Welcome to KIWIreviews - product reviews
•  click here to return to the homepage  •
Welcome visitor.Join us or log in

Product reviews on kiwireviews.nz : Sunday 6th October 2024 - 07:02:29

QuickSearch for:    What is QuickSearch?
QuickJump to:    What is QuickJump?
logon name: p/w:  

I want to:

You Are Here...

Home > Categories > Books > Kids - Middle > Elastic Island Adventures: Rarotonga review

« Farmlands - Pigs in Blankets reviewFarmlands - Pigs in BlanketsLogitech Master Series - MX Keys S Performance Combo reviewLogitech Master Series -  MX Keys S Performance Combo »

Score: 9.5/10  [1 review]
5 out of 5
ProdID: 9129 - Elastic Island Adventures: Rarotonga
Written by Karen McMillan

Elastic Island Adventures: Rarotonga
Price:
$21.99
Sample/s Supplied by:
Click to search for all products supplied by Duckling Publishing

Disclosure StatementFULL DISCLOSURE: A number of units of this product have, at some time, been provided to KIWIreviews by Duckling Publishing or their agents for the sole purposes of unbiased, independent reviews. No fee was requested, offered nor accepted by KIWIreviews or the reviewers themselves - these are genuine, unpaid consumer reviews.
Available:
July 2023

Elastic Island Adventures: Rarotonga product reviews

Proud to promote NZ productsIn this book, the seventh in the Elastic Island series, Kiri, Jed, and twins Emma and Ethan journey once again on "elastic island", a unique way to travel that sends them pinging across the ocean to a variety of tropical destinations. This time, they travel with Blong the Cat and Heathcliff the Dog to beautiful Rarotonga.

They are expecting to relax in the sun, but it is not long before they run into problems. Firstly, Mighty Moko, the resident grumpy gecko who lives in their room, is determined to get rid of them, no matter what! But his annoying antics are quickly surpassed when all the black pearls on the island are stolen in a brazen heist, the thief leaving clues scattered around the island. The children are determined to solve the clues, but even with the help of the wise Mana Tiaki, will they be successful? Will the people of Rarotonga ever see their precious black pearls again?

This special edition has been approved by Cook Islands Tourism. The cover design is by Rarotongan artists Ivon and Pania Lee.

Check out Duckling Publishing onlineClick here to see all the listings for Duckling Publishing Visit their website They do not have a Twitter account Check them out on Facebook They do not have a YouTube Channel They do not have a Pinterest board They do not have an Instagram channel They do not have a TikTok channel



Tags:
black pearl   blong   duckling publishing   elastic island   emma   ethan   gecko   heathcliff   ivon lee   jed   karen mcmillan   kiri   mana tiaki   mighty moko   pacific resort hotel group   pania lee   rarotonga   nzmade
Other listings you may be interested in:
Big BangBig Bang
Rating: 9.8
The Riven KingdomThe Riven Kingdom
Rating: 9.5
Songs of the Dying EarthSongs of the Dying Earth
Rating: 9.8
The Snake Book - Slip Sliding AwayThe Snake Book - Slip Sliding Away
Rating: 9.1
Harry's WarHarry's War
Rating: 9.8
Time VandalsTime Vandals
Rating: 9.0
Who's That Roaring?Who's That Roaring?
Rating: 9.0
Animal Magic: Bird MagicAnimal Magic: Bird Magic
Rating: 8.8
Bombay BluesBombay Blues
Rating: 8.3
You and Me, Together Board BookYou and Me, Together Board Book
Rating: 9.8
Moving TargetMoving Target
Rating: 9.0
Rants in the Dark - From One Tired Mama to AnotherRants in the Dark - From One Tired Mama to Another
Rating: 10.0
Dinosaur Trouble #3: Runaway CoatDinosaur Trouble #3: Runaway Coat
Rating: 9.3

Product reviews...

Everyone is welcome to post a review. You will need to Join up or log in to post yours.

Click here to read the profile of savta

Review by: savta (Jo)
Dated: 8th of September, 2023

Link to this review Report this review

 

This Review: 9.5/10
Age Appropriate:
Score 10 out of 10
Storyline:
Score 9 out of 10
Rereadabilty:
Score 10 out of 10
Personal Choice:
Score 9 out of 10

Miss Eleven and I both read this book twice before meeting to discuss our impressions. Having worked through all the books in the series, she is now an authority on the characters and their adventures. They still count as one of her favourite collections and have pride of place on her shelf! She had been looking forward to this one in particular as her cousin was in Rarotonga recently and had returned with photos and souvenirs, so the setting was relatively familiar.

She was delighted that Blong the Cat, one of her two favourite characters, plays an important role in the story. Blong has some endearing characteristics. He likes to dance, and even his constant naps in inappropriate places are interrupted if someone starts up with the music. Like most cats, he does not like getting wet so he has a red raincoat especially for trips on the Elastic Island where he is in danger of getting splashed!

It was disappointing, however, that Mrs Quokka - Miss Eleven's other favourite character - is not there. However, Heathcliff the Dog - fast becoming her third favourite - made up somewhat for Mrs Quokka's absence. He is a philosopher who likes to frequent unspoiled habitats rather than cities. Miss Eleven did wonder where Heathcliff was in the cover art, but decided he was probably sitting in the water cooling off so the artists left him out!

As for Mighty Moko the resident gecko, he was the cause of much hilarity for both of us. He is very vain and plays to the camera, posing at every opportunity. Miss Eleven liked the way his character develops as the story unfolds; from being grumpy and rather bossy, he mellows as he gets to know the children and their pets and realises they are not the annoyance he feared they might be. We are hoping he will make an appearance in another of the Elastic Island books.

There were several other characters who played important roles, including Matthew the reporter from the Cook Island News who is a real person! And, of course, Mr Jollybowler is always there at the start and finish of every book with his companion bird. This time it was Kura the Kukupa.

The story has two main themes. The first is the quest to find the missing black pearls; as usual, the children rise to the challenge to save the day. The second is the Rarotonga experience itself. At times the story is almost like a travel guide as each clue is discovered. Buildings and places are interwoven with the narrative, introducing the children (and the readers!) to different aspects of Rarotongan culture and history. The story takes place within a very tight time frame so there is little chance to explore further, however. One reference which Miss Eleven did find slightly disturbing was the mention of cannibalism. It is hard for a young person to imagine that this might ever have happened in such a beautiful place, even if is now a matter of history.

It is easy to find your place in the text because the Blong-a-grams and other inserts use enlarged text for key sentences - almost like built-in bookmarks. Although neither of us used them as such, having both finished the book in one sitting, they would be useful if you had to put the book down and lost your place. As does Mrs Quokka's logic, Blong's offerings provide a handy commentary on the story and make fun reading. We are now awaiting the next book in the series with impatience!

Random listing from 'Books'...

Score: - pending -
Product reviews for listing 7362: Hello, Mr Dodo!
Author: Nicholas John Frith

Product image for Hello, Mr Dodo!Martha is cuckoo about birds, and goes bird spotting in her garden every day. One day she spots a real live dodo, and the two become great friends. Martha wants to keep him secret to protect him. But it's not easy keeping secrets, and she must do some very quick thinking when she accidentally lets her secret slip.

Go to the listing

General Disclaimer...

Protected by Copyscape Plagiarism Checker - Do not copy content from this page. Creative Commons Licence All trademarks, images and copyrights on this site are owned by their respective companies.
KIWIreviews is an independent entity, part of the Knock Out News Group. This is a free public forum presenting user opinions on selected products, and as such the views expressed do not necessarily reflect the opinion of kiwireviews.nz and are protected under New Zealand law by the "Honest Opinion" clause of the Defamation Act of 1992. KIWIreviews accepts no liability for statements made on this site, on the premise that they have been submitted as the true and honest opinions of the individual posters. In most cases, prices and dates stated are approximate and should be considered as only guidelines.

"WindowsXP is like Microsoft and AOL had a baby, then AOL dropped the baby on it's head."
anonymous