Barry Jonsberg – författare

This isn't just about me. It's also about the other people in my life - my mother, my father, my dead sister Sky, my penpal Denille, Rich Uncle Brian, Earth-Pig Fish and Douglas Benson From Another Dimension. These are people [with the exception of Earth-Pig Fish, who is a fish] who have shaped me, made me what I am. I cannot recount my life without recounting elements of theirs. This is a big task, but I am confident I am up to it.Introducing Candice Phee: twelve years old, hilariously honest and a little ...odd. But she has a big heart, the very best of intentions and an unwavering determination to ensure everyone is happy. So she sets about trying to 'fix' all the problems of all the people [and pets] in her life. Laugh-out-loud funny and wonderfully touching, My Life as an Alphabet is a delightful novel about an unusual girl who goes to great lengths to bring love and laughter into the lives of everyone she cares about.

It was difficult to know when nightmares ended and the waking world began. Pan is still struggling to distinguish between her dreams and reality. When she wakes in the Infirmary her mind replays the sight of Nate running along the shoreline and the way his body froze and then flopped after he was shot. But her memories hold more questions than answers and she doesn't know who to trust.When she forms an unlikely alliance with Jen to try to make sense of everyone's haunting similar memories and the conflicting information about The School, she finds herself with unexpected enemies. Pan and Jen are determined to seek the truth - no matter what rules they must break or how terrible the danger they face. But can they even trust each other? Intuition. Secrets. Truth. Courage. Action. Survival.

Game theory has brought me to this point and I must follow where it leads. Even though this is not a game.Jamie is a sixteen-year-old maths whiz. Summerlee, his older sister, is in the grip of a wild phase. Tensions at home run high.When Summerlee wins a 7.5-million-dollar lottery, she cuts all ties with her family. But money can cause trouble - big trouble. And when Jamie's younger sister Phoebe is kidnapped for a ransom, the family faces a crisis almost too painful to bear.Jamie thinks he can use game theory - the strategy of predicting an opponent's actions - to get Phoebe back. But can he outfox the kidnapper? Or is he putting his own and his sister's life at risk?A brilliant, page-turning YA novel from a superb storyteller.

WINNER: 2026 CBCA Book of the Year, Older ReadersSHORTLISTED: 2026 Ethel Turner Prize for Young People's LiteratureLONGLISTED: 2026 Indie Book Awards, Young Adult AwardTwo things that are true and one that is a lie:I think my mother is dead and alive. I think if I work hard I will be very good at something. I've tried to please my dad but I don't think I ever will. Thirteen-year-old Morgan lives with his dad and his older brother, Mitch. He hasn't heard from his mum since she left when he was two. He works hard on his football skills, striving to meet his father's high expectations and 'be a man'. But what that means isn't always clear-cut. When Morgan makes a friend at school, gets injured in a game, and his long-lost mum turns up, everything changes. Then, when he meets an old woman in need of help, Morgan must decide what kind of man he wants to be. Shining a timely and much-needed light on different kinds of masculinity, Darkest Night, Brightest Star is a unique and compelling novel from a masterful storyteller.

SHORTLISTED: 2025 NSW Premier's Literary Awards, Ethel Turner Prize for Young People's LiteratureSHORTLISTED: 2025 Victorian Premier's Literary Awards, Writing for Young AdultsSHORTLISTED: 2024 Queensland Literary Awards, Young Adult Book AwardI don't know about love. I suspect the emotion that others apparently feel all the time is just . . . absent from me. Like there's an ingredient missing from the recipe. The possible exception is Gran.Grace cares about only two things: performing magic and her cantankerous gran. Gran shares her prickly personality and spiky sense of humour, and she's the only one Grace lets into her tightly locked heart - until she meets Simon, a schoolmate who promises to help her turn her magic tricks into a small business and social media stardom.When Gran is diagnosed with a terminal illness, Grace moves in to become her primary carer. With the help of Simon and some sleight of hand, Grace is determined to bring joy back into their lives. And when she confronts her worst fear, she realises maybe her heart doesn't need to stay locked away after all.A funny, compelling and fresh story from the author of the bestselling books My Life As An Alphabet and A Song Only I Can Hear.'Smoke & Mirrors is fantastic sleight of hand and heart; at once tender and humorous.' - Danielle Binks'A portrait of grief and growth, with a touch of spectacle. This is more than magic... It's a miracle.' - Will Kostakis

'The world will end at ten thirty-six in the morning, on the fourteenth of March this year.'This is the message aliens send to eleven-year-old nerds Harrison (Aitch), Ally and Mo. How do they send it? Via the magnetic letters on Mo's fridge, of course. Aitch and Ally aren't sure what to believe, but soon they're in an alien spaceship travelling at lightspeed to Jupiter's icy moon Europa. Mo is worried his mum will be furious that he boarded an alien craft with strangers. And Aitch is not too happy that they've kidnapped his dog. But maybe the aliens aren't that scary after all? They say they want to save the planet. It's only humans they're not so impressed by ... The future of the human race might just be in the hands of three nerds and their lazy dog. What could go wrong? A wild ride that's full of laughs from the bestselling author of My Life as an Alphabet.'This is enormous fun.' - Good Reading Perfect for: - Reluctant and confident readers aged 8+ seeking a funny, quick, entertaining read - Young readers who love alien adventures and saving-the-world stories - Teachers and librarians looking for engaging, comedic reads for upper primary, lower secondary kids