Review: A delightful bird's eye view of life in rural New Zealand
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 08 1, 2012
When young cousin Felicity, a perfectly coiffed and manicured city sophisticate, comes to Misty Point farm, home  to Daniel and his sister Sophie, for a visit, strange things start to happen, beginning with the sudden death one night of all the chooks (aka chickens). Meanwhile, a hitchhiker named Patrick shows up on their doorstep and, in true rural Kiwi style, is welcomed straight into the bosom of the family. Felicity is all agog over this jovial newcomer and falls all over herself trying to gain his attention.Concerned for the fate of their farm, Daniel and Sophie set upon separate investigative trails into the who and why of the inexplicable deaths of the chooks. The mystery starts to break when Patrick, Daniel, and Felicity go eeling late one evening and come upon their mean-spirited neighbor.The book gives a delightful bird's eye view of life in rural New Zealand. Told from ten-year-old Daniel's point of view, it is humorous and fast-paced. I started reading this book at the tail end of the second of two grueling international flights and was engrossed immediately, pausing only to admire the wonderful illustrations sprinkled throughout the narration. I recommend this book to all middle grade readers, most especially to boys looking for an adventure.