HOoT #1

So, a friend and I were lamenting the content of YA fiction in Australia. It began after a book promotion from "flightless bird" publications where the titles all seemed to involve:

• a male protagonist (I think there were three females out of twenty titles)
  
• the death of one or both parents
• the removal of protagonist from familiar territory
• cutting/ suicide/ anorexia/ mental illness and other such complications
• a quirky and funny sidekick

Now, I'm not suggesting that it is easy to write a novel, or engage young readers who would rather be doing other things, but c'mon now!

So here I go on the lookout for books without any of the above criteria. Books I would be happy to let my class read. Here's hoping they're out there!