The Incredible Adventures of Cinnamon Girl by Melissa Keil

17-year-old Alba is an aspiring comic-book artist, pastry enthusiast and eternal optimist. She thinks small town life is awesome (if predictable) and she never wants it to change. Then, a questionable television psychic predicts the end of the world and her tiny town is besieged by doomsday enthusiasts, throwing Alba’s life is thrown into chaos. The childhood friend she thought was gone unexpectedly reappears; the boy who has been her best friend forever is determined to leave; and even her latest comic book creation, Cinnamon Girl, is out of control. It could be the very last summer of Alba’s life, but impending Armageddon might turn out to be the least of her problems.

Green Valentine by Lili Wilkinson

Green Valentine is a romantic comedy with guerilla gardening, high school politics and a lobster suit… Astrid Katy Smythe is beautiful, smart and popular. A straight-A student and a committed environmental activist – she’s basically perfect. Hiro is the opposite of perfect. He’s slouchy, rude and resentful – despite his brains, he doesn’t see the point of school. But when Astrid meets Hiro at the shopping centre where he’s wrangling shopping trolleys, he doesn’t recognise her because she’s in disguise. And she doesn’t set him straight.

Pink by Lili Wilkinson

(We couldn’t resist including another Lili Wilkinson story…)

Ava Simpson is trying on a whole new image. Stripping the black dye from her hair, she heads off to the Billy Hughes School for Academic Excellence, leaving her uber-cool girlfriend, Chloe, behind. Ava is quickly taken under the wing of perky, popular Alexis, who insists that: a.) she’s a perfect match for handsome Ethan, and b.) she absolutely must audition for the school musical. But while she’s busy trying to fit in – with Chloe, with Alexis and her Pastel friends, even with the misfits in the stage crew – Ava fails to notice that her shiny reinvented life is far more fragile than she imagined.

The Intern by Gabrielle Tozer

Josie Browning dreams of having it all. A stellar academic record, an amazing career in journalism, and for her crush to realise she actually exists. When a coveted columnist job comes up for grabs at the the glossy fashion magazine, Sash, Josie has some tough competition in the form of two other interns. Battle lines are drawn and Josie quickly learns that the magazine industry is far from easy, especially under the reign of powerful editor, Rae Swanson.

Newt’s Emerald by Garth Nix

Garth Nix gives readers his version of a regency romance with this frothy, magical mystery. After the Newington Emerald is stolen, 18-year-old Lady Truthful Newington goes to London to search for the magical heirloom of her house. But as no well-bred young lady can hunt the metropolis for a stolen jewel, she has to disguise herself as a man, and is soon caught up in a dangerous adventure where she must risk her life, her reputation and her heart.

The Reluctant Jillaroo by Kaz Delaney

Twin sisters Heidi and Harper are identical in their appearance, but couldn’t be more different in personality. Heidi is all about sun, skating, waves – while Harper is quite simply horse-mad. But the two sisters love each other and when Harper has an accident, jeopardising her chance to attend the agricultural school of her dreams, Heidi agrees to impersonate her sister and attend the ten day Jillaroo camp that a necessary scholarship hinges on. But Heidi’s about to discover that flying under the radar isn’t that easy when you’re falling in love.

Cloudwish by Fiona Wood

Scholarship student Vân U’oc Phan is all work and no play – until star athlete Billy Gardiner develops a sudden and (in Vân U’oc’s opinion) irrational interest in her. Worried that she’s at the centre of an elaborate joke, Vân U’oc starts to wonder if magic could actually exist. This is a wonderful, heartwarming coming-of-age story set in Melbourne.

You’re the Kind of Girl I Write Songs About by Daniel Herborn

Tim is repeating the HSC, but he’s more into music than studying. He is juggling playing in a band with handing in assignments and the music is winning. Mandy is taking a year off before she starts uni. Her problem is she doesn’t really know what she wants to study, so she’s working (sort of) and even by her own admission spends too much watching daytime TV and drinking tea with best friend Alice. When Tim and Mandy meet at a gig, the attraction is immediate but they are both so shy and self-conscious neither of them knows where to start.

The Flywheel by Erin Gough

17-year-old Delilah’s crazy life is about to get crazier. Ever since her father took off overseas, she’s been struggling to run the family’s cafe – The Flywheel – without him. She also hopes to survive high school, despite a misjudged crush turning her into a punchline. With all that’s on her plate she barely has time for her favourite distraction – spying on the beautiful Rosa, who dances flamenco at the tapas bar across the road. And when her best friend Charlie’s plan to win an older woman’s heart goes horribly wrong, Del finds herself grappling with some seriously curly questions.

The Pain, My Mother, Sir Tiffy, Cyber Boy & Me by Michael Gerard Bauer

Maggie Butt is facing a slew of terrible changes in her future. A stranger (The Pain) is not only taking over her mother’s life, but her own life as well. There’s also a one-eyed snaggle-toothed cat, the all-important senior subject choices, the dream date, and Cyber Boy, the geek in the library to contend with as well. With Maggie determined to persevere despite it all, it’s shaping up to be a very interesting year.