Destination Unknown
edited by Alwyn Evans
Fremantle Arts Centre Press
108p pbk
ISBN: 1-86368-341-0
Destination Unknown is a compilation of short stories written by children in Western Australia who have received prizes in the middle and upper primary divisions of the Tim Winton Awards.
The eleven stories are fantasies featuring unicorns and vampires, talking paintings and robots and even a dog that goes into space. All are very entertaining and are well written. There are no illustrations but there are photos of the authors at the end of each story and a brief biography, which explains the authors background and gives the reader an insight into why the author actually chose the topic for their story.
The language is not complicated which makes this book good for young children or for a teacher to read to their class. This book caters for all readers, especially the reluctant reader who can benefit from reading a short story written by his or her peers. While the language is not complicated, some of the stories are quite complex with very clever storylines and endings that can draw in the older reader, who on first inspection might classify this book, too babyish. There are short stories that make a good read for impatient readers who can get distracted easily and go off to do something else. If an impatient reader were to sit down and read one of the shorter stories in Destination Unknown they might find they enjoyed reading and move on to novels or even be inspired to write a short story of their own. The longer stories in the book can keep the reader transfixed until the end.
I recommend this book to anybody who enjoys fantasy. For anyone who doesnt like reading, give this book a go.
Pat, aged 12, Canberra, ACT
