Emily Paull

By Gabrielle Carey and Kathy Lette ISBN 9781742759289 (TV tie in edition) You may more recently be aware of Kathy Lette as the author of The Boy who Fell to Earth  but in 1979, she and co-author Gabrielle Carey brought out a book which was to capture the essential essence of what it was like to be a beach-combing teenager. The book has touched the hearts of many Australians, and the new edition includes quotes from Kylie Minogue and Germaine Greer.  For the last few weeks, thousands of viewers have tuned in to channel ten to watch the television series adaptation, and have fallen in and out of love with Debbie and Sue and their whacky families. Imagine my surprise then to discover that the book is totally different.  For a start, Debbie and Sue seem totally indoctrinated into the Greenhills mindset, and are completely  blasé about drug taking and under-age sex.  At times they seem just as uneducated as the rest of the characters, and without the bad beha...

Those of you who have read my reviews before will know that Julia Lawrinson is one of my all time favourite YA writers.  Not only does she appear to have a stylistic and emotional range which is triple that of the normal person, but I can honestly say that once upon a time, Skating the Edge changed my life. It won't come as a surprise then if I tell you that her latest book, Losing It , only took me two days to read, nor that I rudely requested it from the library even though someone else was already reading it.  Oops.  What can I say, if you've had it longer than a week you're just not keen enough! Losing It  seems to have an almost American Pie like premise.  Four friends make a vow to lose their virginity before Leavers (which you Eastern States readers might know as schoolies' week) and plan to compare notes on their various liaisons when they get there.  Unsurprisingly, the initial pledge is somewhat motivated by vodka, as all the best worst decisi...