First there was The Drop-off, and now the parents of Baytree Primary School are back for The Pick-up. Husband-and-wife writing team, Fiona Harris and Mike McLeish, have written a hilarious sequel to The Drop-Off. And yes, we also want to know how Harris and McLeish have managed to write two cracking books together!
In The Pick-up, we are reacquainted with Lizzie, Sam and Megan—three very different people who became best friends over good coffee and good laughs at school drop-off. Single-mum Megan is contemplating a slightly scandalous relationship. Newly divorced Sam is navigating the delights of online dating. And Lizzie is flat out juggling four kids and an absent husband.
As if that wasn’t enough, this year the trio have decided to embrace their inner parent helper and volunteer to go on the annual school camp. If they think their personal lives are chaotic, this camp’s going to teach them what chaos really means.
The daily school pick-up routine is something many parents, grandparents or carers will relate to, and the friendships forged are sensitively portrayed here. Lizzie, Sam and Megan have the kind of tight-knit friendship group that many long for in adulthood. I enjoyed the quick, witty dialogue as they joke and make fun of each other. The protagonists also support each other through the more serious life matters that this book touches upon—illness, divorce, navigating relationships and the everyday challenges of raising kids, working hard and trying to balance it all. Harris and McLeish delve into many relatable experiences, in the most heartfelt and funny of ways.
The narration alternates between Lizzie, Megan and Sam, including a series of hilarious emails from Sam interspersed throughout the novel. Things escalate for the kids and parents when they go on school camp together. And while no kid wants their parents at school camp, they might be needing them this time. Not to mention the parents needing each other too.
The familiar setting of suburban Melbourne makes The Pick-up a delightful local story. Harris and McLeish have hit the nail on the head in writing funny and engaging stories of family life, turning the mundane moments into truly lovable characters and books.
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