Promotional Information

With this series, bestselling author, Tim Winton, delivers the iconic trio of titles that are still the foremost definitive texts on contemporary Australian life for teenage boys.

About the Author

Tim Winton is the acclaimed and award-winning Australian author of more than 30 books for adults and children, including two Booker Prize–shortlisted novels Dirt Music and The Riders. His work has been translated into more than 24 languages and adapted for film, television, stage and radio. He has won the Miles Franklin Award a record four times: for Shallows (1984), Cloudstreet (1992), Dirt Music (2002) and Breath (2009). The Turning also won the 2005 Christina Stead Prize for Fiction while Cloudstreet regularly appears in lists of Australia's best-loved novels. His latest novel is Juice (2024).

Winton has been named as a National Living Treasure by the Australian National Trust and awarded the Centenary Medal by the Australian government for services to literature and the community. Winton was appointed as an Officer of the Order of Australia in the 2023 King's Birthday Honours for ‘distinguished service to literature as an author and novelist, to conservation, and to environmental advocacy’.

Winton is patron of the Tim Winton Award for Young Writers sponsored by the City of Subiaco, Western Australia and is the patron of two environmental advocacy organisations: the Australian Marine Conservation Society and the Stop the Toad Foundation. He lives in Western Australia. Orlando Schwerdt is an Australian actor who has worked across film and theatre. He has previously appeared in White Bird, Children of the Corn and played young Ned Kelly in True History of the Kelly Gang. Orlando has also performed on stage in School of Rock (2018) and Matilda (2016).

Reviews

'Winton's dry, typically Down Under wit and his use of alien, sometimes challenging Australian slang should charm young readers on this side of the equator.'
*Publishers Weekly*

'A slapstick coming-of-age story set in a small Australian town.'
*Kirkus Reviews*

"Tim Winton's coming-of-age novel is relevant, funny, and touching. Lockie Leonard's family has moved from Perth to the East Coast of Australia. He has just turned 13 and must start a new school. Although he's a good surfer, he doesn't think he has much else going for him. His father is a pacifist cop, his brother wets the bed, and he lives in a less desirable section of town. Lockie hits the jackpot when cute, smart, popular, and well-off Vicki takes a liking to him. They quickly become an item, and Lockie is suddenly popular. When things start moving too fast, Lockie's need to slow it down causes Vicki to become bored with the relationship. With the help of time and his empathetic parents, he comes to terms with losing both Vicki and his popularity. Winton has tapped into the angst of young teen boys, and listeners will identify with Lockie. Librarians should be aware that use of the Australian vernacular is pervasive, and there is sexual content (make-out sessions and wet dreams). Stig Wemyss, an actor in both Australia and the U. S., narrates with great energy and enthusiasm, capturing the voices of all of the characters. Catchy musical interludes between chapters add a nice touch. Those who enjoy surfing and coming-of-ages stories or are Tim Winton fans might enjoy this audiobook."
*Customer Review*