Teacher Notes
Review by Paige Mercer, Elwood, Age 14
Outside In is a FANTASTIC book I loved it. This is the kind of book that if you start reading you can’t put it down.
Review by The reading stack
A wonderful book for both boys and girls alike – one which will encourage them to open their eyes to the surroundings of their own lives. This is a universal story. All seven characters could easily be found in any high school in Australia. outside IN is definitely destined for schools reading lists!
Review by Persnickity Snark
Vastly relatable, fantastic dialogue and an interesting structure make this a great read on teens.
"The cool group at school is not as luminous as it seems.
Beautiful Jordan is struggling to cope with her newly divorced parents. Meredith covers up her past by playing the clown, Cecilia hides a shameful secret, Sam is growing up, and Jack is caught off-guard when he falls in love for the first time.
And then there’s someone who’s not part of the group. The others have no idea that she’s there.
But she knows there are cracks.
She watches from the inside, out. From the outside in."
Click here to buy Outside In.
Teacher Notes
Whisper is sublime. It's incredibly thought provoking and lyrical. There were so many moments that were heartbreaking and so many moments of joy too. A really brilliantly tackled topic Alice Barker, freelance editor.
I am hopeful that whisper will provide insights into both worlds that are equally daunting and rewarding. This is a must read for teenagers and adults, both deaf and hearing. El Mathias, head librarian Victorian College for the Deaf.
Though focused on disability, alienation and difference, there's nothing heavy-handed or condescending here - rather, Keighery's gift for characterisation is immediately engaging and the tone is bright, warm and layered with self-deprecating humour. Meredith Tate, Bookseller and Publisher.
I'm always trying to figure out what's really going on. Always having to fill in the gaps, but never getting all the details. It's like trying to do a jigsaw when I don't even know what the picture is, and I'm missing one of the vital middle pieces.
How do you know if your friends are talking about you behind your back or if a boy likes you? They could act innocent, but you'd know from the rumours. You'd hear the whispers. But what if you couldn't hear those whispers anymore? What if everything you took for granted was gone? Being a teenager is hard enough.
But being a deaf teenager?
Click here to buy Whisper.
Whisper has been longlisted for the 2012 CBCA awards
Whisper has been chosen by the International Youth Library for a special mention in the annual White Raven's award.
There’s a reason that the number thirteen is bad luck: it sucks to be thirteen.
You’re definitely not a kid anymore, but your parents still treat you like one. The girls at school are suddenly shaving their legs and wearing make-up. The boys are checking you out and trying to hook up at parties. (Or not checking you out, which is somehow worse.) No-one seems to get you – sometimes not even your best friends.
No-one escapes thirteen unscathed – not even the best looking, most popular people with straight white teeth. The best you can do is be true to yourself, even when everything’s changing.
Girl v the World is a funny, inspiring and heartwarming new series about thirteen-year-old girls taking on the world. Because you’ve got to be strong to take it on.
Girl V The World (Out in August 2012)
I Heart you, Archie de Souza. Waiting for it.
I Heart You, Archie de Souza
Edi lives a weird double life. At school, it seems like everyone loves her, but at home, her parents barely notice she exists - except when her marks aren't good enough. So when Edi hooks up with her crush Archie, she can hardly believe her luck. Archie is super cute, and his family are the exact opposite to hers - warm and welcoming. Edi finally has the family she's always wanted and she loves Archie more than anything. But does Archie feel the same way?
Waiting For It
There's something wrong with Hazel Atherton - she just knows it. She's not a kid anymore, but she's not grown-up either. Hazel hasn't even kissed a boy and she's not sure she ever will. Although that doesn't stop her from thinking about Leo in the year above...
Hazel wishes she could talk to her mum about it - but these days her mum is too busy doing hanging out with her new boyfriend.
Does anyone understand what's going on with Hazel?
