Enchanted by the arrival of a Chinese girl in his class, Peebles schoolboy Stevie Scott (Stevius Maximus in his guide as a Roman legionary) invites Maisie, as she is known to join him and his best friend Andy to see the new ducklings at their camp by the river. Andy is late and when Maisie falls in the water and is unable to swim, Stevie rescues her – only to discover they have somehow been transported to mythical China!There follows a mission during which Stevie – renamed White Tiger – becomes more confident of his strengths as Maisie now Pretty Flower uses her charm and helps educate him in Chinese culture and mythology along with teaching him a few Chinese words. They fulfil each part of their mission which culminates in a visit to the Moon and the Rabbit who is the only one to be able to return them to Peebles...
It's a gentle adventure which should appeal to both primary aged boys and girls and begins with a situation which will unfortunately be familiar to many children – racial taunting and bullying.
Oliver Eade handles all the themes with dexterity and understanding and has produced a memorable tale.
Published by Delancey Press Oliver Eade's book is available to order from Amazon:
Moon Rabbit
