Winner of 2013 New Zealand Post Children's “Books of the Year” Award

Some rivers should not be swum in. Some rivers hold secrets than can never be told. When Te Arepa Santos is dragged into the river by a giant eel, something happens that will change the course of his whole life. The boy who struggles to the bank is not the same as the one who plunged in, moments earlier. He has brushed against the spirit world, and there is a price to be paid; an utu to be exacted. Years later, far from the protection of whanau and ancestral land he finds new enemies. This time, with no-one to save him, there is a decision to be made…he can wait on the bank, or leap forward …into the river. This is a prequel to the award winning novel ‘Thunder Road’.

Accolades

Winner of New Zealand Post Book Awards for Children & Young Adults: Young Adult Fiction 2013.

Author Biography

Ted Dawe writes fiction for young adults. He has worked over the years as an insurance clerk, store man, builder's labourer and fitter's mate, and flown hot air balloons over Hyde Park. He's also been a university student, world traveller, high school teacher, and English language teacher. His first novel Thunder Road won both the Young Adult Fiction section and the Best First Book award at the 2004 New Zealand Post Book Awards for Children & Young Adults.