Status
Available
Call number
Genres
Collection
Publication
Scholastic Australia. Softcover.
Description
While vacationing with relatives in Auckland, twins Theo and Rachel discover that they are endowed with special powers to oppose mysterious giant creatures that are determined to destroy the world. Suggested level: intermediate, junior secondary.
Media reviews
Class
I reed this book and it is great. It is a great book for people to read if you like thrilling books. I would definitly encourge you to read this book and i hope you enjoyed it as much as i did!!
User reviews
LibraryThing member mybookshelf
“Mr Jones” is the last surviving member of a benevolent alien race. The evil Wilberforces want to reduce the Earth to mud. Mr Jones’ people have ensnared the Wilberforces, and designed the only weapon which can destroy them. Unfortunately the weapon can only be wielded by twins who have red
The story is full of action and excitement. There is always a sense of imminent danger, and the deadline to be met. The twins must complete their training with the weapon in time to deploy it before the last of the Wilberforces breaks free of the enchantment which stops them from taking over the Earth.
Some of the Wilberforces are free already, and have noticed Mr Jones working with the red-headed twins. As Theo and Rachel attempt to enjoy the sights of Auckland during their brief holiday they encounter neighbours, sharks, and a policeman, none of whom are quite what they seem.
Twins hold a certain fascination for everybody, and in this story the reader finds out more about the way in which they relate to each other. The characters of Rachel and Theo are similar but of course not identical, and indeed their weapon is based on the notion of “poles” : opposites in balance. So Theo is “practical”, analytical, while Rachel is more sentimental, “the dreamer”. However, for all their differences, the two are devoted to each other and understand each other in a way which surpasses any ordinary sibling relationship.
The character of Mr Jones is also important throughout the story. He is the twins’ saviour, their guardian, and their teacher. Although only Rachel and Theo can use the weapon, only Mr Jones can prepare them to do so, and explain how it must be used when the time comes. The twins trust him completely, but he is old, and makes mistakes. He always seems sad at having brought this enormous burden and considerable danger into the lives of the two 11-year-olds.
This story is particularly meaningful to New Zealanders, who have first-hand experience of Auckland’s many “extinct” volcanoes. The author is very specific about the setting, with references to landmarks such as Takapuna beach and the Harbour Bridge, as well as the numerous mountains. The story is all the more disconcerting for having such unlikely events taking place in such familiar settings: it’s difficult to decide which parts of the story are realistic, and which aren’t.
I would recommend this story to all kiwi kids around Intermediate age. It also makes a gripping serial to be read aloud.
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hair. Rachel and Theo are the chosen ones- the only pair who can save our world from destruction. And the Wilberforces, bound by magic under Auckland’s volcanoes, are waking up…The story is full of action and excitement. There is always a sense of imminent danger, and the deadline to be met. The twins must complete their training with the weapon in time to deploy it before the last of the Wilberforces breaks free of the enchantment which stops them from taking over the Earth.
Some of the Wilberforces are free already, and have noticed Mr Jones working with the red-headed twins. As Theo and Rachel attempt to enjoy the sights of Auckland during their brief holiday they encounter neighbours, sharks, and a policeman, none of whom are quite what they seem.
Twins hold a certain fascination for everybody, and in this story the reader finds out more about the way in which they relate to each other. The characters of Rachel and Theo are similar but of course not identical, and indeed their weapon is based on the notion of “poles” : opposites in balance. So Theo is “practical”, analytical, while Rachel is more sentimental, “the dreamer”. However, for all their differences, the two are devoted to each other and understand each other in a way which surpasses any ordinary sibling relationship.
The character of Mr Jones is also important throughout the story. He is the twins’ saviour, their guardian, and their teacher. Although only Rachel and Theo can use the weapon, only Mr Jones can prepare them to do so, and explain how it must be used when the time comes. The twins trust him completely, but he is old, and makes mistakes. He always seems sad at having brought this enormous burden and considerable danger into the lives of the two 11-year-olds.
This story is particularly meaningful to New Zealanders, who have first-hand experience of Auckland’s many “extinct” volcanoes. The author is very specific about the setting, with references to landmarks such as Takapuna beach and the Harbour Bridge, as well as the numerous mountains. The story is all the more disconcerting for having such unlikely events taking place in such familiar settings: it’s difficult to decide which parts of the story are realistic, and which aren’t.
I would recommend this story to all kiwi kids around Intermediate age. It also makes a gripping serial to be read aloud.
Show Less
LibraryThing member rata
enjoyed reading this and would re read, as enjoyable as the Half Men of O
Awards
Language
Original publication date
1979
ISBN
0868961485 / 9780868961484
Local notes
Rachel and Theo are twins who are almost complete opposites. Rachel is a dreamer, Theo a scientist. On a visit to their family in Auckland, they learn that they are in the middle of the last battle between the last representatives of two great alien races – and that they are the key to defeating the side that wants to destroy all life on Earth and turn it into a planet of mud. The rapacious slugs of the Wilberforce family, and the good but frail Mr. Jones can both take human form.
Loneliness is one of the subtle over-arching themes of the book, and it deals well with the difficulties of killing in self-defense.
Loneliness is one of the subtle over-arching themes of the book, and it deals well with the difficulties of killing in self-defense.