Take the Long Path

by Joan de Hamel

Life on the farm becomes much more interesting for David when he discovers a penguin nest nearby. The subsequent presence of an interesting old Maori man doubles the attraction of this special place that David has discovered. It soon becomes clear to the reader that Old Tama is a ghost. David begins to suspect as much as he discovers more about the old man's tribal history. Learning why Old Tama's ghost has returned to these lands leads David to some important self-discoveries. Winner of the Esther Glen Award for Fiction.

Genres: Fiction

128 pages, Paperback

Published February 1, 1981

About the author

Joan de Hamel was a New Zealand children's writer who grew up in London.

She was a teacher, and has for many years been a breeder of angora goats and donkeys.

She won two national awards: the 1979 Esther Glen Medal for Take the Long Path (1978), and the 1985 A.W. Reed Memorial Award for Hemi's Pet (1985).