Book Review: Minnow On The Say

Here's a book I ran into by chance in the school library back when I was in Form Three. My reading frenzy was at it's peak, then, and I made an almost daily routine of visiting the library to borrow two books (as I was allowed only that amount). Since the selection of books in SMKTM wasn't exactly as wide as KYUEM's (but at least better than Sains Seremban's), I normally picked books randomly, without discrimination. This book was one of my first finds. It was good enough for me to buy my own copy when I finally found it, three years later.

Anyway, this book has an Enid Blyton-ish feel to it (I'm judging based on the very few Blyton books I've read. My sister is the Enid Blyton reader, not me), what with two innocent young boys as main characters, out on a kind of adventure or, more accurately, treasure hunt. Obstacles appear along the way, but it's nothing that can't be worked around. And at the very end, the clues and mystery surrounding the treasure is resolved, in an unexpected way. No, I'm not spoiling anything for you by saying that, it would have been pretty obvious how things would turn out from the moment you read the synopsis at the back of the book.

Regardless of predictability, Minnow on the Say is a charming tale. The author manages to capture the childlike innocence of two twelve-year old boys, Adam and David, who are on the search of Adam's family treasure. An orphan, Adam lives with his Aunt Dinah, who can barely afford to take care of him since she's not working, and the pension they live on from their grandfather isn't much either. When the talk of sending Adam to live with his cousins in Birmingham arises, Adam decides to find the treasure so that he can stay. The story is mainly seen through David, Adam's best friend who is drawn into the search as his friendship with Adam develops.

The story is set in the Barleys, a rural countryside somewhere in the UK, I'd say. I haven't taken Geography for three years now, so pardon my lack of sense. Either way, the author paints a beautiful picture of peace as she describes the place, with the green grass and the River Say behind the two main characters' houses. (Hence the 'Say' in the title. 'Minnow' is the name of the canoe that they use on their treasure hunting adventures). And the events that unfold as every chapter passes are the kind that keep you turning pages. From the discovery of the rhyme that was to be the clue to the treasure:

'When Phillip came to the single Rose
over the water,
The treasure was taken where no one knows
None but my daughter.

To the unexpected (almost) discovery of the treasure, the author never leaves you at a dull moment. The language is simple, and the story doesn't drag, so it's perfect for teens or children, at length. Think of it as a children's version of 'The Da Vinci' code, if you must. Minus the history lessons and killing, keeping only the 'treasure hunting' air.

A good read for when you need to keep things simple.

8 out of 10.