Gary Venn's new book 'The Singing Stone' is available from March.
Gary Venn's new book 'The Singing Stone' is available from March.
“Slowly, Miles starts to understand for himself what the stone is capable of. How it changes everything it touches. And how someone is looking for it, calling to it. Wanting it back.”
Author and illustrator Gary Vern grew up in the Coromandel and developed a deep love and respect forthe region. He wanted to write a story set in his hometown — with its beaches, rocky coastlines, rivers and bush-covered hills — in which the place itself would become a character.
Fans of Netflix’s Stranger Things will love this novel’s combination of creepy supernatural events and conflicted teenage characters trying to navigate their way through life.
14-year-old Miles is impatient to explore his new surroundings after his parents buy a motor camp on the Coromandel Peninsula. As he is trying to settle in and find his feet while making new friends and exploring his new surroundings, he finds a strange red stone.
The stone begins to exhibit some unusual properties, and bizarre things begin to happen around him. Then the changes begin — he notices silvery marks on his hands and arms. And he hears the singing. How is all of this related to the stone, and to the people he has met?
The focus and setting of The Singing Stone, a rugged area of the Coromandel, plays a big part in this story. It features unique, atmospheric and eerie illustrations which really set the tone for the book, with a fast-paced and chilling plot that will keep you glancing over your shoulder while you read.
In The Singing Stone, you feel the beauty of the area but also the isolation, and Venn cleverly portrays an age where teenagers start exploring their independence growing up and exploring the Coromandel.
The Singing Stone retails at RRP$23.99 and is paperback publishing in March 2023. Recommended for the 12 to 15-year age group.
