Speed-The Haunted Island

Speed-The Haunted Island by Judy Wollin & Eman Alblooshi.

First edition 2023 Ebhar Publishing House. Second edition 2024 Blue Heeler Publishing. MG Paperback RRP $18.15. eBook RRP $5.00. ISBN 9780645398120

Reviewed by Debra Williams

Ali, Dylan and Tarek are back. Twelve-year-old Ali invites Dylan, his Australian friend, to visit his ancestral home of Azraq, in the Northern Emirates. It’s an eye-opener for young Dylan, who is far removed from his Queensland lifestyle.

The boys are hot, hungry and bored and head down to the beach where Ali’s grandfather is fishing. He talks to them of his explorations of the surrounding islands when he was a boy. Ali is excited and wants to do the same, but he isn’t allowed to drive Grandfather’s fishing boat. Dylan would likewise like to have a turn at driving the boat. It’s so tempting: a dip in the water to escape the heat, and the chance to visit the surrounding islands by themselves, then return home before dark. Ali wants to visit Telegraph Island, which, as legend has it, is haunted. Ali’s father, Abbi, warns them that they need to be careful, very careful. Grandfather warns them not to do anything silly.

Finally, after Ali agrees to take his young cousin Tarek along with them, the boys are permitted to take the fishing boat out by themselves. They pack food and water and decide to have some fun, but underestimate the wild seas.

Danger upon danger follows after Dylan and Ali drive the boat recklessly. They are stranded when the boat runs out of fuel, and Dylan almost loses his life in the water. There is no more drinking water on board, and the food is a mess. There is also no mobile signal to use Dylan’s phone and call for help, and they spend the night shuddering and sheltering on the “haunted” island. Finally, they can find a point to send a message to Abbi, who comes to their rescue. But the boys have had to learn a hard lesson through all of this.

There is plenty of tension and adventure in this book, which is longer than Barq the Falcon (318 pages as against 206). Once again, the authors have included many factual pieces of information on boating, safety at sea, tides, and other general topics. The authors are planning to release the third book in the collection, Speed: Dune Bashing, later this year.