Elastic Island Adventures: Rarotonga product reviews

Miss Eleven and I both read this book twice before meeting to discuss our impressions. Having worked through all the books in the series, she is now an authority on the characters and their adventures. They still count as one of her favourite collections and have pride of place on her shelf! She had been looking forward to this one in particular as her cousin was in Rarotonga recently and had returned with photos and souvenirs, so the setting was relatively familiar.

She was delighted that Blong the Cat, one of her two favourite characters, plays an important role in the story. Blong has some endearing characteristics. He likes to dance, and even his constant naps in inappropriate places are interrupted if someone starts up with the music. Like most cats, he does not like getting wet so he has a red raincoat especially for trips on the Elastic Island where he is in danger of getting splashed!

It was disappointing, however, that Mrs Quokka - Miss Eleven's other favourite character - is not there. However, Heathcliff the Dog - fast becoming her third favourite - made up somewhat for Mrs Quokka's absence. He is a philosopher who likes to frequent unspoiled habitats rather than cities. Miss Eleven did wonder where Heathcliff was in the cover art, but decided he was probably sitting in the water cooling off so the artists left him out!

As for Mighty Moko the resident gecko, he was the cause of much hilarity for both of us. He is very vain and plays to the camera, posing at every opportunity. Miss Eleven liked the way his character develops as the story unfolds; from being grumpy and rather bossy, he mellows as he gets to know the children and their pets and realises they are not the annoyance he feared they might be. We are hoping he will make an appearance in another of the Elastic Island books.

There were several other characters who played important roles, including Matthew the reporter from the Cook Island News who is a real person! And, of course, Mr Jollybowler is always there at the start and finish of every book with his companion bird. This time it was Kura the Kukupa.

The story has two main themes. The first is the quest to find the missing black pearls; as usual, the children rise to the challenge to save the day. The second is the Rarotonga experience itself. At times the story is almost like a travel guide as each clue is discovered. Buildings and places are interwoven with the narrative, introducing the children (and the readers!) to different aspects of Rarotongan culture and history. The story takes place within a very tight time frame so there is little chance to explore further, however. One reference which Miss Eleven did find slightly disturbing was the mention of cannibalism. It is hard for a young person to imagine that this might ever have happened in such a beautiful place, even if is now a matter of history.

It is easy to find your place in the text because the Blong-a-grams and other inserts use enlarged text for key sentences - almost like built-in bookmarks. Although neither of us used them as such, having both finished the book in one sitting, they would be useful if you had to put the book down and lost your place. As does Mrs Quokka's logic, Blong's offerings provide a handy commentary on the story and make fun reading. We are now awaiting the next book in the series with impatience!