Stevie looked at the dog. He was big and as black as night. Please, Dad, can we keep him? begged Stevie. Stevie loved his new dog. But Black Dan had a strange and terrible secret. Would he lead Stevie into danger? This story is part of the Oxford Reading Tree: Treetops series of fiction with built-in progression for pupils aged seven to 11. Specially written for children who need the support of carefully monitored language levels, the stories aim to be accessible, motivating, and humorous. The series is organized into Oxford Reading Tree stages (from Stage 10 to Stage 14), with each stage introducing more complex narrative forms, including flashbacks and changes in viewpoint; descriptive writing; extended reading vocabulary; and more pages, more text, and fewer illustrations. Each stage is supported by a teacher's guide, which offers guidance on using Treetops to assess children's reading ability, and includes a variety of activities, many on photocopiable sheets.