NZ Intermediate School Librarians discussion

Best mates Neoma and Jag live gentle lives (what a cool term!) in a small community somewhere in northern Australia (although we are never told where - I deduced this from the mention of the heat and the fact that the community go salvaging in tall buildings... Gold Coast?) after the sea has risen considerably and forced people to find other ways of surviving.

When the mysterious siblings from the Valley of the Sun appear and start to construct strange technologies on their hill, Neoma and Jag start to investigate a little further. This investigation leads to tragic events, which see Jag captured by the people from the Valley of the Sun. Neoma feels responsible and makes chase - so beginning some of the best adventure writing I have read in a while.

Suitable for Y5+ I would say... dystopian feel.

The pictures the author paints are fantastic and I think this would make a great readaloud... although the reader would have to get used to the loose vernacular of the characters.

Thanks Penny, I've just added this to my Wheelers basket to buy next year - when I am cashed up again! I really enjoyed Bren McDibble's "The Dog Runner" and we now have it as a class novel set. That was an exciting story of adventure & survival also.

I loved How to Bee, but I struggled with The Dog Runner!!
This book is the best of the three IMHO!!!

lol, I was the opposite! Loved The Dog Runner, but couldn't finish How to Bee. :-)

It’s a good job we’re all different eh?!

Loved 'How to bee' gutsiest wee girl ever.
Loved 'Dog runner'
Reading 'Across the risen sea' finding the slang/pigeon english (?) a bit annoying.

Sheryl - funny you say this... I recommended it to a teacher to readaloud and she has had to stop because of the pigeon English!!!