Brightest wild by Tania Crampton-Larking

The Australian bush is a new wild world for 11 year-old Alex, newly arrived from London with her mother Hailey, come to live with her mother’s Aussie boyfriend Art. It’s a culture shock for them both, with the heat and humidity striking them as they get off the plane, but for Alex it is especially hard leaving her home with its memories of her beloved father, Papa, who was taken from her by a fatal asthma attack. Feelings of panic can threaten to overwhelm her.

They make a fragile blended multicultural family in Australia. Alex’s mother is Irish and her father was Hindu Indian. Alex inherits her father’s dark skin and hair. Meanwhile, Art’s former wife is a Mirning woman, and his son Koen takes after her. Koen’s twin sister lives in Perth with their mother. There is a barely suppressed antagonism between Art and the teenage Koen as the boy shows his resentment at the situation he is in.

Crampton-Larking is particularly good at depicting Alex’s loneliness as the new girl in school, unable to make friends and in fear of the bullies who target her. The bushland near her house becomes a refuge, and she discovers the peace and tranquillity of the natural surroundings. Her world is brightened as she meets other kids who also have hideaways in the scrub, and she learns about the significance of Country to First Nations people and issues of climate change and its impact on the environment.  

The theme of climate change is explored in a careful way, with emphasis on caring for the country and acting together to make positive change. Alex feels a connection with the global youth movement, ‘the billions that will make a difference’.

There are a number of serious themes in the book, family conflicts, bullying, colonialism and Aboriginal displacement, bushfires and climate change, but the author manages to keep the tone up-beat and easy to read. The emphasis on family and caring, good friendships and positive attitudes means that it stays appropriate for the middle-grade readership it is aimed at. The manuscript was a joint winner of the State Library of Queensland’s black&write! Writing Fellowship competition in 2019, and it’s great to now see it published and available to young readers.

Themes: Environment, Blended family, Cultural diversity, Bullying, Climate change, Aboriginal culture.

Helen Eddy