The Lorikeet Tree

A sister and brother face the hardest year of their lives and discover the healing power of nature in this compelling tale from master storyteller Paul Jennings.

Emily loves the bush and the native animals on her family's reforested property, particularly the beautiful rainbow lorikeets that nest in one of the tallest trees. But then her father is diagnosed with a terminal illness, and Emily's world enters a tailspin.

Her twin brother, Alex, refuses to accept the truth. His coping mechanism is to build elaborate additions to his treehouse in the superstitious belief that it will avert disaster - leaving Emily to deal with harsh reality on her own.

When Alex secretly adopts a feral kitten, going against everything that's important to Emily, the siblings' emotions reach boiling point - with potentially dangerous consequences for them all.

A moving story of family, loss and love, from one of Australia's most beloved storytellers.

About the Author

Paul Jennings has written more than one hundred stories and sold over ten million books. Since the publication of Unreal! in 1985, readers all around the world have loved his stories. The first two series of the top-rating TV series Round the Twist were based on Paul's popular short story collections and he received two Awgie awards for screenwriting episodes. He was made a Member of the Order of Australia for services to children's literature in 1995, was awarded the prestigious Dromkeen Medal in 2001 and was made a Fellow of Monash University in 2010. In 2019 he was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Children's Book Council of Australia. He lives in Warrnambool with his partner, comedian, actor and author Mary-Anne Fahey.