A Good Day for Climbing Trees

by Jaco Jacobs, Kobus Geldenhuys (Translator)

Overview

*Nominated for the 2019 CILIP Carnegie Medal*

*Spectator Best Books of the Year selection*

Two unlikely heroes inspire a whole town by fighting to save a tree


Sometimes, in the blink of an eye, you do something that changes your life forever.

Like climbing a tree with a girl you don't know.

Marnus is tired of feeling invisible, living in the shadow of his two brothers.

His older brother is good at breaking swimming records and girls’ hearts. His younger brother is already a crafty entrepreneur who has tricked him into doing the dishes all summer.

But when a girl called Leila turns up on their doorstep one morning with a petition, it’s the start of an unexpected adventure.

And finally, Marnus gets the chance to be noticed...

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781786073174
Publisher:	Oneworld Publications
Publication date:	05/08/2018
Pages:	160
Product dimensions:	5.00(w) x 7.70(h) x 0.60(d)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Jaco Jacobs is the most popular and prolific children's book author in Afrikaans. He has published more than 140 books and over a million copies have been sold. Jaco is also a well-known columnist, blogger, freelance journalist and translator. He lives in Bloemfontein, South Africa.

Kobus Geldenhuys is an award-winning translator of children and young adult literature. He has translated many Harry Potter titles into Afrikaans, as well the third book in Cressida Cowell's popular series How To Train Your Dragon.

What People are Saying About This

Jill Coleman - BookTrust Director of Children's Books

"It made me chuckle on the very first page. A story with a warm heart and

characters you want to spend time with."

From the Publisher

"Quirky, charming and very funny, but with a real emotional punch, A Good Day for Climbing Trees is the perfect place to start for someone looking to move on from The Wimpy Kid books."


— Anthony McGowan, author of The Donut Diaries

Editorial Reviews

04/02/2018
This humorous South African import offers a warm look at middle grade activism. Marnus, the 13-year-old narrator, is the forgotten, unremarkable brother sandwiched between two stars—the Adonis-like 15-year-old Donovan and the entrepreneurially gifted nine-year-old Adrian (who rents Donovan out to neighborhood girls for kissing lessons). “Marnus-in-the-middle,” Marnus laments. “Sometimes it felt like I was invisible.” However, when a “weird” girl named Leila comes to Marnus’s door with a petition to save a tree, he breaks character and follows her to the park to see it, then joins her up in the branches to protest and save the tree from municipal managers and bulldozers. A comic cast champions their cause, including a pink-haired town eccentric named Mrs. Merriman who brings food and drink; a gruff caretaker who allows Marnus and Leila to use the club’s restrooms; and Leila’s quiet mother. While it stretches belief that Marnus’s litigator mother allows him to stay in the tree, Jacobs authentically sketches the main characters’ deeper motivations—especially Leila’s reaction to her parents’ divorce. Ultimately, Jacobs delivers a kind and uplifting novel about two characters taking a stand. Ages 9–12. (May)

Publishers Weekly

‘A small gem with interesting characters touching on issues such as divorce, friendship and the outsiders in our society.’

Die Burger

‘Instantly engaging, funny and robust.'

New Statesman Amanda Craig

'It made me chuckle on the very first page. A story with a warm heart and characters you want to spend time with.'

Jill Coleman - BookTrust Director of Children's Books

‘Jaco Jacobs is a natural story spinner.'

Goodreads

'Quirky, charming and very funny, but with a real emotional punch. It is the perfect place to start for someone looking to move on from The Wimpy Kid books.'

author of The Donut Diaries Anthony McGowan

‘An inspiring story, and a really funny one too.’

Spectator (Books of the Year)

‘The book deftly handles issues around family life, as well as activism, with a light-hearted touch. With lots of humour and a cast of weird but wonderful characters, and Jim Tierney’s modish illustrations, this is the perfect feel-good book from one of South Africa’s top children’s authors.’

BookTrust

‘Jaco Jacobs undoubtedly has the gift of writing entertaining stories. His characters are believable, and ever so often there’s a hint of humour to make the reading experience even more pleasurable.’

IBBY

‘Instantly engaging, funny and robust.’

New Statesman

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