Cirrus@Austlit

'When a group of young Australian and Kiwi sailing friends are allowed to camp in New Zealand’s Bay of Islands, they discover something very unexpected on a tiny nearby rocky islet. Fresh cultural and environmental insights are introduced with the arrival of a pair of local Maori children who bring humour and resilience in the face of problems that threaten to turn their lives upside-down..

'The underlying message that modern youngsters are capable of overcoming challenges without constant adult supervision will appeal to any free-spirited reader in the nine to ninety-nine age bracket.

'In the context of a challenging camping and boating adventure, this book explores the themes of traditional Maori conservation practices as well as current social issues regarding Oranga Tamariki and children’s welfare.'

Source : publisher's blurb

'The fourth title in Jon Tucker's 'Those Kids' series of environmentally themed adventure books is nominally targeted at the 10-14 readership, but with considerable appeal to adults as well. The setting is New Zealand's Far North waterways (an inlet in the Bay of Islands), involving Australian and Kiwi alternative lifestyle children who take on the local oyster farmers over their careless use of plastics in the local waterways. 
'A highly contemporary book - both in technology and values - despite its seemingly old-fashioned initial appearance. With its themes of sealevel rise, the plastic threat and predator eradication, it is already being hailed by teachers as a potentially valuable classroom resource, like its prequels.
'It has been constructed in readable-length six-page illustrated chapters, to make it suitable for adults to read aloud in twenty-minute bites, and to interest reluctant (or time-constrained) readers.'   (Publication summary)

'A thought-provoking Ransome-inspired tale with strong appeal to adventure-loving readers in the nine to ninety-nine age bracket. Underlying its clear environmental theme is the conclusion that freedom and responsibility go hand in hand. 
'When a Tasmanian sailing family anchors near an old wrecked hulk in New Zealand's Mar-lborough Sounds, the kids discover a strangely abandoned campsite nearby, with plates of uneaten food and children's toys still visible under the cockroaches and mould. Their curiosity leads to an investigation which adds a layer of intrigue to their much-anticipated fun experiences of an unfamiliar foreign land. 
'The Those Kids series is a linked set of stand-alone books following the camping/sailing adventures of some young Australians and Kiwis as they cope with unexpected challenges whilst learning about contemporary environmental issues along the way. '

'An uplifting tale of youthful naivety, friendship, calamity and triumph. 
'When Jake persuades his family to embark on a sailing-camping holiday on a Tasmanian island, he is mostly interested in pirate fantasies and his home-built Optimist sailing dinghy. But he does not plan on events which are to leave him isolated with his brother and sister, and a couple of Kiwi kids. 
'Ultimately, after being forced to dig deep into their personal reserves, the treasures they all gain from their experiences are very different from the ones that Jake set out to find. '  (Publication summary)

'Young Fin has always been passionate about fishing, so when he discovers an illegal net full of undersized fish in Sydney's northern waterways, his first reaction is to empty it. The subsequent events turn a joint Kiwi-Australian family holiday into a rather more complex experience.

'Jon Tucker's latest novel, like its precursor which found its way onto the adult shelves of several libraries and bookstores, has been described as a children's book written for adults.

Underlying its clear environmental message is the conclusion that modern children can still find adventure when their parents are prepared to give them a little trust and freedom.' (Publication summary)

'When Ben Tucker and his kid brother Matt decided to sail south from Tasmania, looking for icebergs in a small home-built yacht, their father Jon was allowed to come along as their cabin-boy, on a promise of good behaviour.

'The unfolding adventure took them through thick pack ice to become trapped at the windiest location on the planet, a remote location in East Antarctica.' (Publication summary)