Author(s): Elizabeth Hegarty

Fiction - middle

Based on the true story of the Pook family in the 1920s, living in a remote area of the Kaipara Harbour, north of Auckland.

Beautifully written, the story begins as a family of eight siblings are left alone for a week whilst their parents finally go away to get married. Fourteen-year-old Tom is left in charge and must ensure that all the daily tasks are done, as well as keeping the family fishing business running, and taking care of the other children with the help of 10-year-old Mary. Life is tough, and daily dramas ensue not without humour!
But it is not until the parents return that we really discover what a hard taskmaster Dad is.

A fascinating, and often exciting, insight into life in the not-so-distant past which will astonish today's kids.

A first time author, Elizabeth tells us: "When I finished writing my book the very day I finished, in fact I made an astonishing discovery. I discovered that, all the time I had been writing, Tom Pook's son had been working in the same building as me."
The son read the story and brought Elizabeth an album full of photos, letters and documents, which she then used to bring the story closer to the truth. Some of the photos are included in the book.