Sea Menace

Book by John Gunn
Sea Menace
AuthorJohn Gunn
CountryAustralia
LanguageEnglish
Genrechildren's fiction
PublisherConstable, England
Publication date
1958
Media typePrint
Pages192pp
Preceded byGibraltar Sabotage 
Followed bySubmarine Island 

Sea Menace (1958) is a novel for children by Australian author John Gunn, illustrated by Brian Keogh. It was joint winner of the Children's Book of the Year Award: Older Readers in 1959.[1]

Plot outline

At the time when William Bligh was Governor of New South Wales, young Paul Harris, his cousin and uncle, journey from London to Sydney to farm in New South Wales. Their ship founders and they are set upon by a group of desperate men.

Critical reception

A reviewer for The Canberra Times found that nowhere "is there anything specially Australian about the people or the setting; except for one mention of 'eucalyptus' trees and some description of early Sydney it might all be happening anywhere. But all this matters little; the story is the important thing, and it is told in a straightforward and vigorous style that holds the interest even when the courage and skill of the two boys and their grown-up friends, and the succession of hairbreadth escapes, would otherwise seem just a little too good to be true."[2]

See also

  • 1958 in Australian literature

References

  1. ^ "Children's Book of the Year Award Shared" The Canberra Times, 11 July 1959, p11
  2. ^ "Adventure and Amusement for Youngsters", The Canberra Times, 20 June 1959, p13
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Children's Book of the Year Award for Older Readers
1946–1949
1950–1959
1960–19691970–1979
1980–1989
1990–1999
2000–2009
2010–2019
2020–present
  • This is How We Change the Ending by Vikki Wakefield (2020)
  • The End of the World Is Bigger than Love by Davina Bell (2021)
  • Tiger Daughter by Rebecca Lim (2022)
  • Neverlanders by Tom Taylor (2023)
  • Picture Book (1955–present)
  • Early Childhood (2001–present)
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  • Eve Pownall Award for Information Books (1988–present)


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