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Reviewed by Jeff Needle
6/19/2007 9:36:57 AM
“Cliff Hanger” takes place in a rather exotic locale — beautiful New Zealand. It is a follow-up to previous volumes in a series titled “The Coffin House Kids.” These kids are New Zealanders who have formed a club that meets in an old shack that is used to store coffins. Yeah, a bit creepy. And the spiders are always a challenge. But the kids have decided that their club will meet regularly, and they would find some way to provide a service to the community. Along the way, they discover some mysteries that they hope to help solve.
One of the children, Wiremu Pokere, announces to the kids that his Uncle Ammon, who lives on an island off the coast of New Zealand, has been injured and requires help in bringing in his catch of crayfish. Uncle Ammon’s son Jerry will help, but it really needs more hands to properly harvest the fish. Wiremu and his friends gladly accept the challenge. One bit of mystery, though: a man was found a few days earlier — the man had died and was found caught in one of the fishery lines. The kids wonder if they can’t help solve this mystery while they’re there.
When the kids meet a strange fellow (they name him “the dolphin man” for his knowledge of dolphins), they immediately suspect him of being involved in not just the recent death, but also with poachers who have been stealing Uncle Ammon’s crop.
As the story develops, we learn more about the kids and about their family situations. It’s quite a mixed bag — including Toni, whose mother left their family some years ago. Her dad is currently dating a teacher at Toni’s school, but Toni isn’t certain yet how she feels about that. And Uncle Ammon is something of a Jack Mormon — he is a heavy drinker, and hasn’t been to church in years. Many of these situations are resolved by the end of the book.
I had a problem with one aspect of this book: its slow pace. We don’t get into the heart of the mystery until around page 130. Do kids today really have the patience to read so much background, so much narrative, before getting to the story as it is described on the back cover? Clearly, I’m reading as an adult. Perhaps a teenager can tell me better. In any event, unlike other young adult books I’ve reviewed recently, this one lacked the pace I think such books should have.
I do credit the author with trying to work as much learning as possible into the text. I came away knowing things about the natural beauty of New Zealand that I did not know. I feel like I want to go there some day!
“Cliff Hanger" will satisfy a young person’s desire for adventure and intrigue if he or she is willing to plow through the introductory stuff. But even that stuff is nicely written, and given a chance, will fill the mind of a young reader with dreams of travel, lush greenery, and the startling beauty of God’s creation.
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