Indiana Bones

Aisha Ghatak is the 12-year-old daughter of the famous archaeologist Dr Satnam Ghatak, who is often on his travels, leaving her to her own devices under the watchful eye of their lodger, Edith. Dr Ghatak had been on a dig at Skara Brae when he found the puppy, whom he named Indiana Bones,  in mysterious circumstances which become one of Aisha’s favourite stories. With the ability to talk (and produce one-liners), and highly developed senses that get them out of trouble, the dog has proved to be a very useful companion indeed, and this is the first of what is promises to be many adventures for the pair. This first story sets them on the trail of treasure hidden centuries ago by a legendary knight known as The Lonely Assassin, but of course there are baddies also on the hunt.  A trip to Egypt is productive- they make good progress, and new friends, but at the end of this book we know that the treasure hunt will continue as they plan the next steps. Aisha calls this ‘treasurology’ and there are lots of delightfully inventive words like that, so readers should have a fairly solid grasp of vocabulary to understand what is proper language and what is made-up! This sentence gives a flavour of the fun Harry Heape has with words:

‘As the pair relaxed in their bumcomfortable carriage, Ringo and his gang burst out into the street like a bad burp in a bookshop, scratching their bonces, their bottoms and their bellies’.

He also wrote the Shiny Pippin series and evidently has a well-developed and ‘funusual’ sense of humour. It is indeed all tremendous fun:  Aisha is a brave and resourceful heroine, and Indiana a wise-cracking and helpful friend- they definitely have a ‘gladvantage’ over their pursuers. Experienced illustrator Rebecca Bagley’s cartoon illustrations suit the story well, the typeface is clear and bold, and this should keep the pages turning to find out what happens next.  Readers looking for the next exciting instalment should beware, though, of ‘Indiana Bones and the Temple of Groom’, which is a dog-grooming salon, and a spoof YouTube video, ‘Indiana Bones and the Lost Bark’!  Best to look out for more by Harry Heape…