Brumby Plains, by Joanne Van Os

Maybe it was because they were all so preoccupied with the awful news from town. They trudged along with their heads down, not concentrating, and that was why they almost blundered straight into the two men beside the spring. Sam, his ears still keen even when his mind was somewhere else, heard strange voices and stopped the others just in time.

Living on a buffalo station in the Northern Territory is never boring for Sam and George McAllister. There are horses to ride, animals to watch and plenty of interesting places to explore. But life is about to get just a little bit too exciting for the boys, and their cousins Tess and Darcy.

There are strange things happening on the station. Birds seem to be disappearing from their favourite nesting places, and there are tyre tracks around the place that don’t belong to the station vehicles. When out camping, Sam sees a plane landing somewhere nearby in the middle of the night. Then there’s the strange man the children meet in Darwin who seems to know more about their station than he should. Uncovering the truth could put the children’s lives at risk.

Brumby Plains is an exciting adventure set in the Northern Territory. With plenty of action and a touch of mystery from the past, this will intrigue young readers and keep them guessing till the end.

Brumby Plains, by Joanne Van Os
Random House, 2006