Media Bites Dec 23 and Jan 24

DECEMBER 2023 – CHILDREN’S & YA Wrath Becomes Her

Secret Sparrow JACKIE FRENCH

How to be a Friend SARAH AYOUB & MIMI PURNELL

ADEN POLYDOROS

Vera was made for vengeance. Lithuania, 1943. The Nazis have killed Ezra’s daughter. He can’t bring Chaya back from the dead, but he can craft something in her image — a golem, infused with pointed rage, to avenge Chaya’s death. A Nazi killer made with kishuf, an ancient and profane magic. When Vera awakens, she can feel her violent purpose — her reason for existing — thrumming within her. But she can feel other things, too: glimpses of a human life lived, of stolen kisses amidst the tragedy, and of a grisly death. And when she meets Akiva, she recognises the boy with soft lips that gave warm kisses. But these memories aren’t hers, and Vera doesn’t know if she gets to have a life beyond what she was made for. If she deserves one. Vera’s strength feels limitless — until she learns that there are others who would use kishuf for means far less noble than avenging a daughter’s death. As she confronts the very basest of humanity, Vera will need more than what her creator gave her: not just a reason to fight, but a reason to live.

In 1917 sixteen-year-old Jean McLain is working as a Post Office assistant in England. But when she wins a national Morse code competition, the British army makes a request Jean cannot refuse - to take a secret position as a signaller in France. If Jean can keep the signals flowing between the soldiers at the Front and at headquarters, Britain might possibly win the war. But the British army are determined to hide their desperation - they will go on to burn every document that showed how women and girls were working behind the scenes, in the trenches, and even in battles during World War I. Decades later, and half a world away, an old woman on a motorbike tells the young man she has rescued from a flash flood the story of ‘the telegraph girl’: the friends she lost, the man who loved her, and the happiness she so surprisingly found again.

Do you know what it takes to be a friend, someone on whom someone else depends? Just a few ingredients, tips and tricks, Make the perfect friendship mix! A lyrical story with heartfelt ideas about what it means to be a good friend from the team that brought us The Love That Grew.

Released: 29/11/23 NSH| 24pp AU $24.99 NZ $26.99 Imprint: HarperCollins

adenpolydoros.com

Released: 29/11/23 NSP | 144 pp AU $22.99 NZ $22.99 Imprint: HQ

Released: 29/11/23 NSP | 144 pp AU $17.99 NZ $19.99 Imprint: HarperCollins

Funny Kid - Snowballs MATT STANTON Every kid wants to laugh, but Max is the boy who can make it happen. When Max and his friends holiday at a ski resort for the rich and famous, Max realises that everything he could ever need to be happy is all here in one place and he’s determined to fit in quick-smart! Max is the funny kid, but will his jokes work in the snow? Frozen pyjamas, fast cars, falling gracefully off cliffs, a wild mountain man, impossible chair lifts and a high-end fashion parade from lost property are just some of the things in store for Max and his friends in this brand-new Funny Kid adventure. FUNNY KID is the mega-bestselling series from author-illustrator Matt Stanton that has everyone laughing!

The Crayons Go Back To School DREW DAYWALT & OLIVER JEFFERS

The crayons are getting ready to go back to school and each crayon has a subject they’re looking forward to the most. They’re also ready to meet new friends and let loose during their very favourite time of day . . . art class. A hilarious back-to-school story featuring everyone’s favourite school supplies!

Released: 29/11/2023 BPB| 288pp AU $15.99 NZ $17.99 Imprint: ABC Books

Released: 29/11/2023 NSH| 32pp AU $24.99 NZ $26.99 Imprint: HarperCollins

CHILDREN’S

CHILDREN’S