The Paperbark Tree Committee

(Paperback)

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Description

Twelve-year-old Art and his younger brother Hilary are great friends, best friends.

When they move to Melbourne from a small town in Queensland things seem to be easy for Hilary, who is still in primary school, but Art struggles to fit in, and hes become a target for school bully Jack. His dad is too busy to give him much attention, but Art has his stepmum, Sally, who is always ready to listen.

And theres the paperbark tree. Art and Hilary climb into its branches and hold a secret meeting whenever they need to sort things out.

The only problem is Arts not sure he still wants to be part of the paperbark tree committee. Hes getting older and he thinks he needs to solve his problems on his own.

The Paperbark Tree Committee is a heartfelt story about growing up and leaving childhood behind; its about family and being a good brother, fitting in and finding friends, and about making mistakes and learning from them.

Reviews

McEwen honours the complexity of the tween experience, and infuses it with warmth and originality. * Age on All the Little Tricky Things *
Karys McEwens prose is gorgeous and she deftly traverses the highs and lows of tweenhood with a rich cast of characters. * Books+Publishing on All the Little Tricky Things *
A sublime coming-of-age story. * Magpies on All the Little Tricky Things *

Author Bio

Karys McEwen is a school librarian, bookseller, vice president of the Victorian branch of the Childrens Book Council of Australia, and education advisor for the Melbourne Writers Festival. She is passionate about the role libraries and books can play in the wellbeing of young people, and she writes the substack I Read A Lot.