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Absolutely Revolting
Children's Fiction

Four Kid's Books

Meg Sorensen reviews ‘Hero’ by Allan Baillie, ‘Lockie Leonard, Human Torpedo’ by Tim Winton, ‘The Road to Summering’ by Maureen Pople, and ‘Clare Street’ by Nora Dugon

by Meg Sorensen •
April 1990, no. 119

Hero (Viking, 141 pp, $16.99 hb), Allan Baillie’s sixth novel for young readers, shows this seasoned storyteller at his best. Succinct yet incisive, it is a highly disciplined display of how tight technique can turn a single incident into an exciting story. Right from the first line, ‘A single drop of water exploded on Pamela Browning’s open exercise book’, we know we are on the precipice of an event towards which every mumble on the earth and rumble in the sky lead.

 


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