The Paperback Tree Committee by Karys McEwan

Title: The Paperback Tree Committee

Author: Karys McEwan

Genre: Contemporary

Publisher: Text Publishing

Published: 1^st April 2025

Format: Paperback

Pages:208

Price: $16.99

Synopsis: 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 he’s 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 there’s 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 Art’s not sure he still wants to be part of the paperbark tree committee. He’s 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; it’s about family and being a good brother, fitting in and finding friends, and about making mistakes and learning from them.

~*~

A sudden move to Melbourne in the middle of the school year is hard for twelve-year-old Art. His dad is busy writing, his mum is living in Hong Kong, and everything seems so easy for Art’s brother, Hilary. But Art isn’t fitting in as easily, and he can never get his dad or Hilary to understand how he is feeling. He has his stepmum, Sally, who is always willing to listen and can see that Art is struggling. Before they moved, Art and Hilary used to climb an old fig tree to talk about things, and in their new neighbourhood, there is a paperbark tree.

But Art thinks he’s too old for the paperbark tree committee – and sees that it is up to him to solve problems – including the ones he thinks are there but really aren’t. Art is growing up, and he thinks this means leaving things like the committee behind, even though he needs someone to talk to with everything going on at school, but he doesn’t know who to turn to. His new friends, Micah and Lexi help at school, but there’s also the school bully to deal with, and his dad’s pressure to read and be a writer.

So, Art tries to fit in at school. He spends lunchtimes with Micah and Lexi in the library, he joins three school clubs – maths, running and writing – to see which one he is more interested in. He feels like he doesn’t fit in anywhere, and like he has to choose one thing to be interested in. To choose the thing that makes his father happy, rather than himself. It’s a term of learning for Art. Learning that he can’t fix everything himself. Learning that he can’t please everyone. And learning that he needs to find ways to talk about his feelings, because holding them in or acting in ways he would never have acted before are not the way to go.

This is a beautiful story about growing up and finding your way, about found family and connection, and friends who become part of your world in ways that you may not have imagined. It is about creativity and learning, and working out that it is okay to like lots of different things, and okay to decide you like some of these things as you grow up. Because that is what growing up is about. It is what life is about – working out what you like and what people and these interests mean to you. And about finding out that what you thought you didn’t like or that you didn’t think you were good at – that you actually like and can do.

Art is the kind of character that so many readers will relate to – there will be something about him, how he reacts, what he likes, and everything about him that makes sense. Because he’s a universal character who brings worries and concerns to light. And the type of character who is not perfect, which is reassuring. It means that everyone can see the imperfections in life and in each other, and the layers that make us human. With all its layers and imperfections, it is a reminder that life isn’t perfect and that there is power in community and realising that there will be people we can rely on.