meet the characters from the books

ERIN from My Life & Other Catastrophes by Rowena Mohr

Erin's in Year 10 at Wilga Heights. Her English teacher has just given the class a 'diary writing' assignment and Erin has plenty to write about. Her parents are divorced, her mum is seeing her PE teacher aka Creepazoid and her best friend is undergoing a sudden personality makeover. And then there's her secret dream of becoming a Hollywood actress, starting with this year's school musical ...

TILLY from Indigo Girls by Penni Russon

Tilly is short, brainy and funny – the complete opposite of Zara who’s tall, blonde and bronze-skinned. Every year, Tilly's family holidays at the same camping spot as Zara and another girl, Mieke. But this year, Mieke doesn't turn up, and Tilly and Zara are left circling each other, unsure of how to relate. Tilly wishes she were more like Zara: popular, confident with boys, gorgeous. But to Zara, Tilly is the lucky one - she doesn't care about what anyone thinks. This summer, they will both realise a few surprising things about themselves …

MIA from She's With the Band by Georgia Clark

Mia's just sold her baby - her vintage Fender Stratocaster guitar - in exchange for a new life with her artist father in Sydney. But the move from the country town isn't what she expects and fitting in isn't easy. She's like a vampire girl in Cons compared to the other girls at school, she's not much of a shopper (she's never been to a Westfield shopping centre) and she's not a keen movie buff (What's a Jedi?). When an opportunity to realise her real passion comes up, she finds herself making difficult decisions and breaking some promises.

JEM from Always Mackenzie by Kate Constable

Jem (short for Jessica Martinic) is the sort of girl who blends into the background. She's not sporty, not into drama and doesn't play an instrument, which in Jem's school, makes her Invisible Girl. But she is a compulsive bookworm and cautious perfectionist who enjoys a good argument every now and again. When the compulsory Year 10 camp rolls around and forces girls out of their different cliques, Jem finds herself striking an unlikely friendship with Mackenzie Woodrow, exactly the sort of golden girl she always thought she despised.

MIDGE from The (Not Quite) Perfect Boyfriend by Lili Wilkinson

Midge is only ever called 'Imogen' when she's doing something wrong. She's pretty, smart, has an uncanny ability to spot grammar and spelling atrocities and could potentially be the only girl at school who's never kissed a boy. One day, out of frustration, she conjures up an imaginary, perfect boyfriend. When a new boy shows up at school who's exactly like the boyfriend she's described, and he's game enough to keep up the charade, Midge gets more boy trouble than she bargained for.

SAPH from Step Up and Dance by Thalia Kalkipsakis

Life for 16-year-old Saph is pretty sweet. She's doing what she loves and is lucky enough to have made it as the youngest dancer in a cheerleading squad for a professional basketball team. But it's hard work juggling school work and dance training, trying to prove her worth to the squad and to stop her protective father from worrying about her all the time. And then there's Jay, the guy from school. Is he friend or foe?

JANEY from The Sweet Life by Rebecca Lim

Janey's a shy girl, and not one of the 'beautiful' crowd, but her gentle and calm nature means that her three best friends can always turn to her for advice. When her beautiful, popular mum passes away, and Janey's long-lost aunt in Rome invites her to visit, she's a little intimidated — she's never travelled out of Australia before. But the free trip to Rome sounds like the experience of a lifetime. All she has to do now is put that creepy warning on her MySpace page out of her mind, and shake off the anxiety of having a possible stalker on her tail.

HOLLY from Cassie by Barry Jonsberg

Holly Holley is embarrassed by her name, physically challenged by her mum's fondness for lentils, obsessed with Raph McDonald and hoping to magically transform from an ugly 'dumpling' into a swan. Then when her aunt Fern and cousin Cassie (who has severe cerebral palsy) move in, Holly is obliged to make sacrifices she resents. Desperate to take charge and change her life for the better-even if it means being someone she's not-Holly learns more than she bargained for about boys, friendship and family.

AVRIL from Bookmark Days by Scot Gardner

Avril and her family live out in the country on a sheep farm, and she loves it. Instead of going to a school, she studies via correspondence. She's been able to drive a ute and tractor since she was eleven, and is pretty good at riding a horse and shooting foxes and rabbits. But one thing she isn’t so sure of is how to be around boys — something her city cousin Katie seems to know a lot about. But when Avril falls for Nathaniel, the 'boy next door’, there's a much bigger problem. Her family and his are at war.

BRIDIE from Winter of Grace by Kate Constable

Bridie is a quiet but passionate 16-year-old who is concerned about what's happening to the world around her. Her dad has never been in the picture so it's always just been her and her mum – and her best friend Stella. Stella's prettier, more confident and more outgoing than Bridie, but the two of them have always stuck together, despite the differences. Then Bridie meets Jay, who introduces her to Christianity. What will happen if she follows a path different to her mum's and her best friend's?