The Mailbox Tree
“Home might be dying, and drier than the bone of a long dead animal, but it’s still home. I don’t want another one.” (p. 8)
Set in Tasmania, The Mailbox Tree explores the heartwarming friendship between two girls who are separated only by time. Bea’s story, set in the present day, begins with emotional turmoil as she learns that her family will be moving from Tasmania to the Australian mainland for her dad’s new job. Seventy years in the future, Nyx deals with a similar (if more urgent) struggle. Her father wants to move to the mainland to escape the devastating climate catastrophe that has begun to impact their world. Both girls are upset about having to leave their homes behind but find comfort in the giant pine tree nearby. One day, Nyx discovers a note left behind by Bea and realizes that the tree allows them to communicate across time. As the two girls become friends, Nyx opens up about Tasmania’s bleak future. Desperate for a solution, she asks Bea to find a way to prevent the climate disaster from unfolding, hoping that their unique connection across time will be the key to changing the future.
This middle-grade novel sheds light on the severity of the climate crisis as it relates to the wellbeing of individuals and their communities. The dual timelines allow the book to explore a wide range of themes, from the personal (friendship, home, courage) to the global (climate change, migration, collective action). Bea’s struggle to fit in at school and fear of moving away can serve as a relatable starting point for young readers. It gives way to Nyx’s mirrored predicament, where she faces the looming threat of climate migration. Her story depicts the harsh realities of climate change, highlighting its physical effects (food and water scarcity) alongside its emotional struggles (climate grief and solastalgia).This connection can help readers empathize with those who have already lost their homes to extreme weather events and other climate-induced disasters.
The girls’ mailbox tree serves as an important link between time, illustrating how actions made in the present can shape the future in ways we might not fully understand. Tasmania’s transition from “one of the safest, cleanest, most stable places on Earth” (p. 12) to a “hot and gusty, gritty and dry” (p. 2) state shows the alarming speed and severity of the current climate crisis. The fact that both girls are drawn to the same tree as a place of refuge speaks to the value of finding comfort in nature, even when everything else seems uncertain. Bea’s initiative to rally her classmates, including those who have bullied her, provides a hopeful message of youth climate activism and collective action. She courageously guides her peers through her plans of both climate mitigation (planting trees) and adaptation (constructing a climate change bunker). Bea’s efforts to save Nyx’s future emphasize that by participating in climate activism, we are not only fighting for our present world but also for the survival and well-being of generations to come.
©2025 Climate Lit (Alexandra Delacruz)
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Publisher: Walker Books Australia, 2024
Audience: Ages 8-13
ISBN: 9781760659417
Pages: 240
Format: Novels
Topics: Climate Adaptation, Climate Change, Climate Grief, Climate Migration, Climate Refugees, Collective Climate Action, Drought, Extreme Weather Events, Flood, Mitigation, Solastalgia, Youth Climate Activism
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