Kauri Island – School Journal Level 4 November 2014

Set in colonial New Zealand, this historical story follows Thelma, a young settler adjusting to a new life while befriending a Māori boy named Tama. Through their friendship, Thelma learns about native flora and traditional remedies, documenting her discoveries in a journal alongside a list of potential names for her mother’s unborn baby. The narrative reaches a tense climax when Thelma ignores her father’s warnings and narrowly survives being crushed by a massive falling kauri tree in a logging area.