["Isle of the Sea Horse" contains plenty of emotional turmoil] which could, if over-exploited, become yet another agony-packed marathon, rather a feature of some current Australian fiction for young people.

However Mrs. Brinsmead handles her material with a restraint and lyricism reminiscent of her first and, in this reviewer's opinion, best book "Pastures of the Blue Crane". Emma is certainly her most sympathetic heroine to date, observed with a refreshing lack of that sense of condescension that has rather marred her last two books. Descriptions of desert island life are vivid, and there are some interesting sidelights on Australian history during the castaways' discoveries on the island.