Madagascar Misadventure
A great tale for teenagers, as the intrepid duo of Alex and James follow their chaotic and negligent parents from the Himalayas to the remoter corners of Madagascar. The quest for lemurs quickly turns into a struggle against corruption, evilness and exploitation of nature. With the help of a feisty local friend they defeat the forces of darkness; they are reunited with their parents and are able to enjoy the wonders of the forest, caves and scenery of Ankarana, and the charm of the Malagasy people. All the charismatic local fauna feature in the story, and many are beautifully illustrated with photographs or line drawings
Himalayan Kidnap
"A great story full of adventure, excitement and surprises"
"I like your story because of the really fierce animals. I like the bit with the tiger!
"My favriot part was when the monkey weed on their head!"
"It is funny and a bit scary."
"I like the story line and it is easy to picture in your head."
"FANTASTIC. I really like the way you introduce new animals and tell us a bit about them. It's really interesting. It's so exciting too!"
"I liket the bit wen the muncey weed on them. It was funny."
"Sometimes the story made me jump and some times it sounded quite scary. And I sometimes looked forward to bits."
"It has lots of interesting words in it and sounds a bit scary."
"It is just so radical, dudet."
"VERY realistic and very exciting. My favirite part is how they cleverly escape from the king kobra. Your storie is brilleant.”
“It is a very good story Jane. I liked the king kobra and the bit wen the tiger comes and chasis them and they get separated so yeah it’s exsiting cool and really makes people tence.”
St Luke's Primary School, Cambridge
Himalayan Hostages
This is an exciting adventure (for readers over the age of eight features) two scruffy English boys and their fiesty no-nonsense Nepali friend Atti. The children have the huge challenge of rescuing the boys' parents from kidnappers and as they chase the grownups through the jungle, they encounter all kinds of dangerous animals - beautifully drawn by Betty Levene.
Himalayan Heist
This is an adventure story for adults and young adults. It is a breathlessly exciting page-turner, in the long tradition of quest stories.
The complex and shifting relationships of the three main protagonists – Alex and James, and their engaging girl companion Bim – are put to the test as they work their way through the beautiful and dangerous Nepalese landscape. They know what they have to do, but not what they will be required to face. Perils confront them at every turn, some natural, others man-made. The Nepalese landscape – presented in vivid and almost tactile clarity – can be beautiful, but also menacing.
In many adventure stories the characters are the main interest and the setting is little more than a lifeless backcloth; or the landscape is the writer’s real subject and the protagonists are anaemic stereotypes whose only purpose is to move the story forward. But here the characterisation is enmeshed within the action and the setting. Without noticing, readers find themselves caring about the characters, anxious when they are separated, comforted when they are reunited.
The author is a traveller. She writes about places and people she knows well, so there is an integrity in her writing and a total authenticity in the heft and feel of the story. So her accounts of the wildlife, the valleys and mountains and rivers, and the people the three main characters come across, have truth in them.
Victor Watson, editor of The Cambridge Guide to Children's Books in English