It’s true, there’s something in the world called love. Esma felt it when she moved into the house with the blue stairs. There was Kara beside her, and Simon below with his room that looked out to the road - two roads actually so you had a choice as you were leaving or arriving, which way to take. But anyway, Esma at the beginning saw only one way …

When Esma moves into 22 Starling Street, she knows she’s come to the right place. A place to become someone new. A place to belong.

As the seasons change, she finds herself falling deeper and deeper in love. But not in the way she expects …

A remarkable novel about friendship, trust and hope - and what it means to love.

Awards Victorian Premier’s Literary Award for Young Adult Fiction, 2009 Best Children’s Book Cover, Australian Publishers’ Association, 2009 Nominated for Australian Book Review’s Favourite Australian Novel, 2009