Who is he?

Is he a kangaroo?  Does he live in a rain forest?  Does he eat possums?  Or children?!

What does the encyclopaedia say?

‘Quong was a creature of the olden olden days, even before grandmother.  He was a short fellow, with long, thin legs and an even longer, thinner tail.  His face was fat and wrinkly, and big bushy eyebrows kept out the sun and flies.  He lived far away from anywhere, especially from where you live.’

Well, that’s encouraging, except that the encyclopaedia said “was” and “was” and “was”.  And “lived”.  Not “is”.  Or “lives”.

So?

Well, Lissie Pendle is an “is” kind of girl, who “lives” in the country, and who “knows” that there are quongs, and that they must live near where she lives.

And she will find them.

And, being the kind of girl she is, she will allow some boys to come along with her.  As long as they do what they’re told.

What Rebecca wrote:

Rebecca Kreltzsheim, from Wangaratta wrote:

I was the first one of the kids [in our family] to read it.  I read it the day after we got it.  My favourite character was Quong because he is silly and funny.  The best part of the book was chapter 7, “Across the River” where Snuffledropper drops us in it and goes…I would recommend the book to other kids.  It’s got all funny names for animals and other creatures.

Niamong

This book is the third in the Niamong series, following Scratcher and Lissie Pendle, and features the four principal children from those stories.

It’s also a sort of manual for girls (written by a girl) who want to manage boys, which is all of them!

It starts in Niamong, and ends there, too

It’s a short novel, with ten chapters:

1.  The Beginning

Where Miss Hendley doesn’t believe me, but the others do.

2.  Getting Ready

Where we don’t tell our mums and dads anything, or they’d try to stop us, especially because I’m a girl.

3.  Off

Where we leave Niamong for the land where we’ll find Quong.

4.  Into the Forest

Where the first strange thing happened.

5.  Trees

Where we discover the difference between a tree and a forest, and that not all caves are caves.

6.  Through the Forest

Where we learn that not all trees are trees and that you really can see things in different ways.

7.  Across the River

Where SNUffLEDROPPER drops us in it and goes.

8.  To the Mountains

Where we feathered our nest.

9.  ? and !

Where we leapt and leaped and upped and downed.

10.  Return

            Where Mr Braden gets it a bit wrong, but that’s all right.

That pretty well sums it up – the rest is up to you!

Order The Search for Quong: http://www.palmerhiggsbooks.com.au

Contact me at  IBGBurns@gmail.com

ISBN 978-0-9806429-2-6