Beautiful Malice by Rebecca James

Ever had a friend who seems to be everything to you – companion, supporter  encourager? And even though they may not be perfect, you still love them because they love you with all your imperfections? Well that was Alice – a great friend but with some strange personality traits.

But Katherine likes her – she needs friends when she moves to Sydney to live with her aunt after shocking events have happened in her family. It’s just that as the story progresses, Katherine begins to doubt that the pluses are more than the minuses in her relationship with Alice.

It’s great to see a book set in Sydney. Katherine’s parents seem very realistic and Alice’s ability to twist most people around her little finger is almost scary to watch.

What I Saw and How I Lied by Judy Blundell

What I Saw and How I Lied ( written by Judy Blundell) is a novel about 15 year old Evie Spooner. It tells the story of the beginning of her life, after the end of World War II, and particularly focuses on her trip to Florida with her beautiful mother Beverley and her step father Joe, a returned soldier. Evie is a naïve young woman, wanting to be like her glamorous mother, and she soon falls for the dashing Peter Coleridge whilst away on the vacation. Joe, although a friend of Peter’s from army days, disapproves of him, and his relationship with Evie. After some unfortunate and mysterious events, Evie finds herself a the centre of an earth shattering situation, in which all her previous thoughts and conceptions about her parents, her relationships, her world views and even herself are challenged and tested.

I really enjoyed What I Saw and How I Lied, in particularly the fabulous retro details in the descriptions of clothing, music, dance and style of talk. Evie is a very interesting girl, who I think is easy to relate to. The story is written well, and the plot develops nicely. I think the cover suits this book wonderfully. If you love some retro-lit, stories about growing up, a bit of romance and lots of mystery and intrigue, then I would recommend What I Saw and How I Lived.

The Rules of Survival by Nancy Werlin

Matt lives with his two sisters and their single mother. She is seriously mentally unstable so their life is one of walking on eggshells. What state will Mum come home in? Will she be nice to them or tease and hurt them.

The novel moves at a fast pace with the reader wondering who will break first – the mother, the children or the various people that Matt hopes will help them survive. Nancy won several awards for this and other books. You can find out all about her at http://www.nancywerlin.com/

The Worst Thing She Ever Did by Alice Kuipers

It takes a while until you know what happened to Sophie over the previous summer. The diary entries feed you bits of information until you understand the whole heartwrenching story.

It’s hard to imagine how Sophie and her mother could manage life after what they have been through – but I’m not going to tell you what happened. Read it – you will be enthralled.

Finding Freia Lockhart by Aimee Said

I really enjoyed this book because Freia is 16 and is struggling to keep up with her best friend Kate who has started hanging out with the ‘populars’. My favorite character was Freia. I liked how she thought her family was bonkers. It’s funny and it deals with some of the dilemmas teenagers go through.

Georgia Year 7

Bad Monkeys by Mat Ruff

The New York Times calls it “A science fiction Catcher in the Rye” and it certainly has elements of a rebellious teenager and a bond (though not as close here) with a younger sibling. Otherwise, it is pretty weird, though certainly entertaining. Bad Monkeys are evil doers, crooks – and Jane Charlotte spends quite a bit of her life in a strange organisation which tries to defeat these people. The novel is basically an interview between Jane and a psychiatrist who is questioning her after she was arrested for murder. You will laugh, be confused, wonder what is happening – lots of actions and twists. For mature readers only.

Little Paradise by Gabrielle Wang

Mirabel loves designing dresses and is nearly finished school. But it’s 1943 in Melbourne and there are soldiers everywhere to attract young girls. Mirabel falls for a Chinese soldier and the consequences of this love have life-changing consequences.

This is based on a true story. Her bravery following her man to Shanghai and even into dangerous parts of China during wartime show her true qualities. this is a great read – lots of excitement and interest watching her family try to come to terms with the events in her life.

Anonymity Jones by James Roy

Unusual name – Anonymity – maybe it’s because her surname is so common. Anyway, this is no common girl – she has to deal with her life falling apart with her father and sister leaving the household scene which leaves her with her mother and her mum’s new boyfriend who Anonymity just doesn’t trust.

She loves art (and her good looking art teacher) but she learns that it’s not so easy to manage getting along with this teacher. Is she dreaming, or does he like her “more” than the other students?

There’s definitely a follow on novel here – the ending just has to be taken up in a future sequel.

Love, Shelley by Kate Saksena

Shelley’s has some really big problems in her life – a younger brother to look after, the housework to do, a mum with an alcohol problem, bullies at school and her dad living with his new family. She decides to write to her favourite pop star and tell him about her troubles. His encouraging postcards keep her battling through the problems.

While you sympathise with Shelley’s problems, you also admire her spunk. Her love for her family and her good common sense make her a really likable character without being too much of a “goody goody”.

Dancing in the Dark by Robyn Bavati

Ditty is Jewish and her parents are strictly religious. That means learning about her people’s beliefs and marrying young to have a large family. But Ditty wants to dance – more than anything else in the world. The lengths to which Ditty goes to dance will amaze you. She has to keep her home and her dance world separate and she has to pay to do so – in money and in other ways.