All the Little Tricky Things
Karys McEwen
It’s the start of the summer holidays and twelve-year-old Bertie is worried. Next year she’s going to a high school in the city, while all her friends stay behind in Merri, the small town she’s lived in all her life.
To help her feel better prepared for high school, her best friend, Claire, makes a list of tasks Bertie has to complete over the summer. They start working through the list together, only to find that some of the cracks in their friendship are beginning to show. Soon, Bertie’s not even sure she’ll have one friend by the end of the summer.
All the Little Tricky Things is a charming, heartfelt novel about a time when everything is changing, and a girl who’s trying to make sense of it all.
INTERVIEWS and REVIEWS
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andAll the Little Tricky Things
‘A sweet and hopeful slice of country-town life in the final summer before high school.’
‘A big warm hug of a book, tender and true. McEwen writes perceptively about the emotions of growing up and maybe growing apart from everything and everyone you’ve always known. I loved it.’
‘A warm, relatable and reassuring read, this book is a must for anyone embarking on secondary school.’
‘Karys McEwen’s prose is gorgeous and she deftly traverses the highs and lows of tweenhood with a rich cast of characters. Ideal for 8–12-year-olds, All the Little Tricky Things will appeal to fans of Maddie in the Middle and The Edge of Thirteen.’
‘Astutely homes in on that complicated and specific space between leaving primary school and facing a completely new stage in life…McEwen honours the complexity of the tween experience, and infuses it with warmth and originality.’
‘[A] wonderful book for not just readers who are struggling with anxiety about high school or a school change, but also for readers struggling with friendship balance and finding themselves. All the Little Tricky Things is an essential book for all school and public libraries as well as a making a great gift for any young reader who is about to enter a new phase of their lives.’
‘A sublime coming-of-age story…This is a funny, wholly engrossing tale encompassing a twelve-year-old’s doubts and concerns about change…Bertie is a character with whom many middle-school readers will identify.’
‘A gentle but insightful story of the dilemmas of life and friendship for a young girl…This is a book that touches emotional strings and makes a tuneful note.’
‘McEwan explores the dynamics of the friendship gently and sensitively.’
