Written by Cristy Burne
Illustrated by Amanda Burnett
Published by Fremantle Press, 1 Feb 2021

ISBN: 9781760990411 (paperback)

Cam and Sophie feel like they’ve been travelling forever to get to the rainforest and the river and their cousins. They just want to see a platypus in the wild. But with the rain tipping down and the river turning wild, they can’t see a thing.

Until suddenly, they can.

A platypus is just below them and it needs help! But when their rescue attempt goes horribly wrong, it’s not just the platypus that needs saving.

Action and adventure in the Queensland rainforest. This chapter book is great to read aloud, or for kids who are newly independent readers, and it has enough action and gross to suit readers up to 12 (and their parents!)

Read a free sample

Free teaching notes and activities

About the book

Our hike trail was a little … wet.

This story was perhaps the most fun to write of all my books. It’s exciting and uplifting and I can’t wait to share it with fans of To The Lighthouse and Off The Track.

Beneath The Trees is based on the true story of a family hike that I went on in Eungella National Park, Queensland.

It’s a junior fiction novel with loads of adventure, excitement, a touch of real-life horror, and some beautiful, utterly gorgeous platypus. Great for kids who don’t like reading…It’s a thrilling read! They won’t be able to put it down 🙂

Illustrated by the amazing Amanda Burnett.

Did you know? Eungella is home to gorgeous rainforest and is the best place in the world to see wild platypus.

Reviews

I found this adventure so riveting that I had to find out what happened in the end. Cristy Burne writes so well that it all seems very real so I’m sure that it will keep our young readers wondering right to the last pages. 
Good Reading magazine

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“Beneath the Trees is a page-turning combination of true-to-life survival techniques, environmental themes and action, which makes for a fun and informative read for children aged 6+. The perfect adventure story for anyone who’s ever wanted to see a platypus or visit a rainforest – I know I have!”
Better Reading

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“The author weaves an authentic, exciting tale of adventure which is both testament to the power and resilience of young people and a celebration of the natural world… Confident readers will devour it in one hit and be begging for more.” WritingWA

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“Wow, what a page turner! Couldn’t put it down and raced through it faster than the raging river in the story. Cristy really knows how to grab a reader’s attention and hang on.

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This is a rollicking ride for both the main characters and the reader… This is a small 100-page novel that crams in a lot of story. I was captured by the children’s tale from the beginning to the end of the book. This is the third in a series of high adventure stories, the others being The Lighthouse and Off the Track. Teacher’s notes are available.  I can highly recommend this novel to students aged 6 to 10 years. This book would be a great read aloud too. Themes: Sustainability, Resilience, Wildlife conservation, Rainforests.
ReadPlus

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‘Beneath the Trees is a great contained wilderness survival story for kids aged six and up … They will love reading this adventure and imaging how they would survive if lost in a forest.’ 
Books+Publishing

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Oh wow! What can I say about this book? Adventure! Adventure! Adventure! I could not put this book down at all. I will read this again and again. It’s a story of a group of children who travel to the rainforest with their family. The children discover a platypus, and they are so excited and then realise the platypus needs some help. It’s a beautiful story of empathy, leadership, trust, teamwork, family, nature, environment and lots of energy. I felt I was there, in the rainforest with the children. This book is so realistic and amazing, you can feel despair and feel you want to help the children as well as excitement too. I also felt proud of the children too, being able to negotiate and collaborate with each other as well as show empathy.  Cristy is very clever, you cannot put the book down as you want to feel the continuing adventure and you want to know what happens at the end. If you want a book with loads of adventure as well as being informative. You will enjoy this book! 
Helen Tomazin

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Acknowledgement

The creators of this book acknowledge the Widi and Yuwibara Peoples as the first custodians of the land on which this story occurs.  

Buy local

• Support your local bookshop
• Paper Bird Childrens Bookshop (Fremantle, WA)

Buy online

Fremantle Press
Booktopia (Australia/NZ)

Not Just Books (Tasmania)
Dymocks
Readings
Angus & Robertson
Boffins Books (Australia only)
Book Depository (UK and beyond)
Amazon (US)

Buy a signed and personalised copy

Order a copy from Crow Books  or Paper Bird and ask their friendly staff about arranging for me to personally sign and dedicate your copy to that special person.