All the Tricky Little Things: Melbourne author Karys McEwen’s debut novel influenced by Harvey childhood

Melbourne-based author Karys McEwen has made an ode to her Harvey childhood in her debut children’s novel, including basing one of the characters around the town’s beloved librarian. Having spent her childhood digging through the shelves of the Harvey Library, Ms McEwen said her new book All the Tricky Little Things and love of reading were heavily influenced by her regional upbringing. “(The book) is set in a small town just outside a big city, it’s a fictional town but, obviously, influenced by my childhood in Harvey,” she said. “I found reading really comforting and really reassuring, especially growing up in a small town, I read a lot of books about young people having similar experiences and it made me feel less alone and that was really important to me as a kid as well.” Adoring the welcome influence of librarian Ruth Campbell-Hicks during her weekly childhood library visits, Ms McEwen has acknowledged the Harvey local in her novel. “It was really important to me that there was a librarian character in the book, a little cameo, and I really wanted her to be named after Ruth to acknowledge how important she is to me,” she said. “I used to visit the library once a week without fail and just loved how passionate Ruth was and how non-judgmental she was, she just let me read whatever I wanted and really encouraged my lifelong love of reading,” she said. A quiet coming of age story about a a girl named Bertie and her transition to high school, the book sees Bertie’s best friend Claire set a list of activities for Bertie to complete over the summer holidays in the hope it will make the protagonist more confident. Identity, friendship, belonging and change are all part of Bertie’s story as she begins to tick items off her list before moving to her new school in the City. A school librarian for more than a decade and president of the Children’s Book Council of Australia Victoria branch, Ms McEwen said she encouraged young people to “pick up a book” and her time at the Harvey Library was a big part of her career journey. “I find that I don’t have to try too hard, kids are still reading and still loving books despite all the other distractions available these days, it’s really important for kids to develop empathy, putting themselves in someone else’s shoes through a book,” she said. Now residing in Melbourne, Ms McEwen said she was grateful for her childhood in Harvey and enjoyed coming back to visit the regional town. “(Melbourne) is a really incredible place for anyone that works in the literature industry, whether that’s writers, publishers, librarians or booksellers, it’s a real hub for people that love books or reading and writing,” she said. “I do really feel at home (in Melbourne), but also so grateful for my childhood in Harvey and love going back to visit and always stop in to see Ruth when I’m there.”