Gemma and her mum have always been very close. They only have each other and they are like best friends.

But when Gemma’s teacher Mrs Wellcome announces a new class project, Gemma begins to worry. A family tree project? How can she make a family tree when her family only has one branch?

She watches her best friend’s tree spread across her project and begins to miss any cousins, aunts and uncles she’s never missed before. With some help from Mrs Wellcome, Gemma can see there are other ways to show family, and she sets about to do just that.

Gemma and her mum are queens of selfies, and there are so many pictures to choose from. On her search through their computer and boxes of photos, Gemma finds a photo she hasn’t seen before.

Could it be her nan? But it isn’t an old photo, and mum said she was dead….?

This touching middle-grade verse novel tells a story of love, heartache, confusion and discovery. Rich in beautiful similie and with just the right words that portray so much, Sherryl Clark has given readers a story that will touch their hearts.

Gemma’s world is forever changed by the realisation of a lie from the person she trusted more than anyone else in her world. Her mum.

This moment of growing up is brave on the page, with Gemma deciding for herself what she wants for her future family tree.

A few illustrations are scattered through the pages, but the most powerful one is of a tree that begins with only two branches. As the story progresses, so does the growth of the tree, promising so much more for Gemma in the final picture.

Gorgeous.

Author – Sherryl Clark

Illustration – Astred Hicks

Age – 10+

(2025, UQP, Australia, Ancestry, Family Tree, School Project, Identity, Estrangement, Argument, Problems, Conflict Resolution, Family, Growing up, Love, Mystery, School, Secret, Verse Novel)