Rufus and the biggest diamond in the world [Paperback]

Michael Elsmere (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 20, 2007

Rufus loses his parents and sets out to find the biggest diamond in the world hidden for centuries. He has no idea of the terrors and adventures he will meet. Viciously attacked by pirates he is befriended by the cocky but streetwise Jim Hawkins. Following Jim's treasure chart a mysterious submarine commanded by 'The Captain' rescues them. Set ashore in Africa they hike through jungle and desert and climb towering cliffs to reach the warrior tribe of Kukuana land where lie the fabled King Solomon's diamond mines. Here they fall into terrible danger when ghosts and curses of the past rise up against them... children aged 8 to 12 years.

Product Details

• Paperback: 184 pages
• Publisher: libros international (March 20, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 190598829X
• ISBN-13: 978-1905988297
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A book for young adults to make adults young, May 28, 2008

By 

Philip Spires "Author of Mission, an African ... (La Nucia, Spain) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Rufus and the biggest diamond in the world (Paperback)

In Rufus And The Biggest Diamond In The World, Michael Elsmere creates nothing less than a complete fantasy world of children's literature. Rufus has been told a story by his father about a diamond of a size beyond anyone's dreams. It is just waiting to be found, so, having lost his parents, Rufus sets out to do precisely that.

It is a journey of total imagination, a journey through some quintessential scenes of childhood experience, settings of spectacular invention, surely reminiscent of places that many of us might have been. There is a treasure hunt bound for the Spanish Main, an adventure voyage on board ships from a chivalric, Romantic past. But when the mission is redirected according to an omen unearthed by a submarine hero, Africa becomes the destination that Rufus and his companion, Jim, must explore. If only they could themselves have read the clues that explained how the under-sea horde was transformed into a diamond mine on land.

In Rufus, Michael Elsmere has invented a wonderful, likeable character, a young lad with an imagination powerful enough to give ideas life and to do so in the most mundane of surroundings. The author also avoids cliché at all times. There are no platitudes of magic potions that appear just as they are required to do exactly what is needed, convenient shrinking or aggrandizement, and no mere description of scene after scene. Throughout Rufus And The Biggest Diamond In The World, Michael Elsmere offers elegant prose that provides regularly evocative surprises. It provides a quite beautiful vehicle to explore the power of imagination, to re-experience the joy of discovery.

OK kids. Rufus is a good lad. He is perhaps about the same age as you. He's lost his parents and there's a diamond to be found. There's a sailing ship, pirates, treasure, gold, shipwrecks, talking birds, submarines and electric eels. There are eggheads who know how to read things that other people can't even see. Maps are redrawn in people's pockets and point to new places. There are lions, jungles, snakes, beautiful ladies and witches. There are deserts, oceans, seas, mountains, caves, caverns, stones, stalactites and schools.

And so Rufus And The Biggest Diamond In The World becomes itself a celebration of the form in which it exists. It is gentle, subtle writing to convey truly exciting, fast-paced fun. And kids, I suspect a few parents, especially those that might be rendered a little tearful by genuine nostalgia, might enjoy reading Rufus themselves. It's a book that genuinely inhabits multiple levels, a story that will enrapture the young, and a concept that will fascinate the once young.

But then, when you have read Rufus, you will want to read more, because that is what Rufus is about. These imagined worlds are themselves bigger, greater, more vivid and more real just because they are imagined.

4.0 out of 5 stars Rufus and the Biggest Diamond in the World, April 6, 2008

By 

David Brookes (Sheffield, UK) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Rufus and the biggest diamond in the world (Paperback)

I initially thought that it would be unfair to construct an adult review for a children's book. Not being a father or grandfather and having no immediate young relatives to read this to, and picking it up just for a quick light read, I didn't feel that I would be able to fairly criticise, positively or negatively, a novel written for children/young teens. Obviously, I changed my mind!

The opening scenes move quickly as Rufus sets out on his adventure, and is drawn into continuous struggles against those who would prevent him from reaching his goal, as well as the dangerous environments he finds himself in. The novel is structured as one would expect, which each short scene and chapter leading into the next. It was enjoyable (even as a "grown up"!). The metafictional aspects of the story alongside the cast of recognisable figures from classic literature brings to mind Alan Moore's "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen" as well as more serious, thought-provoking material such as J. M. Coetzee's "Foe".

I found the second half of the book much more gratifying as an adult reader, but could still recognise that children between about 8 and 15 would thoroughly enjoy the whole experience. The final scenes were surprisingly provocative and genuinely had me thinking, even days after I closed the book. To find such depth in what is, on the surface, a kid's story was as unexpected as it was rewarding!

Definitely recommended for younger readers, but adults will find material to chew on here too.

7/10