Kids into Books: The Lies of Harry Wakatipu

Author: Jack Lazenby

Illustrator: Christine Bluess

Publisher: Longacre Press, $14.95

Age group: 10+ years


My mother had stuffed the bottles full of her home-made dynamite, stuck on stamps, and posted them to me. One thing I'll say for her, my mother's got a hardcase sense of humour.

I carried Harry Wakatipu's old saddle-blanket outside on the tip of my rifle barrel. I burnt the stinking hook-grass off his bunk. I swept out the hut and aired it to get rid of the pong of horse.

Under his bunk were a couple of my mother's letters he'd never shown me. One had a few grains of itching powder left in the envelope. I pitched it in the fire and remembered the time I got back and found Harry Wakatipu scratching himself. He'd fallen for another of my mother's little tricks.

The other letter said, "Congratulations! You have won ten million pounds. Bring this key to the Waharoa post office and unlock Private Box number 9." There was no key in the envelope so Harry Wakatipu must have fallen for that one, too. I could just see my mother crouching inside Private Box number 9, waiting to give me a hiding for running away. Harry Wakatipu would have cried out his name, but I'll bet my mother thrashed him all the harder, thinking it was me dressed up as a pack-horse.

* Tomorrow: Wiki, the storytelling dog