Forest Spirit:Book #1 from a Trilogy

“From its captivating prologue, somewhere in the Northern Territory of Australia, and through the body of the story to its conclusion, mainly on Tasmania’s West coast, the author holds your attention completely. Jars, a thirteen year old girl of Aboriginal/Scottish heritage, is the main protagonist; as the story progresses there is a hint of the mystical, and in its natural rhythm this adventure picks up the pace beautifully …. As well as building depth in the characters and conveying an authentic feel of the settings, the author quite expertly, and without being preachy, manages to underlay the story with a number of solid, moral values. Obviously designed for a young audience, the author never speaks down to his reader, and he ties up all the threads in the conclusion, leaving no loose ends. David Laing’s first novel displays his agile imagination as a story teller, and he shows promise of some wonderful things to come. This is a lovely children’s adventure that I highly recommend.” — T. D. McKinnon