Being Here

The boy sat in the branches of the fifth tree on the left, his scuffed boots dangling. Leah turned her eyes up. His face was heavily freckled, his eyes large, brown and almond-shaped. His hair stuck out at wild angles. 'Hello,' she said.

Sixteen-year-old Carly is interviewing Leah Cartwright for her local history project. But Leah resists, determined instead to tell her own story: that of a lonely child on an isolated farm, a girl whose only escape is into the world of books. And when Adam appears in the orchard Leah discovers a friend. A secret friend.

Leah draws Carly in with the magic of story - to her present, her past, her secrets, and her unique friendship with Adam.

Being Here is a beautifully told story about a girl whose rich imagination rescues her from a grim reality, and an unlikely boy who changes everything. A compelling novel about love, faith and consequences.

'I loved Being Here. Honest, entertaining and emotionally gripping.' Maureen McCarthy

Winner of QLD Premier's Literary Awards 2011 (Australia)
Commended for Prime Minister's Literary Award for Young Adult Fiction 2011 (Australia)
Short-listed for Young Adult Book 2012 (Australia)
Short-listed for FAW Christina Stead Award 2013 (Australia)

“"The power of storytelling as a means to tackle fear, faith, love, loss, and aging." Booklist Online”

"From Australia comes another great piece of YA literature with wit, zing and depth. Plenty of on-the-spot humor. . . . Readers will laugh, cry and, without trying, learn." --Kirkus Reviews on Am I Right or Am I Right
"It is beautifully told with rich images of flawed characters." -- School Library Journal
"Jonsberg's prose is spare, his pacing excellent, his plotting memorable." --Publishers Weekly on Dreamrider

Barry Jonsberg's young adult novels, The Whole Business with Kiffo and the Pitbull and It's Not All About YOU, Calma! were short-listed for the Children's Book Council Book of the Year, Older Readers. It's Not All About YOU, Calma! also won the Adelaide Festival Award for Children's Literature, Dreamrider was short-listed in the NSW Premier's Awards for the Ethel Turner prize and Cassie (Girlfriend Fiction) was short-listed for the Children's Peace Literature Award. Barry lives in Darwin with his wife, children and two dogs. His books have been published in the US, the UK, France, Poland, Germany and China.

The boy sat in the branches of the fifth tree on the left, his scuffed boots dangling. Leah turned her eyes up. His face was heavily freckled, his eyes large, brown and almond-shaped. His hair stuck out at wild angles. 'Hello,' she said. Sixteen-year-old Carly is interviewing Leah Cartwright for her local history project. But Leah resists, determined instead to tell her own story: that of a lonely child on an isolated farm, a girl whose only escape is into the world of books. And when Adam appears in the orchard Leah discovers a friend. A secret friend. Leah draws Carly in with the magic of story - to her present, her past, her secrets, and her unique friendship with Adam. Being Here is a beautifully told story about a girl whose rich imagination rescues her from a grim reality, and an unlikely boy who changes everything. A compelling novel about love, faith and consequences. 'I loved Being Here. Honest, entertaining and emotionally gripping.' Maureen McCarthy

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