- Sand Monkeys
infobox Book |
name = Sand Monkeys
title_orig =
translator =
image_caption = First edition cover
author =Joanne Horniman
illustrator =
cover_artist = Kerry Argent
country =Australia
language = English
series =
genre =Young adult novel
publisher =Omnibus Books
release_date = 1992
english_release_date =
media_type = Print (Paperback )
pages = 120 pp (first edition, paperback)
isbn = ISBN 1862911649 (first edition, paperback)
preceded_by =
followed_by ="Sand Monkeys" is a
young adult novel by the Australian writerJoanne Horniman , who is known for novels centering on realistic depictions of people in unusual relationships.cite journal | title = Horniman, Joanne 1951- | journal =Something about the Author | volume = 167 | year = 2006 | author =Lisa Kumer | pages = pp. 62–3 | url = http://www.answers.com/topic/joanne-horniman | issn = 0885-6842 ] It was published in 1992 byOmnibus Books . The author's work on the novel was assisted by a writer's grant from theAustralia Council . It received a Notable Book designation by the Children's Book Council of Australia."Sand Monkeys" follows a period in the life a sixteen year old boy named Max, upon moving into a new household in Petersham, an inner suburb of
Sydney Australia . The narrative is framed by a series of letters which Max writes to his friend Socrates, in which Max describes his feelings about the events in the story.Like Joanne Horniman's other works, "The Serpentine Belt" (1994) and "Loving Athena" (1997), "Sand Monkeys" features the theme of the search for a lost parent, as well as the forging of strong bonds between characters who are not related by blood. cite journal | title = Horniman, Joanne 1951- | journal = Something About the Author | author = Alan Hedblad | volume = 98 | year = 1998 | pages = pp. 64–5 | issn = 0885-6842 ]
In common with Joanne Horniman's other books, "Sand Monkeys" concerns people's interaction with the natural world - in this case, with the trees that Max raises and plants. She writes that this is "…not in the usual adventurous sense but in a more spiritual way. We are all connected with forces that we are only aware of some of the time…"
Author Joanne Horniman is involved with preserving the native Australian flora of her region in New South Wales, collecting and planting native plant seeds.In the novel, the main character Max reflects this concern in his project of raising native plants from seed, and planting them around his neighbourhood.
Explanation of the novel's title
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