David Burke, former journalist and author of books about railways, has written Darknight (Methuen pb.), a mystery story about a cadet reporter sent to an isolated, closed community to cover a story about some lost bush walkers. Come Midnight Monday (Methuen) is an equally exciting read.

Nan Chauncy, more than anyone else, provided the incentive and precedent for the boom in high-quality contemporary Australian children’s literature. Her books are as readable as ever. The particular Tasmanian settings and convincing characterisation  make the stories Devil’s Hill and Tiger in the Bush all the more rewarding. Tangara is a key book in our history. It success­fully blends fantasy and reality in its idea of a modern girl making contact with a Tasmanian Aboriginal girl. Mathinna’s People , a poetic and sensitive account of the tragic fate of the Tasmanians is her most impressive achievement. (All books by Oxford.) Mavis Thorpe Clark’s The Min Min (Lions) remains her best book. Set on the Nullarbor plain, it is an account of a young girl’s yearning for different hori­zons or directions. An-early book Pony from Tarella (Knight) is as good as anything in its class – a horse story but with a boy as hero.