A New Kind of Beautiful

Zail’s novels, including I Am Change, Alexander Altmann and Inkflower, are known to shine a light on social justice while capturing the vicissitudes of adolescence. The complexities of Paige’s myriad and often conflicting emotions are explored with depth and nuance, as are those of her parents, who hold themselves responsible for her disease. Most notably, A New Kind of Beautiful offers an impressively in-depth exploration of the psyche of a young woman navigating some typical challenges of one’s teenage years, compounded by the added pressure of coming to terms with a fundamentally life-altering medical condition. The novel will appeal to readers of John Green’s The Fault in Our Stars and Nicola Yoon’s Everything, Everything. – Heidi Maler * Books + Publishing *
This is a beautiful coming-of-age story about love, loss, identity, friendship, and learning that sometimes the life you planned isn’t the life you’re meant to live. It made me feel everything—anger, grief, frustration, hope, joy, and the quiet strength that comes with rebuilding yourself after everything changes. I cried more than once, smiled just as much, and closed the book feeling incredibly grateful I’d picked it up. * booked.withb via instagram *
I’ve also never come across a YA author who can tackle such big, confronting and devastating topics in such a delicate and heartfelt way as Suzy Zail. She manages to create storylines where the reader can relate so easily that it could be any one of us experiencing such a life altering situation. This ability to insert the reader into a position of vulnerability and immersion means a true awareness is born and you, the reader are richer and more compassionate and empathetic for it. Zail has a true gift. * reading.adventures.with.rach via instagram *
Reading A New Kind of Beautiful was eye-opening (no pun intended); it allowed me, as a reader, to see what life is like for people with vision loss, and the countless adjustments they make to adapt to their condition. The novel reminded me to be more thankful for my vision, and that disability doesn’t define who you are or what you can do. – Kady, year 8 * Good Reading Magazine *
I loved how genuine, thought-provoking and heart-warming this novel was for me, as I also have an eye condition that has impacted my ability to do things I love. I would highly recommend this book to anyone needing a reminder that happiness can always be found despite obstacles and that there is always another way forward. – Summer, year 8 * Good Reading Magazine *

An award-winning, internationally published author of more than a dozen books, Suzy Zail is best-known for her young adult novels The Wrong Boy, Alexander Altmann, and I am Change, books that shine a light on injustice. Her books are studied in schools and have been included in the USBBY’s Outstanding International Books list.

Her most recent novel, Inkflower, draws on her childhood and tells the story of a man who, in his last months with Motor Neurone Disease, reveals to his daughter a Holocaust story he has kept hidden. Inkflower has been shortlisted for the CBCA awards, the Booklinks Historical Novel Award, the YABBA awards, and the ASLA Book of the Year awards, and won the CBCA Children’s Choice Book of the Year, Older Readers category, in 2024.

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