Tag: hardie grant egmont

Dumped, by Meredith Costain

I hate u ur a cow
I quickly drop my phone on the bench, like it’s a flaming coal that’s just burnt my hand. Then I pick it up again, and check the sender details. Still not a number I know.
The phone beeps again while it’s still in my hand.. ‘So are you!’ I yell at it, then stop, my hand to my mouth. What am I doing? Yelling at a freaking phone? This is getting really silly.

Michi has made some great new friends at highschool, but she’s still finding it hard to fit in. So when she starts getting nasty texts and emails she doesn’t really know what to do. Why do Amira and her mates hate her, and what can she do about it?

Dumped is the second title in the Year in Girl Hell series from Aussie author Meredith Costain. Each of the four books is told using the first person narration of a different girl in a group of friends as they go through their first year of high school. Michi, the narrator in Dumped battles cyber bullying and the weight of parental expectation as she prepares for an important music exam, but also has support from the other three girls.

Aimed at tween girls, this is a series which hits its mark.

Dumped (A Year in Girl Hell)

Dumped (A Year in Girl Hell), by Meredith Costain
Hardie Grant Egmont, 2009

This book can be purchased online from Fishpond.

Snow Play, by Claire Saxby

‘It’s like nothing else…Even the air sounds different, because the snow crunches when you move. Sometimes it’s like being on ice-cream, all smooth. It’s like there’s a blanket on the air, making everything sound softer. And other times it’s like being on an ice-skating rink, only on a slope. And if it’s early and it’s been snowing…then it’s like floating on bubbles.’

Jamie has never been to the snow before, but when she’s finally invited to go and see it, she isn’t so sure. The person inviting her is Gemma Watten. Gemma is the quietest girl in her class, and Jamie doesn’t know her at all. What will they talk about? What if they don’t get along?

Snow Play is a delightful tale of friendship and fitting in, set against the backdrop of a day in the snow. Author Claire Saxby has worked hard to recreate the wonder and novelty of the snowfields for readers who may not have had the experience. At the same time, the story line is strong and avoids being predictable or preachy which could easily happen in a story of this length and with these themes.

Part of the Go Girl series, the sparkly cover is sure to attract young readers, but it is the story which will really draw them in.

Good stuff.

Snow Play, by Claire Saxby
Hardie Grant Egmont, 2007