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?

ISLA from Something More by Mo Johnson

Isla seems to be the only one in her family suffering from homesickness when they move from Scotland to settle in Australia. She feels completely out of place with her red hair, pale skin and swimming phobias. She misses her old friends, her old school and especially her gran. She is constantly at war with Terry, her younger-by-11-months sister who seems to be fitting in perfectly. She finds solace in her photography classes and her crush on Sam Doyle but when Terry gets into trouble, Isla must step up to be the big sister and patch up their relationship.

SKYE from Big Sky by Melaina Faranda

Skye grew up on a cattle station and has a real love for the land. She's a seasoned cattle-wrangler but when she's asked to take her dad's place to lead a cattle muster, she's not sure she's up to the task - especially when her team consists of her 'city girl' best friend, an arrogant movie star wannabe and two German backpackers. Usually confident and strong, Skye finds her resolve pushed to the limits as the weight of her responsibilities towards her family build. Her only saving grace might be Dan - the young jackeroo...

RUBY-LEE from Little Bird by Penni Russon

Ruby-lee would be the first to admit that she's a little ordinary and unremarkable. Her life revolves around other people's dramas - from her sister's indecisiveness about her own wedding to her best friend Tegan's relationship with her boyfriend ( which is slowly coming between their friendship). It's no wonder that she's starting to have serious doubts about what love really is. But when her sister volunteers her for a babysitting job, Ruby-lee may just end up finding some of the answers she's been looking for.

JADE from What Supergirl did Next by Thalia Kalkipsakis

Jade is a champion gymnast. She's determined, disciplined, knows exactly what she wants and she has her heart set on winning at the national championships. But when an injury puts her dreams on hold, Jade finds herself at a loss. Her physio suggests she try swimming instead and suddenly, Jade's structured life takes some interesting turns that will lead her to put her pride to the test, reconnect with her family and forge a new friendship with a boy who might mean something more.

MIA from Fifteen Love by R.M Corbet

Mia is pretty, plays the viola, has a beagle named Harriet and is currently boyfriendless. She's sticking to her belief that all boys are immature and that all they do is talk about cars and sport and think about sex. But the new boy in school, Will, intrigues her. He seems different to all the other boys she knows. For starters, he spends a lot of time staring up at the sky, thinking. Mia's determined to get to know Will better, but when there's an impetuous younger brother and a sexy friend in the way, things can get a little tangled up.

LUISA from A Letter from Luisa by Rowena Mohr

Luisa is used to being in control. She's had to keep everything running like a well-oiled machine ever since her mother passed away. She's on top of her schoolwork, volunteers to run the committees for the school fete, indulges in her passion for songwriting and manages to also keep an eye on her vague musician dad and little ballerina sister at the same time. But when Year 12 rock god Jet Lucas takes an interest on her, the steady life she's kept in balance suddenly spirals out of control.

INDIA from Dear Swoosie

India lives with her mum and has never known her dad. She has a knack for fortune telling and can read people's futures with tarot cards but she certainly didn't see being friends with Poppy coming. When the two of them get stuck clearing out the school's attic and uncover some old letters that look like they were written by their mothers, things for India get a little bit interesting...

POPPY from Dear Swoosie

Poppy's parents were high school sweethearts but they're not together anymore. Poppy is the splitting image of her mum so she does what she can to look a little different (case in point - the bright red hair). She's just moved to a new school and trying to find her feet without trading in her soul to the popular seniors. Fiercely loyal and independent, Poppy is a little surprised when she finds herself being friends with India.

EDIE from Thirteen Pearls

Edie's experiences with guys have been pretty disappointing up until now. While her boy-crazy best-friend dreams about romance, Edie dreams about DIY projects and sailing solo around the world. Desperate for the money to finish building her boat, she finds herself on an island babysitting her cousin. But she never expected him to be such a brat or her uncle to be so mean. Edie is sensitive and sees the good in people, but can she hold on to her positive outlook? The two cute guys she shares the island with might be able to help with that...

MAUDE from The Boy/Friend

Maude McNaughton is in Year 10 on a scholarship at an all girls school. She is an only child and lives in a house that's as neat as a pin. Her best friend Lou lives in the same street and they grew up together, catching tadpoles and building tree houses. Maude was brought up on the Wiggles and doesn't know the first thing about music. Lou was brought up on the saxophone and is passionate about his punk rock band. When Lou asks her out, Maude doesn't know what to think. There are boy friends and there are boyfriends. Which one is he?