Book picks similar to
The Year the Star Fell by Alison Stewart


australian
coming-of-age-and-growing-up
chick-lit
horses

The Ratcatcher's Daughter


Pamela Rushby - 2014
    Thirteen-year-old Issy McKelvie leaves school and starts her first job - very reluctantly - as a maid in an undertaking establishment. She thinks this is about as low as you can go. But there's worse to come. Issy becomes an unwilling rat-catcher when the plague - the Black Death - arrives in Australia. Issy loathes both rats and her father's four yappy, snappy, hyperactive rat-killing terriers. But when her father becomes ill it's up to Issy to join the battle to rid the city of the plague-carrying rats. Ages 10+

Ask Amy Green: Boy Trouble


Sarah Webb - 2009
    But what if Amy needs boy tips of her own? A witty, genuine take on the ups and downs of friends, family, and first romance. Thirteen-year-old Amy Green has a lot to juggle: handling her divorced parents, minding her messy baby siblings, and navigating the snobby popular cliques at school. So when her cool but crazy seventeen-year old aunt, Clover lands a job giving advice for the teen mag The Goss, Amy jumps at the chance to help out as her sidekick. Of course Clover, being Clover, doesn’t just want to answer readers’ letters, she wants to solve their problems . . . personally. From stamping out malicious rumors to giving a cad his comeuppance to creating the perfect web page, the two come up with some clever hands-on  schemes that bring happiness to many unhappy girls. But when Amy falls for the cute but aloof boy in her art class — and her own friends start snubbing her big-time — can she find a way out of her own dilemma?

Angel Cake


Cathy Cassidy - 2009
    But as she sits in a school where nobody understands her, she dreams of Polish summer skies and the place where she once belonged. Then Anya meets bad boy Dan. He's no angel but she's sure there's a sweeter side to him.

The Reluctant Jillaroo


Kaz Delaney - 2016
    Suitable for teen readers of Rachael Treasure.Harper Gage has won the opportunity of a lifetime - ten days at Winmaroo Jillaroo and Jackaroo school. The camp could give her the recommendation she needs to go to the exclusive Agricoll for years 11 and 12. But when an accident leaves Harper hospitalised, her twin sister, Heidi, goes in her place. The only problem is that Heidi is not much of a country girl - not like her sister. And to make life even more complicated, her sister's biggest rival Trent is going to be there. Will she be able to fool him?And then the reality of the school hits Heidi hard. It's all dust, snakes and heat - a million miles away from the surf she loves. When she meets the fun and handsome Chaz, life at the school suddenly doesn't seem so bad, although with Trent acting up and trouble brewing with the other students, Heidi's not sure how long she can keep her identity secret. And if her secret is revealed, will Chaz ever be able to trust her again?

Heath, Cliffs & Wandering Hearts


Laura Barnard
    Her Mum’s business has failed and they’re forced to move into a maisonette in the rough end of town. She doesn’t want anyone to know her dire situation, not even her besties. So when the rest of the money for the school ski trip is due she can’t be seen not to attend. Everyone is going! She just needs to find a job. Add that to the list of getting a boyfriend and losing her pathetic virginity. But working every spare hour in a job she hates on top of school work and mounting secrets doesn’t prove easy. Soon she’s keeping so many she’s not even sure herself what’s true and what’s not. The only person she can lean on to tell the truth is her best friend Heath. Only…did he get hot recently? That won’t make things awkward between them…right?

The Agent With a Bone to Pick


D.R. Tara - 2014
    After finding him on the road and adopting him, his parents give him a life that most dogs could only imagine, riding with Mummy on her scooter and playing cricket with Daddy. In Story 1, Jack spies on Mummy as she shops in a mall. In doing so, he foils the efforts of a robber who tried to steal Mummy’s purse. His efforts result in an invitation to join the police force as a special agent. In Story 2, Jack goes undercover to solve a case of looting in the neighbourhood. In story 3 Jack finds a great friend in Scoobie, and the two friends spend quality time playing together.

Bone Music


David Almond - 2021
    Under a boundless starry sky, the unforgettable Sylvia Carr reconnects with the ancient past and discovers what it really means to be young in the world today.Sylvia, brave hearted and rebellious, moves into wild Northumberland from the city of Newcastle. She feels alien in this huge, silent, seemingly empty landscape, but then she meets Gabriel, a strange yet familiar boy. As they roam the forests and fells together, she sees nature with new eyes. She becomes aware that the past is all around her, and is deep inside herself. From the wing of a dead buzzard, they create a hollow bone - the kind of flute that was created and used in rituals in the distant past. This is a book of hope and joy - a book that celebrates humanity and explores the deep connections between ourselves and nature. It is timely and original. It speaks to young people about what it really is to be a human being alive today.

The Accidental Minecraft Family: Book 1: (An Unofficial Minecraft Book)


Pixel Ate - 2020
    

The Proposition Series


Lucia Jordan - 2012
    He was a hot, dreamy man that could bring any woman to her knees." (The Proposition)This Collection contains the 4 stories:Book 1: The PropositionMegan is amazed when her fabulously rich and handsome boss decides to give her a very no-strings, very sexual proposition. She already found him highly desirable and he’d certainly assured her that no matter her answer, he’d respect it. So what was it going to be?Book 2: Illicit PropositionMegan has indulged in some pretty wild fantasies involving her rich handsome boss, Heath Mayer. But she soon finds out that reality is even more of a tantalizing thrill…They meet again and he makes her a proposition that is both tempting and full of dangerous promise. But before she is to succumb, she is given a taste of what is expected of her if she is to share his bed. The scene unfolds and more than ever she understands how careful you must be of what you wish for…Book 3: No-Strings PropositionHeath Mayer proved to want Megan more under his control than ever. Now that she’d agreed to make that weekend trip with him, Megan discovered how dark and challenging his desires truly were. Hungry for the chance to explore this new, exciting experience with him, Megan decides to keep her mind – and body, open to his demands. It was just for three nights, after all. No promises, no strings…just enough hot, pounding passion to leave her going up in flames… Book 4: Eternal PropositionMegan Kerry had some really hard choices – literally. Spending three hot nights with her sexy boss Heath Mayer had her falling deeper into his dark web. He demanded for nothing less than the entirety of what she had to give – herself. But would it be just for that no-strings weekend, or was it possible he would want more? Megan had to decide which role she wanted to continue to play in his life. His toy, or the woman with a chance of having his heart…***This series contains adult romantic these that will get all heart’s pumping!Preview:Oh fuck he’s hot, she thought, as she shook hands with Heath Mayer. She’d heard about their chief exec being quite the hunk, but did anyone have the right to be so freaking sexy? He just had to breathe and he was any girl’s hottest fantasy. Above six feet tall, wide shoulders, narrow waist – all round solid, hard. He had the kind of arresting face you’d see on any of those high fashion men’s magazines. Brooding good looks with the chiseled jaw and smoky eyes. His were a piercing grey, with hair so dark it seemed to have blue streaks in them. He had on a three piece suit that fit him perfectly, and gave the impression that his clothes cost more than Megan earned in a year. “This is Miss Kerry,” her superior, the VP of sales and marketing, was saying as he introduced her to the owner and CEO of the company.

The Aegis of Merlin Omnibus Vol 1


James E. Wisher - 2018
     At least until the final day of school arrives and with it the annual wizard’s test. When Conryu passes the test, no one can believe it since everyone knows boys can’t do magic. Suddenly thrust into a world of magic and danger, Conryu must figure out how to use his news powers and quickly. He soon finds himself n the run from a mad religious cult and hunted by a group of wizards that view a man wielding magic as the worst abomination imaginable. When his home city is taken hostage by the sinister Lady Raven, Conryu is the only one that can save the day. Can Conryu master his magic before it’s too late? This Volume contains the first four novels of the Aegis of Merlin Urban Fantasy Series: The Impossible Wizard, The Awakening, The Chimera Jar, and The Raven’s Shadow.

"When Did You See Her Last?" Free Preview (The First 3 Chapters)


Lemony Snicket - 2013
    This is the account of the second. In the fading town of Stain'd-by-the-Sea, young apprentice Lemony Snicket has a new case to solve when he and his chaperone are hired to find a missing girl. Is the girl a runaway? Or was she kidnapped? Was she seen last at the grocery store? Or could she have stopped at the diner? Is it really any of your business? These are All the Wrong Questions.

The Fashion Disaster that Changed my Life


Lauren Myracle - 2005
    Alli bares it all to her journal as she figures out where she fits in, and, most importantly, what it means to be a real friend. With a waterproof cover, this title makes ideal reading for the beach or by the pool.

Me or Her?


Carrie Stone - 2016
     When Ruby secures her dream job at JMT advertising agency, she is delighted to get the charming Giovanni as her boss. With her sensual looks and commanding nature she’s in no doubt she’ll manage to reel him in. Bohemian and free-spirited Paige is struggling with both the prospect of dating and growing her interior design business, so when she finds herself at the centre of Giovanni’s attention and becomes an unexpected modeling sensation, it leaves a seething Ruby trailing in her shadow.... As Paige leaves London and her unpretentious ways behind her to flit amongst the Miami jet set, Ruby begins a new journey of her own, unraveling her career and navigating the rocky path of romance.

Five Kingdoms Complete Collection: Sky Raiders; Rogue Knight; Crystal Keepers; Death Weavers; Time Jumpers


Brandon Mull - 2018
    Adventure awaits in the Five Kingdoms—come and claim it with all five books in the “fanciful, action-packed” (Publishers Weekly, starred review) series from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Fablehaven and Beyonders series.This complete collection of the bestselling Five Kingdoms series includes:Sky RaidersRogue KnightCrystal KeepersDeath WeaversFive Kingdoms #5

Bird & Sugar Boy


Sofie Laguna - 2006
    I live with my dad who has a big tattoo that says Live to Ride. He is so strong he can lift up a car, but he can't tell me what he's thinking. Maybe he's thinking about my mother who shot through.Sugar Boy is my best friend. We hang around down at the river, in the bush tunnel, or beside the railway tracks riding our bikes fast enough to beat the train. There's only two of us, but we're the whole team.I don't know what would happen if I didn't have Sugar Boy . . .