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Fiction - Adventure, Adventurers & Heroes, Fiction - Animals - Mammals, Fiction - Island Peoples, Places & Cultures
The Last Gold Diggers by Harry Horse β€” book cover

The Last Gold Diggers

by Harry Horse
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Overview

In this sequel to "The Last Polar Bears", Grandfather and his demanding, but delightful, dog Roo journey to Australia in search of Uncle Vincent, last heard of prospecting for gold. Their adventures are told in letters sent back to Grandfather's grandchild.

Synopsis

In this sequel to "The Last Polar Bears", Grandfather and his demanding, but delightful, dog Roo journey to Australia in search of Uncle Vincent, last heard of prospecting for gold. Their adventures are told in letters sent back to Grandfather's grandchild.

Children's Literature

Through a collection of letters and journal entries unfolds the story of Grandfather's travels in search of his long lost, older brother Vincent. When Vincent was seventeen years old, he stowed away on board a ship to Australia. Later, he sent notes to his family about his adventures in Australia and his pursuit for gold. Unfortunately, many decades have passed since Vincent's last correspondence. Now, seventy-nine-year-old Grandfather and his dog Roo take off from England aboard a rickety, steam-powered airplane. They are off to find Vincent and bring him back home. After landing in Sidney, (not Sydney), Australia, Grandfather purchases provisions to make the trek to Gold Town, a place that Vincent wrote about numerous times in his letters. The long, fanciful journey on land has its ups and downs. The local animals encountered during the trip are beyond the norm; there is a camel arguing about rights, kangaroos delivering mail, and more. The question is: Will Grandfather and Roo ever find Vincent in the outback of Australia given the searing heat, Christmas Day snow, stubborn camel, gang of kangaroos, and Roo's sense of tracking? Reviewer: Carrie Hane Hung

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Editorials

Children's Literature - Carrie Hane Hung

Through a collection of letters and journal entries unfolds the story of Grandfather's travels in search of his long lost, older brother Vincent. When Vincent was seventeen years old, he stowed away on board a ship to Australia. Later, he sent notes to his family about his adventures in Australia and his pursuit for gold. Unfortunately, many decades have passed since Vincent's last correspondence. Now, seventy-nine-year-old Grandfather and his dog Roo take off from England aboard a rickety, steam-powered airplane. They are off to find Vincent and bring him back home. After landing in Sidney, (not Sydney), Australia, Grandfather purchases provisions to make the trek to Gold Town, a place that Vincent wrote about numerous times in his letters. The long, fanciful journey on land has its ups and downs. The local animals encountered during the trip are beyond the norm; there is a camel arguing about rights, kangaroos delivering mail, and more. The question is: Will Grandfather and Roo ever find Vincent in the outback of Australia given the searing heat, Christmas Day snow, stubborn camel, gang of kangaroos, and Roo's sense of tracking? Reviewer: Carrie Hane Hung

Kirkus Reviews

Originally published in Great Britain, this chapter book's U.S. version retains an endearing British charm, which should easily translate and entertain this side of the pond. Similar to Horse's other tales about Grandfather, a lovable codger, he has, at 79, launched another adventure. This time Grandfather heads to Australia in pursuit of his older brother Vincent, who Grandfather believes is too old for gold mining in the Outback. Grandfather ventures forth with his tracker dog, Roo, who, as more diva than dog, adds an outlandish and enjoyable dimension. Written as a series of short letters and journal entries to a grandchild that is never named or classified as male or female, this text is accessible for all early chapter-book readers, especially as simple black-and-white illustrations on nearly every page break up blocks of text. Silly fun. (Fiction. 7-10)

Book Details

Published
April 1, 2008
Publisher
Peachtree Publishers, Ltd.
Pages
136
Format
Hardcover
ISBN
9781561454358

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