Customer Reviews

To the Wild Sky

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Six Australian children are each emotional, in their various ways, to be going on a light aircraft trip to Coonabibba Station , in Western New South Wales. These children are:

Gerald and Carol, firm friends, and members of the 'in' group,
Colin and Mark, a quiet older brother and a rowdy younger brothers, and,
Bruce and Jan, fraternal twins, the brother burley and affable and the sister nervous and intuitive.

Coonabibba is Gerald's family's place and the children are invited there for his birthday party and to stay weekend. But little do the children know that something terrible is about to happen. This disaster will challenge all of them and deeply affect them as they rise to meet the challenge.

While there are numerous books in the 'survival' genre this one shines above the rest due to the author's excellent writing style. Southall manages to instill the text with stress and tension, sustaining it chapter after chapter. He achieves this effect by concentrating on the psychological affects of events on his characters, especially letting us hear their inner monologue as they struggle with their needs, wishes and inadequacies. In this way Southall manages to truly involve and move the reader. The first half of the book is in fact some of the best writing I have read for some time, even outshining many writers for adults. Another point in Southall's favor is that he manages to take his characters somewhere. The six children at the end of the book are very different from those we begin with. The reader comes to empathize with all the individual children as their fortunes rise and fall. <To the wild sky> won the Australian Children's Book of the Year Award for 1968 and that prize was truly deserved. While the book is now quite old it has not dated in any way as Southall has kept the text quite clean of cultural and historical references.

Six Australian children are each emotional, in their various ways, to be going on a light aircraft trip to Coonabibba Station , in Western New South Wales. These children are:

Gerald and Carol, firm friends, and members of the 'in' group,
Colin and Mark, a quiet older brother and a rowdy younger brothers, and,
Bruce and Jan, fraternal twins, the brother burley and affable and the sister nervous and intuitive.

Coonabibba is Gerald's family's place and the children are invited there for his birthday party and to stay weekend. But little do the children know that something terrible is about to happen. This disaster will challenge all of them and deeply affect them as they rise to meet the challenge.

While there are numerous books in the 'survival' genre this one shines above the rest due to the author's excellent writing style. Southall manages to instill the text with stress and tension, sustaining it chapter after chapter. He achieves this effect by concentrating on the psychological affects of events on his characters, especially letting us hear their inner monologue as they struggle with their needs, wishes and inadequacies. In this way Southall manages to truly involve and move the reader. The first half of the book is in fact some of the best writing I have read for some time, even outshining many writers for adults. Another point in Southall's favor is that he manages to take his characters somewhere. The six children at the end of the book are very different from those we begin with. The reader comes to empathize with all the individual children as their fortunes rise and fall. <To the wild sky> won the Australian Children's Book of the Year Award for 1968 and that prize was truly deserved. While the book is now quite old it has not dated in any way as Southall has kept the text quite clean of cultural and historical references.

Six Australian children are each emotional, in their various ways, to be going on a light aircraft trip to Coonabibba Station , in Western New South Wales. These children are:

Gerald and Carol, firm friends, and members of the 'in' group,
Colin and Mark, a quiet older brother and a rowdy younger brothers, and,
Bruce and Jan, fraternal twins, the brother burley and affable and the sister nervous and intuitive.

Coonabibba is Gerald's family's place and the children are invited there for his birthday party and to stay weekend. But little do the children know that something terrible is about to happen. This disaster will challenge all of them and deeply affect them as they rise to meet the challenge.

While there are numerous books in the 'survival' genre this one shines above the rest due to the author's excellent writing style. Southall manages to instill the text with stress and tension, sustaining it chapter after chapter. He achieves this effect by concentrating on the psychological affects of events on his characters, especially letting us hear their inner monologue as they struggle with their needs, wishes and inadequacies. In this way Southall manages to truly involve and move the reader. The first half of the book is in fact some of the best writing I have read for some time, even outshining many writers for adults. Another point in Southall's favor is that he manages to take his characters somewhere. The six children at the end of the book are very different from those we begin with. The reader comes to empathize with all the individual children as their fortunes rise and fall. <To the wild sky> won the Australian Children's Book of the Year Award for 1968 and that prize was truly deserved. While the book is now quite old it has not dated in any way as Southall has kept the text quite clean of cultural and historical references.

Six Australian children are each emotional, in their various ways, to be going on a light aircraft trip to Coonabibba Station , in Western New South Wales. These children are:

Gerald and Carol, firm friends, and members of the 'in' group,
Colin and Mark, a quiet older brother and a rowdy younger brothers, and,
Bruce and Jan, fraternal twins, the brother burley and affable and the sister nervous and intuitive.

Coonabibba is Gerald's family's place and the children are invited there for his birthday party and to stay weekend. But little do the children know that something terrible is about to happen. This disaster will challenge all of them and deeply affect them as they rise to meet the challenge.

While there are numerous books in the 'survival' genre this one shines above the rest due to the author's excellent writing style. Southall manages to instill the text with stress and tension, sustaining it chapter after chapter. He achieves this effect by concentrating on the psychological affects of events on his characters, especially letting us hear their inner monologue as they struggle with their needs, wishes and inadequacies. In this way Southall manages to truly involve and move the reader. The first half of the book is in fact some of the best writing I have read for some time, even outshining many writers for adults. Another point in Southall's favor is that he manages to take his characters somewhere. The six children at the end of the book are very different from those we begin with. The reader comes to empathize with all the individual children as their fortunes rise and fall. <To the wild sky> won the Australian Children's Book of the Year Award for 1968 and that prize was truly deserved. While the book is now quite old it has not dated in any way as Southall has kept the text quite clean of cultural and historical references.

Six Australian children are each emotional, in their various ways, to be going on a light aircraft trip to Coonabibba Station , in Western New South Wales. These children are:

Gerald and Carol, firm friends, and members of the 'in' group,
Colin and Mark, a quiet older brother and a rowdy younger brothers, and,
Bruce and Jan, fraternal twins, the brother burley and affable and the sister nervous and intuitive.

Coonabibba is Gerald's family's place and the children are invited there for his birthday party and to stay weekend. But little do the children know that something terrible is about to happen. This disaster will challenge all of them and deeply affect them as they rise to meet the challenge.

While there are numerous books in the 'survival' genre this one shines above the rest due to the author's excellent writing style. Southall manages to instill the text with stress and tension, sustaining it chapter after chapter. He achieves this effect by concentrating on the psychological affects of events on his characters, especially letting us hear their inner monologue as they struggle with their needs, wishes and inadequacies. In this way Southall manages to truly involve and move the reader. The first half of the book is in fact some of the best writing I have read for some time, even outshining many writers for adults. Another point in Southall's favor is that he manages to take his characters somewhere. The six children at the end of the book are very different from those we begin with. The reader comes to empathize with all the individual children as their fortunes rise and fall. <To the wild sky> won the Australian Children's Book of the Year Award for 1968 and that prize was truly deserved. While the book is now quite old it has not dated in any way as Southall has kept the text quite clean of cultural and historical references.

Six Australian children are each emotional, in their various ways, to be going on a light aircraft trip to Coonabibba Station , in Western New South Wales. These children are:

Gerald and Carol, firm friends, and members of the 'in' group,
Colin and Mark, a quiet older brother and a rowdy younger brothers, and,
Bruce and Jan, fraternal twins, the brother burley and affable and the sister nervous and intuitive.

Coonabibba is Gerald's family's place and the children are invited there for his birthday party and to stay weekend. But little do the children know that something terrible is about to happen. This disaster will challenge all of them and deeply affect them as they rise to meet the challenge.

While there are numerous books in the 'survival' genre this one shines above the rest due to the author's excellent writing style. Southall manages to instill the text with stress and tension, sustaining it chapter after chapter. He achieves this effect by concentrating on the psychological affects of events on his characters, especially letting us hear their inner monologue as they struggle with their needs, wishes and inadequacies. In this way Southall manages to truly involve and move the reader. The first half of the book is in fact some of the best writing I have read for some time, even outshining many writers for adults. Another point in Southall's favor is that he manages to take his characters somewhere. The six children at the end of the book are very different from those we begin with. The reader comes to empathize with all the individual children as their fortunes rise and fall. <To the wild sky> won the Australian Children's Book of the Year Award for 1968 and that prize was truly deserved. While the book is now quite old it has not dated in any way as Southall has kept the text quite clean of cultural and historical references.

Six Australian children are each emotional, in their various ways, to be going on a light aircraft trip to Coonabibba Station , in Western New South Wales. These children are:

Gerald and Carol, firm friends, and members of the 'in' group,
Colin and Mark, a quiet older brother and a rowdy younger brothers, and,
Bruce and Jan, fraternal twins, the brother burley and affable and the sister nervous and intuitive.

Coonabibba is Gerald's family's place and the children are invited there for his birthday party and to stay weekend. But little do the children know that something terrible is about to happen. This disaster will challenge all of them and deeply affect them as they rise to meet the challenge.

While there are numerous books in the 'survival' genre this one shines above the rest due to the author's excellent writing style. Southall manages to instill the text with stress and tension, sustaining it chapter after chapter. He achieves this effect by concentrating on the psychological affects of events on his characters, especially letting us hear their inner monologue as they struggle with their needs, wishes and inadequacies. In this way Southall manages to truly involve and move the reader. The first half of the book is in fact some of the best writing I have read for some time, even outshining many writers for adults. Another point in Southall's favor is that he manages to take his characters somewhere. The six children at the end of the book are very different from those we begin with. The reader comes to empathize with all the individual children as their fortunes rise and fall. <To the wild sky> won the Australian Children's Book of the Year Award for 1968 and that prize was truly deserved. While the book is now quite old it has not dated in any way as Southall has kept the text quite clean of cultural and historical references.

I think it was a very good children's book.. It had a very good story line and right as the book should have gotten better, it ended.. It's like lord of the Flies right before the wreck.. I plan on writing a sequel to this book.