New Middle Grade Fantasy Book Sheds Light on the Importance of Love, Community and Australian Wildlife After Bushfire – GlobeNewswire

SYDNEY, June 16, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Author Trish Teske takes readers on an adventurous journey of hope set in an Australian bush fantasy world in her debut book, Gruntz: Finding zO. zO is home to Gruntz, human-like creatures inspired by the quintessential Australian animal, the koala. Their ears are furry, their skin is like velvet and they have claws. Readers can experience the universal themes of good versus evil, overcoming adversity and the importance of home and finding a best friend through this very relatable imaginary world.

The story follows 10-year-old grunt, Flynn, who was orphaned after a devastating bushfire five years earlier. He has been trying to fit in for what seems like forever. Now, just when he has made it onto the under-thirteen Dragons football team, the bully, Spike challenges him to a most despicable dare that could cost him everything. As the story unfolds, however, the two boys backgrounds are more similar than you can imagine.

Gruntz characters may look different but they experience the very same feelings as many young readers. They share the emotions of fun, happiness, loneliness, sadness and most of all the feeling of belonging. In the town of zO, there are champions and heroes, bullies and a villain.

Having grown up in regional North Queensland, I have always felt a deep connection to the Australian bush and bush life, says Teske. This was the inspiration for the setting of this story including the personal experiences of drought, bushfires and adversity. Throughout my life, I have always been inspired by those who fought for our country, so I drew on my personal experience and the importance of legacy to build this theme into the story. I wanted to empower young readers to manage situations of bullying by encouraging open communication and by building understanding and compassion between those involved. I made sure to share the emotional journey of both Flynn and his bully, Spike, to show how true resolution can be achieved.

Gruntz: Finding zO exposes current and contemporary Australian themes including bushfire, exclusion, bullying and war through a less confronting medium enabling young readers to connect with the characters challenges and experiences.

The book shows that bullying can be turned around if understanding and trust are part of the change. Gruntz: Finding zO presents the importance of planning to protect families, bushland and wildlife from bushfire, which is pivotal to the plot, as well as remembering the bravery and sacrifice of those past and present defending our world. The value of community and intergenerational relationships is also promoted, demonstrating how loving and safeguarding those closest to you helps protect everyone and everything in your community.

Gruntz: Finding zO

By Trish Teske

ISBN: 9781504320016 (softcover); 9781504320023 (electronic)

Available at the BalboaPress Online Bookstore, Amazon and Barnes & Noble

About the author

With Leigh, her husband of over forty years, Teske lives on a leafy hilltop overlooking the lakes in northern New South Wales. She shares her passions of a cappella singing, reading, cooking, house renovating, motor homing, mosaics, costuming, gardening and volunteering with her much-loved family and friends.

Balboa Press Australia is a division of Hay House, Inc., a leading provider in publishing products that specialise in self-help and the mind, body and spirit genre. Through an alliance with the worldwide self-publishing leader Author Solutions, LLC, authors benefit from the leadership of Hay House Publishing and the speed-to-market advantages of the Author Solutions self-publishing model. For more information or to start publishing today, visit balboapress.com.au/ or call 1800 050 315.

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New Middle Grade Fantasy Book Sheds Light on the Importance of Love, Community and Australian Wildlife After Bushfire - GlobeNewswire