Rye's life changes when his father is appointed as Governor of one of the new penal colonies. With his parents, he moves to the island, where he expects to be the only child among colony officials, prisoners, and offlanders (the native peoples of the region). However there are two other children there: Kris, who is the son of the offlander chief, and Stefanie, daughter of one of the prisoners. The three become uneasy friends, despite their parents' very different agendas: Rye's father is destroying the land through his drive to modernize; Kris's father is desperate to maintain the old ways; Stefanie's father is brewing revolution. With a wide scope and a range of comic and quirky characters, the book has something of the feel of "Holes" by Louis Sachar, or of the film "Oh Brother, Where Art Thou"? It deals with the three children realizing they don't have to follow in their parents' footsteps, and tells the story of how they bring the adults closer together and find a way forward for all the people of the island.
- ISBN10 0192753398
- ISBN13 9780192753397
- Publish Date 1 June 2004 (first published 1 November 2003)
- Publish Status Active
- Out of Print 21 February 2011
- Publish Country GB
- Imprint Oxford University Press
- Format Paperback (B-Format (198x129 mm))
- Pages 256
- Language English