A lyrical, gentle and insightful novel about a single teenage father caring for his baby, while still searching for direction in his own life.
Matt had loved Emmy, with her freckled, luminous, magical body; he had loved the way she hadn't given a damn for anything, the way she had climbed onto the roof of the church tower and kissed and kissed him. The way she'd fallen into the river just to know what it felt like. He had loved the way she had said to her parents, 'We'll just love it, okay?'
He remembered how they had believed that loving Mahalia would be enough.
Honour Book: CBC Awards 2002, Book of the Year: Older Readers.
Shortlisted: NSW Premier's Literary Awards-2002; Ethel Turner Prize for Books for Young Adults.
Recommended Book: 2001 Children's Peace Literature Award
Joanne Horniman has spent most of her life in country New South Wales, apart from a few years in Sydney and some time travelling overseas. She has worked as an editor, teacher and artist - some of the posters she helped produce are in the print collection of the Australian National Gallery. She has written many books for children and teenagers, including A Charm of Powerful Trouble (A+U 2002), shortlisted for numerous awards and Secret Scribbled Notebooks, winner of the 2005 Young Adult fiction award in the Queensland Premier's Literary Awards and shortlisted for other prestigious prizes.