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Reviewed by Hilary Hawkes for Readers' Favorite
Benton Johnson and the Tale of Tu'i Malila, Part 1 by Matthew Readling is an exciting YA action and fantasy story. Young Benton Johnson finds himself washed up on a remote beach after falling into the ocean whilst on a Junior Discoverers' trip. Concerned to survive and get home, he stumbles upon a strange cave with monolithic art on the walls. A skeletal hand points to a secret opening, which leads to an inner room and further mysteries. After drinking from a water bowl, Benton suffers a scary reaction, but afterwards finds he can communicate with the animals and creatures of the jungle. He then embarks on a journey with an iguana, a macaw, and a porcupine. They must find and save the kidnapped tortoise before the evil Black Bellamy, witch-doctor and spiritual vampire, destroys her and so all of life itself.
What a wonderfully exciting adventure story! There are many great nail biting moments as Benton gets himself into all sorts of perils and dangers: he is in danger of drowning, he gets entangled in a giant spider web, thinks he has poisoned himself, and encounters flesh eating ants. Nothing is given away before time and the uncertainty of whether he survives and accomplishes his mission will keep you hooked and guessing to the end. Matthew Readling has created wonderfully real, original, and believable characters. Benton himself is a very likable boy with inspiring amounts of courage and initiative. Young readers will warm to him and empathize with his past and current situation.
The well-crafted plot unfolds at a good pace, taking the reader deeper and deeper into the layers and mysteries of the story. I love the combination of real dangers and the spiritual, the superstitious, and the magical spell world of the evil Black Bellamy. Benton Johnson and the Tale of Tu’i Malila, Part 1 is a well-written, entertaining, and exciting story that will grip you to its intriguing end and leave you desperately wanting to know what happens next in Part 2.
