The Secret of Banyan Bay

Raven Hill Mysteries #8

by Emily Rodda

The tiny coastal town of Banyan looks like a postcard. Quiet. Beautiful. Peaceful. Just the place for a working holiday away from city noise, traffic, pollution and crime. So Tom and the rest of the Teen Power gang think. But, in this little backwater, nothing is what it seems. Frightening things are stirring beneath its calm surface.

And very soon, Tom and his friends are out of their depth, and struggling against a ruthless, unknown enemy. An enemy who will stop at nothing to keep them from learning the secret of Banyan Bay.

Genres: Mystery, Childrens, Fiction, Contemporary

128 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1994

About the author

Emily Rodda (real name Jennifer Rowe) was born in Sydney, Australia and graduated from the University of Sydney in 1973 with an MA (Hons) in English Literature. Moving into a publishing career, first as a book editor, and finally as a publisher at Angus & Robertson, Rodda's first book was published in 1984.

Reviews

[Brianna]

This book was a very fun read! Of course the action went by really quick but the lead up was super interesting because of the new lazy small town vibes. This story has felt the most Australian too with mentions of surfing, Sydney and Adelaide.

Nick was in a silly goofy mood, and had a ton of personality. Some of his dialogue felt a little out of character, but overall, I really enjoyed seeing the whole gang's personalities in this installment (except for when they were being mean to Tom).

[Laura McCormick]

Not a great outing for the Teen Power gang. They go to help Tom's Dad with some house painting. Tom's Dad is being targeted by the local policeman, because Tom's Dad is a fairly new arrival in a small beach town and is therefore the most likely suspect for any strange happenings.
The kids treat Tom extremely badly in this book. They're better friends than that, it didn't sit well with me.

[Hannah Miller]

I think this is more of a 3.5
I love Tom but Jesus Christ someone needs to give him a hug
Also his friends kinda suck in this one (with love, they get their shit together by the end of it)
I will say, as a blanket statement to the full series, they always explain things at the end, but it never feels patronising, rather, it feels like it’s confirmation of your thoughts

[Georgie]

I really enjoy the 'Raven Hill Mysteries' series, they're fun, quick reads with good plots and interesting and immensely likeable characters. Plus, they remind me of my childhood as I used to read them and books like them as a kid. Now, as an adult, they bring out the kid in me.

'The Secret of Banyan Bay' is told from Tom's point of view. Tom and the rest of the Teen Power gang are spending some time in tiny coastal town Banyan Bay, where Tom's painter father lives. As soon as they arrive, they encounter less than welcoming encounters with several of the locals, and begin to realize not everything in Banyan is as quiet and peaceful as it seemed at first. When Tom's dad is called away from the town for an emergency, the kids are left on their own, and then the weird things start to happen....

What I love about this series is that each book gives us more insight into the characters. In this one, we get to see that there's more to Tom than just the smart-mouthed joker. The plot was interesting and gripping as well, and this time I didn't guess the bad guy!

It's just a shame that many of the books in this series (after the first 11 or so) are so rare in this country. It's a really fun series.

[Frankie Rufolo]

Looking back, this does seem like another bit of second-rate Enid Blyton but from what I remember, I really liked it as an 11 year-old. These characters are really good, they talk like modern, actual kids and this series updates these kid investigation books. It was written in the 90s and you really notice that nobody has the internet or mobiles but actually that's good. It shows kids a time when we were all more sociable. It turns out there's drug crime going on and I really didn't expect that from a children's book and the language the characters use has been updated too. There's a pretty big twist near the end, it's a pretty good story.

[Sarah Thornton]

Nick nearly kills Tom.
Tom is... He's not happy with his mother and her new family. But he's also not comfortable with his dad and his new wife. He jokes a lot but he's constantly stressed about his family situations.
The mystery itself was good and it took me a while to find the twenty cents.
The police in this book are jerks. Well done misdirections.
Drug references.
Reread edit: Tom gets thrown in the ocean twice and gets his first?? Head injury of the series.

[Kerryn (RatherBeReading)]

This was probably my least favourite of the series so far but it was still totally enjoyable.

Can't wait to continue my re-read of this series!