This books suffers from the problem of not having a good editor and an author that falls in love with his words. This book could have easily been reduced by 25% without effecting the story at all, the best writers tell a story in the fewest words. There are too many unnecessary diversions and distractions in this book, too many parts that are not important or even useful to the story. And then after all the unnecessary twists and distractions at the end he conveniently just magically wraps things up with the heros all arriving on cue. And after wasting many words, sentence, and paragrhs on things that aren't relevant, there are many things that don't make sense or aren't explained or described well enough.

First, this is NOT a Discworld book. It is also not, as advertised, childrens' fiction, I would set the minimum age around 10. It's also not about a "noble savage" in first contact with western civilization, although there are some aspects of that genre present. Mau is a Pacific island boy who has just passed the solo rite of passage into manhood. But when he returns to his village, everyone he knows has been swept away by a tsunami. Pratchett let's us share Mau's grief, strength, and growth as he and the survivors who turn up find their way. As with his other "juvenile" fiction, Pratchett displays a great deal of respect for his readers, and there is always humor mixed with the serious. He is a writer who consistently spins entertaining stories that bring along challenging and valuable ideas but is never preachy - he let's the reader discover their own lessons and conclusions. Get Nation for yourself, share it with your children. You'll find a lot to share.