Linda McNabb: The Stonekeeper's Daughter

While the Harry Potter phenomenon has brought fantasy writing for children to the forefront in the past five years, there has been always been a strong tradition of quality writing for young readers in this genre.

All three titles by New Zealand author Linda McNabb certainly have more in common with the books of past masters such as Ursula Le Guin, Susan Cooper and Alan Garner than they have with the Harry Potter series.

However there is no doubt that McNabb's latest book, The Stonekeeper's Daughter, will also have strong appeal for young J.K. Rowling fans who may be finding the last two Harry Potter titles quite heavy going, in terms of both size and content.

The plucky, 12-year-old heroine of this book is Nakita, and she is the oldest child of Rylan, the stonekeeper, a hereditary position that is passed down through the male line. The family lives in a tiny enclosed village perched on Eagle Rock, a remote plateau high in the mountains that is virtually inaccessible unless you have supernatural powers. The village is ruled by an enigmatic wizard called Koben, who visits regularly to check on his subjects and on the sacred stones which are guarded by the stonekeeper.

Not only does Rylan guard these stones, but he also conducts experiments with them, according to Koben's bidding. Nakita is fascinated by her father's role, particularly as her own life is restricted to helping her mother care for the family.

One day, when visiting her father at the Stone Hall, Nakita yields to temptation and picks up one of the stones which seems to be speaking to her. Although nothing happens to her at the time, that night she discovers that her hair is turning silver.

Nakita's grandmother realises what has happened as she, too, once touched a stone many years before. She urges her granddaughter to run away from Eagle Rock to escape the wrath of the Koben, who will know that Nakita has touched his sacred stones when he comes on his next visit.

Although the village seems totally isolated, Nakita knows of an overgrown tunnel that may lead to the valley below. Unfortunately, as she is making her way down the tunnel, she encounters two thieves, Gil and Meric, who have discovered the tunnel entrance from the valley end while looking for a place to hide.

Nakita is forced to take Gil and Meric back to her village temporarily. To keep the existence of the tunnel a secret, she tells the people that the visitors are students of the wizard and that they have used magical powers in order to reach Eagle Rock. Her father is also duped by the men and he allows them to see the sacred stones. The thieves cannot believe their luck and steal the stones and escape down the tunnel.

Nakita is horrified and she realises that if she does not retrieve the stones the entire village will face the fearsome wrath of the wizard.

The Stonekeeper's Daughter is an exciting adventure story featuring a memorable heroine who grows in confidence as she faces new challenges.

Author Linda McNabb was born in England and came to New Zealand as a child in the late 60s.

Growing up, her two big passions were reading and music. When she left school she became a computer operator and then began writing children's books after the birth of her oldest daughter.

Publisher: HarperCollins
Price: $14.99
Age: 8-12 years
Recommended by: Dorothy Vinicombe