My Big Birkett: The Sweet, Terrible, Glorious Year I Truly, Completely Lost It

Description

By turns hilarious and bittersweet, this fresh, engaging novel illuminates the hidden corners of suburban life, love and friendship. In my family, when anyone rides the wave of their emotions, we say they're chucking a birkett. When the emotion drives out all common sense, we say they're chucking a big one. The telltale signs are: flaming cheeks, shortness of breath, bulging eyes and a prolonged illogical outburst Gemma Stone is convinced that it's always unseemly to chuck a Birkett and that it's actually insane to chuck one in front of a complete stranger. But that was before she fell in love with a boy who barely knows she exists, before she auditioned for the school play, before she met the family of freaks her sister Debbie is marrying into, before the unpredictable Raven De Head took an interest in her, and before she realised that at the right time and for the right reason, a Birkett could be a beautiful thing. A sharply-observed, funny and bittersweet novel about testing your wings and finding your feet.

Reviews

'...truly a delight and will have high appeal for young teens - lots of humour, angst, a tragedy and a bittersweet conclusion.' Junior Bookseller and PublisherMay 2006'With fresh dialogue and believable characters, this is a richly layered, perceptive story...' MagpiesJuly 2006'This humorous but touching read has plenty of laugh-aloud moments, a cast of endearingly zany characters, and an upbeat feel...It is a story about family loyalties, pride and fairness, told through the eyes of a girl who is on a steep learning curve about all of these things.' Reading Timevol 50 No 3 2006

Author description

Lisa Shanahan trained as an actor at Theatre Nepean, University of Western Sydney. Whilst studying, she taught drama and wrote plays for children. After completing her degree she undertook a Writing for Children course with Libby Gleeson where she discovered a great passion for writing stories for children. Lisa and her husband, Keiran, live with their sons Bryn and Riley in Sydney. Lisa continues to teach drama and write books and feels very lucky that she is able to do both.