Judy Rankin

The Land of Giant Pineapples Judy Rankin

The land of giant pineapples is the story of Shayla Gray, an average girl living on a small farm in Melbourne's outer suburbs. On Shayla's eleventh birthday, her older sister, Willow, admits to seeing some peculiar movement in one of the paddocks around a group of pineapple palm trees they call Plantation Island. After an argument with her father, Willow disappears. Shayla is sure Willow's disappearance has something to do with the 'peculiar movement' and sets out to find her sister and uncover the mystery. It's not long before Shayla discovers that the abandoned house sitting next door on the hill is actually the home of the Indigenous wizard, Bartadji, who uses his waning powers to keep his home hidden. He is initially reluctant to help Shayla find her sister but soon realises that working together may help restore his powers and bring healing to the land where he was once the guardian. The pair descend into the land of giant pineapples-the strange land that sits below the palm trees on Plantation Island-only to find the light of the 'pineapples' dimming. They also find the native shape-shifting shekoos that move between the lands are distorting and have begun running amuck. The land will die if Bartadji and Shayla can't find a way to reconcile their differences and work together.