In the Trees

'In the Trees' is the title of a new novel by Pauline Fisk, prize-winning children's author, located in the remote Chiquibul rainforest of southern Belize and based on her journey in the steps of her son Idris. Idris had spent time there as a gap-year volunteer, helping protect the forest from destruction and, in his mother's words, "returned from Belize utterly transformed". Both were present at the 2011 Festival and we are happy to commend the book.

'In the Trees' is published by Faber & Faber, price £6.99.

A Commendation of ‘In the Trees’

by Rafael Manzanero, Head of Friends for Conservation and Development, Belize.

Hiking the Chiquibul forest of Belize is a daring and challenging task even for FCD rangers whose job is to patrol these forests. And every time it has new surprises. In early 2008 I met Pauline in the Chiquibul forest near an area named the Devils Backbone. To my surprise she had hiked the farthest distance to which our patrols reach and was returning back in one piece! To this day, I am inspired by this feat, since the hike is long and precarious – requiring stamina, rigor and upon all a strong determined body.

The Chiquibul forest has several threats ranging from farming and xate extraction, to poaching and looting. To reclaim its integrity, several interventions are in place and, using an adaptive management technique, we constantly are on the search for new ideas and partnerships. Pauline was convinced that the gap year experience currently underway in the Chiquibul Forest was making a difference not only to protect the forest but to the lives of the young volunteers.
The volunteers had been building an Observation Post for the Belizean military forces by the foothills of the Maya Mountains near t the border with Guatemala. Since its construction the presence of forces has curbed the illegal farming in that area, yet the Chiquibul forest is under constant threats. At FCD we are strong believers that everyone can make a difference to protect wilderness areas. It is not only moral to do so, but the survival of forests will make the planet a better place for human life. Perhaps recognizing that reality, and being a part of that change, is what also makes a change in the lives of gap volunteers.
The book written by Pauline, ‘In the Trees’, brings out this spirit of change. I hope that as you read this book it also motivates you to realize the changes that people like you can have on our Earth, even though it would seem that we are worlds apart.

REVIEWS OF ‘IN THE TREES’

Live Magazine:
‘A 'must-read' book and a 'moving story that asks people to open their eyes to the effects of global warming.'

The Irish Times:
'The gap year novel has arrived, hot from Belize and Pauline Fisk's capable pen.'

The Bookbag - a review by Jill Murphy:
I enjoy anything Pauline Fisk writes and’ In the Trees’ was no exception. She has an easy style and never seems to try too hard. The result is always a comfortable and interesting read with a really distinctive voice. Fisk has opinions but she doesn't feel the need to tub thump or put clumsy words into the mouths of her characters and everything simply flows beautifully.
In the Trees is quite an unusual story. It's about gap years, but the central character isn't on a gap year. He doesn't come from that sort of home and at the outset in fact, Kid sees gap year students as spoiled brats. It's also about the search for a long-lost parent, but that search doesn't actually take up much of the book's forefront. I suppose what it is really is the oldest of stories - coming of age - told through these two threads. Running counterpoint to the plot, the Belizean setting is beautifully described - from the poverty and begging of Belize City, through the dangerous but beautiful jungle scarified by deforestation, to life in a Kekchi-Mayan village.
Fisk went to Belize to research this novel and she has brought back such a wealth of sights and sounds and cultural attitudes to put in it that you can almost feel it. For me, the country was the stand-out element of In the Trees. I'm recommending this book, in case you hadn't guessed. It's original and fresh - a far cry from the floods of genre fiction filling the teen shelves in bookshops; it's well-written and interesting; it's by Pauline Fisk for heavens sakes! I think they'll like it.

The Observer:
In the Trees', the newest title from award-winning Pauline Fisk, is a gem.

Repeating Islands:
British author Pauline Fisk has written this interesting, environment-focused book for teens set in Belize.