'A Definitely Different Summer'
Posted: Monday Dec 13, 2021
New young adult novel based on Kiwi maritime tragedy
It sounds like every teen or tween's worst nightmare: mum and dad drag you off to an uninhabited island for the summer with no wifi or Netflix. And it's the premise of Elizabeth Pulford's new book, a junior mystery adventure called 'A Definitely Different Summer'.
She's written over sixty books for children - from early readers to young adults.
This latest one, is based on the sinking of the Tararua off the coast of Southland in 1881, with the loss of 131 lives.
It was an event unknown to Elizabeth until she stopped off to view the lighthouse at Waipapa Point, near Invercargill, that was erected in the years following the tragedy.