giftyareality It can be easy to think that young adult books are pretty much vampires, vampires and more vampires (plus the odd angel thrown in here and there). But for those of you who aren’t so keen on the paranormal, here are some brilliant books about things that could happen to anyone.

9780330426060 Six Impossible Things
Fiona Wood

Dan Cereill’s life isn’t exactly perfect: he’s just moved to a new school, his dad has announced he’s gay, and his mother’s business is failing. To take his mind off the bad, Dan makes a list of six impossible things that he would love to be possible. And number one on the list is kissing Estelle, the girl next door who doesn’t even know he exists.

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9780143011453 Raw Blue
Kirsty Eagar

The most important thing in Carly’s life is surfing, because when she’s surfing it helps her not to think about what happened to her two years ago. Then she meets Ryan, newly released from prison, and Carly has to decide if she will hold on to the painful past or move forward.

resized_9781742374710_224_297_FitSquare The Golden Day
Ursula Dubosarsky

On a day in 1967, a group of school girls embark on an excursion with their teacher to some caves by the shore, led by the mysterious poet and gardener, Morgan. But when they emerge from the caves, their teacher does not, and together they must deal with the scrutiny of those wanting to know what really happened. A beautiful and haunting story reminiscent of Picnic at Hanging Rock.

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All_I_Ever_Wanted_large_cover All I Ever Wanted
Vikki Wakefield

Mim’s family are firmly embroiled in Adelaide’s criminal underbelly, but she’s determined to be different. She’s made herself a list of rules to follow to ensure she doesn’t end up like them, but it’s going to be difficult when she’s surrounded by the people she’s determined not to be like.

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9780732289003 Paper Towns
John Green

Q has always had a crush on Margo, who lives next door. So when she shows up in the middle of the night and asks him to join her on an epic quest of vengeance, how can he say no? John Green’s wit is second to none, and he always manages to fill his books with characters so real and original you’ll drag out the reading of said book just to spend more time with the people in it.

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9780330425780 Graffiti Moon
Cath Crowley

Lucy is in love with Shadow, a mysterious graffiti artist; Ed thought he was in love with Lucy, until she broke his nose; Dylan loves Daisy, but throwing eggs at her probably wasn't the best way to show it; and Jazz and Leo are slowly encircling each other. This is an intense and exhilarating book that tracks four teenagers on the verge of adulthood over 24 hours. The winner of this year's Prime Minister's Award for Young Adult Fiction.

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holly-pic Holly Harper is a children’s bookseller at Readings Carlton. She also writes books for younger readers under the name H.J. Harper. Find out more about her books here and follow her on twitter - @hj_harper.