ABSTRACT
One of the outstanding writers of the historical adventure novel is Geraldine McCaughrean, whose thrilling tales are often set in exotic places as well as in the past. This author is prolific and you and your class will have your own favourites. In Plundering Paradise Nathan and his sister leave their rather dreary school to travel with Tamo White, a Pirate King’s son, to
Madagascar. The children marvel at the landscapes, colourful plants and interesting animals on the island, which are all brought to life in McCaughrean’s vivid writing. But the brutality of the pirates is not hidden and a main theme is the clashing belief systems the children have to confront. Gold Dust also takes young readers into a distinctive setting (a small Brazilian town) and specific time (the South American goldrush in the eighteenth century). Inez and Maro wake up one morning to find a man digging a hole in the street outside. ‘What’s he doing?’ said Inez. ‘Search me. Maybe he wants to plant something.’ But the activity is much more ominous than this exchange suggests. The children set off with their teacher to save their town from the destructive activities of the gold diggers. McCaughrean makes such situations, even those in remote times, real for young readers. On her website, she writes that she does not have ‘any age in mind when I’m writing’, but I think the novels I mention here are best for the over nines (www.geraldinemccaughrean.co.uk/chbs.htm, accessed 17 January 2009).
