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My Spare Heart

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( 125 ratings, 30 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
My Spare Heart by Jared Thomas is a compelling Young Adult novel that explores the challenges of adolescence through the eyes of its protagonist. The story delves into themes of family dynamics, personal growth, and self-discovery as the main character navigates the complexities of teenage life while dealing with the expectations and realities of her home environment. It's a heartfelt journey that captures the essence of growing up and finding one's place in the world.
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Format: Paperback / softback
$2499
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

This book may appeal to you if you're interested in compelling explorations of self-discovery and family relationships. The narrative offers a captivating glimpse into the challenges and growth faced by a young adult navigating complex emotions. With relatable themes and a genuine voice, it promises an engaging read for those drawn to authentic and heartfelt stories.

Book Hero thinking about your next read

Seventeen-year-old Phoebe's life is turned upside down when she moves from the city to the country to live with her dad in this powerful and uplifting story about family breakdowns, facing truths and finding balance.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

SHORT-LISTED: 2023 QLD Literary Awards, Griffith University Young Adult Book Award

I mean, Mum didn't drink that much. All of my friends' parents loved their champagne or whatever. Everyone drank in The Village, too. I'd only been there for about a month and there'd already been five wine and food festivals. Mum's drinking wasn't a big deal. Right?

Phoebe's non-Indigenous mother, a busy event manager, and her father, an Aboriginal man and uni lecturer, have split up and she's moved to sleepy old Willunga with him and his new health-obsessed girlfriend. It's only a few kilometres from Phoebe's old friends and the city, but it feels like another world.

Her new school is full of hippies, but some of the kids are cool and the local basketball team is tight, and before long Phoebe's fitting in. But as her mum becomes increasingly unreliable, Phoebe's grades begin to suffer, her place on the basketball team is under threat and her worries spiral out of control.

Phoebe can't tell her friends and is worried her dad will get angry, but pretending everything is fine is breaking her heart. How can she help her mum without tearing her family apart?

'A story with grit, authenticity of voice and characters who show strength in identity and culture.' Anita Heiss, award-winning author of Bila Yarrudhanggalangdhuray

'This book will move you. It navigates the mess, chaos and complexities of life with grace.' Rebecca Lim, award-winning author of Tiger Daughter

'Honest, raw and full of heart.' Tobias Madden, author of Anything But Fine

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

My Spare Heart by Jared Thomas is praised for its authentic voice and strong portrayal of identity and culture. The book is commended for capturing the challenges of growing up First Nations, with the protagonist navigating life's complexities gracefully. Critics highlight the story's honest and raw exploration of family dynamics, friendships, and personal growth.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781760631833

Publisher: A&U Children's

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 31 May 2022

Country: Australia

Imprint: A&U Children

Audience: Teenage

DIMENSIONS

Width: 128.0mm

Height: 198.0mm

Weight: 331g

Pages: 384

About the Author

Dr Jared Thomas is a Nukunu person of the Southern Flinders Ranges, William and Margaret Geary Research Fellow, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Material Culture and Art at the South Australian Museum and the University of South Australia, and an Indigenous Literacy Foundation ambassador. He is the highly regarded author of critically acclaimed books for young adults including Sweet Guy, which was short-listed for both the Victorian Premier's Literary Awards and the Adelaide Festival Awards for Literature, and Calypso Summer, for which Jared was awarded the Kuril Dhagun Indigenous Writing Fellowship, and which was selected by the International Youth Library as a White Raven Book and short-listed for the Victorian Premier's Literary Award for Indigenous Writing. Jared is also the author of the YA novel Songs that Sound Like Blood, and the co-author of the Patty Mills series Game Day.

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