Shining Rivers

Author: Ruth Dallas

From the inside dust cover: "This gripping story is set in the New Zealand gold rush of the 1860s. Fourteen-year-old Johnie Crawford, who has recently arrived in Dunedin from Edinburgh with his mother - his father did not survive the passage from England - gets caught up in the gold rush and gold fever that is mounting in the town. There he meets some tough characters who have lived their lives with the scent of gold in their nostrils and the thrill of the gold rush in their veins. He meets Tatey - a likeable rogue - and together they set up their own claim. Tatey and the other characters he meets teach Johnie much about life; gold prospecting is hard and he has to learn quickly how to survive in a rough and primitive environment, and to cope with his particular 'gold fever.'"

National Library of NZ Entry

I approached Shining Rivers expecting a typical children’s take on New Zealand history—some light historical fiction with a dash of adventure. I was wonderfully wrong. Ruth Dallas delivers a gripping tale of a young teen consumed by the gold fever of the 1860s, and I couldn’t put it down. By the end, I was as relieved as young Johnie Crawford to escape the relentless drive that nearly destroyed him, a testament to the story’s immersive pull.

Johnie dreams of a simple life: a small farm to tend and a mother to care for. He’s hardworking and earnest, but the lure of gold—promising a month’s wages in a single day’s panning—ignites a fever he can’t shake. Defying reason, he bolts to the gold fields. There, misfortune dogs him: cheated and mistreated at every turn, success slips through his fingers. His prospecting partner, Tatey, proves a fickle ally, finding gold only to squander it. When Johnie finally heads home to his mother, the fever flares anew, dragging him back to his claim. Beyond a vivid window into the 1860s gold rushes, this is a poignant lesson in greed, gambling, and the cost of chasing riches—a question that lingers: Is it worth it?

Here are page examples from the book...

Dallas’s writing is a marvel—simple yet brimming with emotion and vivid imagery. A poet at heart, she paints scenes that pull you in, as in this striking passage of Johnie and Tatey sneaking to a new claim:

"Rocks had become the main feature of the landscape, some standing in clusters as though meeting to discuss the intrusion of two fly-like human beings on their territory. Some were in long ridges, like petrified railway carriages. Some had mats of tussock on their heads like wigs. It was desert country, steep country, a mad kind of country, only fit for madmen in search of gold."

Even as a children’s book, it captivates with its depth and character.

I wholeheartedly recommend Shining Rivers for ages 10 and up, especially those exploring mid-19th-century New Zealand history. It’s a must-read that blends historical insight with a timeless moral tug.

Content Considerations: Johnie encounters a dead body in a tent, Tatey gambles freely, and the word “bitch” appears once.

Copies are available online. Book Express is an excellent New Zealand online secondhand retailer. Otherwise, check the link below.

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