Lowly’s Book Blog

Leonie Norrington is one of those perennial authors who always seems to be at conferences launching books. I have attended the book launch of all three of the books in the Barrumbi series, and until now avoided reading any of them. This book ended up at the bottom of the pile so often that it only got picked up a few weeks ago when I had nothing to read. I got a pleasant surprise. If I am ever in the position of nothing to read again, I just might pick up the rest of the series.

Fans of Norrington will know that much of her writing is based on her own upbringing in a mixed Aboriginal/European community in the Northern Territory. This book follows the children from the other books in the series as they move to boarding school in Darwin.

Dale cannot understand why this new school cannot comprehend that he and Tomias are brothers. Just because their skin is a different colour, and they have different parents, suddenly Dale cannot go away on fishing weekends with his friend. In fact he is hardly allowed to speak to him. This makes Dale, never one to hold his temper, lash out. And then Tomias takes up music, of all the silly things. And that new music teacher has it in for Dale. She has, right from the first time she sets eyes on him.

This books deals beautifully with the bittersweet changes that happen to kids as they approach adolescence. The reader can understand Dale as he runs to the only bit of bush he can see from the school. They agree with his help and support of the old couple that he finds there. He has to fight the council and prevent that bushland clearance. But Tomias is portrayed equally sympathetically. The girl he likes just happens to be the daughter of the Principal. He can’t help the fact that he is attracted by her music and then discovers an unknown talent. In spite of all that he still tries to help Dale, a known troublemaker.

I wonder if there will be any more about the Barrumbi kids. If so, the book won’t sit at the bottom of the pile for very long.