How green is their valley

One small rural settlement. Two families. One hundred and thirty-two years of Aotearoa’s history. Beginning in rural Scotland in 1886, David Hill personalises history through the lives of seven generations of New Zealanders.

Seven young people of Scottish descent tell the stories of their family and the Māori whanau they grow up beside in a small river valley loosely based on Puketapu, west of Napier – Hill’s tūrangawaewae. The river that runs through the valley initially divides, then later, as bridge technology develops, unites the families.

As with most of Hill’s writing, these tales are accessible, simply told, with a leavening of flashbacks and asides. As each generation searches for its own version of the treasure promised to those who left Scotland, two taonga – a thistle-engraved silver bracelet and a pounamu pekapeka (bat) – are passed down through the generations.

We share the hardships of early colonial life; wars that saw men and horses leave the valley never to return; the flu epidemic that killed survivors; the Tangiwai train disaster; the Springbok Tour. My only quibble is the use of the date 1938 for the Hawke’s Bay earthquake chapter – yes, it’s a way to foreshadow the threat of Hitler and the forthcoming war, but it’s too far from 1931 for accuracy – and that’s something the rest of the book does so well.

I can vouch for all this because it’s my history, too – the author’s grandmother and mine are buried in the Puketapu little cemetery overlooking the river.

FINDING, by David Hill (Puffin,

$20)

Ages: 10-13