The Bamboo Flute

Winner of the Children's Book Council of Australia Book of the Year Award for Younger Readers 1993

'[An] evocative, emotionally charged coming-of-age story' - Publisher's Weekly

Twelve-year-old Paul is a solitary boy, interested in music and conscious of the troubled spirits of those around him - especially his father. He has few friends because he lives on a farm. The town kids and the teacher ignore him or tease him.

One day Paul encounters a tramp, Eric the Red, camped on the farm. Eric shows him how to make a flute from bamboo. Paul's mother encourages his musical interests, but Paul knows that he can't tell his father what he is doing. His teacher later confiscates the flute before he can finish it, but he sets out to make another, in secret.

Meanwhile, the district is on the lookout for Eric the Red, accusing him of stealing sheep. Will Paul have the courage to stand up for him, revealing his link with Eric?

First published in 1992, THE BAMBOO FLUTE was Garry Disher's first novel for children. It is an evocative story of hardship, hope, respect and recognition set during the Depression.