AustLit

'The poachers are back - and they are looking for Talon! They are doing everything in their power to capture him, and if they can't get him alive, will kill him. Determined to get him at all costs the poachers run up against the might and will of Tamo, Tima and Talon. It is war. The poachers against the condors, Matica and the Indians - with the poachers even taking hostages to win the war. With the help of Tamo and Tima, Talon and Matica do the impossible knowing they have to capture and stop the poachers or they will be back. Between the poachers shooting at the condors, the crows playing their part, and Tamo being shot and injured, Matica goes above and beyond to help her beloved condors. Action-packed from beginning to end, Talon Encounter will keep you on the edge of your seat.'

'Matica still lives in the small village of Pucara with her brother, mom and dad, who is recovering from his near-death experience. Her 11th birthday is coming up and the things she is about to encounter proves she is very brave. Events take a sudden turn when she is invited to see Elcano, the very old and frail father of the village elder Pajaro. Not once, but three times he summons her. She is afraid of him but he fascinates her. He calls her 'his daughter' Why? The amazing things he is about to tell her could be life-changing, things she had never thought about. Matica nearly jumps out of her skin at what she is told. 'Who me?' she questions herself. 'Really me?' Will Matica be able to cope with these life-changing disclosures? In the midst of all this, the poachers are back, looking for eggs and birds - and Talon. TALON, CONNECTED is far more than a kids' story. It is a story about growing up, friendship, and the challenge of moral choices and respect. Ride along during the ongoing adventures of Matica and her best friends, the condors Talon, Tamo and Tima, characters many readers already know and have learned to love.TALON, CONNECTED is the fourth book of the epic adventure series TALON.' (Publication summary)

'Matica is walking with her father to the next big city of Cajamarca to purchase some food, medication and the tickets for their six-month holiday in Australia. On the way she misses her condors terribly, but still has an adventurous and very good time with her father walking through rain forests and other parts of the beautiful country of Peru, seeing macaws, toucans, monkeys and a puma. In Cajamarca, they heard that the poachers are back, asking for condors. Matica is distressed, and wants to go home quickly, to tell her condors. On the way home, they visit an old Incan dwelling. And there, shortly after something terrible is happening. Her father fell ill with high fever after he was bitten by a nasty huge spider. Not knowing what to do, she calls for her condors. But the wait until they arrive, that is the hardest time she ever had to endure.' (Publisher's blurb)

'What Matica has dreamed of ever since she first befriended the condors has actually happened in the last chapter of the previous book, Talon, Come Fly With Me. Now the adventure continues. Finally accepting Matica into their community with that incredible event, the Indians of Peru love seeing her together with Talon and his parents, Tamo and Tima. Now she has to tell all of her adventures with her condors in class. Only her mother wasn't very impressed with that event, but she finally is turning around as well and loves seeing them together in that intimate way. Her mother first saw danger in it but after Matica showed her how safe she is with Talon, her mother gave her the go ahead.' (Publisher's blurb)

'Nine year old Matica lives in a remote village on a dry plateau in the Andes of Peru. She moved to Peru when she was five with Australian missionary and schoolteacher parents. Because Matica is trapped in the body of a two year old, her growth handicap has caused her to be rejected by the local people and they would not accept her into their community or allow her to play with the children.

'With patience and a sense of adventure Matica befriends a pair of condors. A strong bond and love develops between them.

'Matica rescues the egg the condors, Tamo and Tima, are trying to protect from poachers and nurtures it to hatching. The egg hatches on her 10th birthday and she names the new fledging Talon.

'Many adventures unfold, including her finally being accepted into the local community. And something totally unexpected...

'This is the beginning of many incredible adventures with Talon and Matica. It is a story of hope, determination and love.' (Publication summary)