Song of the Cicada

Heather Buckland is a nine-year-old girl growing up in the late 1960s in the working-class Melbourne suburb of Noble Park. She has an older sister, Colleen, and a younger brother, Roland. Her grandparents and a maiden aunt live across the road. Heather is one of the less popular children in her area and is teased and bullied for her thin body and lack of confidence. Her very small group of friends is also ostracized for their appearances and social status. However, Heather always manages to triumph over diversity and enjoy the relative freedom the 1960s has, and she engages in various adventures. Her observations of other children, teachers, and adults are outlined in the story and incorporated as innocent and often hilarious ponderings. The vast differences of living in that era as compared to modern day are also implicated, particularly how children at that time relied on their imagination, internal resources, and outdoor activities to fill in their days without television and computer games.