Hazard River Series, by JE Fison

Jack, his little brother Ben and their family are holidaying at Hazard River. Lachlan has been staying here every summer for years and he knows all there is to know about this holiday place. He’s also a practical joker and doesn’t seem to have a ‘caution’ speed. When Jack finds a shark washed up on the shore, they begin a search for the killer they are sure is nearby…

Shark Frenzy
I made a deal with sharks. I don’t swim near them and they don’t play cricket. It may be a little unfair. I can swim, whereas they haven’t got a hope of hitting a six. The arrangement worked well for many years. I never once saw a shark bowl a bouncer. And no one ever praised a wicket keeper for a safe pair of fins. But the whole deals fell apart when my family spent the summer holidays at Hazard River…

Jack, his little brother Ben and their family are holidaying at Hazard River. Lachlan has been staying here every summer for years and he knows all there is to know about this holiday place. He’s also a practical joker and doesn’t seem to have a ‘caution’ speed. When Jack finds a shark washed up on the shore, they begin a search for the killer they are sure is nearby. Lachlan is keen and Ben will follow where Jack goes. And they are joined by Mimi, who has travelled the world in her yacht and knows a lot about everything. She also has her own Zodiac boat.

Snake Surprise Until we found the message…

Jack is sick of playing Monopoly, but it seems that is the only thing to do when the rain just won’t stop. When he looks out the window and sees a houseboat floating down the river on a collision-course for his friend, Mimi’s yacht home, he and his friends can stay inside no longer. They ‘catch’ the houseboat and look for clues to tell them how the boat came to be washed along by the floodwaters. If only the snake could talk. That’s the very large snake that’s coiled up on the bed in the houseboat, the one with the bat in its mouth.

Hazard River is a new series of short novels for mid- to upper primary readers. They are about 10000 words, laser-fast and very exciting. No theme park or council holiday program could deliver half the adventure that being in the bush between the river and the sea does. The friends need all their luck and skill to resolve the mysteries they find in and around Hazard River. And when it comes to it, they all have skills to contribute to the adventures. Recommended for mid- to upper-primary readers, particularly those who find it difficult to sit still for very long!

Hazard River: Shark Frenzy! J. E. Fison
Ford St Publishing 2010
ISBN: 9781921665110

Hazard River: Snake Surprise! J. E. Fison
Ford St Publishing 2010
ISBN: 9781921665127

review by Claire Saxby, Children’s Author www.clairesaxby.com

Toad's Revenge, by J. E. Fison

There’s a good reason I call my neighbour, Lachlan Master, the Master of Disaster. All of his plans end in disaster. Always. So when a celebrity moved to Hazard River and Lachlan decided we should meet him, I should have known our expedition could only end one way …
‘I heard Just Orsum is working on his most dangerous and daring mission ever,’ I say to Lachlan as we climb over a fence and into the backyard of Australia’s most famous adventurer, ‘Maybe he’s planning a trip to Mars.’

Jack and his friend, Lachlan are always on the lookout for adventure and excitement. And they are sure the arrival of Just Orsum is going to make life interesting. And it does. Just not quite in the way they’d imagined. Together with Jack’s brother Ben and their friend Mimi, Jack and Lachlan find themselves facing the biggest toads they’ve ever seen in an environment they hardly recognise. It takes all their combined skills and some help from some locals to find their way home.

Toads Revenge is the fifth story from J. E. Fison, set in a seaside/riverside holiday area of southern Queensland. Jack and his friends manage to get themselves into, and out of, plenty of trouble. The stories are told from Jack’s point of view but each of the four main characters contributes to both the trouble and the solutions they must find. There’s hardly time for the characters – or the reader – to catch their breath before another complication has them again on the run. Think updated and Australian-set Blyton adventures. Perfect for safe adventuring and hopefully too wild for copying! Recommended for mid-primary readers.

Toads Revenge!

Toads Revenge, J. E. Fison
Ford Street Publishing 2011
ISBN: 9781921665455

review by Claire Saxby, Children’s Author
www.clairesaxby.com