Barnaby likes his new home, and he can already see that the tree near his bedroom window has potential for future adventures. All he needs to do is make the tree climbable, cut across a short roof and he’s right outside his bedroom window. This is something he knows his mum probably won’t be happy with, but his dad will think ingenious.

In the meantime, while Dad is away with work, Barnaby and his mum build a ladder on the tree trunk and put a small platform in the branches where he and his cat Pudding can sit and view the neighbourhood.

But it’s not from the tree that Barnaby sees something interesting – it’s from his bedroom. One moonlit night, he sees a girl in her backyard, two houses down. She looks like she is… moonbathing? Fascinated, he finally approaches her one night to ask her name.

Miranda is moonbathing, as sunlight makes her very sick. She is homeschooled and sleeps during the day and hangs out at night in the dark, in the safety of her backyard. Something even more surprising is the way her skin shimmers. He’s surprised to learn that only he can see it. Miranda has tried to explain it to her parents but they don’t see a thing.

Soon, that shimmer and their friendship send them through to a different dimension to a sand-covered planet called Rond. The inhabitants there look very human and between them soon work out a form of communication, but the Rondans live a life of survival and fear.

Barnaby and Miranda are worried they will never return home, but when they feel more comfortable with Rond, they know they must try and help the Rondans defeat their terrifying enemies.

Through the Gap is the first in a trilogy and will be a great entry level novel to Sci fi/fantasy for early middle-grade readers. There is mystery, intrigue, action and enough tension to keep readers turning pages.

Terrifying alien beings mirror what we know on Earth, but still bring much malice to the story. The world building is just the right amount for young readers visiting Rond for the first time, and the ending completes the adventure, making it perfectly readable on its own.

The dyslexic friendly font and wide spacing of the text makes this story even more accessible.

Author – Tina Clough

Age – 9+

(2024, Lightpool Publishing, NZ Author, Aotearoa New Zealand, Action, Adventure, Courage, Friendship, Fantasy, SciFi, Science Fiction, Series, Alternate Dimensions, Parallel Dimensions, Different Planet, Giant Insects, Praying Mantis, Loyalty, Tension)