Dust

Winner of the

2001 Governor General's Award for Children's Literature

2001 Saskatchewan Book Awards, Children's Literature

2001 Mr. Christie's Book Award

... combineshomespun storytelling mystery and sophisticated metaphysical aspects to create amulti-layered tension." The National Post

"...sparklingly original..." The Globe and Mail

Matthew is missing. Robert'sseven-year-old brother has vanished on a walk into town. Robert's mother hadasked him to accompany Matthew to Horshoe to buy some some gum, but Robert wasmiles away engrossed in a Martian adventure story, and certainly not home on hisfarm in Depression-era Saskatchewan. And when his younger brother disappears,Robert figures it is his fault and he has to find him.

He soon notices there is something sinister happening. The hens are layingeggs with blood in them; a broken jar found out on the prairie has a plaintiveecho of a young girl's voice; and most disturbingly, his parents are lost in aweird sort of daydream and have forgotten about their missing son.

It is up to Robert to discover where his brother has disappeared - alongwith the other boys and girls of Horshoe. He is led to an ivory-skinned strangerwho suddenly appears and bewitches both parents and children with magicalmirrors and a fantastic rainmaking machine.

In a style that has stomach muscles tightening right from the first sentence,Arthur Slade brings a new and sophisticated brand of psychological fear to theyoung-adult market. Dust is a story that will leave audiences breathless.