CBCA Book of the Year Older Readers Shortlist 2015

1. CBCA Book of the Year 2015
Shortlist

2. Nona & Me by Claire Atkins
• Rosie and Nona are sisters. Yapas.
• They are also best friends. It doesn't matter
that Rosie is white and Nona is Aboriginal:
their family connections tie them together
for life.
• Born just five days apart in a remote corner
of the Northern Territory, the girls are
inseperable, until Nona moves away at the
age of nine. By the time she returns, they're
in Year 10 and things have changed. Rosie
has lost interest in the community, preferring
to hang out in the nearby mining town,
where she goes to school with the glamorous
Selena, and Selena's
gorgeous older brother Nick.
• When a political announcement highlights
divisions between the Aboriginal community
and the mining town, Rosie is put in a
difficult position: where she will she be
forced to choose between her first love and
her oldest friend.
• http://www.penguin.com.au/products/9781863956895/nona-me

3. Intruder by Christine Bongers
• Kat Jones is woken by an Intruder looming over her bed. She's
saved by Edwina – the neighbour Kat believes betrayed her
dying mother.
Her dad issues an ultimatum. Either spend nights next door, or
accept another Intruder in her life – Hercules, the world's
ugliest guard dog. It's a no-brainer, even for dog-phobic Kat.
When she meets adorkable Al at the dog park, finally Kat has
someone to talk to, someone who cares.
But the prowler isn't finished with Kat. To stop him, she needs
Edwina's help . . . and what Kat learns could mend fences – or
break her fragile family apart forever .
• http://www.randomhouse.com.au/books/christine-bongers/intruder-
9780857983763.aspx
• http://www.randomhouse.com.au/books/christine-bongers/intruder-
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4. Are you seeing me?
By Darren Groth
• Twins Justine and Perry are about to embark on
the road trip of a lifetime in the Pacific
Northwest.
It's been a year since they watched their dad
lose his battle with cancer. Now, at only
nineteen, Justine is the sole carer for her
disabled brother. But with Perry having been
accepted into an assisted-living residence, their
reliance on each other is set to shift. Before they
go their separate ways, they're seeking to create
the perfect memory.
For Perry, the trip is a glorious celebration of his
favourite things: mythical sea monsters, Jackie
Chan movies and the study of earthquakes.
For Justine, it's a chance to reconcile the
decision to ‘free' her twin, to see who she is
without her boyfriend, Marc – and to offer their
mother the chance to atone for past wrongs.
•
http://www.randomhouse.com.au/books/darren-groth/are-you-
seeing-me-9780857984739.aspx

5. The Incredible Adventures of Cinnamon Girl
Alba loves her life just as it is. She loves living behind the bakery, and waking up in a cloud of sugar and cinnamon. She loves
drawing comics and watching bad TV with her friends.
The only problem is she’s overlooked a few teeny details:
Like, the guy she thought long gone has unexpectedly reappeared.
And the boy who has been her best friend since forever has suddenly gone off the rails.
And even her latest comic-book creation is misbehaving.
Also, the world might be ending – which is proving to be awkward.
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/19403811-the-incredible-adventures-of-cinnamon-girl

6. The Minnow by Diana Sweeney
• Tom survived a devastating flood that
claimed the lives of her sister and
parents. Now she lives with Bill in his
old shed by the lake. But it’s time to
move out—Tom is pregnant with Bill’s
baby.
Jonah lets her move in with him. Mrs
Peck gives her the Fishmaster Super
Series tackle box. Nana is full of gentle
good advice and useful sayings.
And in her longing for what is lost, Tom
talks to fish: Oscar the carp in the pet
shop, little Sarah catfish who might be
her sister, an unhelpful turtle in a tank
at the maternity ward. And the
minnow.

7. Hannah's world is in pieces and she doesn't
need the school counsellor to tell her she has
deep-seated psychological issues. With a
seriously depressed mum, an injured dad and
a dead sister, who wouldn't have problems?
Hannah should feel terrible but for the first
time in ages, she feels a glimmer of hope and
isn't afraid anymore. Is it because the elusive
Josh is taking an interest in her? Or does it
run deeper than that?
In a family torn apart by grief and guilt, one
girl's struggle to come to terms with years of
torment shows just how long old wounds can
take to heal.
http://www.penguin.com.au/products/9780702250194/protected