Hi all,

This recap will be a combination of both March and April reviews. We had some great new YA released during these months and I’ll be highlighting those as well as some older YA reads.

girl-defectiveDuring March there were three releases reviewed: Girl Defective by Simmone Howell – the story of a teenage girl named Sky and set in St Kilda.  Danielle says “Howell writes such sharp characters and dark edges with a wry humour that’s wholly unique and breathtaking.”

Song in the Dark by Christine Howe takes a look at the life of a teenage addict and his family which Bree reviewed “This is a beautifully written novel, one of the few I’ve read that I feel actually captures the difficulty of addiction and the reality of it, especially here in Australia.”

And New Guinea Moon by Kate Constable – set in Papua New Guinea during the 70s. Reviewed by Lauren “I’m so grateful to have discovered this author and wonder why I haven’t picked up any of her earlier titles previously – must rectify that!

six-impossible

Two older books reviews this month include Six Impossible Things by Fiona Wood – Maggie says “This was so witty and heart-warming. I would be surprised that this is a debut novel except that the author is Australian.”

And Louise reviewed Have You Seen Ally Queen by Deb Fitzpatrick, set in W.A. Louise writes  “This is my first reading of Deb Fitzpatrick, I look forward to more of her writing.”

The Zigzag EffectDuring April there were four new releases featured, three of which I read and loved. The Zigzag Effect by Lili Wilkinson is a fun, unique story of a girl, her job with a magician as well as a haunted theatre.

The Mimosa Tree is the debut novel of Antonella Preto. It tells the story of Mira, her life in W.A during the 80s and her fear of nuclear war.

A really unique writing format (mostly emails) allowed for a compelling story in Cry Blue Murder by Kim Kane and Marion Roberts. The story revolves around two teen girls and the disappearances of local girls.

Sweet Damage by Rebecca James, is the story of Tim and the strange occurrences in the house he moves into. Monique says “James writes well and she is especially good at creating an atmosphere of menace in which the house almost becomes a character in its own right.”

And lastly another older book, Saving Francesca by Melina Marchetta, the story of a girl forced to attend a new school that was formally a boy-only high school. Rochelle says “Saving Francesca will make you want to laugh and make you want to cry. It is a book about friendship, family, and first love. It is about finding out who you really are and letting yourself be the real you. It is a must read for all lovers of YA contemporary.”