Himalayan Heist
This is an engaging and fast-paced drama which will appeal to adventurous older children/early teens. After surviving a plane crash in the high mountains of the Himalayas, Alex and James, along with their feisty friend Bim go in search of help. They find themselves fighting for their own survival and their fate becomes linked with that of the Snow Leopard, apex predator in the icy region, whose survival is also threatened by wildlife traffickers. A gripping and entertaining story unfolds, full of humour and suspense. And this being a book by an ecologist who also practised as a doctor in Nepal for many years, it's humming with a deep knowledge of the wildlife and habitats of the Himalayas, and the Nepali people and their culture.
CR
Himalayan Hideout
This book, not like many others, it starts by plunging you into an adventure, where you are instantly gripped. I really loved this book and read it in an afternoon. It is not the children being kidnapped, but the adults. The children set off on a long fun, challenging adventure encountering lots of different animals with beautiful descriptions and illustrations. You feel as if you could walk up to them and greet them with their full name. The different personalities of the children really bring the story alive. There are two boys, the younger one thinks mainly of food and the older one tries to be clever but fails desperately over time because the girl out-smarts his thinking with her knowledge of Nepali culture. I think everyone would enjoy this book, even if you don’t have a particular interest in different animals. By the end, you will have a knowledge of more than just foxes and badgers.
Toma, aged 12
Snowfed Waters
Sonia escapes to Nepal only to find no escape from herself. In a confrontation with another culture that becomes more life-enhancing and a land more life-threatening than anything she has ever experienced before, her overwhelming problems back in England gradually transform into trifling matters for her. Meanwhile her Nepalese employer Rekraj and hostess Guliya aren’t quite sure what to make of this obviously disturbed Westerner, but then Guliya’s teenaged daughter Moti befriends Sonia and adventures ensue. Told from five points of view and voices that weave together a rich tapestry of cultural confrontation, this story deftly draws one into minds with very different perspectives.
The transformative effect of Nature in full flow is another character in this story. Its voice underpins and carries the tale like the river that becomes so important in Sonia’s reinvention. This journey that Sonia undertakes to heal herself is a guidebook on how to become whole by facing reality and by learning how not to suffer from the fairytales we create for ourselves. When we do confront reality, we might just notice a more satisfying magic begins to unfold inside and all around us.
Amy Corzine author of The Secret Life of the Universe
Madagascar Misadventure
I listened to this story before recommending it to a teenager. It has that good mix of excitement and natural history that I like in a book. Read in a clear, warm voice, it's a good story to sit back and relax to.
I knew nothing about Madagascar until I heard the story, but I soon realised that the author really knows the island and by end I felt I'd been there.
book lover