Originally published more than 20 years ago, the Clan adventure series, by the late Rennie McOwan, has been republished by Rowan Tree Publishing. Here, Harry Wallace, 12, introduces the fourth novel in the series, Jewels on the Move
WHEN I first started reading Light on Dumyat, I was in the bookshop and I didn’t want to stop reading it even though I knew I had to so I could actually buy it.
Recently I was lucky enough to become one of the first people to read Jewels on the Move, the fourth book in the Clan series written by Rennie McOwan. I felt the same way I did in the bookshop – I couldn’t stop reading.
Light on Dumyat introduced the characters – Gavin, Clare, Michael and Mot – a group of children who call themselves the Clan Alliance and have adventures in the Scottish countryside. They are like the Famous Five but Scottish and not so posh. Gavin is English, but he is learning about Scotland and what it means to be part of a clan. The characters are very human – Michael and Mot can be a bit sarcastic with Clare, because she is their sister, and that’s funny.
In the first book, the children foil silver thieves; in the second book, The White Stag Adventure, they are on the trail of poachers. The third book, The Day the Mountain Moved, took a different direction by introducing magic and that surprised me. The themes of survival and environment were still there and it did work well, but this was not my favourite book in the series.
Magic and time travel continue into book four, Jewels on the Move and this time, it is much more exciting.
Clare, the leader of the Clan, is quick-thinking. So when they meet an injured girl who has the Honours of Scotland, the Scottish Crown Jewels, in her bag and is fleeing from men who want to steal them, Clare knows that getting to safety is the most important thing to do, rather than stop and ask questions.
One of the things I liked about the books is that the gang leader is a girl. When this was written, most books would probably have had male leaders. These books break down stereotypes.
I liked the fact these books are set in Scotland, and are full of Scottish information and facts, like how to pronounce certain words and what they mean. The Clan’s war cry is “creag an sgairbh” which I would never have known how to pronounce if the author hadn’t told me. (It’s pronounced crek-ahn-ess-garv and means ‘crag of the cormorant’.)
I learned a lot about the history of the clans, and how members used to have plant symbols to show what clan they belonged to. (I looked up mine – I’m a Wallace, so it would have been an oak leaf.)
One of the best things about the books is the way the children try hard not to harm the environment – so if they have a fire, they make sure to clean up well after themselves and they don’t leave litter. Although these books were written many years ago, this is an important environmental message that we all need to understand now.
Even though you are learning a lot, reading these books doesn’t feel like homework, because they are really exciting and fun. Even the modern covers are clever. I liked the woodland colours – if you left these books in a forest, they would be camouflaged. (Not that I would ever leave my books in a forest.)
Jewels on the Move is funny and exciting. I thought the ending was a little sad, although I won’t spoil it here for other readers. I think I found it even more sad because I know there are no more Clan books, and that is a shame – but I know I’ll read these books again and again.
Jewels on the Move by Rennie McOwan, Rowan Tree Publishing, £7.99
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