Nathan Luff, Jungle Escape, Walker Books Australia, February 2025, 256 pp., RRP $16.99 (pbk), ISBN 9781760659257
Dear Mr and Mrs Hawthorne,
It has recently come to my attention that you have decided to spend these holidays away from your own son, me. Perhaps it has slipped your mind that you have a son, perhaps you weren’t aware that it is the duty of parents to spend time with their children, particularly during the holiday season ….
Yours sincerely,
Branson
(your son, in case the name doesn’t ring any bells)
Branson is having a bad day. But things get much worse when he arrives at a holiday jungle escape in the Daintree Rainforest. It’s not the luxury resort his parents touted before they jetted off for their Aspen ski holiday, but a dilapidated compound. Duped! Branson, along with the other kids lured there by the owner-tricksters, are expected to restore the property for free – not quite the holiday they had in mind! Boasting different ideas for how to escape their less than hospitable hosts, Branson and mates must unite to find a way out, ideally before they become lunch for the resident wildlife.
Luff is no stranger to middle grade fiction, having penned three stand-alone novels, along with Nerd Herd and Family Disaster series, and Jungle Escape doesn’t disappoint. Fuelled by suspense, adventure and humour, the action-packed plot will keep kids turning the page. Themes of friendship, unity, loyalty, adventure, resilience, perseverance and problem solving are deftly woven throughout.
Bonus: The Far North Queensland setting offers young readers a fun opportunity to explore this unique Australian landscape and its inhabitants – snakes, cassowaries, crocodiles and more – from the safe distance of the page. Sure, the story requires that kids suspend belief, but that’s half the fun!
An enjoyable and engaging read for ages 8+ that shows how the bonds of friendship can be forged through shared challenges.
Reviewed by Maura Pierlot
