Enemy Camp (22 page)

Authors: David Hill

BOOK: Enemy Camp

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Brave Company

Something in the water, a hundred yards or so away.
Russell jerked the binoculars back, trying to find it again.
He had to be sure; mustn't make a fool of himself.
Where was it? Then he saw it through the lenses once more.
His voice rang along the deck.
âMine! Bearing 290 degrees. 100 yards. Mine!'

Sixteen-year-old Boy Seaman Russell Purchas is stationed on HMNZS
Taupo
, which has just entered hostile waters off the coast of Korea. It's 1951, and his ship is part of the United Nations force fighting in the Korean War. Russell is determined to prove himself against the communists â not just because he wants to be brave, but because he wants to escape the shadow of his Uncle Trevor, killed in World War II. Everyone thinks Trevor was a hero, but Russell knows the shameful truth.

But can Russell keep himself together when the shells start falling? And does he really know what courage means?

New Zealand Listener's 50 Best Children's Books List 2013 Finalist Esther Glen Junior Fiction Award, LIANZA Children's Book Awards 2014

The Deadly Sky

The plane bucked sideways, flinging Darryl against the cabin wall. It plunged vertically, jolted so hard that his teeth clacked together, then started skidding downwards through the sky. The screams rose to a frenzy. Then Darryl felt the aircraft turning, swinging towards the right. They were heading towards Mururoa. And towards the nuclear bomb waiting there. The bomb due to explode in fifty-seven minutes.

It's 1974, and a dark, cold New Zealand winter. So when Darryl's mum announces she is going to the remote Pacific island of Mangareva for work, and she's taking him with her, he is thrilled.

But even as Darryl soaks up the warmth and peaceful beauty of French Polynesia, his holiday is darkened by violent anti-nuclear protests. Plus there's Alicia, with her furious outbursts against all Pacific nuclear tests. Darryl knows she's talking rubbish.

What he doesn't know is that when he boards Flight 766 to fly home, his life and the lives of others will be changed forever.

No Safe Harbour

The bells stopped, so suddenly that their sound quivered in the air. For the first time in an hour, the loudspeakers spoke, but this time the words were different.
âWe are about to abandon ship. All passengers proceed immediately to the starboard side. We are about to abandon ship.'

Stuart and his twin sister Sandra are coming home to Wellington on the ferry. Stuart knows he'll enjoy the trip â he's a good sailor. But it's April 1968 and the ship is the
Wahine
.

As tragic events unwind Stuart and Sandra battle to stay alive.

A vivid and compelling picture of the
Wahine
's last hours.

See Ya, Simon

Simon is a typical teenager â in every way except one. Simon likes girls, weekends and enjoys mucking about and playing practical jokes. But what's different is that Simon has muscular dystrophy â he is in a wheelchair and doesn't have long to live.
See Ya, Simon
is told by Simon's best friend, Nathan. Funny, moving and devastatingly honest, it tells of their last year together.

Winner of the Times Educational Supplement Nasen Award