If you have not yet been whisked into Tashi’s magical world of storytelling, you have been missing out Big Time!  The Tashi series is deservedly a favourite of Australian kids.  They draw on a wide range of traditional tales from all over the world while managing a typical Australian cheekiness. The stories are funny, exciting and spooky, they have a good message about right and wrong, and they really encourage the joys of story-telling.

Tashi has adventures, and tells his friend Jack and his family all about them.  There are 11 books in the series so far (2004), each with two tales of how Tashi has outwitted dragons and demons, ghosts and genies, witches and wicked warlords.  Tashi is a new migrant in our society, so there are lots of echoes of traditional tales from all around the world. In them, Anna and Barbara Fienberg create a marvellous world, full of adventure and with a whimsical balance of humour and danger. 

Tashi and the Haunted House is the ninth book in the series.  A haunted house near Tashi’s village in “the old country” sets the scene for the rescue of a damsel in distress, before he must then race demons to pay for the rebuilding of the village school.  In both tales Tashi uses a little luck, a touch of magic and a lot of common sense to outwit the various villains, and achieve some justice for his friends and family.

Kim Gamble’s illustrations match Tashi’s tales perfectly.  Neither are overdone or slapstick.  There is always a firm realism in the threats that confront Tashi and the village, and little details like facial expressions and shadows highlight this.

Tashi and the Royal Tomb is the tenth book.  But instead of the magic of ghosts, demons and genies that he has dealt with before in his fairy tale world, these two adventures have our modest, but very clever, hero rescuing historical treasures from everyday world villains.

Spooky things happen in the first story when an ancient burial site is uncovered in the village.  An army of entombed warriors (just like the real ones from Xian in China) comes to light, but when Tashi tries to help, he is captured and imprisoned!  Is it the ghost of a long-dead warrior seeking his wife, or someone closer to home, looking for treasure?  Tashi must figure it all out to save the day.

The second story involves the loss of the Book of Spells, needed by Wise-as-an-Owl to cure all the sicknesses and ills of the villagers.  Tashi, of course, has his suspicions and follows them up with the usual twists and turns.  But Anna Fienberg also introduces a subtle theme as Tashi begins to realise that Wise-as-an-Owl is getting old.  The importance of sharing knowledge in any community is touched on, without being hammered.

All the Tashi stories are great read-aloud and read-together texts.  They are also just right for young readers learning to be independent and looking to move into chapter books.  Unlike other similar series, there is no watering down of quality as the list grows longer.  All of them are magic, all of them are wonderful.

Other books in this series:
Tashi
Tashi and the Giants
Tashi and the Ghosts
Tashi and the Genie
Tashi and the Demons
Tashi and the Big Stinker
Tashi and the Baba Yaga
The Big Book of Tashi (collection of the first 7 books)
Tashi and the Dancing Shoes
Tahi and the Haunted House
Tashi and the Royal Tomb
Tashi, lost in the city
 

Other books By this author:
Horrendo's Curse (Allen & Unwin2002)

Review by David Beagley

© 2004 David Beagley