A children's book (recommended for 9-12 year olds, it can be a tad scary) by Australian
author Patricia Wrightson. It's a two layered story, following a young white boy staying in the
Australian bush, and the Nargun - a rock spirit from
aboriginal legend. The boy discovers an entire world he never knew existed in the
spirits and their complex relationship to
the land. The description of the landscape, the
atmosphere and the spirits themselves are rich, powerful and sometimes frightening. It's a beautiful and
haunting account of the interaction between an ancient
culture and today's world.
And as a further personal opinion, this book should be on every primary school curriculum in the country, just to make kids that much more aware of the history of the land that they live in.