I’m delighted to be able to say that my latest children’s adventure, The Boathouse Gang and the Tale of the Jewels at Monkstone Point, has now been published as an eBook.
Like much of my writing, the story began with a place I know and love — Saundersfoot.
I’ve always thought there is something about a harbour that invites stories. Old walls, boats coming and going, hidden corners, the changing tide and generations of people who have lived and worked around it. Add three inquisitive children and it seemed only a matter of time before they found themselves in trouble.
And so The Boathouse Gang was born.
Tom, Megan and Rhys have their headquarters in a secret den hidden behind the clutter of Saundersfoot Harbour — an old upturned rowing boat complete with cushions, fairy lights, games and their battered Mystery Log.
Their rules are simple:
No grown-ups.
No rules.
Just good times.
Unfortunately, their mysteries aren’t particularly impressive. A missing sandwich. A wandering cat. A lost cricket ball.
Then they discover a bag of stolen jewellery hidden in a cave at Monkstone Point.
Suddenly the Mystery Log isn’t a game anymore.
Their discovery leads them through caves, along cliff paths and into forgotten corners of Saundersfoot as they begin to realise that the stolen jewels are only the beginning. There is another mystery buried beneath the village — one that reaches back generations.
I wanted this to be an exciting and sometimes funny adventure for children, but I also wanted something else to sit quietly underneath it.
History.
Not simply dates, famous names and events in textbooks, but the history of ordinary people and the places they leave behind.
The harbour workers. The fishermen. The families. The children who played on these same shores generations ago.
That became increasingly important to me as I wrote the story, and eventually became part of the heart of the book.
Of course, Tom, Megan and Rhys aren’t particularly interested in having a history lesson. They’re far too busy following clues, getting themselves into places they probably shouldn’t be and trying to work out who they can trust.
The book is written primarily for children aged 8–12, although I’m rather hoping a few parents and grandparents might enjoy wandering around Saundersfoot with the Boathouse Gang too.
And this isn’t the end.
The Tale of the Jewels at Monkstone Point is the first of three planned Boathouse Gang adventures, with more mysteries waiting for Tom, Megan and Rhys along the Pembrokeshire coast.
For now, though, their first case is complete.
Well…
Perhaps I should say almost complete.
Because in Saundersfoot, you never quite know what the next tide might bring in.
The Boathouse Gang and the Tale of the Jewels at Monkstone Point — by David Baxter — is available now as an eBook.
More Childrens adventures: James and the Saundersfoot Time Tunnel
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