What do you think?
Rate this book
Making Laws for Clouds
Life.
This could be the best summer of Kane's life . . .
This summer is different because there's a new girl in town. It's different because she's Tanika Bell - occasional bus driver, regular optimist and, it turns out, woman of the world.
But expecting life to play by the rules is like making laws for clouds. Kane's whole family has never worked by the rules. His dad ran off years ago, his mother's still chafing and drinking, and she's really bad on her bad days. Summer sets in, hot and humid, and Kane works the road verges. But he's got lofty ambitions, he's got Tanika on his mind and he's going to make this summer count, whatever it takes.
Once again Nick Earls is poignant, sharp, very funny and sometimes achingly sad. Making Laws for Clouds gives us the good times, shows us the bad, and - just like Kane - looks to making something hopeful for the future.
This could be the best summer of Kane's life . . .
This summer is different because there's a new girl in town. It's different because she's Tanika Bell - occasional bus driver, regular optimist and, it turns out, woman of the world.
But expecting life to play by the rules is like making laws for clouds. Kane's whole family has never worked by the rules. His dad ran off years ago, his mother's still chafing and drinking, and she's really bad on her bad days. Summer sets in, hot and humid, and Kane works the road verges. But he's got lofty ambitions, he's got Tanika on his mind and he's going to make this summer count, whatever it takes.
Once again Nick Earls is poignant, sharp, very funny and sometimes achingly sad. Making Laws for Clouds gives us the good times, shows us the bad, and - just like Kane - looks to making something hopeful for the future.
- GenresFictionYoung Adult
200 pages, Paperback
First published July 3, 2006
2 people are currently reading
37 people want to read
About the author
Nick Earls
74 books172 followersNick Earls is the author of twelve books, including bestselling novels such as Zigzag Street, Bachelor Kisses, Perfect Skin and World of Chickens. His work has been published internationally in English and also in translation, and this led to him being a finalist in the Premier of Queensland’s Awards for Export Achievement in 1999.
Zigzag Street won a Betty Trask Award in the UK in 1998, and is currently being developed into a feature film. Bachelor Kisses was one of Who Weekly’s Books of the Year in 1998. Perfect Skin was the only novel nominated for an Australian Comedy Award in 2003, and has recently been filmed in Italy.
He has written five novels with teenage central characters. 48 Shades of Brown was awarded Book of the Year (older readers) by the Children’s Book Council in 2000, and in the US it was a Kirkus Reviews selection in its books of the year for 2004. A feature film adapted from the novel was released in Australia by Buena Vista International in August 2006, and has subsequently screened at festivals in North America and Europe. His earlier young-adult novel, After January, was also an award-winner.
After January, 48 Shades of Brown, Zigzag Street and Perfect Skin have all been successfully adapted for theatre by La Boite, and the Zigzag Street play toured nationally in 2005.
Nick Earls was the founding chair of the Australian arm of the international aid agency War Child and is now a War Child ambassador. He is or has also been patron of Kids Who Make a Difference and Hands on Art, and an honorary ambassador for both the Mater Foundation and the Abused Child Trust. On top of that, he was the face of Brisbane Marketing’s ‘Downtown Brisbane’ and ‘Experience Brisbane’ campaigns.
His contribution to writing in Queensland led to him being awarded the Queensland Writers Centre’s inaugural Johnno award in 2001 and a Centenary Medal in 2003. His work as a writer, in writing industry development and in support of humanitarian causes led to him being named University of Queensland Alumnus of the Year in 2006. He was also the Queensland Multicultural Champion for 2006.
He has an honours degree in Medicine from the University of Queensland, and has lived in Brisbane since migrating as an eight-year-old from Northern Ireland in 1972. London’s Mirror newspaper has called him ‘the first Aussie to make me laugh out loud since Jason Donovan’. His latest novel is Joel and Cat Set the Story Straight, co-written with Rebecca Sparrow.
Zigzag Street won a Betty Trask Award in the UK in 1998, and is currently being developed into a feature film. Bachelor Kisses was one of Who Weekly’s Books of the Year in 1998. Perfect Skin was the only novel nominated for an Australian Comedy Award in 2003, and has recently been filmed in Italy.
He has written five novels with teenage central characters. 48 Shades of Brown was awarded Book of the Year (older readers) by the Children’s Book Council in 2000, and in the US it was a Kirkus Reviews selection in its books of the year for 2004. A feature film adapted from the novel was released in Australia by Buena Vista International in August 2006, and has subsequently screened at festivals in North America and Europe. His earlier young-adult novel, After January, was also an award-winner.
After January, 48 Shades of Brown, Zigzag Street and Perfect Skin have all been successfully adapted for theatre by La Boite, and the Zigzag Street play toured nationally in 2005.
Nick Earls was the founding chair of the Australian arm of the international aid agency War Child and is now a War Child ambassador. He is or has also been patron of Kids Who Make a Difference and Hands on Art, and an honorary ambassador for both the Mater Foundation and the Abused Child Trust. On top of that, he was the face of Brisbane Marketing’s ‘Downtown Brisbane’ and ‘Experience Brisbane’ campaigns.
His contribution to writing in Queensland led to him being awarded the Queensland Writers Centre’s inaugural Johnno award in 2001 and a Centenary Medal in 2003. His work as a writer, in writing industry development and in support of humanitarian causes led to him being named University of Queensland Alumnus of the Year in 2006. He was also the Queensland Multicultural Champion for 2006.
He has an honours degree in Medicine from the University of Queensland, and has lived in Brisbane since migrating as an eight-year-old from Northern Ireland in 1972. London’s Mirror newspaper has called him ‘the first Aussie to make me laugh out loud since Jason Donovan’. His latest novel is Joel and Cat Set the Story Straight, co-written with Rebecca Sparrow.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
July 8, 2018
Nick Earls has an assured voice for YA. Never condescending, focused on the suburban realities and letting the reader find the nuance in the characters and their lives.
The title, Making Laws for Clouds, finds its summation in Kane, an eighteen year old council worker who is having the best, and worst, summer of his life when he meets Tanika. It's a time when the rules are both a help and a hindrance, learning why some rules are put in place and sometimes why it would be like trying to make rules for the clouds to follow.
This is a deft and quietly spoken YA novel and it leaves you hopeful.
The title, Making Laws for Clouds, finds its summation in Kane, an eighteen year old council worker who is having the best, and worst, summer of his life when he meets Tanika. It's a time when the rules are both a help and a hindrance, learning why some rules are put in place and sometimes why it would be like trying to make rules for the clouds to follow.
This is a deft and quietly spoken YA novel and it leaves you hopeful.
September 19, 2013
I found this at the op shop for a dollar and having been recommended Nick Earls before, decided to give it a go. It took me a few pages to realise I had in fact picked up a Young Adult book, however, that doesn’t really matter as, despite it not being my sort of book (obviously), I thought the writing was very clean and captured the characters and setting in a confident manner that reminded me of Nick Hornby.
July 8, 2020
Actual Rating: 3.5 Stars.
This is a coming of age story told from the perspective of Kane, an 18 Year old council worker from the Sunshine Coast (Australia). He lives with his mentally unwell mother and his 14 year old brother and he is in love with a girl called Tanika Bell and really that is the entire book. It is not fast paced. It is not action packed. It is a character driven story set over a few months and focuses on the inane everyday existence of a family (not unlike the family from the Castle - very much that vibe) going through the motions and it strangely worked (even giggled with all the domino's pizza deals references and the church Christmas play fiasco).
While I wouldn't say I loved this book, I was expecting (given the relatively low ratings) it to be a difficult read - it wasn't. It was quick and quaint and even though it ends in a very mundane way - it works as that is the point of the story and it just makes you feel a little happier that there are people like Kane in the world. The writing was really lovely and I loved the title reveal:
"They did a story on clouds on the 'Today' show this morning. Clouds and skydiving. There's a law that says it's illegal to skydive into a cloud....."
"And Wayne says 'Laws for clouds? How do you make laws for clouds....How do clouds understand that kind of thing? They're just water aren't they? And like what if the clouds were really bad? Would you set the law on them and chase them all around the country and put 'em in jail? How do you lock up a cloud?"
And much later in the book....
"But you can only do what you can do. And some people will do far less. And expecting my father to live by any rules is like making laws for clouds, the way Wayne thought they meant it"
Reading Challenge
Aussie Reader's 2020 Annual A-Z Character Challenge: Read a book where the main character has a name starting with K (Kane)
Aussie Reader's 2020 Annual A-Z Author Challenge: Read a book by an Author whose first name starts with N (Nick)
Aussie Reader's 2020 July "Freedom At Last" Challenge: Read books that author's surname start with the thing you missed most during social isolation - that would be seeing my BESTIE
This is a coming of age story told from the perspective of Kane, an 18 Year old council worker from the Sunshine Coast (Australia). He lives with his mentally unwell mother and his 14 year old brother and he is in love with a girl called Tanika Bell and really that is the entire book. It is not fast paced. It is not action packed. It is a character driven story set over a few months and focuses on the inane everyday existence of a family (not unlike the family from the Castle - very much that vibe) going through the motions and it strangely worked (even giggled with all the domino's pizza deals references and the church Christmas play fiasco).
While I wouldn't say I loved this book, I was expecting (given the relatively low ratings) it to be a difficult read - it wasn't. It was quick and quaint and even though it ends in a very mundane way - it works as that is the point of the story and it just makes you feel a little happier that there are people like Kane in the world. The writing was really lovely and I loved the title reveal:
"They did a story on clouds on the 'Today' show this morning. Clouds and skydiving. There's a law that says it's illegal to skydive into a cloud....."
"And Wayne says 'Laws for clouds? How do you make laws for clouds....How do clouds understand that kind of thing? They're just water aren't they? And like what if the clouds were really bad? Would you set the law on them and chase them all around the country and put 'em in jail? How do you lock up a cloud?"
And much later in the book....
"But you can only do what you can do. And some people will do far less. And expecting my father to live by any rules is like making laws for clouds, the way Wayne thought they meant it"
Reading Challenge
Aussie Reader's 2020 Annual A-Z Character Challenge: Read a book where the main character has a name starting with K (Kane)
Aussie Reader's 2020 Annual A-Z Author Challenge: Read a book by an Author whose first name starts with N (Nick)
Aussie Reader's 2020 July "Freedom At Last" Challenge: Read books that author's surname start with the thing you missed most during social isolation - that would be seeing my BESTIE
August 18, 2017
The whole book is pretty much that typical 'new girl in the neighbourhood, boy falls in love, became best friends' kind, and pretty much can happen in real life. Not really the type of book that I like bc it's boring, to be honest. However, there will be parts in the book that are life lessons.
It is not recommended for under 18s as there are a couple of sexual references included.
It is not recommended for under 18s as there are a couple of sexual references included.
December 9, 2022
Lighthearted & joyous
November 6, 2023
Nativity play goes wrong.
March 6, 2016
What do you do when life doesn't play by the rules? It's like making laws for the clouds. Kane's whole family has never worked by the rules. His dad ran off years ago, his mother is mentally unwell and Tanika Bell has arrived in town. Kane is grappling with his new job with the Council and tying to navigate his way through an embarrassing scandal that the local town just won't forget. This book is very funny but also filled with poignant messages.
July 23, 2015
I'm not sure it's really fair reviewing this, as I am clearly outside of the target audience. However, as teen fiction goes, it isn't bad. As adult fiction goes, it feels very young, and somewhat nostalgic if you came from those times in Australia.
October 18, 2016
I had to read this book for an English assignment and by god I hated this book. The ending was anti-climatic and the characters, in my opinion, were dull as hell and were too busy feeling sorry for themselves. Honestly this barely even deserves one star.
February 2, 2015
Probably my least favourite of the Nick Earls books I have read but I also probably found it the hardest to relate to. I still liked it though.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews