Finding Home By Lauren K McKellar

When Amy’s mum dies, the last thing she expects is to be kicked off her dad’s music tour all the way to her Aunt Lou in a depressing hole of a seaside town. But it’s okay, Amy learned how to cope with the best, and soon finds a hard drinking, party loving crowd to help ease the pain.

The only solace is her music class, but even there she can’t seem to keep it together, sabotaging her grade and her one chance at a meaningful relationship. It takes a hard truth from her only friend before Amy realises that she has to come to terms with her past, before she destroys her future.

Almost eighteen year old Amy has just moved to the country, despite her protesting, and never plans to speak to her father again. Since her mother died four months ago, Amy has been on the road, touring venues and stage shows with her Father, well known rocker Stevie D. But Amy's father can't give her the stable life she needs and sends her to finish her schooling with Aunt Lou, hoping that clean country living will straighten out her alcohol issues.

Feeling abandoned, Amy Detrinella starts her new life at Cherrybrook High, having been homeschooled for the past three years. Wearing a hideous tartan uniform and feeling overwhelmed, she stumbles upon the alluring Luke and is instantly hooked. Luke is polite and absolutely gorgeous... He's also taken, as Amy is introduced to his sneering and territorial girlfriend, Coral. The awkward hallway exchange, catches the eye of Lily, cool girl and anti Coral enthusiast and what could possibly be the first friend Amy has had in years. But when Lily drags Amy along to a Friday night party, her world is about to become far more complicated.

Accosted by three teens, Amy is saved from a potential sexual assault by Luke. Luke is adamant that the boys were only playing and that the police wouldn't believe her once they smelt the alcohol on her breath, that it would be best if she keep the attack a secret and Amy is conflicted. The not so single Luke claims that he feels a connection with Amy, flirting secretly within the Cherrybrook halls, and the simple heated touches in their shared music class, which hasn't gone unnoticed by Nick.

Nick is a tattooed rock god, repeating his final year of school, plays in a band and bartends part time. He's everything that Amy isn't looking for, except single. The life of a musician only reminds Amy of her father, and she has no desire to be an afterthought to anyone's music, following in the footsteps of her parents. Amy continues to drown herself in alcohol, detach herself from new friend Lily and and ostracise herself from her Aunt, but when Luke admits that he is going to end his relationship with Coral, it's just the push that Amy wanted to take things further.

What ensues is a web of lies, deceit and cruel taunts as Amy's life is yet again turned upside down. Sometimes you can't judge a book by it's cover, and Amy is about to discover how true that is.

Finding Home is a novella told from Amy's point of view, daughter of an aging well known rocker. Amy is ridiculously naive, seemingly only picking up a love of alcohol from being on tour. Her father wants a stable environment for Amy, where she can stop binge drinking and interact with teens her own age, but Amy seems to involve herself in situations that could only stand to damage her further. We're offered insights into how Amy's love of binge drinking began, but the only explanation of her chasing Luke, who's already in a relationship, is purely her own stupidity.

It was engaging but touched on serious issues facing teens today, alcoholism, drug use, sexual assault and the story of a girl trying to find her own feet again.

Finding Home

Written By Lauren K. McKellar

Published 01 / 10 /2013

156 Pages

Thank you to Netgalley and Harlequin Australia for the opportunity to read and review.

Stacking The Shelves #002

Stacking The Shelves is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical stores or online bookshops, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course eBooks. Hosted by Tyngas Reviews.

This week I received a brilliant assortment of paperbacks, thanks to the lovely people at Walker Books, Harlequin Books Australia, Allen And Unwin and Harper Collins.

Never Fade by Alexandra Bracken, the second book in The Darkest Minds series. I absolutely loved book one and looking forward to reading this one throughout December. Thank you to the lovelies at Harper Collins Australia.

The Interrogation Of Ashala Wolf and The Disappearance Of Ember Crow by Aussie author Ambelin Kwaymullina. Both look awesome, mixing my love of Aussie authors with dystopian. I'm on the verge of a bookgasm. Courtesy of the awesome peeps at Walker Books.

These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner. This book not only has a cover to die for, but it sounds utterly incredible. The early reviews have described it as magical and I can't wait to read this one come December. Thank you to the super cool people at Allen And Unwin.

Pawn by Aimee Carter. This is the perfect example of the type of book I salivate over, and Crash Into You by Katie McGarry. I was enamored with the Pushing The Limits series and can't wait to read Isaiah's story. Thank you to the fabulous folk at Harlequin Books Australia.

What are you stacking your shelves with this week?

Jump Twinmaker Book One

Written By Sean Williams
Science Fiction, Dystopian
Published November 1st 2013
416 Pages
Thank you to Allen And Unwin
Add to Goodreads
★★★☆

Clair lives in a world revolutionised by DMat, a global teleport system that allows people to transport themselves instantaneously around the world. When a coded note promises improvement, the chance to change your body any way you want, making it stronger, taller, more beautiful, Clair thinks it’s too good to be true, but her best friend, Libby, is determined to give it a try.

What starts as Libby’s dream turns into Clair’s nightmare when Libby falls foul of a deadly trap. With the help of Jesse, the school freak, and a mysterious online friend called Q, Clair’s attempt to protect Libby leads her to an unimagined world of conspiracies and cover-ups. Soon her own life is at risk, and Clair is chased across the world in a desperate race against time.

In a future where you can travel anywhere in the world within minutes through portals, the Lucky Jump separates society's cliques. The group calling themselves the Crashlanders, and finding he ultimate party destination will gain you instant celebrity. Clair's best friend Libby is vying for the Crashlander status, using the DMat booth to find their party location. On their seventeenth jump that lands in an abandoned warehouse in Switzerland, their status is sealed. For Clair, she has no idea how hectic and dangerous her life is about to become.

Clair is already playing with fire, her attraction with Libby's boyfriend Zep proving to be dangerous ground. Libby is unstoppable, taking credit for the Crashlader site that Clair found and fueling her already inflated ego. The new meme making the cyber rounds is called Improvement, what is seemingly an innocent trend in which the idea is to write a series of code words on a piece of paper of what you wanted to change about yourself, whether it be height, intellect or physical appearance. Hide the note on your person when using the DMat, and your wish will be grated... And Libby is involved. She wants to hide her birthmark, her insecurity caused by the hunch that boyfriend Zep is being unfaithful. Zep and Clair had shared a kiss, could their mistake be the reason for Libby's change? Then why at the Crashlander's party, does she find herself in the same position again?

When Libby fails to show for school, Clair knows that something isn't right. No doubt she had heard the rumor that Clair was referred to as Zep's girlfriend during the coverage of the party, but when a strange message from Libby comes through, gloating how beautiful she is and that the Improvement worked. Now Libby is receiving strange messages, and her headaches and mood swings are slowly destroying her. But surely the Improvement couldn't be real, the Virtual Transport Infrastructure Authority that oversees the safety of the DMat system wouldn't allow it. The official word is that Improvement is an urban myth, the authorities have dismissed it, the peacekeepers believe it's harmless, but when a grainy Air video call with Libby proves that her birthmark is no longer visible, Clair knows Improvement is more than the authorities are claiming, much, much more.

Jesse Linwood is the school freak who is involved with a group known as the Stainers, after their founder. The Stainers refrain from using the DMat portals, and generally labelled as terrorists linked with the WHOLE organisation, but it's Jesse's father Dylan that may just have the answers she seeks, but dismisses her entirely and leaves her back where she began. It isn't until Dylan Linwood is being broadcast in a heated argument with Principal Gordon of Manteca New Campus High School, Clair was justified not to trust him. But who can she trust? Answers may come in the form of the voice in her ear, simply known as Q. Q has been following the meme and after Clair attempts to use the Improvement herself, Q contacts her, having attempted to help Libby but to no avail. Q speaks in garbled quotes, all while Libby's condition is worsening. But Clair believes she may be onto something, and with the help of Q, Jesse and Zep tagging along for the ride, what they are about to explore is a world of hacked networks, coding, government assassin's, clones and the members of WHOLE, sending the teens on a race against the clock to save Libby's life. They aren't being improved, they're being taken over.

Kelly's Thoughts

Jump, or Twinmaker as it's known in the U.S, is an incredibly intricate young adult science fiction world, in which technology is the base for how we live, sustain ourselves, travel and interact. In the first in the Twinmaker series, the storyline follows Clair's point of view and although she's on a mission to save Libby's life after her transformation, she begins as a fairly ordinary friend, and I use the term friend loosely. The reader will possibly see her as a villain and the basis for Libby's breakdown, as is Zep, and in trying to help Libby when the Improvement takes hold, puts her own life in danger.

The real star of Jump is Q, she has the knowledge and know how to unravel the world that relies on technology to survive. She seems to live within the virtual world known as Air, that combines the internet, social media, chat and even a message system. This is where the reader will be kept on their toes and encouraged to use their imagination, with little insight into how we interact with the technology. Personally, I seen the system as somewhat of a Google Glass, which seems to be less than twelve months from release, but I can't imagine Jumping to ever be a part of our reality. Imagine just popping out to the shops... In Paris... When you live in Australia, and still be home within the hour? Now that is a droolworthy thought.

The Final Verdict

Don't be fooled into thinking this is a flimsy, lightweight teen science fiction, it's not. You're thrust into a world where you need to find your own way and it'll keep you on your toes. Fans of Scott Westerfeld's Uglies series and Awaken by Katie Kacvinsky will really enjoy the world Sean Williams created, as will hardcore young adult science fiction fans.

The Dead Of Night Tomorrow Book Two
Written By John Mardsen
Dystopian, War
Published January 1st 2012
271 Pages
Add to Goodreads
★★

Australia has been invaded. Nothing is as it was. Six teenagers are living out their nightmare in the sanctuary of a hidden valley called Hell. Alone, they make their own rules, protect what is theirs, and struggle for courage and hope in a world changed forever. Seeking supplies, allies, and information, the friends make forays into enemy territory, drawing on nerve and resourcefulness they never even knew they had. As the risks become greater, so too do the sacrifices they must make. Intense, passionate, and compulsive, The Dead of Night continues the frighteningly real story begun in Tomorrow, When the War Began.

A little over a couple of months ago, Australia had been invaded by an unknown foreign enemy and the citizens of the little country town have been detained at the local showgrounds, all except for a group of six teens who are determined to fight for their country, no matter how futile it seems. Ellie, Homer, Fi, Robyn, Chris and Lee are now residing in Hell, a small but secluded spot in which they can stay relatively safe. Since Corrie was wounded and taken to the hospital by Kevin, the two haven't been seen since. It's not surprising that the group is now planning to find them, making the dangerous journey into Wirrawee and wanting nothing more than to find the two teens alive. According to one of the injured, when Corrie was first brought in, they had refused to treat her, while Kevin was beaten and taken to the showgrounds to be held prisoner. The soldiers are referring to colonisation, when sending groups of prisoners to clean homes and farms around town, once the country is firmly under control, millions of their own people will descend upon Australia, taking the land and homes that we had called our own.

The group of teens feel the need to do more, taking out the bridge may have stalled the enemy temporarily, but it certainly won't win them the war. They begin watching, taking notes as the soldiers settle into a routine. The plan is to attack one of the convoy's, but as their goal progresses, it's becoming clear that Chris isn't up for the challenge. As the weeks have passed, Chris has increasingly become more withdrawn, relying on the small supply of alcohol found at neighbouring properties. With Corrie in hospital, Kevin a prisoner and now Chris secretly drinking his fears away, the group need to rally like never before. They are losing their fight and their will to live.

While scouting one night, they are discovered by a small group of soldiers on patrol. One is brave enough to wrestle Homer to the ground, shots are fired. They say that after you take your first life, killing becomes easier, but for Ellie, that couldn't be further from the truth. Armed with home made explosives, taking out the convoy had been far easier than expected, sadly the action barely a ripple on the enemy's radar. With only Corrie's dying radio to gather outside information, it seems that Australia had lost control of the majority of the country, only the isolate outback not under the enemy's control. It seems the world is forgetting about the invasion, the news being pushed back further and further each bulletin. Only our nearest neighbour New Zealand sending supplies and support. Despite the news reports, surely there must be more pockets of resistance, so the group set out for Risdon, a township on the other side of Hell.

They encounter a group of Australian's known as Harvey's Heroes, who have taken it upon themselves to form a community of soldiers to fight back. Men, women and children camped out and planning their next attack. Leaving Chris behind, the teens are taken into the fold and given remedial positions, which doesn't include the plan of attack. The leader they call Harvey, is a man with no experience but runs the community like a military camp. Desperate to return to Hell to retrieve Chris, Harvey forbids it. But it seems the little man with too much power has only led the attack against abandoned vehicles, the former school principal leading his men into a trap on their latest mission. When a gun battle ensures, the teens flee, losing one another but desperate to return to their own base.

But when the group reunite at camp, Chris is no where to be found. The radio is now reporting that the southern coastline has now been recaptured, with New Zealand and surrounding regions coming to our aid. When Ellie stumbles upon a work group, she learns that there is a new presence at the showgrounds, a man who takes groups of prisoners away, never to return, choosing army reserves for interrogation, police officers, teachers and community leaders. It seems the enemy is moving forward, faster than anyone could anticipate, bringing in their own families and countrymen to settle in homes throughout the town. The most activity coming from the street in which Fi lived, in the wealthier part of town. Enemy generals and soldiers bustling from house to house, clearly the base of their local operations and they'll be damned if the group will stand idly by and watch their homes be taken.

But when they release who is involved, revenge will be sweeter than ever, if they survive what may be their final act of defiance.

Kelly's Thoughts

The Dead of Night is the second installment in the Tomorrow series, in which Australia is invaded by an unknown foreign enemy. I thoroughly enjoyed the first book Tomorrow, When The War Begun, but this one fell flat for me. It didn't have the same tough, rebellious feel but more so an insight into the group, their emotions and relationships. It explores how far each will go to keep themselves safe and protect their country and how to hold onto their humanity. But sadly, it was boring. I craved more action and suspense and the build up to their big act of defiance was far too long. I don't think I'll be continuing on with the series and will base whether or not I read the third installment on Goodreads reviews. It's a seven novel series, and I can't see how it can be stretched that far without losing it's way.

The Accident
Written By Kate Hendrick
Contemporary
Published June 6th 2013
272 Pages
Thanks to Text Publishing
Add to Goodreads
★★★☆

A rainy night.

A car crash.

After the accident Sarah moves to a new school. A new place where no one knows what happened to her or her brother, where she doesn't have to deal with the history that's pulling the rest of her family apart.

Will is keeping his head down at home, just trying to get by. Then his sister Lauren comes back, as caustic as always but somehow changed. Will doesn't know what upheaval brought her home. But it's sparking some serious change in his life too.

Eliat's got no mother of her own, and she's way too young to be one. Looking after a two year old, trying to finish school, sometimes all that keeps her sane is partying as hard and fast as she can. Now the pressure's building and Eliat just wants to get away.

Just get into a car and drive.

In this impressive and beautifully written debut, Kate Hendrick sets the butterfly effect in motion. The moving stories of three teenagers going through crucial changes, before, after and around the accident, show how random actions acquire significance. How one pivotal moment could transform your life and you might never know; how what you do matters.

There's before, after and during the accident which brings together the stories of three teens, all feeling secluded and detached. Sarah Starke is starting a new school, where no one knows her story and she is able to start again. Her domineering Italian mother believes she's made of glass and could beak at any point, so she chooses to take her frustration out on Sarah's step father Alan. Sarah has a strained relationship with her mother, not surprising considering what her family has been through.

Will McAlpine lives with his mother and sister Morgan, although his mother never ventures far from her bedroom. After Will's father left, his mother threw herself into writing and often neglected her own children, rather leaving their basic needs to her eldest daughter. Now, Lauren is back home, having fled the family unit years earlier and life has never felt more strained.

Eliat Singleton is a single mother to two year old Tash, while living with foster parents Rose Marie and Terry. Raising a child, attending high school, Eliat uses every opportunity to party, leaving her foster parents to raise Tash. The party scene is always the same, along with friend Izzy, Eliat is promiscuous, using each experience to to shut down and escape. Eliat has never known her family and is too young to be a mother, but makes it through each day because she has to, not because she wants to. If not for her foster parents, who knows where she would be.

Both Will and Sarah both attend the same school but have never crossed paths, even as Sarah strikes up a friendship with Will's sister Morgan, both finding common ground being amateur photographers. More than anything, Sarah needs a friend, the anguish of losing her brother that night is still too much to bare. As she thinks of the accident that had taken Robbie's life, she lives with the reminder every day. Sarah's mother throws herself into work and her marriage is on the verge of collapse. She and husband Alan no longer communicate, with Alan at the end of his rope. The quiet man simply tolerating Sarah's mother's control and dominance.

Will is dealing with the return of sister Lauren, who isn't the cruel sister she once was, she's broken and seems to share the same distance as their mother does. As Will's relationship develops with girl next door Kayla, Lauren shares the news that she has been in contact with their father, now working at a law firm in Sydney, married with a child. Will's family fell apart after he left, and Will has no desire to let him back into his life. He's trying to rally his family to support Morgan in her stage production, and seemingly no one but Will cares.

Eliat is being pressured by her foster parents, in what seems to be under the guise that they want Tash for themselves. Her step mother believing that she only cares for herself and not the child she brought into the world. Eliat can't deny that she would rather spend her nights drinking and getting high, than change nappies, but the truth only pushes Eliat to attempt leaving and take Tash with her. Abandoning the only real family she's ever known, but Tash reaches out for Rose Marie instead of Eliat, showing she may have faced the ultimate defeat in her role as a young mother.

As they all experience the accident in various points of view, their actions having led to that one point they will change each of their lives forever.

Kelly's Thoughts

The Accident is a realistic view of the lives of the average teen and what the endure each day. Eliat is a teen mother, who takes the emotional and and financial support of her foster parents for granted. She's selfish and at first I didn't realise that she was a single mother, her free and easy lifestyle seemingly ruined by Tash. Yet she won't allow her foster parents to raise her, and resents Rose Marie for being a responsible guardian. Will is the quiet achiever, a lover of literature and has just begun seeing his neighbour Kayla in a new light, and Sarah, who's life changed dramatically after the accident, is learning to cope without her brother. Three teens from different worlds, all changed.

It was beautifully written, raw and honest and the vast majority of young adult will be able to relate to the issues all three face. The storyline beautifully woven and connects the three main characters in one way or another and told from before, after and later, surrounding the accident. It felt confusing to begin with, as each chapter is told from a different point of view without stating which character it is. It's only as the story unfolds that you can recognise each one. Readers should make note of which character has the before, after and later points of view, as it will make for an easier read.

Tash left me heartbroken and I found the little girl's plight devastating. Eliat's lifestyle is confronting and readers will more than likely be affected by her story more so than Will and Sarah combined. A clever debut about what life throws at us, but it's the choices we make that makes the difference. Fans of David Levithan's Love Is The Higher Law will love this.

The Sky So Heavy
Written By Claire Zorn
Published July 24th 2012
304 Pages
Thank you to UQP
Add to Goodreads
★★★★☆

For Fin, it's just like any other day, racing for the school bus, bluffing his way through class, and trying to remain cool in front of the most sophisticated girl in his universe, Lucy. Only it's not like any other day because, on the other side of the world, nuclear missiles are being detonated.

From an exciting new voice in Australian YA literature, Claire Zorn, comes a haunting novel, The Sky So Heavy, a mesmerising story inspired by the continued debate over Australia's treatment of asylum seekers and how a line through a map can determine your fate.

The day started as any other for seventeen year old Findlay Heath, he ran late for school, tentatively flirted with Lucy at the bus stop and lightly joked about the dilemma of completing their homework while the news reports incidents of nuclear testing. As usual, no one on the bus sat next to Arnold Wong, n one ever does. He's the kid that no one wants to be seen talking to, never mind sitting next to. Lucy and Fin continued to banter the prospect of nuclear testing, debating whether or not to attend the protest march organised to oppose the tests. As usual, Fin listed to Mister Effrez encourage them to join the protest, praising the work of activists that are building a self sustaining settlement and the impact of global warming to our humble planet. Fin's mother works for the government in disaster management, so when she calls Fin in a panic, Fin realises that something is very, very wrong, even before the wail of the evacuation sirens.

On his mother's instruction, Fin and Lucy start stockpiling canned goods and non perishable items from the local supermarket, taking as much as they could possibly carry. The first signs of destruction starting to seep into the small Blue Mountains town, the sky glowing, choked with a dense orange dust. On what could possibly be the last news broadcast that Fin and little brother Max may see, the nuclear missiles that launched has gone awry, decimating cities and bushland. Within days, the dust will choke the atmosphere and prepare for the temperature to drop significantly. But within hours, the nuclear winter sets in, their father and step mother haven't made it home before the road closures and the boys are left to fend for themselves.

With no power and no news, the township are relying on the authorities and army to bring in supplies, but as the food shortage starts to stir people into looting, it's clear that the streets aren't safe for two unaccompanied boys. The world has gone into hibernation, and the boys haven't any supplies left. The army haven't been back since the initial rations given to each house and even those in power are now taking advantage, barging into homes and demanding what little edibles that citizens have left. But when Fin runs into Arnold Wong, that the boy who was teased, tormented and traumatised, he finally finds an ally. Arnold still finds the kindness others lack, to help provide for Fin and Max, and the neighbour's little girl who they've taken into their home. Arnold is all alone, his parents were overseas working for the church when the missiles struck. No matter how many times Arnold has been knocked down, he still expects Fin to return when they've run out of food again. But it's clear they can't stay where they are, the police are using standover tactics and stealing, the army and emergency services have abandoned them, so the boys have no option than to find their way into the city to find their mother.

Along with Lucy, Fin, Max and Arnold, who is affectionately known as Noll now, all decide to to pack up whatever they can use to survive and leave town. Lucy is leaving behind her family, who understand that her best chance of survival is to go, anyone left behind is sure to die during the freezing temperatures without power and sustenance. With the use of a neighbours car, the group reach the outskirts of Sydney but it seems that as the car is attacked by a brick wielding looter, that these people aren't any better off than the Blue Mountains town. It isn't until they see the line of parked cars with the glint of taillights within the soot, beyond the cars is an unscalable fence, barricades with road closure signs, they see that the cars aren't moving, riddled with bulletholes and blood splashes.

They aren't allowing non residents into the city, and it's clear that the deceased lying in their cars had tried to unlawfully enter. The army are patrolling the city border, and the four teens are told to leave. Anyone on the outer is left to die, with the city containing and controlling what limited resources they have and giving them to those that are of importance. As desperate as they are, the only way to survive is to make it inside the city walls to seek refuge, but is it worth risking your life for?

When your options are to die on the outer slowly or be shot breaking through, which would you choose?

Kelly's Thoughts

The Sky So Heavy was absolutely brilliant, I simply couldn't put it down and read it in it's entirety in one sitting. There is something so effortless with Claire Zorn's style of writing, it's realistic and gritty and that's a rarity in young adult today. This isn't your average apocalyptic, disaster dystopian, Claire has woven an story that brings the treatment of Australia's asylum seekers to light. I don't consider myself political whatsoever, and really didn't have an opinion either way, but the treatment of the group of teens trying to escape and access the city to survive wasn't too far removed from what happens on our shores each day, and it wasn't until I discovered The Sky So Heavy that it's the first time I've thought about how quick we are to exclude others, believing it's in our best interests to survive.

I loved twelve year old Max, he's sassy and smart mouthed and clearly has the personality and quick wit that bypassed Fin. My only complaint is that I need more, I want to know more about the self sufficient community, the environmental changes and just how the world, and Australia in particular will survive. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for not only a follow up, but the potential for a trilogy even. I have to know what happens and Ms Zorn has left me in suspense. I shall stalk her now until she gives in.

Stacking The Shelves #001

Welcome to my first edition of Stacking The Shelves. Stacking The Shelves is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical stores or online bookshops, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks. Hosted by Tyngas Reviews.

This week I received an assortment of ARC and review copies, thanks to Bloomsbury, Allen & Unwin and Simon & Schuster Australia. Have edited my post using the retail cover images, as original photos were too high quality and slow to load.

Jump by Sean Williams, book one in the Twinmaker series and The Last Girl by Michael Adams. Thank you to Allen & Unwin.
Amped by Daniel H. Wilson and Red Hill by Jamie McGuire. Thank you to Simon & Schuster.
After Eden by Helen Douglas. Thank you to Bloomsbury Australia.

And picked up a few bargains this week myself as well, and one disappointing one. You can probably guess which one that is.

Allegiant by Veronica Roth
Angels On Sunset Boulevard by Melissa De La Cruz
Boy Toy by Barry Lyga
Head Games By Mariah Fredericks
Secret Ones by Nicole Murphy
Everwild, book two in the Skinjacker series by Neal Shusterman
and, The Last Vampire, which contains book one and two by Christopher Pike

Look forward to see what you're all stacking your shelves with this week.

You beaut, it's Aussie month.

This month I'm thrilled to be reading the best and brightest that Aussie talent has to offer the young adult world. All authors are either home grown Aussies, or adopted Aussies calling our shores home. So this month I'll be reading young adult favourites such as Melina Marchetta, John Marsden, Cath Crowley and Craig Silvey and showcasing upcoming authors such as Claire Zorn and Sean Williams.

Included this month will be: