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My Spare Heart

Jared Thomas

$19.99

Paperback

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English
Allen & Unwin
31 May 2022
SHORT-LISTED: 2023 QLD Literary Awards, Griffith University Young Adult Book Award

I mean, Mum didn't drink that much. All of my friends' parents loved their champagne or whatever. Everyone drank in The Village, too. I'd only been there for about a month and there'd already been five wine and food festivals. Mum's drinking wasn't a big deal. Right?

Phoebe's non-Indigenous mother, a busy event manager, and her father, an Aboriginal man and uni lecturer, have split up and she's moved to sleepy old Willunga with him and his new health-obsessed girlfriend. It's only a few kilometres from Phoebe's old friends and the city, but it feels like another world.

Her new school is full of hippies, but some of the kids are cool and the local basketball team is tight, and before long Phoebe's fitting in. But as her mum becomes increasingly unreliable, Phoebe's grades begin to suffer, her place on the basketball team is under threat and her worries spiral out of control.

Phoebe can't tell her friends and is worried her dad will get angry, but pretending everything is fine is breaking her heart. How can she help her mum without tearing her family apart?

'A story with grit, authenticity of voice and characters who show strength in identity and culture.' Anita Heiss, award-winning author of Bila Yarrudhanggalangdhuray

'This book will move you. It navigates the mess, chaos and complexities of life with grace.' Rebecca Lim, award-winning author of Tiger Daughter

'Honest, raw and full of heart.' Tobias Madden, author of Anything But Fine

By:  
Imprint:   Allen & Unwin
Country of Publication:   Australia
Dimensions:   Height: 198mm,  Width: 128mm, 
Weight:   331g
ISBN:   9781760631833
ISBN 10:   1760631833
Pages:   384
Publication Date:  
Recommended Age:   From 13 to 18 years
Audience:   Young adult ,  Preschool (0-5)
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active

Dr Jared Thomas is a Nukunu person of the Southern Flinders Ranges, Research Fellow, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Material Culture at the South Australian Museum and University of South Australia, and an Indigenous Literacy Foundation ambassador. He is the highly regarded author of critically acclaimed books for young adults including Sweet Guy, which was short-listed for both the Victorian Premier's Literary Awards and the Adelaide Festival Awards for Literature, and Calypso Summer, for which Jared was awarded the Kuril Dhagun Indigenous Writing Fellowship, and which was selected by the International Youth Library as a White Raven Book and short-listed for the Victorian Premier's Literary Award for Indigenous Writing. Jared is also the co-author of the Patty Mills series Game Day.

Reviews for My Spare Heart

'My Spare Heart is a compelling exploration of complex families, messy friendships and one girl's journey to find her place in the world. Jared Thomas's writing is honest, raw and full of heart.' Tobias Madden, author of Anything But Fine


  • Commended for Best Young Adult 2023 (Australia)
  • Long-listed for Victorian Premier's Literary Awards 2023 (Australia)
  • Short-listed for Best Designed Young Adult Cover 2023 (Australia)

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