Red Edge

by Des Hunt

Cassi Whelan, aged 12, and her father, Mike, have recently moved into a repaired house in Avondale, on the edge of Christchurch’s Red Zone. Although only four when the earthquakes destroyed the city, Cassi’s memories still haunt her, affecting much of her life. She is an obsessive runner who worries incessantly about her weight; she also has a phobia about enclosed spaces, especially if there are raised shelves or hanging objects. The wide-open spaces of the cleared Red Zone suit her fine.

While out running on her first weekend, she meets Jim McLean, a retired reporter, who now spends much of his time fishing in the Avon river. He knows the neighbourhood well and gives her information about a broken-down house next to the Whelan’s place, one of a few houses in the area that are still vacant since being condemned after the February 2011 earthquake. It was owned by a Pandora Horton and is now locally known as the Haunted House. This began as a play on the name Horton but ends up having meaning because of strange happenings around the house and its garage. Some people even claim to have seen a ghost hanging out on the section late at night.

When Cassi investigates the property she finds a very large boy sitting on a pile of newspapers in an otherwise empty room. He is Quinn Fordson, a strange lad of Cassi’s age who lives on the other side of the Haunted House. Quinn shows Cassi a way to get into the undamaged garage, which he suggests might contain witches things such as bats and poisonous spiders. Cassi’s motivation to explore the garage is a recently opened can of cat food visible through a window. She has an interest in cats stretching back to a family pet that went missing after the 2010 earthquake.

Once inside the garage, Cassi doesn't find a cat, but she does find other creatures - ones that should never be kept in captivity. Thus begins a mystery-adventure that will challenge Cassi and Quinn more than the earthquakes that had previously shaped most aspects of their lives. On one side is Cassi, Quinn and Jim McLean; on the other are two criminals who have no thoughts for the well-being of anyone other than themselves.

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Genres: Friendship, Adventure

278 pages, Paperback

Published September 1, 2020

About the author

Des Hunt was a science and technology teacher for many years, interspersed with periods of curriculum development both in New Zealand and overseas. During this time he had several textbooks published to support the New Zealand curriculum. In recent years he has looked at other ways of interesting youngsters in science, creating computer games and writing non-fiction and fiction with scientific themes.

After living in Auckland for much of his life he moved with his wife, Lynne, to Matarangi on New Zealand’s Coromandel Peninsula. He retired from the classroom in 2007 to concentrate on writing fiction for children. He continues his aims of fostering young peoples’ natural interest in the science of their surroundings by visiting schools and libraries where he runs workshops and presentations.

Reviews

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Des Hunt was a science and technology teacher for many years, interspersed with periods of curriculum development both in New Zealand and overseas, and he's an author that seems need little or no introduction to readers in his native land. RED EDGE is, however, the first of his books I've been fortunate enough to read, pitched at a young audience, his aims of fostering interest in the natural world and children's surrounding obvious.

Obvious without being preachy or overblown I'd hasten to add, RED EDGE introduces many of it's themes and concepts through the eyes of the main young characters - Cassie Whelan and Quinn Fordson. The book abounds with references to the last devestating earthquake in Christchurch, the natural environment and science and technology (all particular interests of the author it seems), starting out with the obsessive runner Cassie's interactions with the wide-open spaces of the cleared "red-zone" around Christchurch, leading to the discovery of odd goings on in the Haunted House next door, culminating in some clever use of technology to solve the mysterious goings on in the garage next door.

Both Cassie and Quinn are really belieavable, strong characters in this story, and the mystery of the open can of cat food, leading to some some very odd discoveries and the unearthing of crimes that, it seems, are based on real events, really worked. There's considerable pace and engagement in the way the plot unfolds, whilst allowing for exploration of the effects of devastating natural disasters like the Christchurch earthquake have on the emotional wellbeing of everyone - but kids in particular.

Whilst RED EDGE is a really good book for the age group that it's obviously pitched at, there's quite a bit here for adult readers as well - not just the glimpses into the disrupted world of kids, but the issues of animal welfare, animal trafficking and what recovery after disaster can look like.


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[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Des Hunt has created a real page turner with some awesome characters that kids everywhere will be able to relate to but especially in Christchurch.

Cassi lives in post earthquake Christchurch and is on her eighth move in eight years to the edge of the Red Zone. She’s not looking forward to the whole new school, figuring things out and making new friends. Her strange neighbour Quin is a bit of technology geek who trains racing snails (which is a real thing). The villains although fictional, are drawn from real news stories.

Fitting in and the impact of the earthquakes on Cassi and Quinn are just the start of this fast paced action eco-adventure as they begin to suspect the abandoned house between them (possibly haunted) is the base for smuggling NZ wildlife (Giant Weta) out of the country.

Crissi and Quin are a possibly over-curious but extremely innovative pair as they work with some other really great characters (and a couple of red herrings) to stop the crime (watch out for the towie and the one-legged whitebaiter). It's a really relatable read which would make a great class read aloud with plenty of content to study - or just to enjoy.

[Olivia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This isn’t a book that I would typically choose off a shelf to read and only the second of Des Hunts’ books that I’ve ever read, however after meeting Des Hunt on the 26th August at school and him telling us that this book was about to be released, I decided that I’d better read it. What a great decision that was! This is an incredible book which I really enjoyed - especially the NZ setting. Des can definitely write a story from the point of view of a female main character and I’m very glad he did. You’re a New Zealand treasure Des Hunt!

[Jayne Downes · Rating 2 out of 5]

I struggled to finish this because I found the characters and plot over the top and unbelievable. The best parts of the story were the references to the Christchurch earthquakes and the effects on people's lives. Just my opinion though.

[Houlahan houlahan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read as a junior or mid grade fiction, this is a winner. Engaging characters, not too much depth but good for the audience, excellent use of NZ props (GIANT Wetas!) this is very readable. Des Hunt writes to a well-worked formula which is fully evident here.
Your yr 7-10 students will love it.

[Coral Smith]

An action mystery that keeps the pages turning. Warning you may not want to stop reading once you start!!
Set in post earthquake Christchurch, follow Cassi as she finds herself starting in a new school, making new friends, and living next door to the neighborhood's haunted house.

[Desna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great romp of a read.

[Kat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this one. Am definitely a Des Hunt fan 😊

[Kally Christian]

thc;ovvbf;vbdvibughvbeivbffveriv so good

[Liz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Des Hunt does it again! Des is a master storyteller who has written an exciting, thought provoking adventure. A great read-aloud for upper primary students.

[Rochelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Des Hunt classic, will appeal to students that enjoy conservation and Des's previous books.
A good school library addition with themes of bullying, resilience and conservation

[Isa Rive · Rating 4 out of 5]

One might expect a story about the classic New Zealand creepy crawly to be spine tingling. But the Weta in this tale turn out to be more precious taonga (treasures) than fright scare. But there’s plenty of full throttle action as our heroes try to outsmart a wildlife smugglers ring. The central character Cassie is traumatised by her past, as are many who experienced the devastating Christchurch earthquakes. Constantly moving addresses, she has difficulty making friends and runs obsessively. While investigating the new ‘haunted’ house next door, she meets a boy (Quinn) burdened with past guilt, and discovers some captured critters. Together they unravel its secrets, pitting them against ruthless villains who often seem to be one step ahead.
I really loved the complexities of the main characters (although the baddies were a little one dimensional), collaboration between adults and kids, wildlife, setting and fast plot pacing. My main criticism would be the awkward fat-skinny dialogue which didn’t feel authentic.
Overall a great read.