
In the centre of a 60 acre former farm situated on the Great Ocean Road, some distance from the rural town of Warrnambool, stands a magnificent manna gum tree. Housed within its branches are hundreds of lorikeets and a beautifully crafted treehouse which provides a sanctuary for 15-year-old Alex when life threatens to overwhelm him. The refuge provided by this ancient tree sits literally and metaphorically at the heart of this beautiful story, in which the interdependence of all life is sensitively explored.
The story is told through a literature assignment written by Alex’s twin sister Emily. Well-known Australian author, Paul Jennings, has captured the authentic voice of a smart teenage girl as she recounts a traumatic year in her family’s history with searing honesty. In so-doing, he makes the writing accessible to an upper middle grade through to young adult readership, the prose is totally relatable to the intended audience. I loved the device of including the teachers’ comments at the end of each seasonal account.
Alex and Emily’s dad has made it his life’s work to return what was once barren farmland back into an indigenous forest. providing a habitat for native species from blue-tongued lizards, to koalas, fairy wrens and of course the lorikeets. In addition to this, he has raised his twins alone since their mum was killed in a car crash in their early childhood. Emily shares both his passion for wildlife and for writing, whilst sensitive Alex who has a natural flair for building has helped with the treehouse construction. However, the teenagers now have to face their greatest challenge as their once strong and vital father grows weaker from an untreatable brain tumour. Emily’s incredible reflective writing details the emotional journey that her family are on; with honest admission of the struggle of being the “strong” one; her conflicted feelings when Dad appears to go against all his principles to allow Alex to keep a feral kitten and her unspoken feelings towards Matthew, the forest and wildlife officer, who helps them out.
This is a book with a huge heart; compassionately dealing with the impending death of a parent; showing the power of family love and empathy; and reflecting on the oneness of the natural world. I loved the Australian bushland setting and the vivid descriptions of the local ecology and don’t mind admitting that a few tissues were required. I would suggest that this book is best suited for readers of 11+ with no upper age limit, as a middle-aged librarian, I found the writing profound and enriching. I highly recommend to all secondary school librarians and classroom book collections and to anyone working in the field of teenage mental health.
I am very grateful to Old Barn Books and Liz Scott PR for providing me with a review copy of The Lorikeet Tree in return for my honest opinion.