Top teen reads 2015...
The Intern by Gabrielle Tozer
Josie Browning dreams of having it all.
A perfect academic record, an amazing journalism career - and for her crush to realise she exists. the only problem? Josie can't stop embarrassing her little sister or her best friend, let alone herself.
Josie's luck changes when she lands an internship at Sash magazine. A coveted columnist job is up for grabs, but Josie quickly learns making her mark will be far from easy, especially under the reign of editor Rae Swanson.
From the lows of photocopying and coffee-fetching, to the highs of celebrities, beauty products and by-lines, this is one internship Josie will never forget.
totally fresh and funny, this debut novel from media insider Gabrielle Tozer reveals just what's behind the seeming glamour of the magazine industry.
All the Bright places by Jennifer Niven
Theodore Finch wants to take his own life. I'm broken, and no one can fix it.
Violet Markey is devastated by her sister's death. In that instant we went plowing through the guardrail, my words died too.
They meet on the ledge of the school bell tower, and so their story begins.
It's only together they can be themselves . . .
I send a message to Violet: 'You are all the colors in one, at full brightness.'
You're so weird, Finch. But that's the nicest thing anyone's ever said to me.
But, as Violet's world grows, Finch's begins to shrink. How far will Violet go to save the boy she has come to love?
**This book has themes that are suitable for teens 15 years +.
Nona and Me by Claire Atkins
Rosie and Nona are sisters. Yapas.
They are also best friends. It doesn't matter that Rosie is white and Nona is Aboriginal: their family connections tie them together for life.
Born just five days apart in a remote corner of the Northern Territory, the girls are inseperable, until Nona moves away at the age of nine. By the time she returns, they're in Year 10 and things have changed. Rosie has lost interest in the community, preferring to hang out in the nearby mining town, where she goes to school with the glamorous Selena, and Selena's
gorgeous older brother Nick.
When a political announcement highlights divisions between the Aboriginal community and the mining town, Rosie is put in a difficult position: will she be forced to choose between her first love and her oldest friend?
Are you seeing me by Darren Groth
Twins Justine and Perry are about to embark on the road trip of a lifetime in the Pacific Northwest. It's been a year since they watched their dad lose his battle with cancer.
Now, at only nineteen, Justine is the sole carer for her disabled brother. But with Perry having been accepted into an assisted-living residence, their reliance on each other is set to shift.
Before they go their separate ways, they're seeking to create the perfect memory. For Perry, the trip is a glorious celebration of his favourite things: mythical sea monsters, Jackie Chan movies and the study of earthquakes. For Justine, it's a chance to reconcile the decision to 'free' her twin, to see who she is without her boyfriend, Marc - and to offer their mother the chance to atone for past wrongs. But the instability that has shaped their lives will not subside, and the seismic event that Perry forewarned threatens to reduce their worlds to rubble...
You're the kind of girl I write songs about by Daniel Herborn
Funny, sweet and beautifully depicted, You're the Kind of Girl I Write Songs About is a startlingly fresh voice from a very talented new author. Tim is repeating the HSC, but he's more into music than studying. He is juggling playing in a band with handing in assignments and the music is winning. Mandy is taking a year off before she starts uni. Her problem is she doesn't really know what she wants to study, so she's working (sort of) and even by her own admission spends too much watching daytime TV and drinking tea with best friend Alice, with the tea being an excuse for talking - lots. Tim and Mandy meet at a gig. The attraction is immediate, but they are both so shy and self-conscious, but over time they slowly, awkwardly, move toward each other, meeting by coincidence, each unsure as to how the other feels. Set in the cafes, pubs and dives of Sydney's Inner West You're the Kind of Girl I Write Songs About is a ballad to that time of your life when you are trying to work out who you are, what it is you want and what will it take to get you there.
Illuminae by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff
The year is 2575, and two rival mega-corporations are at war over a planet that's little more than an ice-covered speck at the edge of the universe. Too bad nobody thought to warn the people living on it. With enemy fire raining down on them, exes Kady and Ezra - who are barely even talking to each other - are forced to fight their way onto the evacuating fleet, with an enemy warship in hot pursuit...But the warship is the least of their problems. A deadly plague has broken out and is mutating, with terrifying results. The fleet's AI, which should be protecting them, may actually be their enemy; and nobody in charge will say what the hell is going on. As Kady hacks into a tangled web of data to find the truth, it's clear only one person can help her bring it all to light: the ex-boyfriend she swore she'd never speak to again...Illuminae is the first book in a heart-stopping, high-octane trilogy about lives interrupted, the price of truth and the courage of everyday heroes...
Clancy of the undertow by Christopher Currie
In a dead-end town like Barwen a girl only to be a little different to feel like a freak. And Clancy, a typical sixteen-year-old misfit with a moderately dysfunctional family, a genuine interest in Nature Club and a major crush on the local hot girl, is packing a capital F.
As the summer begins, Clancy's dad is involved in a road smash that kills two local teenagers. While the family is dealing with the reaction of a hostile town, Clancy meets someone who could possibly—at last—become a friend. Not only that, the unattainable Sasha starts to show what may be a romantic interest.
In short, this is the summer when Clancy has to figure out who the hell she is.
Adrift by Paul Griffin
'Five of us went out on the water that night. None of us came back whole, and not all of us came back.' Best friends Matt and John are spending the summer working; Matt to save money for college, John to kill time before trade school. On the beach, the beautiful Driana stops Matt in his tracks. Dri, Stef and JoJo invite the boys to a party at Dri's Hamptons mansion, and Matt drags John along. When Stef decides it's a beautiful night to go windsurfing, the others race out on the water to make sure she's safe. But with no land in sight and a broken boat engine, it's not just Stef they have to worry about. And as the hours turn into days, the prospect of rescue seems further and further away...
Dumplin' by Julie Murphy
Willowdean Dickson (Dumplin', to her mum) has always been at home in her own skin. Her thoughts on having the ultimate bikini body? Really, the criteria is simple. Do you have a body? Put a swimsuit on it. But life as Willlow knows it is about to change, and when this happens she suffers an unaccustomed, and unwelcome, attack of self-doubt. In an effort to take back her confidence, she enters into the local Miss Teen Blue Bonner beauty pageant. With starry Texas nights, red candy suckers, Dolly Parton songs and a wildly unforgettable heroine - Dumplin' is guaranteed to steal your heart. And send you out to buy that bikini!
Saint anything by Sarah Dessen
Sydney has always felt invisible.
Peyton, Sydney's brother, has always been the star of the family, receiving all the attention and, lately, concern. His reckless behaviour culminates in a shock accident, and a jail sentence, which casts Sydney adrift, searching for her place in the family and the world.
Enter the warm, chaotic Chatham family who accept Sydney without question. It's here that she meets Mac: gentle, watchful and protective, who makes Sydney feel seen, really seen, for the first time.
Josie Browning dreams of having it all.A perfect academic record, an amazing journalism career - and for her crush to realise she exists. the only problem? Josie can't stop embarrassing her little sister or her best friend, let alone herself.
Josie's luck changes when she lands an internship at Sash magazine. A coveted columnist job is up for grabs, but Josie quickly learns making her mark will be far from easy, especially under the reign of editor Rae Swanson.
From the lows of photocopying and coffee-fetching, to the highs of celebrities, beauty products and by-lines, this is one internship Josie will never forget.
totally fresh and funny, this debut novel from media insider Gabrielle Tozer reveals just what's behind the seeming glamour of the magazine industry.
All the Bright places by Jennifer NivenTheodore Finch wants to take his own life. I'm broken, and no one can fix it.
Violet Markey is devastated by her sister's death. In that instant we went plowing through the guardrail, my words died too.
They meet on the ledge of the school bell tower, and so their story begins.
It's only together they can be themselves . . .
I send a message to Violet: 'You are all the colors in one, at full brightness.'
You're so weird, Finch. But that's the nicest thing anyone's ever said to me.
But, as Violet's world grows, Finch's begins to shrink. How far will Violet go to save the boy she has come to love?
**This book has themes that are suitable for teens 15 years +.
Nona and Me by Claire Atkins
Rosie and Nona are sisters. Yapas.They are also best friends. It doesn't matter that Rosie is white and Nona is Aboriginal: their family connections tie them together for life.
Born just five days apart in a remote corner of the Northern Territory, the girls are inseperable, until Nona moves away at the age of nine. By the time she returns, they're in Year 10 and things have changed. Rosie has lost interest in the community, preferring to hang out in the nearby mining town, where she goes to school with the glamorous Selena, and Selena's
gorgeous older brother Nick.
When a political announcement highlights divisions between the Aboriginal community and the mining town, Rosie is put in a difficult position: will she be forced to choose between her first love and her oldest friend?
Are you seeing me by Darren Groth
Twins Justine and Perry are about to embark on the road trip of a lifetime in the Pacific Northwest. It's been a year since they watched their dad lose his battle with cancer.Now, at only nineteen, Justine is the sole carer for her disabled brother. But with Perry having been accepted into an assisted-living residence, their reliance on each other is set to shift.
Before they go their separate ways, they're seeking to create the perfect memory. For Perry, the trip is a glorious celebration of his favourite things: mythical sea monsters, Jackie Chan movies and the study of earthquakes. For Justine, it's a chance to reconcile the decision to 'free' her twin, to see who she is without her boyfriend, Marc - and to offer their mother the chance to atone for past wrongs. But the instability that has shaped their lives will not subside, and the seismic event that Perry forewarned threatens to reduce their worlds to rubble...
You're the kind of girl I write songs about by Daniel Herborn
Funny, sweet and beautifully depicted, You're the Kind of Girl I Write Songs About is a startlingly fresh voice from a very talented new author. Tim is repeating the HSC, but he's more into music than studying. He is juggling playing in a band with handing in assignments and the music is winning. Mandy is taking a year off before she starts uni. Her problem is she doesn't really know what she wants to study, so she's working (sort of) and even by her own admission spends too much watching daytime TV and drinking tea with best friend Alice, with the tea being an excuse for talking - lots. Tim and Mandy meet at a gig. The attraction is immediate, but they are both so shy and self-conscious, but over time they slowly, awkwardly, move toward each other, meeting by coincidence, each unsure as to how the other feels. Set in the cafes, pubs and dives of Sydney's Inner West You're the Kind of Girl I Write Songs About is a ballad to that time of your life when you are trying to work out who you are, what it is you want and what will it take to get you there.Illuminae by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff
The year is 2575, and two rival mega-corporations are at war over a planet that's little more than an ice-covered speck at the edge of the universe. Too bad nobody thought to warn the people living on it. With enemy fire raining down on them, exes Kady and Ezra - who are barely even talking to each other - are forced to fight their way onto the evacuating fleet, with an enemy warship in hot pursuit...But the warship is the least of their problems. A deadly plague has broken out and is mutating, with terrifying results. The fleet's AI, which should be protecting them, may actually be their enemy; and nobody in charge will say what the hell is going on. As Kady hacks into a tangled web of data to find the truth, it's clear only one person can help her bring it all to light: the ex-boyfriend she swore she'd never speak to again...Illuminae is the first book in a heart-stopping, high-octane trilogy about lives interrupted, the price of truth and the courage of everyday heroes...Clancy of the undertow by Christopher Currie
In a dead-end town like Barwen a girl only to be a little different to feel like a freak. And Clancy, a typical sixteen-year-old misfit with a moderately dysfunctional family, a genuine interest in Nature Club and a major crush on the local hot girl, is packing a capital F.As the summer begins, Clancy's dad is involved in a road smash that kills two local teenagers. While the family is dealing with the reaction of a hostile town, Clancy meets someone who could possibly—at last—become a friend. Not only that, the unattainable Sasha starts to show what may be a romantic interest.
In short, this is the summer when Clancy has to figure out who the hell she is.
Adrift by Paul Griffin
'Five of us went out on the water that night. None of us came back whole, and not all of us came back.' Best friends Matt and John are spending the summer working; Matt to save money for college, John to kill time before trade school. On the beach, the beautiful Driana stops Matt in his tracks. Dri, Stef and JoJo invite the boys to a party at Dri's Hamptons mansion, and Matt drags John along. When Stef decides it's a beautiful night to go windsurfing, the others race out on the water to make sure she's safe. But with no land in sight and a broken boat engine, it's not just Stef they have to worry about. And as the hours turn into days, the prospect of rescue seems further and further away...
Willowdean Dickson (Dumplin', to her mum) has always been at home in her own skin. Her thoughts on having the ultimate bikini body? Really, the criteria is simple. Do you have a body? Put a swimsuit on it. But life as Willlow knows it is about to change, and when this happens she suffers an unaccustomed, and unwelcome, attack of self-doubt. In an effort to take back her confidence, she enters into the local Miss Teen Blue Bonner beauty pageant. With starry Texas nights, red candy suckers, Dolly Parton songs and a wildly unforgettable heroine - Dumplin' is guaranteed to steal your heart. And send you out to buy that bikini!
Saint anything by Sarah Dessen
Sydney has always felt invisible.
Peyton, Sydney's brother, has always been the star of the family, receiving all the attention and, lately, concern. His reckless behaviour culminates in a shock accident, and a jail sentence, which casts Sydney adrift, searching for her place in the family and the world.
Enter the warm, chaotic Chatham family who accept Sydney without question. It's here that she meets Mac: gentle, watchful and protective, who makes Sydney feel seen, really seen, for the first time.
