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

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Taking a moment to catch my breath after this... Paul Jennings is a firm favourite and TheLorikeetTree doesn't disappoint. Honest, relatable, vivid and moving. The world needs more stories like this.

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I may have something in my eye after reading this short, beautiful, simply told story about family, loss and nature. There is real depth to the relationships, particularly the central sibling relationship. A future classic for 11+.

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Paul Jennings is known for his funny books and creations – Round the Twist, Unreal, Uncanny, Gizmo, and many more that kids have loved since 1985. Yet in The Lorikeet Tree, he has diverged from his stories about the weird and wonderful and created a serious story about overcoming obstacles in a world where everything is unpredictable... Simply told yet filled with heart, The Lorikeet Tree reflects the conflicts of siblings and parents and being part of a family facing tragedy and what that could mean for your future.

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The Lorikeet Tree is simply and beautifully told. The lyrical text has the feel of a Barrington Stoke novel in terms of its quality and accessibility, and there really is no higher praise than that. The story itself doesn’t stray away from truth or hard issues, but Jennings approaches the subject matter of sibling trouble, loss and first love sensitively as well as honestly. In particular, Emily’s internal struggles prompt us to think about our own family difficulties and values. And at the centre of this moving story is a message about the healing power of nature, one that will be remembered by those KS3 readers that turn to it.

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A book with a huge heart… showing the power of family love and empathy and reflecting on the oneness of the natural world. I highly recommend to all secondary school librarians and classroom book collections and to anyone working in the field of teenage mental health.

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A story brimming with love and hope – The Lorikeet Tree is deeply moving, looking at life and death as well as the wonder of nature.