New Releases by Sonya Hartnett

Not all cats are tabby. Not all trees are tall. Not all clouds are white... and not all flowers are yellow. A beautiful and inspiring story, from award-winning writer Sonya Hartnett, about the discovery that being different can be something wonderful.

"Hartnett again captures the ineffable fragility of childhood in this keenly observed tale." — Publishers Weekly (starred review) Nine-year-old Adrian watches his world closely, but there is much he cannot understand. He does not, for instance, know why three neighborhood children might set out to buy ice cream one summer’s day and never be seen again...In a suburb that is no longer safe and innocent, in a broken family of self-absorbed souls, Sonya Hartnett sets the story of a lone little boy — unwanted, unloved, and intensely curious — a story as achingly beautiful as it is shattering. A Children’s Literature Choice List Title Two starred reviews (Publishers Weekly, Kirkus Reviews)

"A startling coming-of-age story. . . . Through Harper, Hartnett captures the humanity of her spirited, slightly eccentric, and then nearly broken characters." — Publishers Weekly (starred review) Harper Flute believes that her younger brother Tin, with his uncanny ability to dig, was born to burrow. While their family struggles to survive in a bleak landscape during the Great Depression, the silent and elusive little Tin begins to tunnel beneath their tiny shanty. As time passes, Tin becomes a wild thing, leaving his family further and further behind. Sonya Hartnett tells a breathtakingly original coming-of-age story through the clear eyes of an observant child, with exquisite prose, richly drawn characters, and a touch of magical realism.

With masterful nuance and vividly drawn characters, Sonya Hartnett’s novel visits a suburban neighborhood where psychological menace lurks below the surface. Colt Jenson and his younger brother, Bastian, have moved to a new, working-class suburb. The Jensons are different. Their father, Rex, showers them with gifts — toys, bikes, all that glitters most — and makes them the envy of the neighborhood. To the local kids, the Jensons are a family out of a movie, and Rex a hero — successful, attentive, attractive, always there to lend a hand. But to Colt he''s an impossible figure: unbearable, suffocating. Has Colt got Rex wrong, or has he seen something in his father that will destroy their fragile new lives? This brilliant and unflinching new novel reveals internationally acclaimed author Sonya Hartnett at her most intriguing and psychologically complex.

"A one-of-a-kind love story...Those who enjoy fables or magical realism will be spellbound by this redemptive story of a search for love, love lost and love (of a sort) found again...exquisite prose." – Publishers Weekly Maddy, an old lady now, arrives home one day to find a peculiar boy waiting for her. Over tea, she tells him the story of her life long ago, when she wished for her days to be as romantic and mysterious as a fairy tale. It was then that she fell painfully in love with a free spirit named Feather, who put aside his wild ways to live with her in a little cottage, conceived with her a child never to be born, and disappeared -- leaving an inconsolable Maddy to follow after him on a fantastical journey across the sea. In a beautifully crafted tale Sonya Hartnett masterfully explores the mysteries of the heart, the sustaining power of memory, and the ultimate consolation that comes to souls who live fully and fearlessly.

The sampler includes chapters from three Michael L. Printz Honor Books: Sally Gardner’s Maggot Moon, Adam Rapp’s Punkzilla, and Sonya Hartnett’s Surrender. Maggot Moon In Sally Gardner’s stunning novel, set in a ruthless regime, an unlikely teenager risks all to expose the truth about a heralded moon landing. Punkzilla An award-winning writer and playwright hits the open road for a searing novel-in-letters about a street kid on a high-stakes trek across America. Surrender A mesmerizing psychological thriller from extraordinary novelist Sonya Hartnett

Charlie met the wild one when he was young. Together they caught tadpoles, and watched spiders weaving webs. But as the sun rose and fell, and the moon circled the world, Charlie forgot the wild one''s magic - until it was almost too late to remember . . . From acclaimed picture-book partnership Sonya Hartnett and Lucia Masciullo comes a celebration of the wonders of childhood, the beauty of nature and the wild that lives in us all.

Originally published: Camberwell, Vic.: Penguin Books (Australia), 2012.

In France during World War I, four French children learn about honesty, loyalty, and courage from an English army deserter who tells them a series of stories related to his small, silver donkey charm.

From the combinedtalents of Sonya Hartnett and Lucia Masciullo comes this tale of friendship and bravery, and the things we are capable of doing for those we treasure most. The day is ending, night is falling, and Nicholas''s cat won''t come down. High on the roof she licks her paws while Nicholas worries about her up there all alone. How does he coax her into the safe, warm house? She doesn''t even want to come down from the roof... ordoes she?

Best-selling author Sonya Hartnett writes a beautiful children''s fable about love and acceptance, suitable for children 4 and older. One day a man invented the best toy in the world. He gave the toy to his son. The boy thought the toy was marvellous. It could do anything! But as time passed, the boy started to wonder about the toy. Was it really the best toy in the world?

A diciassette anni Matilda sognava per sé una vita piena di magia, come nelle fiabe. Ma il futuro non è sempre come lo immaginiamo, e oggi che è un’anziana signora Matilda lo sa. Un giorno come tanti, trova ad aspettarla in soggiorno un bambino pallido e serio, che fa un sacco di domande, come tutti i bambini. Matilda gli racconta della sua infanzia, dei suoi viaggi con il padre e del grande amore della sua vita. Dal suo racconto emerge una verità dolorosa e confortante insieme: ogni desiderio che esprimiamo, ogni scelta che facciamo hanno un prezzo, spesso molto alto. L’importante però è difenderli a testa alta, contro tutto e tutti, perché l’amore vale sempre la pena di essere vissuto, anche quando fa soffrire. E perché la vita non è sempre come l’abbiamo immaginata: spesso è molto di più.

Acclaimed author Sonya Hartnett is firmly Melburnian but has restlessly moved from suburb to suburb in her search for the ''Last House'' – that special corner of the world in which to settle and find contentment. Viewing her life and work through the lens of real estate, she vividly recalls the places she has passed through on her way to finding home. Expanding on her 2010 Redmond Barry lecture, this short memoir is a beautifully atmospheric exploration of the idea of home and what it means to be a writer in a City of Literature.

Award-winning Sonya Hartnett spins a tale for younger readers about mischief, siblings, and taking matters into your own hands. Sadie and Ratz are the names of Hannah’s hands. They aren’t animals, but they behave like wild beasts, says Dad. For one thing, they’re always after four-year-old Baby Boy (whom Sadie wishes were a dog). They jump onto his head and try to rub his ears off. Baby Boy knows how to turn the tables, though, and when he spills milk on the carpet, he tells Grandma that Sadie and Ratz pushed him. But when Baby Boy goes too far, Hannah may have to send Sadie and Ratz on vacation to prove their innocence. Multi-award-winning author Sonya Hartnett brings her original sensibility, wry humor, and engaging characters to a younger audience, aided by Ann James’s inviting illustrations.

Master storyteller Sonya Hartnett crafts a magical and moving fable about war and redemption . . . and what it means to be free. When the Germans attack their Romany encampment during World War II, Andrej and his younger brother, Tomas, flee through a ravaged countryside under cover of darkness, guarding a secret bundle. Their journey leads to a bombed-out town, where the boys discover a hidden wonder: a zoo filled with creatures in need of hope. Like Andrej and Tomas, the animals--wolf and eagle, monkey and bear, lioness and seal, kangaroo and llama-- have stories to share and a mission to reclaim their lives.

The year is 1977, and Adrian is nine. He lives with his gran and his uncle Rory; his best friend is Clinton Tull. He loves to draw and he wants a dog; he''s afraid of quicksand and self-combustion. Adrian watches his suburban world, but there is much he cannot understand. He does not, for instance, know why three neighbourhood children might set ...

Ever since Dad went off the deep end and decided he didn''t need to work anymore--insisting the Lord would provide--Satchel O''Rye has felt stuck for life in his dying country town. A high school dropout drifting from one small carpentry job to the next, Satchel can see nothing beyond his own dreary duty to help keep the family afloat. But things ...

On the verge of her fourteenth birthday, Plum knows her life will change. But she has no idea how. Over the coming weeks, her beautiful neighbour Maureen will show her how she might fly. Her adored older brothers will court catastrophe in worlds that she barely knows exist. And her friends - her worst enemies - will tease and test, smelling weakness. They will try to lead her on and take her down. Who ever forgets what happens when you''re fourteen? Prizes:?Shortlisted for Miles Franklin Literary Award 2010.

As life slips away, Gabriel looks back over his brief twenty years that have been clouded by frustration and humiliation. A small town and distant parents ensure that he is never allowed to forget the horrific mistake he made as a child. He has only two friends – his dog Surrender, and the unruly wild boy Finnigan, with whom he made a boyhood pact. When a series of arson attacks grips the town, Gabriel realises how unpredictable and dangerous Finnigan is. Events begin to spiral out of control, and it becomes clear that only the most extreme of measures will rid Gabriel of Finnigan for good.

In France during World War I, four French children learn about honesty, loyalty, and courage from an English army deserter who tells them a series of stories related to his small, silver donkey charm.

As he is dying, a twenty-year-old man known as Gabriel recounts his troubled childhood and his strange relationship with a dangerous counterpart named Finnigan, realizing that only the most extreme measures will rid himself of Finnigan for good. Reprint.

The forest is earth and leaves, sun and shade, feather and blood and bone. It is the old way, the true way the wild way to live. But, for Kian, wilderness is not home.

Als een gevoelige negenjarige jongen het gevoel krijgt dat niemand hem de moeite waard vindt, loopt hij van huis weg.

Award winning children''s author, Sonya Hartnett, weaves a compelling drama of friendship and choice that is perfect reading for the 15+ market. Louie has finished with her old life, and stepped into a world of sinners. For her, nothing is going to be the same again. This darkly funny, disturbing novel explores a lawless world where morality is a nuisance, everything can be bought, and the prices paid are high.

Sometimes, when there is evil enough, that evil comes to life, and sets up home with you...''He draws her close, envelops her as if with wings. She does not resist him or the kisses over her face and when he tilts her chin up, she lets him, exposing the flesh of her throat. When she goes home that day she will wear the marks of the devil, the clinging smell of oil, the bruising of her neck.'' This is a chilling and disturbing novel from the author of Sleeping Dogs and Wilful Blue.