Written by Meg McKinlay
Walker Books Australia, 2009
Ages 8-12
Nathan’s plan is brilliant. Brilliant and simple.
Dig. Dig some more. Put water in. Swim.
Professionals? Who needs ’em? Measurements? Boring!
This pool is destined for greatness.
What could possibly go wrong?
What Readers Are Saying:
‘Meg McKinlay nail[s] the voices of Upper Primary school boys, from their love of action and adventure to their unshakable belief in their own extreme intelligence … Get ready to snort into the pages or laugh out loud before you can stop yourself.
– Jo Burnell, The Reading Stack
‘Dive in as the boys take you on their cool adventure … Meg McKinlay is an author who in my opinion can paint a picture in your head.’
– Josh, age 10, Young Australian Readers’ Awards
‘… a funny tale of mateship and enterprise, with a tinge of daftness … With silliness, action and a little tension, The Big Dig will keep primary aged readers turning pages.’
– Sally Murphy, Aussie Reviews
Resources
Lightning Strikes series website
The further adventures of Nathan, Ronnie and Weasel: Going for Broke, Wreck the Halls
Behind the Story
When we were kids, my older brother and I pretty much lived at the local pool. The only problem was that as we didn’t have a car, we had to ride our bikes there and back. It wasn’t that far but my brother decided it would be far more convenient to have a pool in our backyard. With my dad never likely to agree to have one installed, the only way to achieve this was for my brother to dig it himself.
As he was to learn, however, there’s a big difference between sparkling swimming pool and unappealing mud-pit. We never did get that backyard pool, but years later my brother’s misguided quest became the seed for this story.
Book Trailer
Meg McKinlay 