James Vance Marshall "Walkabout"

 

James Vance Marshall

In Australia, when an Aboriginal man-child is sixteen, his tribe sends him out into the Australian bush desert. The bush boy has to live there alone for months. The Aboriginals call this time ‘walkabout’.

This is the story of an Aboriginal boy’s walkabout, but it is also the story of two American children. Mary and Peter are lost in the Australian desert after an aeroplane crash. Their uncle is waiting for them in Adelaide, a long way away. The desert is a strange world for the children. They come from a city, and everything is different there. When they meet the bush boy, he teaches them about the desert. But the desert isn’t their only problem - there are other problems too. They are having strange feelings. Why is Mary afraid of the bush boy? And why does the bush boy begin to feel sad? There are many questions, but no easy answers. It’s a difficult, dangerous journey for the three children. They learn about the desert, but they learn more about life. And death is never very far away...

‘Walkabout’ is the most well-known book James Vance Marshall (Donald Payne). He wrote the book in 1959. There is a film based on the book.

 

 

  

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