In Fiordland

Press, 10 January 1987, Page 19

In Fiordland

77m Secret of the Lost Tribe. By Phyi Wardoll. Hodder and Stoughton, 1986 (first published 1961). Illustrated by Keith Money. 160 pp. $13.15. This is a new edition of the first of three books that Christchurch author Phyl Wardell set in Fiordland. In it she explores two themes that recur in her children’s novels — a tribute to the unspoiled landscape and the need to preserve it. In line with her belief in leaving nature alone, the Lost Tribe, discovered in the book, is left hidden from the world. The story is a good read for intermediate and young teenage readers, and is a pleasingly New Zealand volume. Both are reasons why the publishers chose to reprint the novel as part of its Kotare series of good New Zealand children’s books. The series aims to capture the best of New Zealand writing for children. “The Secret of the Lost Tribe” is the ninth book to be selected for the series. So far it is achieving its aim.—Kay Forrester.