Cirrus@Austlit

'The day is unbearably hot and dead calm: a day when there is a total fire ban. 

Only one spark will start a wild, devouring fire that would destroy everything in its path: homes, livestock, people…'

Chronicles the terrifying events of the day that uncontrolled wildfire sweeps across the countryside and records the reactions of five youngsters caught in it.

It is a total fire ban day. The drought is extreme, creeks are dry, dams are empty, water is restricted for millions of inhabitants. Then, in the searing heat, the forests of brittle tinder and oil-emitting trees are suddenly ablaze. Fire gone wild sweeps through the parched lands ... consuming forests and farms, wildlife and livestock. Steve is sure he didn't "drop a spark" riding the minibike. But as smoke engulfs the town he flees, conscience-stricken, into the forest. Jan sees the blaze approaching from across the woods and learns that her young brother, Fizzer, is missing. Terrified, she rushes into the forest to find him, followed by her friends Bill and Pete ... (and they) suddenly find themselves trapped in a raging wildfire.

'Planning to stay for ten years before returning to Devon, William Whitburn brings his wife and six children from England to the virgin forests of South Gippsland. In 1877 the family make their way on foot along a muddy track through the dense and towering forest to their new home, a wooden hut with an earthen floor in a small clearing. With only axes and saws, William Whitburn and his older sons cut down the huge trees of the ancient forest to clear the land for cattle and sheep. But 13-year-old Simon is fascinated by the forest and its creatures, particularly a pair of lyrebirds and their chicks.'

Source: Mavis Thorpe Clark fansite (http://www.mavisthorpeclark.com.au/books/blue_above_the_trees.shtml). (Sighted: 28/5/2014)

'Across nearly two thousand miles of flat, sandy desert country runs a railway line, linking east and west Australia. Scattered along it are small groups of houses. Here the fettlers live, isolated from towns and other people, maintaining the line in the blazing heat.

At night, out of the blackness the min-min appears, an elusive and mystic light dancing on the horizon, beckoning and retreating. Aborigines tell of the wonder and excitement this small swaying light arouses. To Sylvie, a young girl living with her family at the siding, the gleam in the dark is symbolic of her life and future.

Her brother Reg, a "young rough", is frightened to stay at the siding after some of the mischief he causes. So he and Sylvie set off across the endless desert, carrying insufficient water and some bread and jam, walking under the scorching sun, in dust and wind, and facing icy nights.'

Source: 1966 publisher's blurb.