Green Heart

Green Heart by Alice Hoffman

From The Ashes Of The Past Grows A Bright Green Future!

 

Green Angel is a beautiful, tender and heartfelt story of a girl who lost everything and everyone she loved, and then she lost herself. This is the story of the dreams of the past that haunted her, the lives of those touched by her and all that she gave up and found once again.

Green Witch is an enchanting story of magic, love and witches. When so much of the past was lost all that was left were the memories of what had been. Learning to live again, to love again, was the only hope for a future, but that future would never be unless someone could be found to share that future, unless something could be found to believe in.

Green Heart combines the two stories of Green Angel and Green Witch into one brilliantly composed book. When so many were lost in the disaster, when so much was taken, there were none left behind who had not suffered a loss. Filled with grief, witches, kidnapping and a greedy horde, in the end it will be a self belief that saves her. Out of the devastation and tragedy of the past will grow a new and bright future, where one girl ventures further then ever before to save her heart and discover a new kind of family.

Alice Hoffman Webpage

Alice Hoffman @ Scholastic

On sale: 01 May 2012
Price (AU): $14.99
ISBN: 9780545141963
Recommended age: 14+
In a word: Green
Re-read it: yes
Recommend: yes
Star rating: five out of five
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Fracture

Fracture by Megan Miranda

Death Can Be So Attractive!

Dying is nothing like they say it will be. It's not peaceful and painless; it hurts and is scary as hell. But once a person is dead they are supposed to stay dead, there is no coming back after 11 minutes of death. So how then did she survive? There is no evidence of the brain injury she should have sustained being so long without oxygen, there is no evidence of anything being wrong with her, at least none that will show up on any tests. But she is different, and there is something wrong with her.

Waking from a coma she should never have lived through, everything has changed. No one understands what's she's been through, what she's still going through, no one that is but Troy.  Attractive, mysterious and a little bit dangerous, Troy knows all too well what it is she is going through having been through something similar himself. But the secrets he is keeping are more then just dangerous, if she's not careful they just may be the death of her.

Fracture is part thriller, part supernatural and part romance rolled into a tale of family, friendship and death. As relationships are tested, trust is betrayed and hearts are broken, from the moment she fell through the ice and felt her life slip away her life has been irrevocably fractured. And if she is to begin to put the pieces of her life back together again she is going to have to want to live, and fight to stay alive.

Megan Miranda Webpage

Megan Miranda @ Bloomsbury Australia

On sale: 12 February 2012
Price (AU): $15.99
ISBN: 9781408817391
Recommended age: 14+
In a word: Death
Re-read it: probably
Recommend: yes
Star rating: three out of five
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Taken Away

Taken Away by Celine Kiernan

 

'Into The Grey'
  

It all started after the fire had consumed their home, their possessions, everything in the world they had but each other. At least they all still had each other. That is they did have each other, until the goblin boy showed up. He was there waiting for them, he had always been there, had always been waiting and now he had thought he had found what he was waiting for. Only he was wrong, and his mistake was going to cost a life.

The nightmares were vivid and all consuming. Upon waking the horrid dreams would become nothing more then a phantom memory, a vague recollection of something unpleasant leaving only an all mighty hunger in its wake. After food and the bright light of day those bad dreams could almost be forgotten, almost be dismissed, that is until the nightmare became a reality.

Taken Away is a contemporary story of the bonds of brotherly love, it is a haunting ghost story that will send shivers down your spine, it is compelling mystery of the past affecting those in the present. Whatever way you approach this story you will find a well written, entertaining and intelligent read that will stay with you long after you have finished this book. A story that all ages will enjoy.

Celine Kierman Webpage

Celine Kiernan @ Allen & Unwin

On sale: 01 October 2011
Price (AU): $16.99
ISBN: 9781742377520
Recommended age: 13+
In a word: Brothers
Re-read it: yes
Recommend: yes
Star rating: four out of five
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Secrets of Carrick Book 2

SECRETS OF CARRICK:
Tantony by Ananda Braxton-Smith

This Is What I Am For!

Fermion and Bolson were twins, but despite there sameness they were very different. Though they shared the same face and the same heart, it was Fermion who was older, always in a rush, never believing what she couldn't see and always working for others. Bolson on the other hand always took his time with things, he saw whole worlds were others saw only a drop of water; he believed the birds spoke to him and he worked only towards fulfilling their wishes.

But when Fermion found her brother, the life drained from his cold body, her life was suddenly changed as was that of her whole family. Losing Bolson meant losing a piece of herself, but it was also a loss to everyone at home. Everyone in her family was changed by his absence and for Fermion nothing could make sense again until she could discover the reason why he had died and accept that he was never coming back.

Tantony is a journey through grief and loss, a journey across land and sea, a journey to find your own path in life and what you believe. As one girl struggles with her life, her loss and what she believes she learns to accept others for who they are and herself for who she needs to be. Written with a raw and edgy language that reflects the uniqueness of this country and the quirkiness of its people, this down to earth story is one that settles deep within you and refuses leave.

Ananda Braxton-Smith @ Walker Books

On sale: 01 May 2011
Price (AU): $18.99
ISBN: 9781742031668
Recommended age: 13+
In a word: Monsters
Re-read it: yes
Recommend: yes
Star rating: four out of five
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Mommy, Where Do Baby Unicorns Come From?

Mommy, Where Do Baby Unicorns Come From?

by Renee Adams

 

But Unicorns Don't Exist!

It is the one question that she could ever dread coming from the mouth of her daughter, the one question that she was hoping to avoid, and the one question she never wanted her little girl to discover the answer to. But when her five year old daughter asked this question her heart froze, "Mommy, Where Do Baby Unicorns Come From?"

When she first spotted the horse, the horse that had a horn on it head, she was enchanted. It was beautiful and magical and for some reason no one else seemed to notice it there on the other side of the fence; no one believed it to be real. But here it was, the brightest white with a horn on its forehead, and it made her wonder. If there exists a grown unicorn it must have once been a baby. But just where did it come from?

Mommy, Where Do Baby Unicorns Come From? is a short and bittersweet tale of one mothers anxiety to explain, or avoid explaining, to her innocent daughter the dark and heartbreaking truth of where baby unicorns come from. A story of one girl learning just how it is unicorns can exist and how in a heartbeat life can change forever. Not so much a story for children, this powerful and beautifully haunting short story is one that will stay with you.

Mommy, Where Do Baby Unicorns Come From? - click for FREE ebook

Renee Adams Webpage
eBook @ Smashwords

On sale: 28 March 2011
Price eBook (US): $- Free
ISBN: 2940011254734
Recommended age: 9+
In a word: Innocense
Re-read it: yes
Recommend: yes
Star rating: five out of five
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the dead I know

the dead I know by Scot Gardner

'Another One Bites The Dust'

Aaron Rowe has just started his first day at his new job as a funeral director. He is grateful for the job in more ways then one, primarily because it gets him out of going to school but the bonus is he'll get payed. There are some obvious draw backs to the position, though it is not the dead bodies as one would expect, it is the living that are left behind and their grief that has stirred something in Aaron.

It has been years since Aaron has had trouble sleeping, but now the nightmares have returned. But just as bad as the dreams is the sleepwalking. So now it's not only the dark disturbing images that fill his sleeping mind that frighten him, it's the fear that he could wake anywhere, at the beach, outside a cafe, at the lookout. But scarier is the possibilities of what Aaron has done in his sleeping state.

the dead I know is about a tough yet vulnerable boy who is struggling with his hidden past and his current circumstances. Although a book about death the meaning behind its pages is life. A story that speaks to all those who have been left behind to pick up the pieces in the wake of a death of a loved one. Aaron's tale is an urban mystery that is shaded in tragedy, death, dreams and crustless sandwiches.

Scot Gardner Webpage

Scot Gardner @ Allen & Unwin

On sale: 01 May 2011
Price (AU): $19.99
ISBN: 9781742373843
Recommended age: 14+
In a word: Death
Re-read it: yes
Recommend: yes
Star rating: four out of five
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Entangled

Entangled by Cat Clarke

He'd Be A Great Boyfriend, If Not For The Kidnapping!

Grace is impulsive, reckless, selfish and a flirt. Just your typical seventeen year old with a fiery temper and hair to match. She doesn't believe in turning down a drink or a kiss from a boy if he's not half bad looking, actually there isn't much she wont say no to, except her mum of course. But while on the outside Grace is doing her best to hide the hurt, on the inside she is desperately trying to hold on to the only two people who mean anything to her.

When Grace left home for the park with a knife in her bag and bottle under her arm she wasn't expecting to ever return, but nor was she expecting to wake, especially not to a white room with white furniture and dressed in a strange white surgical gown. With an abundant of pens and paper available Grace finds little else to do with her days then write. As her story flows the reason behind her kidnapping becomes clear, but when it comes to her life, can she find anything that's worth living for?

Entangled is a unique and intriguing story of a girl struggling with the tangled mess her life has become. A raw yet vibrant story that pulls you in, all the time wondering how a girl could come to be trapped in a white room and how it will ever be possible for her to ever escape. Through the complexities of life, where friendships are destroyed by secrets and relationships are broken by betrayal, the lies holding her life together begin to unravel leaving behind a girl with nowhere left to hide from the truth or from herself.

Cat Clarke Webpage

Cat Clarke @ Pan Macmillan

On sale: 01 March 2011
Price (AU): $16.99
ISBN: 9781849163941
Recommended age: 14+
In a word: Grace
Re-read it: yes
Recommend: yes
Star rating: five out of five
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Rosebush

Rosebush by Michele Jaffe

Friends Don't Try To Kill Friends, Right?

She looked like something out of a fairytale, a beautiful princess lying dead amidst a rosebush. Luckily she wasn't dead, but she soon would be if one of her 'friends' had anything to say about it.

Waking up in hospital Jane found she could remember nothing of the night before, slowly over the next few day however her memory was returning to her, but her memories were not matching up to the story her friends had told her about that night. Was she going crazy or where her friends lying to her?

It's hard to believe that Jane, the popular girl who everyone loves, could have boyfriend troubles or a stalker or someone bent of killing her. Her mother certainly doesn't seem to believe it and neither do the doctors who when drugging her up doesn't work decide it might be best to lock her up. Jane can't decide what's worse, thinking you're crazy and no one is trying to kill you, or thinking you're sane and someone is trying to kill you?

Rosebush is a psychological thriller full of mean girls, lost memories, phone calls and kissing. Jane has spent so much time and energy building her popularity and trying to be liked by everyone that she has ended up hurting those closest to her. As hard as Jane tries, not everyone is happy with her and as a result she risks losing those closest to her, not to mention her life. This book is definitely one to read.

Michele Jaffe Webpage
Michele Jaffe @ Hachette

On sale: 01 March 2011
Price (AU): $18.99
ISBN: 9781907410383
Recommended age: 16+
In a word: Memories
Re-read it: probably
Recommend: yes
Star rating: four out of five
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Zelah Green

Zelah Green by Vanessa Curtis

Alert, Alert, Alert!

Zelah's name was given to her by the place of her conception as she was told by her mother; her mother told her a great many romantic and happy stories surrounding her birth and upbringing. But Zelah learnt all too soon that these stories were just stories and that the reality of things was much different. But when that reality became too hard to cope with and Zelah's whole world shattered, Zelah began her rituals.

With so much that has happened to her, so much that has gone wrong, Zelah controls her life in the only way can, her rituals. Zelah has a number of odd rituals that she must perform daily or her day just doesn't go right. There is a proper term for what she has, what she does, but she prefers to call herself a cleanaholic then be labelled with any formal terms.

Zelah Green is a girl who through her rituals has found a way to cope with the tragedy in her life. But now her rituals are running her life and Zelah's not so sure she want a life without them, or if she can live without them. Her rituals of washing and cleaning everything around her, of not touching anything without a tissue, of not eating anything without her own cutlery or completing her day without her jumping might leave others thinking that Zelah is crazy but when it comes right down to it aren't we all a little crazy. An insightful and endearing read.

Vanessa Curtis @ Hardie Grant Egmont

On sale: 04 January 2011
Price (AU): $16.95
ISBN: 9781405255059
Recommended age: 14+
In a word: OCD
Re-read it: yes
Recommend: yes
Star rating: four out of five
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Thirteen Reasons Why

Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher

There Is Always A Silver Lining!

When Clay returned home from school one afternoon to discover a shoebox sized package at his door, the last thing he expected was to spend the night amongst past memories with the words of a dead girl echoing through his head. No, the last thing expected was for that voice to blame him for her death. In the space of one night he will discover his part in the death of a girl he barely knew.

It seems to Hannah that ever since she moved to town things had only gone from bad to worse. It all began with the rumours that started not long after her arrival by someone she had thought she could trust. Then the list was released, an attempt at revenge but not at her, however its affect was no less hurtful. When things never got any better, when there was no relief from the darkness closing in around her, Hannah made a choice. But there were thirteen reasons, thirteen people, who played a part in that choice.

Thirteen Reasons Why is a dark and desperate tale of bullying that leads to depression and tragedy. Suicide is an important issue and one that should be discussed, but that doesn't make it any less painful to read, to experience the blame and grief within these pages. It is a powerful story that left me feeling as dejected, angry and somewhat confused as the characters within.

Jay Asher Webpage

Jay Asher @ Penguin

On sale: 16 September 2009
Price (AU): $17.95
ISBN: 9780141328294
Recommended age: 12+
In a word: Suicide
Re-read it: no
Recommend: yes
Star rating: four out of five
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The Worst Thing She Ever Did

The Worst Thing She Ever Did by Alice Kuipers

Everybody Hurts, Sometimes!

Sophie is just trying to get on with things, isn't that what they tell you to do after something like this. She's sure she would be fine if people would just stop asking how she's doing. She doesn't want to talk about it, she doesn't even want to think about. She just wants to be left alone.
She's fine.

But slowly Sophie is coming to realise that she is not fine. Not by a long shot. Last summer Sophie's world was turned upside down and nothing has been right since, not her friendship with her best friend, not her relationship with her mother, and certainty not her own mind.

Sophie is angry all the time and living with the pain of what happened, the guilt, is tearing her apart. She doesn't want to think about it but its always on her mind, her sister is always on her mind and she can never forget her and what happened. But maybe, eventually, she can learn to live with it.

The Worst Thing She Ever Did is a beautifully moving story full of heart about the loss, pain, confusion and anger felt when those you love are taken from you. Very much a bitter-sweet story of tragedy and grief, it is an emotional book that will bring tears to your eyes. Brilliantly written with feeling, you wont be able to put this book down.

Alice Kuipers Webpage

Alice Kuipers @ Murdoch Book

On sale: 01 May 2010
Price (AU): $19.95
ISBN: 9781741968071
Recommended age: 12+
In a word: Loss
Re-read it: yes
Recommend: yes
Star rating: five out of five
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Beautiful Monster

beautiful monster by Kate McCaffrey

I Have To Be My Best, I Have To Be The Best!

There was a time when all Tess had to worry about was homework and her annoying little brother. But now with her brother gone Tess worries about everything and homework is just one more thing that causes her anxiety; slowly it feels like everything is slipping out of control.

After her brother Tess's life becomes dark, her home silent and happiness something that no longer exists within her family. Her parents are having trouble dealing with the aftermath of the incident, her mother especially is not coping falling into a great depression and Tess is left to try and deal through things on her own. At least she would be alone if it wasn't for Ned.

Ned is the one person Tess can trust, the one person she can talk to and the only one who understands her. Tess knows that Ned loves her and anything he may say is for her best, he wants her to be the best. If she can just control her study, control her eating, then maybe she will become smart enough and thin enough to be good enough to be loved.

beautiful monster is a compelling story with a lead character you really feel for. This is story about a devastating and traumatic event that cripples a family and leaves one girl forever changed. A sensitive and insightful look at how one girl deals with a number of difficult issues namely grief, depression, and eating disorders. Some events not only change your life but leave you forever changed.

Everyone deals with tragedy in their own ways but no one should have to deal alone.

Kate McCaffrey Webpage

Kate McCaffrey @ Penguin

On sale: 27 April 2010
Price (AU): $19.95
ISBN: 9781921361982
Recommended age: 14+
In a word: Tragedy
Re-read it: yes
Recommend: yes
Star rating: five out of five
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