SELECTED FOR CANREAD LITERATURE COMPETITION. Winner announced 26 October 2000. Barry Mulligan is a small twelve-year-old boy with a huge imagination. Overshadowed by his brother, he spends most of his time dreaming about being bigger, smarter, and braver. Soon he has the opportunity to be all those things – when he is visited one night by the Riders and magically transported from Christchurch, New Zealand, to Argyle City, Texas. The Riders are supernatural beings who avert disasters by setting history straight, and Barry has been selected to rescue twelve-year-old Olivia Lillywhite, who has been kidnapped. The Riders revolves around the timeless and fascinating theme of the battle between good and evil. Steve Joll is a popular children’s television personality, who also writes drama, comedy and songs for the top-rating TV programme What Now? He lives in Christchurch.