Five minutes with author Karys McEwen
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Newcomer Karys McEwen has written a charming middle-grade novel about a summer of transition, as Bertie awaits the start of high school.
All the Tricky Little Things has got all the feels: friendship, family, crushes, parties—and finding yourself.
What’s so special about the time at the end of primary school?
The transition from primary school to high school is one of those big ‘growing up’ events that is both thrilling and terrifying. For some, it’s a fresh start at a new school, where you can reinvent yourself or just try and figure out who exactly you’re going to be. It can be a time to meet new people and try new things.
For others, it can be a bit of a shock going from being the oldest kids at the top of the school, all the way back to the bottom! And along with it comes all kinds of other changes—puberty, friendships, and all the glorious and messy parts of being a teenager.
Either way, I think heading to high school is one of the momentous times in a young person’s life.
What did you want to capture about this period?
Something that I wanted to show in All The Little Tricky Things is that we don’t all grow up evenly or at the same time, and that can be quite tricky to say the least.
When I was nearly a teenager, I remember feeling quite ‘young’ compared to my friends; I was worried about being left behind and constantly wondering when I would figure it all out. Everyone is on their own schedule at that age, and as an educator I notice it especially in that first year of high school where the kids seem to be all over the place in terms of maturity.
Through Bertie’s story, I wanted to express that it’s okay to do things in your own time frame and it doesn’t need to be such a rush. I hope that readers who are experiencing similar feelings are able to feel less alone when they read the novel.
Was the country town setting a purposeful ploy in the book’s set up?
I grew up in country WA and I wanted to represent that small-town coming-of-age experience. These days I work in an inner-city high school in Melbourne, which is a very different context!
Like Bertie, I was also sent to the city for high school, while all my friends stayed behind, so I wanted to write about what that was like. That is the only element of the book that is based on my own experience!
Coming of age is a fairly common theme for middle-grade and YA writing? What did you consider to make Bertie’s ‘journey’ stand out?
I wanted Bertie’s story to be relatable and reassuring. Coming-of-age isn’t always a blockbuster event. A lot of the time it happens gradually, in small moments, and without much fanfare. I really wanted to show the ‘little tricky things’ about growing up, emphasis on the little, because even though a lot of those moments are seemingly inconsequential in hindsight or to adults, for young people those experiences can feel overwhelming. I wanted to give time and space to that quiet journey.
What have you learnt as a school librarian? What can you share about what our kids might be going through/thinking?!
I have learnt that every teenager is completely different and sometimes that can cause them a lot of stress! I think many teenagers just want to ‘fit in’ and not cause a fuss (including myself at that age) but at the same time they don’t want to feel invisible.
Being a teenager (or maybe just a human…) is all about contradictions! Oh, and as a librarian working with kids, I have learnt that despite many adults’ concerns, young people still want to read actual, physical books. Hooray!
Kids are very discerning readers—they smell a phoney from miles—how did you work at getting the ‘voice’ just right?
That’s exactly right, kids are all over this stuff! They can tell straight away when an adult is trying too hard to sound like a teenager. I was very conscious of that as I was writing, and actively tried to do my due diligence and create an authentic teenage voice. It was probably my biggest focus during the writing and editing process.
Did hanging out with kids make writing for them easier?
I think so! Being surrounded by teenagers all day helped me get into their mindset a little more easily and hopefully, I have written something that is genuine and feels relatable.
While writing All the Little Tricky Things, I definitely used my students as a sounding board from time to time, whether that be asking them their feelings on certain moments in their lives or fact-checking questions like “what age did you get a phone?” They were very helpful!
What recent middle fiction have you loved?
I recently read and loved How to Spell Catastrophe by Fiona Wood, Those Kids from Fawn Creek by Erin Entrada Kelly and Moth in a Fancy Cardigan by Charlotte Lance & David Booth.
What’s on your TBR pile?
I’m really looking forward to reading The Best Liars in Riverview by Lin Thompson and Sadie Starr’s Guide to Starting Over by Miranda Luby.
All the Tricky Little Things is out now.
