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Melaina Faranda Melaina Faranda i(A76360 works by) (a.k.a. M. J. Faranda)
Born: Established: 1971 ;
Gender: Female
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Works By

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1 y separately published work icon Digger's Best Bone Melaina Faranda , Stevie Mahardhika (illustrator), South Yarra : Macmillan Education Australia , 2013 8082887 2013 single work picture book children's
1 3 y separately published work icon Abacus Aardvark and the Arctic Adventure Melaina Faranda , Malvern : Omnibus Books , 2011 Z1758790 2011 single work children's fiction children's adventure 'A boy with a dumb name, two useless parents, an awful teacher and an albino lemming called Houdini. Can anything good possibly come of a group like this? Well, actually, there is just a teensy possibility that the lemming will save the world.' (From the publisher's website.)
1 y separately published work icon Thirteen Pearls Melaina Faranda , Crows Nest : Allen and Unwin , 2010 6013510 2010 single work novel romance young adult

'Let me begin by saying that it started with a dream. My dream. I wanted to sail around the world. Solo.

Edie Sparks has grand plans. She' s building a boat to sail solo around the world, but she needs cash, and fast. So when her uncle offers her good money to work on his island pearl farm for six weeks she jumps at the chance. All she has to do is babysit her little cousi - how hard could it be?

But soon Edie is wrangling a monster-brat, arguing with her uncle and being wooed by two handsome boys. The work is hard and thankless and an isolated island off the coast of Far North Queensland turns out to be not as idyllic as it sounds.

One island, one girl, two boys (and a brat to babysit) - Thirteen Pearls is perfect for girls with a sense of adventure and romance.' (Publisher's blurb)

1 y separately published work icon Big Sky Melaina Faranda , Crows Nest : Allen and Unwin , 2009 Z1675385 2009 single work novel young adult

'When her dad breaks his leg, Skye has to lead the muster on her family's cattle station in the Kimberley. She's never been the boss on a muster before and her job gets harder with the surprise arrival of her high-maintenance fashionista best friend from boarding school. On the upside there is the very handsome Dan, a young jackaroo. But while Skye is a great horse rider and a seasoned cattle wrangler, she's ill-equipped to handle the human element and in this beautiful yet harsh country, jealousy, hot-tempers and inexperience may cost her more than she could have imagined. It will certainly be a cattle muster Skye will never forget...

'A compelling tale of cow-wrangling, crocodiles, campfires, silent tears and stolen kisses that unfolds beneath the big sky over a dramatic and unforgiving landscape.' (From the publisher's website.)

1 YA Fiction has the Last laugh! Melaina Faranda , 2009 single work column
— Appears in: Newswrite : The NSW Writers' Centre Magazine , June/July no. 185 2009; (p. 24)
2 y separately published work icon Greenheart Melaina Faranda , Australia : Random House Australia , 2005 10103107 2005 single work novel young adult fantasy

'Cool, controlled Devi Greenheart's world is turned upside down when she discovers plans to destroy her beloved grove. Somehow, her boyfriend's power-mongering father is behind it all and, as she and the Circle desperately fight to save their sacred place, Devi becomes entangled in a dangerous web of intrigue and lies. Will she be strong enough to face the truth? Who is the enchanting boy Devi encounters in the forest and can he help her through the terrifying nightmare that sends her running for her life?'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

2 3 y separately published work icon Princess Melaina Faranda , Milsons Point : Random House Australia , 2004 Z1136128 2004 single work novel young adult fantasy

'Ella sees herself as ugly and overweight, because that is what her shallow step-sisters tell her she is. She spends more and more time in front of the sinister mirror her step-mother gave her, its dark image giving her a distorted image of herself. Cruel teasing by a young guy triggers Ella into episodes of overeating and bulimia, and she becomes dangerously thin. Can Ella's friends in the Circle find a way to help? Or has Ella become so obsessed with her mirror world that she can no longer distinguish her true self from a false reflection?

'PRINCESS is a multi-layered retelling of the classic Cinderella tale of transformation, exploring issues of adolescent self-image, the beauty myth and the power of friendship.'

(Publication summary)

2 y separately published work icon Gift Melaina Faranda , Milsons Point : Random House Australia , 2003 Z1136131 2003 single work novel young adult fantasy

'A strange hill. A hidden room. A book of spells. A gorgeous guy she cannot trust. When Jess travels to Glastonbury, she learns the secret her mother has been desperate to keep. But it doesn't end there. Someone is using dark magic to kill her grandmother. It is time for Jess to accept the power of the Gift...' (Publication summary)

1 Influences : Melaina Faranda Melaina Faranda , 2003 single work column
— Appears in: The Sunday Age , 6 July 2003; (p. 10) The West Australian , 27 September 2003; (p. 14)
2 5 y separately published work icon Dreamer Melaina Faranda , Milsons Point : Random House Australia , 2003 Z1049488 2003 single work novel young adult fantasy

'The bonds of friendship. The possibilities of magic. The power of intuition. First the missing assignment, then the broken angel, and now the accident. Bad luck comes in threes, but Tara never suspected the third thing would be as horrendous as this ... When Troy Daniels, the guy Tara likes from school, is critically injured in a car crash, Tara needs help from her friends in the Circle. While Troy struggles for life, the girls draw on all their magic to try to turn the bad luck around. But when Tara's dreams start to become more real than waking life, she is forced to undertake a dangerous quest in the eerie realm of Gamova. Who is the imprisoned prince? How are Tara's dreams connected to Troy Daniels? And why is she too afraid to share them with the Circle? One thing becomes clear - to save the prince, Tara needs to understand a lot more about Troy's mysterious life ... ' (Publication summary)

2 The Circle Melaina Faranda , 2003 2003 series - author
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