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.

"A complex, introspective novel with vivid characters. . . . Hauntingly beautiful." — School Library Journal 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 start to change when he spies a strange doglike animal at a nearby mountain — and mentions the fact to Chelsea Piper, an awkward young woman considered the local pariah. Could the animal he saw be a Tasmanian tiger, a marsupial thought to be extinct? And if they found it again, could it give them both a new chance at life? From the brilliant author of Thursday''s Child and What the Birds See comes a mesmerizing tale of a young man fighting his future, a young woman fighting her past, and a mysterious creature who teaches them something about survival.

"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)

Rex and Tabby Jenson and their sons, Colt and Bastian, arrive in Freya Kiley’s Australian neighborhood with little fanfare, but their presence sends fissures throughout their modest community.

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.

"Se acerca la hora de acostarse y la gata siamesa de Nicolás no baja del tejado. Nicolás se preocupa, no quiere que duerma allá arriba, a merced de las criaturas nocturnas. La gata solo maúlla y no tiene intenciones de bajar. Pero la noche esconde sorpresas, y en su inmensa oscuridad, Nicolás y su gata se olvidarán de sus miedos para ser más valientes que nunca."--

Internationally acclaimed author Sonya Hartnett tells a hauntingly beautiful story set during World War II. Cecily and Jeremy have been sent to live with their uncle Peregrine in the English countryside, safe from the war, along with a young refugee named May. But when Cecily and May find two mysterious boys hiding in the ruins of a nearby castle, an extraordinary adventure begins.

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.

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?

"Sophisticated young readers will be awed by the delicate, measured, heartbreaking portrait that emerges." – Kirkus Reviews (starred review) As life slips away, Gabriel looks back over his brief twenty years, which have been clouded by frustration and humiliation. A small, unforgiving town and distant, punitive 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, a shadowy doppelganger with whom the meek Gabriel once made a boyhood pact. But when a series of arson attacks grips the town, Gabriel realizes how unpredictable and dangerous Finnigan is. As events begin to spiral violently out of control, it becomes devastatingly clear that only the most extreme measures will rid Gabriel of Finnigan for good.

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 ...

Harper and her family live in a ramshackle house in the country. Her brother, Tin, lives below them, building tunnels. It is the Depression and each of them is coping in their own way. One year their lives are changed forever by the misguided actions of a well heeled neighbour.

Quelque part en Australie, pendant la Grande Dépression, sur une terre où rien ne pousse, la jeune Harper Flute raconte les déboires de sa famille et l’étrange histoire de son petit frère Tin, qui ne pense qu’à creuser des galeries sous terre et devient peu à peu complètement sauvage, sous le regard bienveillant et bizarrement compréhensif de ses parents. Pendant ce temps, en surface, Harper grandit en compagnie de ses autres frères et soeurs. Son père fait tous les mauvais choix possibles et la famille s’enfonce dans la misère et l’humiliation. Aucun apitoiement cependant dans le récit de la fillette : Harper, n’ayant pas connu d’autre vie que la sienne, a une enfance heureuse et porte un regard encore enchanté sur ces années décisives, qui la conduiront au sortir de l’enfance... Un roman poignant, on pense à Steinbeck et Dorothea Lange, qui évoque avec tendresse et justesse les liens familiaux, sans mièvrerie aucune. On sort de ce récit conquis par la voix de Harper et par la dignité et l’humanité des Flute tout au long de leur chute. On en sort également hanté par l’inquiétant personnage de Tin, gnome sans âge à la peau translucide, qui, depuis son royaume souterrain, provoquera le miracle qui permettra aux siens de fuir cette terre désolée...

Née en Australie au début du XXe siècle dans une famille aisée, Maddy est une enfant solitaire, étrangère dans sa propre maison, qui rêve d''une vie pleine de mystère. Alors le jour où, sur une plage, elle croise Plume, qui n''a aucune attache et ne possède rien, Maddy sent le sable s''ébouler sous ses pieds et les vagues lui répéter encore et encore le même mot. Elle s''éprend de sa liberté et de son parfum d''impossible, cherche malgré elle à l''apprivoiser... Une histoire douce-amère d''amour et de renoncement, mais aussi de courage et de réalisation de soi. Une fable lumineuse servie par la langue singulière de Sonya Hartnett, qui dit si bien la nature australienne, empreinte d''ancestrales légendes.

Adrian a 9 ans. Il vit dans une petite ville australienne, il adore dessiner, il aime les glaces, rêve d''avoir un chien. Il a souvent peur aussi. Peur des sables mouvants, des monstres marins et de la combustion spontanée. Ses parents ont disparu. Il est élevé par un oncle presque mutique et une grand-mère autoritaire. À l''école, son meilleur ami s''appelle Clinton, même si celui-ci l''abandonne très vite pour l''"intello" de la classe. Il y a aussi ces trois enfants, Zoe, Christopher et Veronica, qui, par une belle journée d''automne, sont partis se promener, et ne sont jamais revenus... Alors Adrian se demande quel est cet homme qui vient de s''installer en face de chez lui. Et pourquoi les volets restent clos. Dans cette bourgade étouffante où rien ni personne n''est innocent, dans cette famille repliée sur elle-même et un rien bizarre, Une enfance australienne raconte l''histoire d''un jeune garçon solitaire mais très curieux. Peut-être un peu trop... Tout l''univers étrange et poétique de celle que le magazine Elle avait comparé à Faulkner mâtiné de Stephen King. Un livre à déconseiller aux âmes sensibles.

린드그렌문학상, 가디언문학상에 빛나는 작가 소냐 하트넷이 들려주는 삶의 가치 한 여인의 파란만장한 인생담을 통해 사랑과 행복, 상실과 회복을 이야기하는 환상소설『고스트 차일드』. 인간과 삶에 대한 의미 있는 주제에 철학적 깊이를 담아 성실하게 탐구하는 소냐 하트넷의 작품이다. 작가는 ''완전히 자유로운 목요일의 아이'' 틴의 이야기를 초현실적이고 은유적으로 그려낸 목요일의 아이로 2002년 가디언문학상, 2008년 아동문학계의 노벨상이라 불리는 린드그렌문학상을 수상하면서 주목을 받았다. 이번 작품은 ''이 세상에서 가장 아름다운 것이 무엇일까?''의 답을 찾아 떠나는 한 여인의 모험을 통해 삶에서 진실로 알아야 할 가치가 무엇인지 생각해볼 기회를 제공한다. ☞ 북소믈리에 한마디! 본문은 노파 마틸다가 애완견 피크와 산책하고 돌아온 집에서 낯선 소년을 만나는 장면으로 시작된다. 묘한 분위기를 풍기는 소년과 대화를 하면서 마틸다는 지나온 삶을 돌아본다. 엄청난 고통을 겪게 될지라도 삶에서 진정으로 알아야 할 가치가 있는 것이라면 당당히 맞서는 쪽을 선택한 마틸다의 일생을 통해 진정한 삶의 가치과 사랑의 힘을 일깨우고 있다.

Growing up during the 1980s in the safe complacency of the Australian suburbs, Plum Coyle should be happy. But on the cusp of her fourteenth birthday - and on the fringe of her peer group - she lives in terror of the disapproval of her cruel and fickle girlfriends, and most of all, she hates her awkward, changing body with a passion. So when Plum''s glamorous next-door neighbour Maureen, a young wife and mother, befriends Plum, Plum responds with worshipful fervour. Plum feels herself reinvented. With Maureen, she becomes the girl she''s always wanted to be. But Maureen has an ulterior motive for taking Plum under her wing . . .

When a mysterious child appears in her living room one day, the elderly Maddy tells him the story of her love for the wild and free-spirited Feather, who tried but failed to live a conventional life with her, and her search for him on a fantastical voyage across the seas.

Een oude dame vertelt aan een onbekende jongen haar bijzondere levensverhaal.

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.

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.