Overview

The world is a lonely place when you don't have any friends, so you will understand why twelve-year-old Tia's face has frozen in a permanent scowl since her best friend, Nina, emigrated to Australia. Forced to go on a school camping trip, she is stuck in the rain in a tent with three girls she is determined to hate: Thandolwethu the greedy drama queen; Kayla, the juvenile delinquent; and Gugu, the mouse. A burst of temper alienates her from the boys in her soccer team, especially Ahmed, her childhood playmate; leaving her completely friendless. But Nature softens the toughest seeds, and the ancient Magaliesberg that has borne the tragedies and heroism of South Africa's past has secret powers at work on Tia and the others. Amidst the beautiful mountains, wrenched from WhatsApp and TikTok, the children find their senses re-awakened by the icy pools that make their skin tingle; by the startling, bright birds that flit amongst them; and by the delicious taste of salty butter melting in potatoes hot from the fire. Inspired by the 'Go-away bird', they rediscover their imaginations and talents and return to the age-old tradition of trickery and revenge. The results are thrilling, hilarious, and infuriating. Tia grows boobs overnight; Tristan strips down to luminous green underwear; and their teacher, Miss Nightingale, unknowingly sits on top of one of the girls in the middle of the night. It is when the four girls are punished for something they did not do, that Tia cracks open and finally begins to face her loss and loneliness.

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Clare Kerchhoff was born in KwaZulu Natal in 1962 and grew up in Pietermaritzburg. After her best friend left for England when they were both eight years old, she found solace in climbing trees in their family garden, and reading in the children's library where her mother worked. Family holidays in the Drakensberg mountains, and the Natal and Cape beaches introduced her to wild spaces and the beauty of the South African landscape. In her adolescence, her parents' anti - apartheid work, which led to her father's three month detention without trial, and solitary confinement, increased her awareness of the political injustices of the country but also of the rich cultural heritage of all its people. With a Bachelor of Arts degree and a teaching diploma from the University of KwaZulu - Natal, she taught high school English for a few years and then travelled in Asia, where she taught English as a second language in South Korea. She met her Australian husband in Thailand during this time. They settled in Johannesburg where they had two beautiful children who also developed a love of reading and of wild open spaces. Clare Kerchhoff now teaches music in Johannesburg but likes to escape to the mountains whenever she can. She writes poetry, songs, and various other works as a hobby. This is her first children's novel and she has written it particularly for South African children.

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