Kae and Tui are fourteen, polar opposites and twins. They have a love-hate relationship. Kae hates the
way Tui is all…
I can fix anything. I am so smart because I study all the time and Kae should too. I’m a school prefect. I’m the one who stepped up when Mum fell apart after dad left.
Not that she says this, but he reckons it’s the way she acts, and it bugs Kae.
Tui hates the way Kae doesn’t study or do his homework, and is always in fights or in trouble at school. Deep down she’s also mad that Kae avoided home and the fallout after their dad left, spending time on his music and mates instead. The fact that Kae sticks up for his dad even though they haven’t seen him for years, also gets under Tui’s skin.
After a particularly messy day at school, fights, a suspension and loss of privileges, they get home to find Mum gone, her room trashed and a spinning vortex in her bedroom floor! They cannot fight the force of it and…
… they land in Rarohenga – The Maori Underworld. A relative who has passed on explains. Their dad has kidnapped Mum and dragged her into this land of many levels, creepy landscapes, famous and forgotten Maori atua (gods), dreams and memories.
Tui and Kae must go after her or lose her forever. No matter how independent they are at home, they love and need their mum and will do anything to get her back. Their journey begins…
Teens worldwide will enjoy this exciting story of NZ myths and gods and goddesses. A Taniwha is a key character (of course!) and there are many other gods and creatures I have heard of, plus many that I hadn’t.
The squabbling between the twins is sharp and funny, then heart warming as their true feelings begin to show instead of the walls they have built around themselves since their family fell apart. Kae’s idolisation of his father is slowly eroded as he learns the truth, and Tui’s love for her mum and brother is strengthened.
Kiwi slang (Yea nah, Don’t be a dick etc) reminds us that the twins are from right here, right now, thrown into a world of the past. Steph Matuku’s fusion of old and modern provides a blend of humour and history in a plot that races along.
Told in both twin’s viewpoints, (first person, present tense) also brings you closer to the characters, and quickly snatches you up into their journey to save their mum.
Author – Steph Matuku
Age – 12+
(2021, Huia Publishers, Maori, Atua, Gods, Goddess, Underworld, Twins, Sibling Rivalry, Family, Toxic relationships, Prison, Courage, Humour, Funny, NZ, New Zealand, Papatuanuku, Hinekoruru, Ponaturi, Taniwha, Tawhirimatea, Turehu, Arohirohi, Quest, Danger, Adventure, Fantasy)