Enemy Camp  David Hill

 

Enemy Camp

David Hill (2016)
Novel, 260 pages, 
Paperback       
 ISBN 978 0 14 330912 3

Enemy Camp

This novel is set during a tragic and little understood event in New Zealand’s wartime history: the Featherston shooting. It is told in diary form by Ewen MacKenzie, a 12-year-old schoolboy. Ewen’s father, Jack MacKenzie, invalided back from Greece, is one of the New Zealand soldiers guarding Japanese prisoners at the nearby P.O.W. camp, “the first one for Japanese prisoners in the whole British Empire.” Since Ewen is also interested in the day-to-day events (and gossip) around him, we gain a good picture of wartime civilian New Zealand: the blackout precautions, the Home Guard exercises, conscientious objectors, the arrival of US soldiers, casualty lists, school air-raid drills and other ways that war changed people’s lives. “Dad has turned our whole front and back section into a vegetable garden, because so many things are hard to get in the shops.”

 

When his teacher makes him start his writing in October 1942, Ewen duly notes the irritations of wartime shortages; in fact, his diary is an Army notebook obtained from his father. “Mr White says we we’re living at a special time in a special place, and someday we’ll feel glad we recorded it.” We learn that Ewen’s friend Barry has a stutter and that Barry’s brother Clarry (10) is recovering from polio and needs metal leg-braces and crutches to walk. Ewen’s journal records stages in Clarry’s struggle to walk normally, Barry’s battle with his stutter and Ewen’s own changing attitude to girls in general (and Susan Procter in particular).

 

Ewen and Barry regularly cycle out to the camp, towing Clarry in an improvised trolley. At first, the Japanese prisoners, seen through the barbed wire, seem unimpressive. “The first four hundred were mainly workers who had been building airfields…Dad says there were architects and engineers and even teachers among them. They’ve been no trouble.”

 

Using his position as a guard, Jack introduces the three boys to the English-speaking Lieutenant Itoh, whose own son is the same age as Clarry. It is arranged that Itoh will give them language lessons. “Good for both sides,” says Jack. (Always a shrewd observer, Ewen notes that it is the men who have seen war service, like his father and Mr White, who are less judgemental about the enemy prisoners.)

Communication and understanding (or the lack of it) is the key theme in the story. Ewen, initially sceptical, finds himself intrigued by what he learns from the lessons with Itoh. From Mrs Procter who has lived in Japan, the boys (and the reader) learn about the Japanese military concepts which are creating disputes among the prisoners. Itoh (loosely based on the real Lieutenant Adachi) is moved by Clarry’s courage as he struggles to walk unaided.

 

Tensions rise as new prisoners arrive in the camp. “The Japs are ashamed of being prisoners and not dying in battle; the guards are feeling they’re being sneered at and ignored by people who should be obeying them,” is Ewen’s summation.

 

Finally the three boys literally walk into the final deadly confrontation, providing the reader with a vivid account of the tragedy and its effects.

 

Enemy Camp is not a re-hash of newspaper clippings; rather it is a well-constructed historical novel, recreating some of the attitudes and actions of the period, with a wide range of interesting characters, each with their own motivation. The various points-of-view are well presented, and readers will gain a good understanding of the issues involved.

 

Note: A History Study Resource based on the 1943 Featherston incident is at http://www.nzhistory.net.nz/classroom/incident-at-featherston

Another YA novel, Dreams of Warriors, by Susan Brocker (2010) also deals with this topic. The similar Cowra breakout took place in NSW over a year later in August 1944.

 

 Trevor Agnew 
19 Feb 2016

 

 DAVID HILL

 

The Road to Ratenburg
  Joy Cowley   Gavin Bishop 

 

 

The Road to RatenburgJoy Cowley (2016)
Illustrated by Gavin Bishop
Novel, 192 pages, Gecko Press
ISBN 978 1 776570 75 1

 

 

The Road to Ratenburg

‘The sky filled with thunder and the ground shook beneath our feet.’

This lively novel for young people starts with a bang as an apartment building is detonated into rubble. Made homeless by the demolition, a family of rats begin their quest for a new home. Their epic adventure is narrated by Spinnaker Rat (of the ship rat clan) who addresses the reader in the dignified and slightly pompous style of Papa Moomintroll.

 

Spinnaker even provides his own book review and health warning: ‘This book has in it much danger and some moments of sheer terror; but all of it is history, meaning it is in the past and therefore of no threat to you. I suggest, however, that it is not to be read to furry youngsters at bedtime, or to the elderly who still have nightmares about cats and dogs and wicked traps.’

Spinnaker’s travelling companions are his resourceful wife, Retsina, and their four charming ratlets, Alpha, Beta, Gamma and Delta. (Retsina was raised behind a Greek restaurant and wanted something classical for her children.) Also tagging along is the annoying and egotistical Jolly Roger, a rather unreliable ship rat, with piratical leanings.

 

It is Retsina who suggests that they should travel to the fabled city of Ratenburg, where legend says their ancestors were taken by the piper who led them out of Hamelin. Young readers may have their doubts about this story but Spinnaker is confident that Ratenburg will have ‘granaries full of corn and peas, dairies stocked with cream, butter and large round cheeses.’

 

The rats are aware that they will face many dangers, not only from cats and dogs but also the ever-present ‘humming-beans’ (human beings). Another problem is that no rat has ever returned from a trip to Ratenburg, so details of the many perils are scanty. Using a map which includes ancestral knowledge and advice, the travellers begin by stowing away on a train, fully aware that they will face perilous pines, a bottomless bog and a voyage across an eel-infested lake. (Their user-friendly map of the route is on pages 26-7.)

The quest is an exciting one, with the added bonus that the young reader knows more than the self-important Spinnaker. Retsina is a wise and courageous figure, the bravest animal heroine since Mrs Frisby. Also, the four young rats quickly become separate personalities as they face the various dangers in their own way.

 

Joy Cowley has written a fresh and fast-moving action story with interesting characters and a genuine twist in the tale’s ending. This book is an exemplar of the young novels which transport young readers from picture books into the wider literary world.

 Gavin Bishop’s charming illustrations should overcome any ratophobia. He has carefully distinguished the rats so that we can recognise Retsina’s necklace, Roger’s scarf and (of course) Spinnaker’s spectacles perched on his nose. With its accessible prose, vivid pictures and handsome presentation, this book is a perfect invitation to take a rat’s eye view of the world.

 

Trevor Agnew 

14 Feb 2016 [Review 2916]

 Board Books by Gavin Bishop

Mihi  Gavin Bishop

 

Mihi  Gavin Bishop (2020)
Gecko Press, Wellington NZ

Board book, 16 pages
ISBN 978 1 776573 02 8

 

Mihi is perfect.

This board book is simply the perfect book for a young New Zealander. Mihi is a Māori word that every New Zealand schoolchild (and a growing proportion of their elders) will understand. The mihi is steadily becoming a recognised feature of New Zealand life at public and private functions and occasions. It could be called an introduction or a greeting. It tells who you are and where you come from. It gives you your place in the world. 

You mention the canoe your ancestors came on, the landscape feature you are connected with, usually a mountain, the body of water, the marae, the iwi (tribal grouping) and the whanau (extended family).
The technical definition is: Mihi / mihimihi / pepeha: introducing yourself and making connections to other people and places.

All this sounds complicated but Gavin Bishop’s Mihi makes it breathtakingly simple. A baby could understand it. Mihi makes brilliant use of simple words and simple illustrations to help any parent to introduce any young child to their tūrangawaewae.
Tōku waka. [My canoe]
Tōku maunga. [My mountain]
The focus steadily closes through iwi and whanau to parents:
Tōku māmā. [My mother]
Tōku pāpā. [My father]
Until finally we reach the individual:
Ko Ahau tēnei. [This is me]

Gavin Bishop’s striking illustrations match the spare simplicity of his text. The sea that supports the symbolic canoe is a koru (fern, spiral), gently repeating its own shape. The illustration of the whanau is a cluster of relatives, with only the top half of a small person’s head visible. A small blue rabbit is firmly held up. When we reach the final picture we see the serious face of the small child, with the blue rabbit still near at hand.

This is the perfect book for parent and child to read together and then expand and elaborate, inserting details and naming the people.

Mihi is a taonga, a treasure.

Trevor Agnew
6 Jul 2020

 

Koro  Gavin Bishop

Pops  Gavin Bishop
 

Pops  Gavin Bishop (2021)
Gecko Press, Wellington NZ
Board book, 16 pages
ISBN 978 1 776574 00 1

 

Hi Pops!
This board book is a charming celebration of a small Māori girl’s day spent visiting her grandfather (koro). My day with Pops (Ka toro ki a Koro). The pictures, cleverly, show only part of what is happening, so the meeting of the two characters is shown by just a tiny hand clasped in a large one.

For Are you hungry? (He aha māu, e moko?) we see no more than Pops’ boot and the girl’s bare feet as they move to his garden. Only when they gather some greens (he pūhā) does the reader see their faces, with Pops a grey-haired version of his tiny granddaughter. They gather an egg (he hēki), carrots (he kāroti) and other ingredients for a sandwich meal (he kai).
Then they tell stories. (he kōrero).
Night, night, Pops! (Ā! He moe!).

The minimal text gives great scope for the young reader to develop (or have developed) their own family’s features as part of the story.

Gavin Bishop’s double-page colour illustrations are bold, simple and charming, with the figures (or parts of them) shown against large blocks of colour. Compared to his granddaughter, Pops’ face is darker and more textured (by Gavin’s trademark sprinkling of salt on damp watercolour). Every picture shows the contrast between the old man and his fresh-faced granddaughter. This little board-book will inspire not only reading but story-telling in a family.

An identical Māori language edition, Koro, was also published by Gecko in 2021.

Note: The little girl also appears, with her family, in Gavin Bishop’s board-books Mihi (2020) E Hoa (2022) and Friend (2022).

Trevor Agnew, 19 July 2021

 

  

 

 

Koro  Gavin Bishop

 Koro Gavin Bishop
Gecko Press, Wellington NZ (2021) Board book, 16 pages 
ISBN 978 1 776574 01 8

E Koro! (Hi Pops!)
This board book is a charming celebration of a small Māori girl’s day spent visiting her koro (grandfather). Ka toro ki a koro. (My day with Pops.) The pictures, cleverly, show only part of what is happening, so the meeting of the two characters is shown by just a tiny hand clasped in a large one.
For He aha māu, e moko? (Are you hungry?) we see no more than Pops’ boot and the girl’s bare feet as they move to his garden. Only when they gather some pūhā (greens) does the reader see their faces, with Koro a grey-haired version of his tiny granddaughter. They gather he hēki (an egg), some kāroti (carrots) and other ingredients for kai (in this case a sandwich meal).
Then they kōrero (tell stories).
Ā! He moe! (Night, night, Pops!).

The minimal text gives great scope for the young reader to develop (or have developed) their own family’s features as part of the story.

Gavin Bishop’s double-page colour illustrations are bold, simple and charming, with the figures (or parts of them) shown against large blocks of colour. Pops’ face is darker and more textured (by Gavin’s trademark sprinkling of salt on damp watercolour). Every picture shows the contrast between the old man and his fresh-faced granddaughter. This little boardbook will inspire not only reading but story-telling in a family.

An identical English language edition, Pops, was also published by Gecko in 2021.
Note: The little girl also appears, with her family, in Gavin Bishop’s board book Mihi (2020).

Trevor Agnew
19 July 2021

 

E Hoa : Friend  Gavin Bishop  

 

E Hoa : Friend  Gavin Bishop  Gecko, Wellington NZ (2022)
Board book, 18 pages
ISBN 978 1 77657 468 1

This board-book for young readers is part of a family which includes Mihi (2020), Koro (2021) and Pops (2021). The little Māori girl who was the central figure of Mihi, and who shared a meal with her grandfather, in Koro and Pops, now returns as narrator to introduce her best friend.

Thus the Māori language edition is entitled E Hoa.
Thus the English language edition is entitled Friend.
Gavin Bishop’s cheerful cover illustration makes it clear that the friend in question is the little girl’s faithful dog.
Taku kurī pai… Taku hoa pūmau.
[This is my good dog… She is my faithful friend]
The pictures that follow use the dog to illustrate a range of emotions and feelings.
Each picture is a spring board for discussions about how the dog is feeling and why. The dog’s attitudes and expressions are very clear messages of how she is feeling. In some pictures people’s expressions help as well. For example, when the dog is being noisy (hoihoi) we can see a deep frown on Koro’s face.

The bold, simple pictures provide clear illustrations of each of the dog’s emotions and sometimes show why she is feeling that way. A worm intruding into her food-bowl makes her angry, so she barks loudly. When the little girl rebukes her, the dog is shown lying on the ground – sorry. Tummy-tickling makes the dog happy. The chance of a walk makes her excited and ready to go. Kei te kaikaha ia.
The best picture shows the dog and girl gazing into each other’s eyes – Taku hoa Pūmau. [My faithful friend].
The board book has carefully rounded corners, just right for tiny fingers and large clear illustrations just right for eyes of all sizes and ages.

Note: This boardbook, E Hoa, is also available in an English language edition as Friend (2022).

Trevor Agnew
11 July 2022

Titiro: Look Gavin Bishop

 

Titiro: Look  Gavin Bishop  
Gecko, Wellington NZ (2024)
Board book, 32 pages
ISBN 978 1 0670207 8

 

Gavin Bishop has written and illustrated a wide 
range of board books ever since There was an Old Woman tossed up in a Basket (2008). Arguably his best board books are the small wordless Tummy Time fold-out board books Look (2023) and its Māori language companion, Titiro (2023).

Now he has combined these two into a large (22cm x 22cm) paged version, Titiro: Look. This board book is an ideal size for sharing with a child seated on one’s knee. The corners are carefully rounded so that little ones can handle it freely.

 

Best of all, Gavin Bishop has also added words in Māori and English. The translation into te reo is by Darryn Joseph. Each odd-numbered page offers a different face while the even-numbered pages display objects familiar to young people. These include Teti pea/Teddy bear, Rarā/Rattle, Mokonui/Dinosaur, Ngata/Snail and Ukurere/Ukulele.

The placement is well thought-out. For example, the face of a lady wearing spectacles is opposite Mōhiti/Glasses.

The words are well-chosen to expand vocabulary in both languages. Thus Taraka/Truck introduces nui/big, wira/wheel, pango/black and whero/red as well as porotaka/round and taraiwa/drive. An elderly man’s profile offers kiwikiwi/grey, rae/forehead, tukemata/eyebrow, ihu/nose and ngutu/lips.

 

Charmingly, several of the faces shown belong not to humans but to family pets such as Ngeru/Cat and Kurī/Dog. The pictures are simple and bold in their execution, with a wide range of skin tones on display. Several of the pictures use distinctively Māori objects so that Manu tukutuku/Kite is illustrated by a traditional Māori kite and Taonga/Treasure is a greenstone tiki. One of the word pairs offered for this carving is maimoa/cherish.

Titiro: Look is a taonga, a book to be cherished.

 

Trevor Agnew 

27 May 2025   [Review 3775]

 

There was a Crooked Man  Gavin Bishop

There was a Crooked Man
Gavin Bishop
Gecko Wellington NZ (2009)
Boardbook, 16 pages
ISBN 978 1 87746 724 0

 

This board book invests the old nursery rhyme There was a Crooked Man with all the charm of Gavin Bishop’s imaginative illustrations. In earlier versions the man was often shown as crippled or distorted, sometimes alarmingly so. In this version, however, he is an attractive character who is immensely tall and able to bend marvellously to keep in touch with the world below him. His legs and arms move in elegant arcs and arabesques. The result is engaging, especially as he gathers up the crooked cat and crooked mouse. 

Gavin Bishop has also given his Crooked Man some splendid clothes to match his unique anatomy. He wears long, bendy boots and top hat, while the swallow-tails of his cut-away coat seem to have a life of their own.
Each opening creates a vertical double page spread, revealing a picture over twice as tall as it is wide, ideal for the free play of the Crooked Man’s remarkable limbs.

Like its companion volume There was an old woman tossed up in a basket (2008) this book is good read-along fun. Its text is hand-written in a clear script that young readers will find easy to follow, while the rounded corners make the book comfortable to hold.

In 2010 There was a Crooked Man won the Russell Clark Award for Best Book Illustration.

 
Trevor Agnew, 2009

There was an Old Woman  Gavin Bishop

 

There was an Old Woman 
Gavin Bishop
Gecko Press, Wellington NZ (2008)
Board book, 24 pages
ISBN 978 1 877467 16 5

 

This board book presents the traditional nursery rhyme about spring cleaning, There was an old woman tossed up in a basket, with some of Gavin Bishop’s most appealing illustrations. This ‘flexiboard’ book with its rounded corners feels comfortable in the hand. Each opening is a vertical double page spread, revealing a picture over twice as tall as it is wide, ideal for the old woman’s journey that is seventeen times as high as the moon. 

The clear warm colours are restrained but attractive and each picture bursts with life: birds, storms, spring-cleaning maids, and clothes flapping on a line. The bold simple shapes of the old lady’s basket and cloak stand out against the open blue and purple of the sky, emphasising the distance she travels. Her basket is like a small spaceship with a green umbrella strapped to its side. The spiders are huge and green, many times the size of the old lady’s house, emphasising her great achievement in sweeping both moon and sky clear.

A Sendak-like small boy cheers her on throughout the book, so that it is clear who is asking the question, May I come with you?

The text is hand-written in a clear script that might be called joined-up writing, which proved easy for young readers to decipher.

Gavin Bishop says he was inspired by the 1844 edition, a seven-foot vertical unfolding panorama etched by Aliquis and published by D. Bogue in London.


A companion volume illustrated by Gavin Bishop is There was a Crooked Man (2009).

Trevor Agnew, 2008

 

The Dragon at the Zoo  Melanie Koster  
Craig Phillips

 

The  Dragon at the Zoo   
Melanie Koster, ill. Craig Phillips
Scholastic (2026)
ISBN 978 1 77543 979 0 

 

 

I had the pleasure of reading Melanie Koster’s Elephant Park (2024) to a group of Christchurch pre-schoolers. They were remarkably receptive to it, not just because it is a good story but also because they had all played on the fibreglass elephant in the nearby park and saw it as their elephant. And, of course, their story.

  The same happy link seems bound to boost the deserved popularity of Melanie Koster’s latest picture book, The Dragon at the Zoo. It tells the story of Cedric, a zoo dragon that children love to play on. When some zoo animals cast doubts on whether Cedric is a real dragon, his feelings are hurt and he flies away. The children miss him. Can he be persuaded to return to the zoo?

 The bonus is that Auckland Zoo really does have a dragon. Made of concrete and chicken wire by Cedric Storey [note the name] in the 1950s, this fifteen-metre-long dragon has been played on by generations of children.

 In Melanie Koster’s charming story, a small girl named Tig is an admirer of Cedric. ‘You’re a spectacular dragon,’ Tig says while she is lolling on his huge tongue.  Cedric is happy to be living in the zoo and amusing the children.

  ‘I’ve lived in a meadow, a matchbox and under the bonnet of a librarian’s car but I think the zoo is the nicest home I’ve ever found,’ Cedric declares. [The reference is to Margaret Mahy’s The Lion in the Meadow]

 Unfortunately, several zoo creatures (including a lace monitor lizard and an eastern water dragon) declare Cedric to be a fake dragon.  ‘You’re just a pretend dragon.’ Only Tig defends him, so Cedric decides that it is time for him to fly somewhere else. With Tig on his back shouting, ‘Yahoo!’, Cedric flies over the landmarks of Auckland and the pair vanish into the emerald hills.

Craig Phillips has created colour illustrations which bring Cedric to magnificent life, complete with silver scales and flowing beard. The pictures are all richly-detailed with handsome animals, plants, birds and reptiles. A striking feature of the illustrations is that as soon as Cedric leaves, all the colours fade, making the world a drab place. This matches the gloomy mood of the people and creaures left behind. ‘The children were upset, the staff were worried that they might lose their jobs …’’

 Then the repentant dragonfly has a bright idea. She calls on all the birds to help. Craig Phillips has produced amazing scenes of a great gathering of birds, wheeling in the sky.

  Can they bring Cedric (and Tig) back?  Young readers will already know the answer to Melanie Koster’s question. It’s as certain as the large concrete dragon in Auckland Zoo’s playground.

 The design of this handsome book is by Vida Kelly.

 

Trevor Agnew 
10 Apr 2026 [Review 3831]

 

Grumble’s Bridge! Greg MacLeod

 

Grumble’s Bridge!
Greg MacLeod, ill. Herb  MacDonald

Scholastic (2026)
Picture book, 32 pages, paperback
ISBN 978 1 77543 974 5

 

‘Under an old stone bridge, nestled between wild tussock and mossy rocks, lived a troll named Grumble.’

Grumble the troll regards himself as a pleasant soul who just wants to sleep during the day. Unfortunately, Grumble’s ideal place for sleeping is underneath the stone bridge. After a pleasant meal (of salad eaten with chopsticks) Grumble is sound asleep when a ‘Trip-Trap’ sound disturbs him. True to tradition, it is a goat. The troll, who is gigantic stands in the middle of the bridge and bars the billy-goat’s progress.

 ‘Those are very clompy hooves you have,’ complains the troll, and bans the goat from using the bridge. He paints a crude sign, warning, ‘Bridge closed. Troll sleeping. Go away! No goats.’

No sooner is he dozing off than a duck arrives. (The duck is carrying a folder of papers to a meeting, so it can’t swim across the river.) After a brief and very droll argument, the troll adds ‘No Ducks’ to his sign.

A parade of creatures turn up in the pages which follow, so that Grumble soon lacks space for more names on his sign. This crisis is followed by a very funny exchange with a snail, accused of make a squelching noise. When Grumble tells the snail to go home, it just retreats into its shell.

Defeated, Grumble goes off to find a nice quiet, dark place to sleep. To his joy, he discovers a cave and is soon sound asleep. This might seem like a happy ending but Greg MacLeod has added an even funnier twist to his twisted version of The Three Billy Goats Gruff. ‘Who’s that snoring in my cave? Can’t you read?’ Grumble’s loud snores have woken a hibernating bear. Even worse, the bear has a sign, ‘CAVE CLOSED. BEAR HIBERNATING. GO AWAY.’ The angry bear adds ‘NO TROLLS’ to his sign and Grumble has to return to his home under the bridge.

The stage is set for a humorous conclusion, beautifully illustrated by Herb MacDonald

 Grumble’s Bridge! is a well-told story, with some very funny dialogue, which makes it a pleasure to read aloud. Herb MacDonald’s illustrations are a perfect complement, especially his troll, which has amazingly expressive teeth and eyebrows.

  The words which Grumble shouts are dramatically written in what can only be called troll-scrawl, which is also used for the noises which intrude on Grumble’s sleep. This is a bonus when the story is being read aloud.

 Trevor Agnew 

20 April  2026  [Review 3830]

 

The Gavin Bishop Treasury 
 Gavin Bishop 

The Gavin Bishop Treasury Gavin Bishop 
 Puffin/ Penguin Random House (2024) 
Hardback, Picture book collection, 256 pages 
ISBN 978 1 77695 738 5 

This splendid collection brings together five of Gavin Bishop’s original picture books and five of his retellings of classic tales. All of course are illustrated by Gavin Bishop. 

The ten books which make up this collection are all as colourful and dramatic as when they were originally published. They are: 

1. Mrs McGinty and the Bizarre Plant (1981) 

2. Bidibidi (1982) 

3. Mr Fox (1982) 

4. Chicken Licken (1984) 

5. A Apple Pie (1984) 

6. The Three Little Pigs (1989) 

7. Little Rabbit and the Sea (1997) 

8. Stay Awake, Bear! (2000) 

9. The Three Billy-Goats Gruff (2003) 

10. Rats! (2007) 

This collection introduces a new generation to Gavin Bishop’s inspired storytelling and pictorial genius.

Trevor Agnew 
16 October 2024 [Review 3724]

Spider Games: 
In the City of Spies 
Brian Falkner

Spider Games: In the City of Spies 
 Bateman Books (2026) 
 Novel, Paperback, 280 pages 
 ISBN 978-1-77-689-167-2 

What happens to an ordinary Kiwi teenager who is suddenly tossed into a world of espionage, violence and murder? Nick is 15 and his autism makes him socially awkward and shy but he does his best to ‘act normal’. It is 1987 and Nick, the story’s narrator, is accompanying his Grandpa Joe on a trip to Germany in order to spread Grandma Josie’s ashes in her homeland. As they enter the Hotel Adlon, the reader will realise that Nick notices everything. He even counts the chairs and tables in the lobby. More significantly, Nick spots a man who is paying close attention to his grandfather. 

Mystery deepens as Grandpa Joe leads Nick deep into the back streets of Berlin. Nick is puzzled when Grandpa Joe keeps looking in shop windows. ‘I’ve noticed he’s not really looking through the window, but at the reflection of the footpath and road behind us. But why?’ 

 Readers of Brian Falkner’s Katipo Joe series of wartime espionage adventures will have recognised Joe as a successful spy back in the days of Nazi Germany. Nick learns of his grandfather’s war service with amazement: ‘Grandpa Joe killed his first person at the age of fourteen and his second, a Gestapo agent, at fifteen.’ Years have passed but there are plenty of people in Berlin who remember Joe. To Nick’s horror, Grandpa Joe suddenly vanishes. Has he been kidnapped? Because of his keen observation skills, Nick uncovers his grandfather’s hiding place for his tradecraft equipment. Assisted by a young local waitress, Rejhana, Nick begins to search for Joe but soon finds they are being pursued by very persistent and menacing people. An alarming chase across the icy rooftops of Berlin is only the beginning of Nick and Rejhana’s perils. 

Brian Falkner’s novel is fast-moving and full of action, with a cast of ruthless killers in hot pursuit of the two teenagers. Nick finds he has unexpected resourcefulness and Rejhana (survivor of a Serbian massacre) has hidden depths. Together they show initiative and courage in their efforts to save Joe’s life. While Spider Games is full of violent encounters, there are also some very funny moments in the story, many of them the result of Nick’s nervousness around self-assured people. When he first encounters Rejhana, Nick is calm and confident while he is correcting her quadratic equations but bungles all his attempts at normal conversation. Hoping to praise her pigtails, he says, ‘I like your piglets!’ (In a moving foreword, written in Berlin, Brian Falkner describes his own experience of autism and adds, ‘I wondered how I would react if it was my actual teenage self in one of those daring adventures? I wrote Spider Games to find out.’) 

Young readers who like this story of spying and double agents will find that each chapter heading is the wittily altered title of other tales of espionage, which they can enjoy once they have decoded titles ranging from ‘The Night of the Jackal’ to ‘The Spy who Stayed out in the Cold.’ 

 Trevor Agnew 
24 Jan 2026 [Review 3816]

 

Susan Brocker Eye of the Dragon              

 

Eye of the Dragon                  
Susan Brocker
Scholastic (2025)
Young novel.
Paperback, 120 pages
ISBN 978 1 77543 686 7
Ill. Isobel Joy Te Aho-White

 

 Thomas (13) has problems. Not only does he stutter when he’s stressed but he also faces bullying at school. Ever since a fishing accident with his father, he has had a mortal fear of the sea. His new step-father, Tim, doesn’t like him.  Sometimes it seems that Thomas’s only friends are his classmate Huhana and his dog Lucy. Walking on the beach with Lucy, Thomas investigates some strange noises and lights in a cave. What he finds is an injured dragon, which reminds him of a song his mother used to sing to him. [Hint: Google ‘Puff the Magic Dragon lyrics’]

When Thomas tells Huhana about the dragon, she decides it must be a taniwha, so Thomas (and the reader) learn about taniwha and their eating habits. Huhana helps Thomas to gather food (kumara and vegetation) for Puff, as Thomas has named the dragon. Thomas treats the dragon’s injuries, pulling out the branch which had impaled her. Then he finds Puff can communicate with him. It is the beginning of an unusual partnership.

Susan Brocker is a skilled writer, so she keeps the tensions between Thomas and the school bullies rising. There are also some lively comic moments. For example, it turns out that dragons are frightened of mice.

 Susan Brocker’s descriptions are gems. Thomas is enthralled by how soft Puff’s hide feels when he is perched on her neck. ‘Even though she had a coat of green scales, they were soft like silky peacock feathers.’

 There are also some subtle hints embedded in this exciting, fast-moving story. (Young readers will soon work out their significance.) Thomas seems to lose his stutter when he is around Puff. Huhana never enters the dragon’s cave. Nobody but Thomas sees Puff.  Puff certainly acts to protect Thomas, but sharp readers will spot that only Thomas actually sees Puff. How then is it that Thomas is able to fly on Puff to spot the environmental destruction threatening his home-town? 

 When Huhana reminds Thomas about the role of taniwha as ‘Kaitiaki – protectors of the land’, it is clear that action is needed. Can Thomas conquer his fears and measure up?  The conclusion is poignant but satisfying.

The striking cover illustration of Puff is by Isobel Joy Te Aho-White. Her magnificent conception dominates the cover with its golden eye. A smaller version decorates the chapter headings.

Trevor Agnew 
12 Mar 2025     [Review 3744]