Riddle Gully Secrets – Reviews

… The story is action-packed and once again Banyard deftly creates several layers within the plot that will give readers pause for reflection on some key themes around belonging, greed and looking at things beyond their face value. This book is a great read for children at home and also for any teachers (Y4-8) looking for a terrific classroom project with free curriculum-linked notes available for download.

writingWA

Riddle Gully Secrets is the third book in this highly successful series by author, Jen Banyard and it isn’t hard to see why young readers love these stories.  Every page is full of intrigue, secrets and hideaway locations which cause all sorts of fuss and dilemmas for the children to unravel.

This is a delightfully light-hearted book with lots of fun adventures to make every child wish they could be part of this keen team of sleuths.  I remember the thrill and excitement of reading and re-reading Enid Blyton’s Famous Five series in my childhood and imagining myself in their adventures.   Now a new generation of children will have the same treat of mystery solving and friendship within the more familiar context of the Australian bush.

Riddle Gully Secrets is a lively accessible adventure book for young independent readers as well as an interesting book to read to pre-readers who like an engaging story.  The chapters are short which makes it a great bedtime read and the range of characters gives everyone the opportunity to find themselves (or someone they know) in the text.  The Riddle Gully series of books offers children that luscious sense of anticipation about what will come next for reporter, Pollo di Nozi and her delightful gang of keen sleuths.  I hope it won’t be long before Jen Banyard gives us Book No.4 of the series.

Reading Time (Children’s Book Council of Australia)

In [Riddle Gully Secrets] we find the town in a rut of goodwill and contentment, much to the frustration of Pollo di Nozi, who is desperately seeking out her next juicy news story. … The Riddle Gully mysteries are gentle and simple, and there are moral lessons which the characters learn in the progression of the story. Recommended for Primary and Public Libraries.

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