AustLit

'Ella and I have been best friends since grade one. We can spend hours talking about everything and nothing. We know each other’s greatest fears, things that irrationally annoy us, and ideal career if money and skill weren’t an issue. If there was only one Hartford Bakery brownie left in the whole world and it was somehow in my possession, Ella is the only person I’d consider sharing it with.

'Life is pretty good for sixteen-year-old Abby. Okay, her grandma doesn’t remember things anymore, her relationship with her mum is increasingly strained and she accidentally kissed her cousin’s cousin on the weekend, so things aren’t exactly perfect. But everything is manageable with her best friend, Ella, by her side.

'And with Ella’s brother, Will, interesting and attentive, on the sidelines.

'When new girl Chloe arrives, Abby is pleased to be the one to show her around, to welcome her to the group. But Abby doesn’t imagine Chloe fitting in so well or quite so quickly. And before long Abby is feeling just a little left out, a little unsure of Ella’s friendship. In a moment of anger and confusion she wishes something bad would happen.

'When it does—with tragic consequences—everything shifts again. And Abby has to face her own feelings and work out what friendship really means.

'Megan Williams’ brilliant debut Let’s Never Speak of This Again is a tender, moving story laced with humour, about friendship, about the things that test it, and about what matters most.'(Publication summary)

'Evie Vanhoutte is a teachers’ pet, a basketball star and the most beautiful girl in the year level. Evie Vanhoutte is tall, has long dark hair, a great smile, and for the past four years, Evie Vanhoutte has been the object of my most ardent, heartfelt, and passionate affection. Unrequited affection, of course.

'Patch is out of place at Mountford College: she wears the wrong clothes, she’s not sporty or popular, she lives in a small flat above her dad’s record shop a world away from the leafy suburb where she goes to school. And she has a secret long-term crush on basketball star Evie Vanhoutte. Evie barely knows Patch exists until an accident involving a bottle of ink and Patch’s school uniform sparks a friendship that’s equal parts exhilarating and terrifying, and very, very confusing.

'As if that weren’t enough, Patch is also trying to deal with a jealous school bully, forgetting to be supportive of her transitioning best friend, Edwin, and worrying about how a potential new stepmother could throw everything off course.

'Dancing Barefoot is a feel-good romance about growing up queer, figuring out your place in the world, staying true to yourself and your friends, finding love, and learning to embrace the obstacles life throws in your path.' (Publication summary) 

'A tender, heartfelt and funny middle-grade novel about a boy grappling with the rather large consequences of a minor misdeed, set against the backdrop of his mum’s new relationship and the lush landscape of tropical north Queensland.

'Aaron lives with his single mother and his bookish older brother Connor in a small town at the edge of a rainforest, home of the legendary rainfish. Wanting to make an impression on an older, cool kid, Aaron reluctantly takes part in a burglary that he immediately regrets. When the theft is reported in the local newspaper, Connor decides to try out some amateur sleuthing and the police begin an investigation.

'Aaron tries to cover his tracks, but when torrential rains and a fast-flowing flood lead to tragedy, Aaron he feels desperate guilt. His attempts to make amends take him on a journey that’s unexpected, humorous and ultimately redemptive.

'Rainfish is a delightfully engaging story that explores big feelings—joy, happiness, regret, guilt and fear— and the importance of knowing when to tell the truth, no matter how hard that might seem.' (Publication summary)

'Lona has dropped out of art school and no one is quite sure why, least of all Lona. It’s just that nothing in her life seems to make sense anymore, including art. She spends her days sneaking into the darkroom at her old school to develop photographs and her nights DJ-ing at the local roller disco.

'Her aimlessness terrifies her, but everyone else appears oblivious to her fears: her parents are bewildered by her sudden lack of ambition, her brother is preoccupied with his new girlfriend, and her best friend Tab seems to be drifting away. Even a budding relationship with a bass-playing, cello-shredding med student isn’t enough to shake her existential angst.