtiden
I think they like …
South Africa
South Africa has the nickname the Rainbow Nation because people from many cultures live there. It has eleven official languages, including English and Afrikaans. It is also home to many animals, like the Big Five – lions, leopards, elephants, rhinos and buffalos. South Africa has three capital cities: Cape Town, Pretoria and Bloemfontein. The biggest city is Johannesburg.
Sport and adventure
There is a strong rugby tradition in South Africa. The national team, called the Springboks, are very successful. Soccer and cricket are popular sports too. Bloukrans Bridge in South Africa is Africa’s highest bridge. That’s where you can find one of the highest bungee jumps in the world. It is 216 metres high. Are you brave enough to do a bungee jump?
The fastest land animal
There are cheetahs in South Africa. A cheetah can run 120 km per hour – as fast as a car on the motorway! How fast can you run?
Nelson Mandela (1918–2013)
Nelson Mandela was a famous South African leader. He wanted equality for all South Africans. He was put in prison for 27 years because of his protests. When he was released, he continued to fight for equality and peace. He later became the first black president of his country. He also won the Nobel Peace Prize.
nickname smeknamnet languages språk including inklusive rhinos noshörningar capital cities huvudstäder successful framgångsrikt bridge bro brave enough tillräckligt modig cheetahs geparder equality jämlikhet prison fängelse continued fortsatte became blev Nobel Peace Prize Nobels fredspris
South Africa
England
England is home to people from many countries. It is a small country with a huge effect on the world. Partly because of the language, literature and music, but also for many other reasons. London is the capital city. Other large cities are Birmingham, Manchester and Liverpool.
England is also home to a royal family, the Premier League and Harry Potter.
The Tube
The subway in London is called the underground or the Tube. It was the first underground railway system in the world. It has over 270 stations. About 5 million journeys are made every day!
How do you travel?
Platform 9¾
If you are a Harry Potter fan, you must go to King’s Cross Station in London. There you can see a luggage trolley in the wall at Platform 9¾.
The English home
A typical English house has a ground floor, usually with a main living room. Some people call it the lounge. That’s where the family sit together to relax. It’s the room where you have a sofa, an armchair or two and perhaps a TV. The rooms are connected by the hallway. On the upstairs floor, you will find the bedrooms and a bathroom. People sometimes use one of the smaller bedrooms as a study. For example, if they work from home.
royal kunglig
subway tunnelbanan
railway järnväg
journeys resor
luggage trolley bagagevagn
ground floor bottenvåning usually ofta
• living room vardagsrum relax slappna av
• armchair fåtölj
• hallway hallen upstairs övervåningen
Articles: a, an and the
a/an
Use a before nouns that start with a consonant sound, like a bulldog
Use an before nouns that start with a vowel sound, like an envelope
Both mean one, but not a specific one.
Jambo is a bulldog with an elegant walk.
the
Use the when you talk about something or someone specific, like the cat or the girl.
The cat is called Luna and the girl is called Tara.
Note!
an umbrella a unicorn an envelope a yellow envelope an hour a horse
Prepositions of Place
Prepositions of place are words that tell you where something or someone is in relation to something else.
Where is Jambo?
noun = substantiv vowel = vokal consonant = konsonant
on the chair under the chair next to the chair in the box
in front of the box behind the box between the box and the chair
Time for walkies …
Fishy?! Yummy. I’m Luna. Who are you?
Alright, SIR. Wanna give me a hand? Not really. Why not? I’m rather busy, if you must know. Whoa! That seems fishy.
I’m Sir Jambo, if you must know.
Be creative!
1 Act it out. Read and act out the dialogue using the speech bubbles.
2 Imagine what happens next. What do Jambo and Luna do? Where do they go?
3 Who is it?
Think of a new character that arrives in the scene. What do they say?
4 Think and discuss.
What things can you find in your waste bins at home? Think of some really good ideas to reuse three of the things.
Fun facts!
In English there are different words for waste:
What a load of rubbish!
• In British English and South African English it can be called rubbish.
• In American English it is called trash or garbage.
• Sometimes waste is called recycling.
Having a laugh!
– Why did the cat jump onto the computer?
– It wanted to catch the mouse.
– Which is the cleanest dog in the world?
– The shampoodle!
– What do you call a dog that sits by the fireplace?
– A hot dog.
Greeting
Read and Write: A Diary Entry
1 Read Tara’s diary entry.
2 Plan your own on page 19 in your workbook.
Wednesday
9 September, 2026
Day of the week
Date
Dear Diary,
Here I am, at Shadow Lane. Everything is different. The house is really big, and it has a garden. My parents think it’s great. Mrs Johnson lives in the guesthouse. She is super old. I don’t like her; she is really scary!
I miss my relatives in South Africa. But I miss my friends more. Good thing Jambo is here. He likes this place, and he wants to say hi to Luna. But guess what? Luna doesn’t like dogs. (I think it’s Mrs Johnson who doesn’t like dogs.)
I can’t wait for all my furniture to arrive! I know exactly where to put everything: the bed in front of the window, the mirror on the wall next to the bed, and a picture on the other wall. The bookcase goes between the desk and the wardrobe. Cool, huh? Oh, I almost forgot. Mum promised to buy new curtains.
Now I have to tell you about the playhouse! We can’t open the door. It’s locked. Something strange is going on. Like, we found a candle in the fireplace in our kitchen. We have no clue who put it there! SPOOKY!
Gotta go, buffalo!
Tara
FOCU S WORDS
Word Learning Strategies
Listen, Write, Read and Speak
Ways to practise vocabulary
n Translate the words.
n Say the words out loud.
n Arrange the words in categories. For example: sports, animals, foods.
n Explain the words in English to someone else.
n Use the words in sentences. Write them down and read them out loud.
n Think of synonyms.
n Make flashcards: Write a word in English on a note. Write the translation or definition on the back of the note.
n Play vocabulary games. For example: charades, memory, bingo, Pictionary.
Blah blah blah Blah blah
Language Arts
Vowels
A, E, I, O, U are vowels.
A apple
E elephant
I igloo
O orange
U umbrella
Consonants
All the other letters of the alphabet are consonants: B, C, D, F, G, H, J, K, L, M, N, P, Q, R, S, T, V, W, X, Y, Z
Note!
At the beginning of words, like yellow and yawn, Y is a consonant sound
But in other words, like happy and baby, Y is a vowel sound Y also acts like a vowel in words with no other vowels, like spy and my.
Synonyms
Synonyms are words that have the same or almost the same meaning. For example: big/large, happy/glad, fast/quick.
Antonyms
Antonyms are words that have opposite meanings. For example: big/small, happy/sad, fast/slow.
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Postadress: Box 38013, 100 64 Stockholm
Besöksadress: Rosenlundsgatan 54, Stockholm www.sanomautbildning.se info@sanomautbildning.se
Order/Läromedelsinformation
Telefon 08-587 642 10
Skrivande förläggare: Emelie Werkö
Skrivande redaktör: Lotta Engström
Redaktörer: Jenny Lindblad, Åsa Böhme
Huvudförfattare: Catherine Bergman
Författare: Mona Liljedahl, Lena Winqvist
Grafisk form: Cristina Jäderberg
Illustrationer: Anders Lagerdahl
Översättning av berättelsen: Fern Scott Olsson
Språk- och faktagranskning: Natasha Ellis-Knight, Faith Manalili
Fotografier: Shutterstock
Shutterstock AI: sidorna 43, 83, 97
Tack till Andy Cowle samt lärare och elever på Kästaskolan, Högalidsskolan och Katarina Norra skola för värdefulla synpunkter och idéer.
Clues at Shadow Lane 4 Textbook
ISBN: 978-91-523-6889-3
© 2026 Författarna och Sanoma Utbildning AB, Stockholm
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Tryck: Interak, Polen 2026
at Shadow Lane
RAVENDALE, ENGLAND.
An old house with dark secrets. A locked playhouse. A strange neighbour. Three friends that search for clues. What will they find out?
Step into the shadows. Step into the mystery. This is the story of Clues at Shadow Lane.
Catherine Bergman
Mona Liljedahl
Lena Winqvist