Quick Look
Smugglers and vikings are never far away in this thrilling adventure set on Shetland. Winner of the Kelpies Prize and the Heart of Hawick Children's Book Award.
Description
Winner of the Heart of Hawick Children's Book Award 2010.
Smugglers. Vikings. Shetland should be a fascinating place for a holiday, but Jack is harbouring a secret and is less than enthusiastic to be there. Then he meets Izzie and her exotic pets and things soon start to get more interesting: Jack finds an unexpected visitor underneath the fridge; the wandering tramp is not what he seems, and each night a mysterious person waits on the beach outside Jack's cottage. But what do all these have to do with an unusual visitor named Octavia?
Jack and Izzie unwittingly find themselves in the middle of a dangerous adventure, wondering what the next tide will bring to the land of the Viking Fire Festival.
Tarantula Tide was the winner of the Kelpies Prize 2008.
Reviews
'A fast-paced whodunnit … the denouement is mighty good.'
-- May Blance, BBC Radio Shetland
'This is Enid Blyton with iPods and lashings of coke. Sharon Tregenza takes all that is good about classic action books for children and gives us a modern version set in Shetland … At only £5.99 this is a great stocking filler for bookworms. And if any teachers are writing to Santa, this would make a great class text too.'
-- Valerie Watt, The Shetland Times, November 2008
'An exciting story of young sleuthing, bursting with the life of the Shetland Islands.'
-- Mel Tibbs, Juno Magazine
'From the ancient brochs, to the gorgeous wild ponies, to the enormous skuas, the raw splendour of the Shetland Islands comes alive in this mystery. Tregenza brilliantly harnesses the charm of wonder of this magical setting and wraps it around an exciting adventure. Young readers will be easily drawn into solving the puzzle with Jack and Izzie.'
-- Peggy Tibbetts, Midwest Book review
'If you are looking for a rattling good adventure story try Tarantula Tide, there's a nice balance of drama, humour and excitement'
-- Allanah Glanville, Teen Titles Book Review
'[This is] my favourite Heart of Hawick Book. If you read it, I hope you love it as much as I do. The book is surely a number one choice for young teenagers. Remember, if you like friendship, festivals and furry tarantulas, this book could be your favourite too.'
-- Reni Mackintosh, Heart of Hawick Children's Book Award 2010 review
'An exciting tale set in the remote, but beautiful, Shetland Isles which won Tregenza the 2008 Kelpies Prize.'
-- Write Away
Author
Sharon Tregenza was born and grew up in Cornwall. She currently lives with her husband in an old mill house in Carmarthenshire in Wales. She has an MA in Creative Writing and has had almost four hundred stories, poems and articles published worldwide. One of her poems has been included in Pan Macmillan’s recent poetry anthology, There’s a Hamster in the Fast Lane. She was inspired to set her book on Shetland when her husband worked on the island and she fell in love with the warm people and varied wildlife.
You can also visit the author's own website at http://www.sharontregenza.com
Links
Download or print a free Teacher's Guide for this book:
Tarantula Tide Teacher's Guide (PDF; 39KB)
Also available, a Teacher's Guide specifically for teachers and students living in the Shetlands:
Tarantula Tide Shetland Teacher's Guide (PDF; 42KB)
Sharon Tregenza has her own website at www.sharontregenza.com
Tarantula Tide was the winner of Floris Books' Kelpies Prize for new Scottish writing for children. Find out more about the Kelpies Prize and send your manuscript: next year, it could be your book being published!
Don't miss the Discover Kelpies website for children with exclusive author interviews, fun stuff and latest gossip on your favourite Scottish stories.
