Ten stories. One faraway land. A boy, a girl and a dog who are always ready for adventure.
The place
The Farlands is a place remembered. Nadim Sadek's childhood moved from country to country, and it was Malaysia that stayed: the storm drains and the sugarcane, the jungle at the end of the road, the rain that arrived every afternoon.
Deemo has a blue Chopper with a gear lever marked Slow, Medium and Fast. Elaine lives next door, and has better sense. Dinah is the dog, and Dinah is usually right.
All ten adventures happened, recounted in the books. Each is complete in itself, and each shares an idea a child can relate to and learn from – put in the child's own words at the end of the book, and again, for the grown-up reading aloud, as four questions worth talking about together.
The collection map
Tap a number to go to its story.
Ten books
Each book is a self-contained adventure.
A butterfly to draw for homework takes them deep into the jungle, to a clearing the size of a football field where the Rajah Brooke rules, and is caught, and studied, and let go.
What the reader learnsBeauty can be admired, and doesn't need to be possessed. Joy comes from letting wonderful things remain free.
The house is asleep, the keys are in reach, and the big Holden is right there under the porch. Deemo has steered before. How hard can the pedals be?
What the reader learnsRules are there to keep us safe, not to spoil our fun. Growing up means waiting for the right time: some adventures are worth the wait.
The Blues lose their goalkeeper to the post and go three goals down, until a dog who has only ever kept goal between two garden bushes takes the line.
What the reader learnsHeroes come in all shapes and sizes. Everyone has something special to contribute: sometimes the most unexpected player saves the day.
Something is flickering at the end of the garden. Not a torch, not a trick. First one light, then ten, then hundreds, and a jar with holes punched in the lid.
What the reader learnsNature's magic is best enjoyed gently. Some treasures shine brightest when set free.
A boy blocks the bridge on the Back Way and says the sugarcane isn't Deemo's to take. By five o'clock there are gangs, and chains, and a metal pipe, and then Elaine walks down alone with lemonade.
What the reader learnsKindness is stronger than anger. The best victories are when you make friends out of enemies.
Slow. Medium. Fast. The spokes sing, the trees turn to candy floss, and then a motorbike comes up the hill and Deemo touches the brakes.
What the reader learnsThrills and dangers are not the same thing. It takes real courage to slow down.
Two hundred and seventy-two steps, a side trail nobody is meant to take, a smaller cave, and a boiling cloud of bats coming the other way in the dark.
What the reader learnsAnimals need their private spaces, just like people do. Respect means knowing where not to go.
A king cobra comes out of the storm drain and heads for the house. Dinah turns and snarls at Deemo, the first time ever, to keep him back, then stands her ground alone.
What the reader learnsLove involves protecting each other. Sometimes the bravest thing is knowing when a fight is over, for both sides.
Rusty iron rings up a concrete wall, a trapdoor, and cold water churned by a mechanical arm. Elaine says don't. Dinah can't follow. Deemo climbs anyway.
What the reader learnsNot every dare is worth taking. Being brave sometimes means walking away: true friends warn us away from harm.
A broken villa on a hill, at the time of year when the spirits gather. Doors bang. Nobody is there. And the voices are only arguing about the roof, and the money, and the mah-jong.
What the reader learnsBeing curious is good, but some places deserve respect and distance. Not everything needs to be understood.
Dispatches
Pages, cover reveals and work in progress from the ten books, as it happens.
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These stories were read by children long before they were books, and I always love to hear what children would like to read about.
First news
Cover reveals, publication dates, early reader copies and the day pre-orders open. Nothing else, and never often.
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