Stop Watch the land of Kur by Sally Morgan, Ambelin, Blaze and Ezekiel Kwaymullina

Walker Books, Australia. ISBN: 9781921150777
(Age 7-10) Tick, tick, tick , Tom discovers new worlds of adventure and intrigue via his grandpa's special stopwatch. Tom is drawn to the watch despite specific instructions from his grandpa to stay away. He presses the start button to first find himself invisible and then transported to the Land of Kur, a planet far, far away from Earth.
There, aided by the amiable but not very bright Bilby, he finds himself fighting the Mimocks in a David and Goliath style battle. To keep himself out of a lethal spider cocoon, he then has to take on the Bogon-stat Queen. Can he do it, using only his quick wits and his trusty harmonica? And why does it seem like his grandpa has also done battle with the Bogon-stat Queen?
Sally Morgan, author of My Place, has co written this fantasy novel with her children, Ambelin, Blaze and Ezekiel Kwaymullina. There are references to Tom's indigenous heritage dotted throughout the book. Written in the present tense, it emits a sense of energy and pace that keeps the reader intrigued. The themes of brain over brawn and the power of music are explored using humour and rhyme.
Land of Kur will appeal to readers between the ages of 7 to 10. Boys in particular will identify with Tom and will also respond to the tongue in cheek humour and energy of the story. The stopwatch itself has 60 markers that represent 60 worlds, so a series may well be planned.
Rachel Flenley
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