THE CRESTA ADVENTURE

THE CRESTA ADVENTURE

This was the first book I ever wrote and I wrote it towards the end of the 80’s

Though I had always thought of writing psychological books, being a Clinical Psychologist, I had not thought of writing novels. I did not even realize that somehow, somewhere deep down I really wanted to do this.

So, when I sent my “Snakes and Ladders” (see a later blog) book in to one of the prestigious publishers in South Africa, I waited anxiously for their reply. I was a short time later given a letter of refusal which was to change my writing career for ever:

The editor told me that she was not accepting the book because that was not the type of book they dealt with or published.

She added, however, that she wanted me to know that my style was extremely readable and interesting.

Because of where this was coming from and did not need to be said in a letter of this kind I took it very seriously , and I remember thinking : well, if that is the case, maybe I should write fiction; and only then did I realize how much I truly wanted to write fiction. I have been doing this ever since.

I did not feel comfortable under my own name and picked a pen name, Ruth Abramson. Perhaps I was not sure how the book would come out and was too shy to write my own name, Ruth Benjamin.

It was only later that CIS publishers convinced me to write under my own name.

Once I started writing, I did not want to stop, and because I was writing faster than the publishers could publish, my first three books were published by three different Jewish publishers.

“The Cresta Adventure” was published by Feldheim Books.

The book was beautifully illustrated by my daughter, Devorah Shinan, two of the illustrations being shown here.

 

 Perhaps the best description of the book comes from the publisher so I will copy it from the original cover from 1989.

was to be a quiet, restful summer vacation at Cresta, but instead, Lea Greenberg has the greatest adventure ever! When she and her mother arrive at the quaint coastal village, they find a charming cottage and a whole fam­ily of delightful neighbors, the Rub­ins, to liven up their stay.

Lea and the Rubin twins, Devorah and Dina, quickly become friends and set out to explore the local attractions. At the Cresta Museum - a genuine castle that was once the elegant home of Lord and Lady Tranfield - they accidentally discover a secret passage leading to a whole network of under­ground caves. With no light to guide them, the girls have a frightful time in the confusing maze, until they find an exit near the seashore.

Word of hidden caves is all the twins' brother David and his friends need to get them started on some exploring of their own. And when they learn of the sudden disappear­ance of the Kerrar sapphire from the Cresta Museum jewel collection, the boys know just where to begin the search. Applying their Torah ­sharpened minds to sleuthing, they soon find themselves in big trouble - with a gang of dangerous jewel thieves!       

Getting lost in the caves was excite­ment enough for the girls, so while the boys are engaged in crime detection, they busy themselves with chessed. At the local convalescent home, they meet the elderly Mrs. Tracy who is all alone and suffering from amnesia.

The nurses tell them of Mrs. Tracy's son, Kevin, who has been missing since he and his mother were hurt in a plane crash.’ Tracy..’ .the name rings a bell for Lea, and once again the girls embark on an adventure, this time to reunite mother and son.

All in all, it's an unforgettable summer for the Greenbergs and the Rubins, and an unforgettable mys­tery novel for young readers.

 

Years later. When the book had been out of print for decades and nearly forgotten, I published it with Create Space, an independent publishing platform.

 It came out in 2010.