Busybody Buddha

For ages 9-12. In this sequel to The Great Laundry Adventure, the three Lawrence children, Abigail, Jacob and Ernest (from oldest to youngest) are embarked on a mysterious adventure, initiated, it appears, by a small blue ceramic Buddha which Ernest has discovered in the old antique shop. The little Buddha has a way of showing Ernest the unhappiness of others, and his brother and sister have expressly forbidden him to bring the Buddha along on their summer holiday. With their parents, they arrive by motorboat on the wonderfully primitive island where they always spend their holidays, ready for a carefree summer. At first they are delighted to rediscover their favourite haunts and activities, but soon six year-old Ernest is oppressed by a sense of foreboding. He is afraid to tell Abigail and Jacob that he has brought the Buddha to the island, but they soon discover its presence and take measures to try to prevent the Buddha's powerful and unhappy messages from spoiling their holiday. Then the children discover a battered replica of the tourist boat, the Segwun, which has plied these shores for decades, and which then leads them to a small mist shrouded island, called Serene Island. They also discover a mysterious cave with ancient drawings and a tunnel from which pours the sound of sobbing. They follow the tunnel and it leads them back to the same small island where they find someone who is indeed unhappy and needs their help. And so their adventure with Charlotte, a young girl from another time, begins.Rutledge, Margie is the author of 'Busybody Buddha' with ISBN 9780929141916 and ISBN 0929141911.