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Promise Me Happy

We begin with our main character Nate being picked up from a juvenile correction facility by an uncle that he doesn't really know.

Growing up at the hands of an abusive father, when Nate’s mother dies he is forced to hit the streets, and ended up in juvy. But all that is behind him now that Uncle Mick has taken him to his place on the river in a quiet holiday town to start a new life. Nate isn't sure at first if he can stay.

But then Nate meets Gem and her little brother Harry, and he starts to fit in. Nate still loses it occasionally, but he is getting better when a bombshell hits  -  it would spoil too much to give this away, so you will have to read it yourself to find out what.

You will love the journey that you share with Nate, Gem, Harry and Uncle Mick. Promise Me Happy is another fantastic story from Robert Newton. It is gritty but full of hope, with themes of family, love, grief and domestic violence. A great read for all teens (and many adults will love it too!

Aurora Rising

This is YA sci-fi at its best!

The basis of the story is that the golden boy of Aurora academy, Tyler Jones, is about to graduate dux. He gets to choose his team to fight for the good of the universe (think intergalactic peace-keepers) in the year 2380.

Tyler opts for a mind clearing joy ride the night before his graduation and comes across a space ship from Earth that has been lost for 200 years. There is only one survivor, a girl called Aurora who has been in a cryo-pad for 200 years. Obviously Tyler just has to save her!

He misses his graduation and in his new team Tyler is lumped with whoever is left - not quite the stellar squad he was anticipating! Thrown together on a seemingly innocuous mission, the team finds Aurora aboard and everything suddenly gets a whole lot scarier.  Are they up to the challenge?

Tyler’s team is made up of a wonderful mix of aliens from various galaxies that have all vowed to defend peace - and the characters in his team are really the highlight of the story. I highly recommend this novel to anyone, teenage or older. I can’t wait for the sequel.

Shauna's Great Expectations

Shauna is in her final year at an elite private school and has great expectations. She holds an Indigenous scholarship and is determined to be the first member of her family to go to university, no matter what. The year is off to an excellent start, and she and her friends are dreaming big about life after school and a trip to Paris.

But suddenly she's faced with a choice that threatens to throw all her plans into disarray. As pressure builds from every corner of her world, Shauna wonders what she'll have to sacrifice to keep hold of her dreams...

Can she fulfil her own promise and still keep her promises to others? Will all her expectations be ripped away?