LibGuides: English novels and films Years 7-10: Year 7

Look me in the eye by Jane Godwin
Call Number: GOD
ISBN: 9780734420794
Publication Date: 2024
Best friends Bella and Connie live on the outskirts of the city in an area that was once full of open fields and paddocks but is changing as the suburbs creep closer. And now there is Mish, Connie's cousin, who has to be included even though she is unfriendly and unpredictable. The pandemic lockdowns have lifted and the three teens are eager to explore their newfound independence. But with the world opening up, there has been a rise in surveillance, from apps that track their movements to voice recorders and hidden cameras. It feels like everyone is watching them. But when does 'watching' become 'watching over'? Do we have a right to know everything about those we love? Look Me in the Eye is a gripping tale of young teens navigating freedom and trust-building, privacy and secrets, in an era of parental surveillance. (Publisher)

Look Me in the Eye is a dramatic and compelling story about freedom and control, privacy and secrecy, and the challenges we face in a post-Covid world.

A Walk in the dark by Jane Godwin
Call Number: GOD
ISBN: 9780734420770
Publication Date: 2022
When five teenagers head in to the forest that late afternoon, none of them is aware what the night will bring. Each will have to draw on their particular strengths to survive. Each will have to face the unknown, battling the elements, events beyond their control, and their own demons. It's a night that will change everything. Set in the rainforest of Victoria's Otway Ranges, A walk in the dark is about friendship, trust, identity and family, consent and boundaries. (Publisher)
Falling from grace by Jane Godwin
Call Number: GOD
ISBN: 9780143302414
Publication Date: 2006
It was all meant to be just a game, but now Grace is missing and may not even be alive. During an elaborate game of hide-and-seek on the beach, twelve-year-old sisters Annie and Grace are caught in the rising tide, and Grace seems to have been swept away. In the midst of this, fourteen-year-old Kip is also in the wrong place at the wrong time. Finding Grace's abandoned backpack sets off a chain of events that lands Kip under police surveillance. As the search for Grace intensifies, suspicions grow. But can Kip piece everything together and clear his name before it's too late for Grace? Told in Kip's and Annie's alternating voices, this spellbinding mystery looks at the choices young people make--and their consequences.
The True story of Mary who wanted to stand on her head by Jane Godwin
Call Number: GOD
ISBN: 9781741147162
Publication Date: 2005
Told in 31 rhyming verses, this charming, illustrated story introduces Mary, a little girl who refuses to be anything less than herself. At her school, there are only two rules—do everything you are told and never stand on your head. Mary isn't about to be restrained by those restrictions. Darkly humorous illustrations add a sly, subversive element to this empowering tale of individuality. Mary has her own view of the world and refuses to fit in with everyone else.
As happy as here by Jane Godwin
Call Number: GOD
ISBN: 9780734419231
Publication Date: 2019
Three teenage girls from very different backgrounds find themselves sharing a hospital ward. When they witness a crime in the park below their window, they bond over trying to solve the crime and each one undergoes a profound change. A coming-of-age story about identity, expectation, class, justice, society, fairness, and, above all, kindness. (Publisher)
When rain turns to snow by Jane Godwin
Call Number: GOD
ISBN: 9780734420053
Publication Date: 2020
A runaway, a baby and a whole lot of questions. Lissa is home on her own after school one afternoon when a stranger turns up on the doorstep carrying a baby. Reed is on the run - surely people are looking for him? He's trying to find out who he really is and thinks Lissa's mum might have some answers. But how could he be connected to Lissa's family - and why has he been left in charge of a baby? A baby who is sick, and getting sicker. Reed's appearance stirs up untold histories in Lissa's family, and suddenly she is having to make sense of her past in a way she would never have imagined. Meanwhile, her brother is dealing with a devastating secret of his own. A beautiful and timely coming-of-age story about finding out who you are in the face of crisis and change. (Publisher)

Jane Godwin is a highly acclaimed author of over forty books for children, across all styles and ages. Her work is published internationally and she has received many commendations, including the Australian Book Industry Award (Picture Books), Queensland Premier's Award (Children's Books), the Aurealis Award and the Animal Welfare Award, and shortlistings in the CBC Book of the Year Awards, the Prime Minister’s Literary Award, the New South Wales State Literary Award (Patricia Wrightson Prize) the YABBA Awards, the Speech Pathology Awards, The Family Award for Children’s Books, and the Australian Book Industry Awards.

Informatoin sourced from Jane Godwin