Young adult
The Jewel by Amy Ewing
This book took me by surprise. My instinct is usually to pass on anything with an elaborate dress on the front cover, but this was thoroughly entertaining melodrama. The premise has a hint of The Handmaid’s Tale: girls born…
Messenger of Fear by Michael Grant
Mara awakes surrounded by a strange mist with no memory of what has happened or who she is, other than that her name is Mara. Guided by the mist to a church, she finds a young man, a Messenger, who…
The Year It All Ended by Kirsty Murray
1918 should have been the ‘year it all ended’ for 17-year-old Tiney Flynn and her family, as the Great War finally comes to an end and family and friends eagerly await the return of loved ones. But Tiney’s battles have…
Are You Seeing Me? by Darren Groth
Reading Are You Seeing Me?, I felt myself wanting to reach out and hug every character, tightly, the whole way through. The experience made my heart hurt in a special way. The story follows 20-year-old twins Justine and Perry…
Noggin by John Corey Whaley
Travis Coates is dying of leukaemia. As his body slowly deteriorates, Travis and his family realise he will soon die. When a doctor suggests he take part in a cryogenics trial (where you are preserved in below-freezing temperatures until future…
We Were Liars by E. Lockhart
We Were Liars is many things. It is an unflinching glimpse into a family fueled by their own self-destruction. It is King Lear and his three daughters. It is a pair of star-crossed lovers. Mostly, it is clever and surprising…
Searching for Sky by Jillian Cantor
Imagine an idyllic island paradise where life is beautiful but challenging. If you’re not willing or able to hunt, fish, forage for food and build shelter from the elements, you won’t last long in this complex world of interconnected human…
The Boy’s Own Manual to Being a Proper Jew by Eli Glasman
Here’s a fine response to the call for more diverse YA books: the story of a gay teenager growing up in the Orthodox Jewish community of Melbourne.
Yossi is a devoted, intelligent member of the close-knit society, which makes his…
Razorhurst by Justine Larbalestier
Razorhurst is set in a place and time that may be unfamiliar to readers when they begin – Surry Hills, Sydney, in the 1930s – but a strong opening chapter places our feet firmly in the grotty backstreets. From here…
Spark by Rachael Craw
Spark follows 17-year-old Evie as she learns she is the third-gen result of a failed government super-soldier experiment. She (as a Shield) is compelled to connect with and protect certain people (Sparks) from other types of failed super-soldiers (Strays), who…
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