The Sugarcane Kids and the Mystery at Angel Bay by Charlie Archbold

Title: The Sugarcane Kids and the Mystery at Angel Bay

Author: Charlie Archbold

Genre: Mystery/Crime

Publisher: Text Publishing

Published: 31^st March 2026

Format: Paperback

Pages:

Price: $16.99

Synopsis: Dad pulls the chewed-up shark egg out of Washington’s mouth. It is drippy with drool. He puts it on the table.

‘That’s a Port Jackson shark egg. What was that doing at Angel Bay,’ says Sylvie. ‘We should only be finding local shark eggs on our beaches.’

Andy and the Sugarcane Kids love riding their bikes to Angel Bay. And they love seeing their old mate Jerry lurking under the jetty looking for the spiny lobsters he loves to eat. Jerry’s a massive Queensland groper fish—he’s almost as big as a queen-sized bed.

But something very strange is going on at Angel Bay. A pile of dead fish has washed up on the beach. Mysterious shark eggs have appeared, which is very cool, but also weird because Port Jackson sharks don’t usually live in the tropical waters of far north Queensland. And—worst of all—Jerry is missing.

Could it have anything to do with a new tourist resort Raymond Royce has planned for Angel Bay? A resort that would destroy the fragile natural environment of the bay. The Sugarcane Kids, along with Washington, the cheeky sausage dog, are on the case. But will they discover what Royce is up to before it’s too late?

The exciting new book in the Sugarcane Kids series is a fast-paced, action-packed adventure, with clues to follow, cunning plans, and a great bunch of friends working together to solve a very puzzling mystery.

~*~

The Sugarcane Kids are back! This time, they’re working to fight against a development in their area, and need to work out why the fish are dying and sharks from Sydney are in their waters. Raymond Royce wants the development to go ahead, and everyone is determined to find out what happened, and nobody wants the development to go ahead. They want the pristine bays and cove to stay as they are. Andy’s dad and stepmum are very involved in keeping it pristine.

With everything going on, the Babushka Environmental Detectives, Marmaduke Drake and Vania Mornay have arrived to check out what is going on, and help stop the development. So they say. Andy and the Sugarcane Kids aren’t so sure, and go ahead with their own investigations that could lead them into trouble.

Everything strange is getting worse though, and every time something happens, Vania and Marmaduke (or Tuna and Marmalade as Andy calls them) appear. Something feels off throughout the entire novel, creating a fun mystery for younger readers.

The third Sugarcane Kids book explores environmentalism and caring for the environment through a light-hearted mystery. Developments in places that are pristine and have protection status are fraught with conflict – money over safety. Greed over preservation.

And this book presents it well, in a way for younger readers to understand and discuss with their friends and in class. Taking real world issues and giving them this kind of slant is great, as it makes the books meaningful and powerful.

It ensures that the kids have fun but also get to solve a mystery along the way. It’s important to bring issues like corruption and environmental issues to people’s attention because it highlights how we live in the world and coexist with the world around us. Andy and his friends do this well for younger readers, piquing their curiosity about complex issues that affect everyone in the world.

The latest book in the Sugarcane Kids series is fun, exciting and informative. It captures concerns of the world we are living in with a sense of hope. Hope that things will get better. It’s inspiring and fun, invigorating and filled with a kind of joy that brings the characters and story to life for younger readers, and makes the series interesting for all readers. What a great series to be following!