Reviews
This is a riveting story… a very readable and enthralling tale for
adolescents. It includes thought-provoking information on the sort of hideous
racial hatred that pervaded this particular time and space. A very worthwhile
novel.
- Reading Time, Vol 5, November 2006.
The Goldseekers is an acutely and sensitively observed
tale of cultural
clash – and
its consequences.
- Melbourne Age
The Goldseekers cleverly views many situations from different perspectives, highlighting
the struggle each character faces in understanding an alien culture. The characters
are all believable, and the present-tense style is effective, making the situations,
actions and emotions more immediate. Suitable for a young adult audience.
- Magpie Magazine (Volume 21, June 2006)
Readers young and old will be taken in by The Goldseekers’ compelling
plot, its rich recasting of history, and its positive morality. A lovely, moving,
and very edifying novel which, as a parent as much as a critic, I can recommend
heartily.
- Compulsive Reader.com.
A heartwarming tale about the struggles faced by two Korean children living
on the Australian goldfields in the 1850’s.
- Northern Daily Leader
The
Goldseekers
To the shadow of loneliness, Miju now adds the
centipede
of fear. She
is now her brother’s protector and for his sake she must be ready to face
the men with dogs and guns.
It is the mid-1850’s and Australia is in the grip of gold fever. Kidnapped
from their homeland, Miju and her older brother Chung-Kai work on the goldfields
of New South Wales to save for their passage home. Their friend Sam and his father
Bill are also trying their luck at the diggings and hope to take a fortune home
to their family. Life is hard at Burrangong, but both parties manage to eke out
a living, until disaster strikes….
In the dead of night a group of men raid the Celestial’s camp. Left with
only a few possessions and their tiny puppy Ah-Poo, Miju and Chung-kai’s
hopes of returning home are ruined. Sam is appalled by what he has witnessed
and
vows to help his friends recover their savings.
Just as they are all ready to give up hope and abandon the fields, little Ah-poo
comes to the rescue. But is it too late to help Miju and Chung-Kai?
Read the
first page!
Download detailed teaching notes
for this novel from the Harper Collins site
Read about Greg Bastian's earlier novels