Secrets of Walden Rising by Allan Baille

Brendan and his dad move to Australia after his mum leaves home. Settling in a drought-ridden outback town does not seem much of an improvement over a green English village he is used to, and Brendan finds the local kids to be mean, narrow minded and positively hostile. They don't even use his name , to them he is just "the Pom." However, things take a turn for the better when he discovers that something weird is happening outside the dusty town and no-one else seems to have noticed. Everyone else is far too preoccupied waiting for rainfall which will break the terrible drought. It is as if a whole new town from the past has suddenly risen out of the water in front of him. Walden Rising is another worthy read from one of Australia’s best known writers, Allan Baillie