Remember that feeling of anticipation that one has at the beginning of the long hot summer holidays and the exhilaration of hanging out with friends? You can almost smell the summer. This was the scenario for 11-year-old Alberta from Kingfisher Bay … and then it wasn’t!
Bertie loves nothing more than to hang out at the beach with her bestie, Sylvie, and their group, surfing and soaking up the sun. However, for some unknown reason, that all evaporates after being ignored by all. To add insult to injury or should that be injury to insult, she becomes victim to the town bully. Oh, and her parents break up when her dad leaves home under the whispers and side glances of all the townsfolk. The worst in all this is that her mum, the expert on good manners, is acting weirdly and is of no help at all.
Sometimes life can send you a curved ball and you just have to run with it. This is exactly what Bertie does in Mikki and Me and the Out-of-Tune Tree when her friend returns to his beach house for the summer. Mikki is an 11-year-old filmmaker and his love of trees that he shared with his recently deceased grandfather makes for an interesting, if somewhat different type of summer. Bertie finds beauty and solace in a surprising place. But will this sort out the rest of her troubles?
Marion Roberts has written a charming book focusing on problems that many young people encounter but also what they fear for the future with a looming climate crisis. This book gives voice to the younger generation who want to protect their planet for a safer future.
Reviewed by Cathy d’Apice Age
Guide 10+
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