NZ Writer and Artist Robert MacKinlay,
illustrated by the writer Dare to Defy Robert MacKinlay 2015 $22.00pb, with free postage within NZ 179p
REVIEWED BY RION ANDERSON
YEAR 2 RAROA INTERMEDIATE SCHOOL, JOHNSONVILLE,
WELLINGTON
This book
was an incredibly good read and stays true to the founding principles of Scouting.
In World
War II in Belgium, four 12 year-old boys become Scouts, a brave move in an
occupied country where the Movement is banned and boys are expected to join the
Hitler-Jugend (Hitler youth). They see this as
giving in and instead decide to secretly rebel. Along with a refugee called Mot
they manage to escape capture… at least for a while… I really enjoyed this book, and would recommend it to any child - Scout or not - looking for an
easy-medium difficulty read, full of adventure and suspense. There is a sequel,
and it promises to be as riveting as the first.
I give it a 5/5
Rion
Anderson
Note: It did take a little
while to get this review from Rion (!) and in the meantime the sequel (Blame) has been published. I will try to
review it for you during the week,
For my original review of Dare to Defy
go to the search box and look under the title.
ISBN: 978 1 7754 3342 2
Emily has always thought of herself as a writer
even though she is still very young but things keep getting in the way. However
when Uncle Raymond (a curmudgeonly character suffering from *writer’s block) and
his wife Dot come on an extended visit, Emily’s writing life takes off. This is
a story (and a 'dreadful' story-within-a-story) that will intrigue all young would-be
writers – plus those not so young. It is obvious that Bill enjoyed writing this
and many writers (of all ages) will see themselves in the ‘pages’. 
Time has passed since the end of Dare to Defy (published earlier this year - see review below) which is
about the same group of children but who are now older, much wearier and more
street wise. The Germans are still in control but the Scout Group continues to
function and in the face of tragedy close to home is one of the pivots that
carries the children through. I first read this book in manuscript some time
ago and I was truly moved to tears by the ending as I was again just now.
Without ever becoming maudlin or sentimental, Robert MacKinlay manages to
engage our emotions so we feel what it might have been like to be living as a
child, 70 years ago, in such circumstances where you were never quite sure who
was your friend and who your enemy.
