Crusader and Kingston review "A Friend in Paradise by Des Hunt. This book was a finalist in the 2003 New Zealand Post Children’s Book Awards.When 12-year-old Robbie's father dies of cancer he starts to spin out of control, taking out his anger on his mother and sisters. At her wits' end, his mother arranges for him to spend the holidays with his Uncle Jim, on a farm near Opotiki where his father grew up. He decides the holiday might not be a dead loss after all when he visits a secret valley his father used to call Paradise, where he unexpectedly finds a new friend. But danger also lurks in Paradise, danger that entangles him in an awesome adventure that will take him all the way to the fiery volcano of White Island. Robbie must use his knowledge, wit, computer savvy and all his courage to save his new friend..and his own life.
