Jack Fortune, by Sue Purkiss

Well, my new book has just come out, so of COURSE I'm going to write about it. Here it is:

It's about a boy who goes to the Himalayas plant-hunting with his nice but slightly ineffectual uncle at the end of the 18th century. They are searching for a possibly mythical flower - a blue rhododendron - which, if they find it, will have a huge effect on Uncle Edmund's fortunes and future direction and life. Jack's in it for the adventure - well, and there is also the fact that his formidable Aunt Constance, who has looked after him since his parents died, has finally decided that she simply can't cope with him any more, and declares it's Uncle Edmund's turn. But he finds that the adventure is rather more challenging than he'd expected: for a start, he discovers he's afraid of heights, which is less than ideal when travelling in the Himalayas...

I first had the idea for the book when I read about the plant hunters some years ago. (I've written about a couple of them here and here.) They were insanely brave, wandering off, sometimes completely alone, into dangerous terrain unfamiliar and often hostile to westerners. It struck me that here was the perfect setting for an adventure story.

And it is. But I realised as I got into the research that, appealing as their stories are, there is another side to the plant hunters. In the 18th and 19th centuries, Britain's empire was expanding. Uncle Edmund is interested in the pursuit of science for its own sake (albeit also as a means of restoring his fortunes). He seeks to find new, exotic plants for the great - and small - gardens of Britain. But the plant hunters were part of that drive to expansion;if they didn't realise it themselves, those who financed their expeditions certainly did.

It's too big a subject to pursue here. But I was very conscious that I wanted my Jack and his uncle to have respect for the land in northern India which they wish to explore, and for the people to whom the land belongs. Respect for the environment is a strong theme in the book: in exchange for permission to search for the blue rhododendron, Jack and Edmund must promise the Maharaja to 'tread lightly' on the land, and take nothing from it which cannot easily be replaced. And when Edmund, faced with the failure of his expedition, is tempted to break that promise, the consequences are severe.

So, there is a serious side to it. But mostly, I hope it's a roller-coaster ride involving plenty of fun!

(Incidentally, teachers and librarians: there will soon be teachers' notes to accompany the book on the publisher's website, and there's already an activity booklet, here. Hope they'll be useful!)