Author(s): Barry Jonsberg

Middle Readers

A compelling novel about a powerful relationship between a troubled teenager and his grandfather, set in the Tasmanian Wilderness.

'I'm miserable and sixteen. In that order.' Sixteen can be a tough time. And it's almost unmanageable for a wisecracking boy whose temper is white-hot. Sentenced to a time-out with his grandfather in a remote shack in the Tasmanian forest, there is little to do except chop wood and watch the red-eyed wallabies gather at dusk. They are an unlikely couple: a taciturn old man who prefers the simple life, and a volatile boy addicted to the technology of the 21st century - and yet a bond blossoms between them. But denied access to much he desires, and feeling provoked by a local cop cynical of city folk, the boy's frustration grows. And when he encounters situations he can't control, anything could happen...