'Jimmy Hurley was ten years old, and the sort of small boy who makes friends with everyone. Geoff and Jan, his older brother and sister, were not really surprised when he rescued from the circus Zarkie, a little aboriginal boy; but they had no idea they would be led into such adventures. Neither had Mrs Hurley, or she would never have gone off so cheerfully on holiday. Neither had Dr Hurley, or he would not have been so confident that looking after the family in his wife's absence would be a simple matter. He certainly hadn't expected to be involved in a circus fire, or a search for monsters on the beach - or in any other of the strange things that happened. And it was some time before he realized that Jimmy was at the bottom of it all!' (from Dust Jacket)
