Reviewed by Karen Hendriks
Anh Doh is one of Australia’s best-loved storytellers. His junior fiction series Wolf Girl, WeirDo, Hotdog! and Ninja Kid are loved by millions of kids around Australia, having sold over 2.5 million books.
James Hart was raised in the UK before moving to Australia to study illustration, electronic design and multimedia. His illustrated book series include D-Bot Squad, You Choose, Boy vs Beast, Glen Maxwell, Ball Stars and Accidently Awesome.
Amber and her insect friends are back. This time she dares to fly into Toroc with Irene to Uktum to find out what’s causing a mysterious scorpion plague. She ventures underground to Alal Tep -The Assembly of Gods to discover who opened an ancient tomb and stole hidden artifacts and treasures from the Gods. A mysterious illness jeopardises Amber’s chances of solving the mystery as she races to save herself and find a cure to a curse.
Doh has once again written an enticing, adventurous read full of page turns that hook you in. The text flows easily with great pacing. The world building is awesome because Doh logically builds in information that makes what happens believable. I feel the ancient pyramids and the desert have influenced his world creating in this book. Kids like to read about kids being brave and fearless and Amber is a character that does just that. She does have the back up of trusted adults.
Doh describes what Amber sees, hears and feels to bring the reader right into the moment. The verbs are active, and the vocabulary used enriches the story and allows the reader to imagine the scenes themselves. The tension rises with each chapter and event-building to the finale. I love how Doh shows rather than tells so the reader makes his or her own conclusions. This imaginary world certainly feels real, and so do Amber’s powers.
Hart’s black and white illustrations support Doh’s text. The characters have a life-like appeal and the images help explain some of the things Amber sees. For example, ‘Some of the stones are actually hollow. I can see ants moving around inside them.’ We then see an image that supports and explains this. Perspective is used well with drawings of the ruins showing their scale and grandness. The actions of the insects are visually powerful because Hart shows their sheer number and volume wonderfully. I particularly love when Amber is riding the insects as a dragon in the sky. Visually it is very powerful. Illustrative movement features well to highlight the action happening. Hart’s characters are well rounded and expressive, and he helps support a wonderful imaginary world.
Scorpion’s Curse: Sky Dragon 8 is an
enthralling junior novel that connects to younger readers with a
thrilling adventure that won’t disappoint Anh Doh fans. This book is great for juveniles
to read -- it will appeal to kids, parents, teachers and librarians.
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