The door creaks open and standing in the entrance is my absolute worst nightmare.
Perfect hair, perfect teeth, perfect brain.
Perfect sneer.
Evelyn Tait.
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Impulsive Lottie – heavy-metal fan, expert tomato-grower and frequent visitor to the principal’s office – is in even more trouble than usual.
Her best friend Grace has dropped an unlikely bombshell: she’s dating Lottie’s mortal enemy, good-girl Evelyn Tait.

Studious Jude, the boy next door, has the perfect war plan. Lottie will beat Evelyn at her own good-girl game, unveiling Miss Perfect’s sinister side in the process.

Taking life more seriously starts as fun, but soon offers its own rewards . . . so long as Lottie can manage gorgeous Sebastian’s sudden interest, Jude acting weird, and the discovery that she might actually be good at something.

Taking Down Evelyn Tait is a story about family, friends and embracing who you are. Even if that person is kind of weird.

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'Lottie has the worst of intentions, jumps to conclusions, and behaves badly - in short, she's exactly the sort of character I absolutely adore! I reckon Lottie will go down as one of the great characters of OzYA lit - and deservedly so.' - Gabrielle Williams


'A delicate, layered story about revenge, relationships, and learning to be kind. I adored this one.' - Jodi McAlister


Lottie is mischief personified and she is a glorious blaze of magnetic energy on every page.' - C. G. Drews

​My hand, which is following a stray pencil rolling across the floor, stops dead right in front of two ratty green sneakers. 
My gaze follows the shoes up over long legs to a towering figure.
I stand abruptly.
Tall, black eyes, messy hair, a permanent scowl on a permanently angry face. Our school’s delinquent, a waster, the kind of boy who always sits at the back of class. The kind of boy even popular people like Sophia are afraid of.
Teddy Taualai.

Alice Dyson knows exactly how she’ll be spending her final year of high school. With her head down, quietly concentrating on her textbooks and homework. She’s focused on the future, and nothing and no one is going to get in her way. Until a bizarre encounter with the school’s most notorious troublemaker derails all her plans, turning Alice into the unwilling centre of attention and her life into one enormous complication.

And even worse? Now Teddy Taualai won’t leave her alone.
​
A story about rumours, friendship, and discovering who you really are.
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'This gentle and tender contemporary romance from Poppy Nwosu finds friendship, compassion and understanding under the weight of other people’s expectations ... Nwosu bypasses toxic and high-stakes romantic tropes for a refreshingly nuanced and realistic dynamic, while still giving readers the slow-burn romance they crave: a gloriously heady mix of tentative self-consciousness, bittersweet longing and simmering tension.' - Judges' comments, Readings Young Adult Book Prize

'This is the sweetest story of cautious offers of friendship, little acts of kindness, and vulnerable people opening up to those who love them. It has so much heart! Here for this kind of quality #LoveOzYA contemporary!' - CG Drews Paperfury

'The rollercoaster ride of Year 12 has never been captured so well as in this excruciating journey of a nerd who finds herself unable to maintain her usual invisibility and is forced to confront the truth about herself and her relationships, and adjust her secret dream for after the end of the year. It’s a heck of a ride and I believe many young adult readers will be only too happy to hop on board and experience the peaks and troughs of Alice Dyson’s final year of school.’ - Julie Wright, secondary English teacher and member of the SAETA Council

'A delightfully fresh, funny and insightful novel full of endearing characters and settings that are palpably SA local with the mingled beach-and-industry vibe of the Port Adelaide trainline. - Katharine England, Advertiser

'A story that's quietly thoughtful, joyful and sweetly romantic - in the same wheelhouse as Jaclyn Moriarty's Ashbury/Brookfield books, minus the epistolary style.' - Angie Schiavone, Age

'I really enjoyed this journey we go on with Alice.' - Rhianna Patrick, ABC Radio (national) OzYay Book Club

'Two important points I think the author is able to get through in this story are that sometimes realizing you love someone isn't clear at first. For the most part, it's messy and confusing but in the end it can be worth it. And lastly, that people can change a lot during high school, or even during just one year, but if you value someone's friendship don't let their changes push you away. I would recommend this to teenagers.' - Kayla Raphael, ReadPlus

'A great story for high school students, from the ages of 12 to 15. The story of friendship and first relationships makes it a very relatable story for a younger high school audience ... Making Friends with Alice Dyson is an easy to read, sweet and enjoyable novel ... I would highly recommend this novel.' - Ellen, age 15, YARR-A

'I loved this one! I’m always a massive fan of #LoveOzYA contemporaries, but THIS ONE was particularly outstanding! I just related to the characters so much and loved the reluctant friendship, and it was just perfect. I LOVED the banter between Alice and Teddy, and ahh, they were just ADORABLE! This is the kind of book you need in your life.' - Sarah Hatch, Written Word Worlds