Fish By L. S. Matthews Published by Hodder Children's Books ISBN 0 340 87403 1 THIS SIMPLE debut novel by L.S. Matthews is a gem. Tiger's parents have come to an African village to work for an aid organisation. Suddenly, the family is ordered out of the village to a safe haven over the border because war is escalating in the area. Fish is the story of Tiger's journey to safety. Just before the family leaves the village, Tiger finds a fish struggling for life in a drying-up puddle in the road. He decides to rescue it. He puts the fish in a container, which is placed in his backpack. As the family treks to safety through the dangerous African landscape, Tiger focuses on keeping his fish alive. But will any of them survive this perilous journey? Can a writer make readers care about the fate of a small fish in a bottle? It's a difficult task, but Matthews succeeds in keeping her readers engrossed until the end of the journey is in sight. A brilliant fishy tale.