It's not all about YOU, Calma

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Description

Calma Harrison is in love. Not just with herself, but also with the handsome checkout guy at Crazi-Cheep. But when Calma gets a job at Crazi-Cheep, her cynical approach to customer service makes headlines. And then there's the small matter of the rest of her life, which is fast falling apart: her absent father turns up unexpectedly and wants to 'talk'; her mother, The Fridge, is keeping secrets; and her new best friend, Vanessa, is hiding something horrible. Fearing the worst for her family and friends, Calma knows the only sure way to shape events is direct, personal intervention.

It's not all about YOU, Calma! is a bold and witty novel about friendship, loyalty and acting on impulse.

Praise for The Whole Business with Kiffo and the Pitbull

'This is the best teen fiction I have read in years. Barry Jonsberg's first novel is an absolute riot. As hilarious as it is poignant, The Whole Business with Kiffo and the Pitbull should be on every year-10 syllabus in the country. If this book doesn't make them want to read, nothing will.' - The Age

'Magnificent! Loved it! Laughed, snorted, and snickered maniacally on the subway all through it. It's taking great restraint not to run down the hall and read bits aloud to people' - Nancy Siscoe, Knopf USA

'Jonsberg's writing is fresh and funny, and bites with fierce teenage realism.' - Children's Bookseller + Publisher, April 2004

Reviews

'...laugh[ed] out loud on several occasions...Jonsberg writes with depth and feeling, and expresses teenage angst and anxiety with authenticity.'Buzz Words, Sept 2006'witty, intelligent...full of angst, humour, insecurities...a refreshing, gently layered novel [with] irreverence, pace, unselfconscious character and masterful use of language.'Reading Time, Vol 50 No 3'entertaining and thoroughly rewarding...a charming and humorously affirming tale...tender and humane realism...Highly recommended.' Schools Bookseller & Publisher, Sept 2005

Author Bio

Barry Jonsberg is an English teacher, originally from the UK but a resident of Darwin since 1999. He has two degrees in English and was Head of Department at the South Cheshire College in Crewe, Cheshire, UK. His first book for young adults, The Whole Business with Kiffo and the Pitbull, also starred Calma Harrison and was published by Allen + Unwin in 2004.