Ricky Thomas, brother Doug and sister Polly spend their summer holidays in the coffee walk surrounding their grandparents' country home in Dallas, Jamaica. There they play games of 'Three on a Desert Island'.

It's a sunbaking day in July. Above the children the leaves of the mango and coffee trees are drying, the thin asphalt becoming syrupy beneath their feet, the atmosphere electric with the sun's heat.

But while Ricky scouts for an observation platform for his imaginary island, the children feel it. They feel the earth itself move beneath them. Is it part of their vivid imaginations—or is it the sign of a coming earthquake?

"Strongly recommended." The School Librarian

"...a cleverly constructed story of mounting tension... " Junior Bookshelf

"This is a fine story, a worthy successor to Hurricane ...' British Book News