Customer Reviews
By the Author of THE ISLAND AT THE TOP OF THE WORLD (The Lost Ones) - By: Paulo Jorge Morgado, 09 Jan 2008 
Donald Gordon Payne (born January 3, 1924 in London) is an English author.
Using James Vance Marshalll as a pseudonym, Payne has written such books as A River Ran Out of Eden (1962) & White-Out (1999). His most famous book is probably Walkabout (1959), first published as The Children & later made into a movie starring Jenny Agutter.
Payne has also used Ian Cameron & Donald Gordon as pseudonyms. As Donald Gordon, he has published, among others, Riders of the Storm (2002), an official history of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution. As Ian Cameron, he has written The Lost Ones (1961), later dramatized by Disney as The Island at the Top of the World, as well as The Mountain at the Bottom of the World & The White Ship (1975).
He has also edited several Reader's Digest volumes such as the Travels & Adventure series.
He lives in Surrey, England, & has four sons & one daughter.
Dated but still a compelling read - By: Kali, 02 Sep 2006 
As dated as this book is & remember it was first published in the 1950s, there is something compelling about it that makes you want to read it from cover to cover.
The plot in itself is quite simple, two white children, a boy & a girl are lost in the Australian outback after a plane crash which kills the crew; neither child has any experience in the art of surviving in a hostile environment & it is only by luck they are found by a young Aborigine boy who is on Walkabout, a trek he must make alone before he can be callled a man.
The story follows the children & their saviour through the outback until the death of the Aborigine caused either by the racial prejudice of the white girl who fears the Aborigine along possibly with her own blossoming sexuality (however I am not so sure about this because of the era the book was written in) or the fact he (the Aborigine) did not have any immunity against the diseases that while people carried such as the common cold.
Either way the children are on their own again but they now have the survival skills they need to make their way back to their own world which is filled alll the trappings of supposed civilisation, such as technology & racism.
A surprisingly haunting read even now in the 21st century & it was made into a film some years ago with Jenny Agutter in the leading role.
Out of date - By: , 04 Oct 2005 
This book was written a long time ago - the girl is from the south of the U.S. & says that in her country, people don't speak to black people. This could of course provide an opening to discussing how things have changed - we can only hope that foreign teachers using this book are aware that the situation has effectively changed - not the case in France unfortunately. The descriptions of Australian nature were very interesting but the descriptions of the characters & their actions only offered an opportunity to try to dispel stereotypes which were reinforced by the book.
Walkabout - By: olly, 21 Jul 2005 I think that the book is a bit racist.I think that the book could of done with some livening up & that the book could of show a bit more excitement.I found this book a bit boring but it does sometimes have it's good parts, like when they met (darkie) the brown boy, the children didn't know anything about survival until (darkie) the brown boy came. Does anyone think the same about this book?!!
Walkabout - description, racism, boredom, frustration - By: Mr Kevin Finniear, 20 Jul 2005 Did this book with my Year 7 class this term. Some interesting stuff to talk about regarding racism, culture etc.. looking at the characters & the author himself in terms of the language, attitudes & assumptions. Far too much description of Australian plants & wildlife for my liking, let alone the Year 7s who probably assumed I had turned into a freak obsessed with Australian wildlife. Boring in the extreme at times but emotive on occasions especiallly when dealing with the Aborigine boy. Not enough action, too much unnecessary description, not enough focus on emotions & a frustrating ending - Year 7s assumed there was a sequel but were probably relieved when I said there wasn't. There isn't is there??
