Twelve-year-old Art and his younger brother Hilary are great friends, best friends. When they move to the city from a small rural town, Art struggles to fit in. His dad is too busy to give him much attention, but his stepmum is always ready to listen.
And there’s the paperbark tree. Art and Hilary hold secret meetings in its branches whenever they need to sort things out. But Art’s not sure he still wants to be part of the paperbark tree committee. Now that he’s started high school, he wants to solve his problems on his own. Maybe that’s not such a great idea.
Review
The Paperback Tree Committee follows twelve-year-old Art as he navigates a new chapter of his life. Uprooted by a father dealing with writer’s block, he is in a new school and a new city. He is conscious of growing up and not being ‘a baby’ anymore. Also, he doesn’t want to be put in a box – why can’t he be into sports and math at the same time?
McEwen writes with empathy for all of her characters, even when Art struggles to find some for others. The most obvious example is Art’s bully, but I’m particularly drawn by the layered portrayals of Art’s parents. His father – a writer whose mood and attention span for his children is dictated by how well his creative work is going – can be self-absorbed and distracted, but he is also kind and loving. Similarly, his mother seems to be career-driven, perhaps at the expense of a close relationship with her children; however, she reaches out promptly when she is worried. It is easy to paint either or both as bad parents, especially next to Art’s loving and attentive stepmother, but McEwen avoids this trap. I enjoyed how, instead, the narrative explores the notion of the ‘good enough’ parent. That said, I felt that some of Art’s expectations – particularly of his dad – were reasonable and wouldn’t want him to cast them aside completely.
Another highlight of the book is the tender relationship between Art and Hilary, his brother. The relationship is tested over the course of the book, but it was sweet to read about brothers being loving towards each other.
While this was an enjoyable read overall, the emotional impact was minimal for me. This may be due to the slim volume – growth happened fairly quickly, and I’d have liked to see more in that process. However, I imagine children will love this book for its humour, characters, and relatable problems.
Thank you to Text Publishing for the review copy
Review by Priscilla
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