The Sugarcane Kids and the Mystery at Angel Bay by Charlie Archbold

The Sugarcane Kids and the Mystery at Angel Bay is the third book in The Sugarcane Kids series written by South Australian author Charlie Archbold. Her first two books, The Sugarcane Kids and The Red-Bottomed Boat and The Sugarcane Kids and the Empty Cage, have been enjoyed by eight to ten year olds who love that feeling of freedom, adventure and outwitting the evil adults.

Andy, Eli, Fletch, Bernie, Harvey, and of course four-legged Washington, are back in full swing in this new release. They love riding their bikes and being outdoors but have noticed a few changes in the natural sea environment. Crocodiles where they are not meant to be, Port Jackson shark eggs too far north and their old mate, Jerry the grouper off his food and disappearing for days on end. It is enough to get the investigative juices of these youngsters flowing and they set off for Angel Bay to try to work out what is happening to Jerry. Alongside this, mysterious amounts of dead fish are piling up on Angel Bay beach which will be catastrophic for the protection order on this once pristine bay.

The local community rallies together to clean up Angel Bay but it happens again and again. There is something up and The Sugarcane Kids will get to the bottom if it. Even if it means not being quite truthful with the adults in their lives. They are suspicious about the Babushka Environmental Detectives, concerned about the proposed resort development on Angel Bay by the pushy and persistent Raymond Royce and do not trust Royce’s niece Goodey who has come to the Bay for basketball. Will the gang be able to follow the clues and use their detective talents in solving the threat to their beautiful North Queensland home environment?

This fast paced, action packed book is a delight for readers. It offers plenty of opportunities to discover fascinating facts about the natural world and its creatures, all while following a cast of likeable characters, their families and engaging storylines.

Themes: Family, Friends, Far North Queensland, Adventure, Danger, Excitement, Suspicions, Investigative Skills, Humour, Facts, Environmental Issues.

Kathryn Beilby