Books from Australia and New Zealand for Young Adults
McKenzie's boots by Michael Noonan. Australia, 1987.
To escape an unhappy situation at home, fourteen-year-old Rod McKenzie, six feet tall and more than 154 pounds, enlists in the army during World War II claiming to be nineteen.
Balyet by Patricia Wrightson. Australia, 1989.
Despite the precautions of the old Aborigine woman she calls Granny, fourteen-year-old Jo falls under the spell of a secret thing in the Australian hills, a girl endlessly alive and crying for the death that will not take her.
24 hours by Margaret Mahy. New Zealand, 2000.
During his first twenty-four hours after finishing high school, seventeen-year-old Ellis unexpectedly becomes part of an inner-city world far different from his comfortable life, which helps deal with his best friend's recent suicide.
Magic or madness by Justine Larbalestier. Australia, 2005.
For 15 years, Reason Cansino has lived a life on the run in the Australian countryside with her mother. When her mother falls ill, Reason is forced to move in with her grandmother, a dangerous woman who believes in magic. Reason soon learns that magic is real.
Mahalia by Joanne Horniman. Australia, 2004.
When his girlfriend leaves him and their five-month-old baby, seventeen-year-old Matt struggles to make a life for himself and Mahalia, the daughter he adores.