The Great Gatenby (10 page)

I looked up. My father had a puzzled expression on his face as he tried to work out what was going on. My mother was smiling as she rolled some pastry.

‘Getting me to write down immoral messages,' she sniffed. ‘In my day we wouldn't even ring up a boy, let alone ask his mother to pass on a message like that.' But I was heading for the phone already. ‘I thought she was coming to stay these holidays,' Mavis yelled after me. ‘Better tell her to hurry — there's only a few days left.'

I lifted the phone and started to dial.

The Journey

By the author of
So Much To Tell You, The Journey
is a story of young people in a world so different and yet so like our own. It is a world in which young people must undertake a journey of discovery on their way to becoming adults.

 

Argus sets out on his journey away from his valley and his parents, never knowing what adventure will befall him next. He learns how to survive in the wild until he meets with a travelling fair, which he joins, becoming a friend of Mayon the storyteller, of Lavolta and Parara — twins who share the same body — and many others.

 

But it is with the sweet and wise Temora that he learns some of the deepest secrets.

 

All journeys must find an end. Argus leaves the fair and travels on alone, until his last and greatest adventure beckons him home. There he tells, for the approval of his elders, the seven stories which are now his story. But all is not done.

 

There is one more chapter to be lived out in the story of Argus.

 

‘. . . an extraordinary story . . . I would commend it to everybody. Although ostensibly it's a children's book it's something that any adult can read with great pleasure. It's one of those books that don't actually belong to any particular age group . . . like
The Snow Goose
'

TERRY LANE, ABC RADIO

Out of Time

James reads by his open bedroom window at night. Other lives and other worlds beckon. One of these worlds is conjured by old Mr Woodford, a physicist who looks more like an accountant and who constructs a strange black box.

 

One day when James slips into the laboratory, he makes a dreadful discovery and learns to master a great power.

 

Who is the little boy in Mexico who scratches pictures of aeroplanes in the dust? How will the girl caught in a wartime bomb blast be reunited with her parents? And why does James sit alone in his island of silence?

 

With
Out of Time
John Marsden has produced a novel that will further enhance his reputation as one of the most successful writers of fiction for teenagers. This is a challenging novel which poses a new question on every page as it draws us into an ever-widening series of mysteries, into magical, dangerous worlds — in and out of time.

Letters From the Inside

Dear Tracey

I don't know why I'm answering your ad, to be honest. It's not like I'm into pen pals, but it's a boring Sunday here, wet, everyone's out, and I thought it'd be something different . . .

 

Dear Mandy

Thanks for writing. You write so well, much better than me. I put the ad in for a joke, like a dare, and yours was the only good answer . . .

 

Two teenage girls. An innocent beginning to friendship. Two complete strangers who get to know each other a little better each time a letter is written and answered.

 

Mandy has a dog with no name, an older sister, a creepy brother, and some boy problems. Tracey has a horse, two dogs and a cat, an older sister and brother, and a great boyfriend. They both have hopes and fears . . . and secrets.

 

‘John Marsden's
Letters From the Inside
is, in a word, unforgettable. But this epistolary novel deserves more than one word. It is absolutely shattering as it brings to vivid life two teenage girls and then strangles your heart over what happens to their relationship . . . John Marsden is a major writer who deserves world-wide acclaim'

ROBERT CORMIER

Take My Word For It

You know what Tracey said to me after English today? She said: ‘The reason you've got no friends is that you don't tell anyone your problems' . . . I hate the way they tell everyone every single detail about themselves . . . If you ask me, it's dangerous. Once you start, you don't stop
.

 

Strong, cold, private . . . this is Lisa, as seen by Marina in her journal,
So Much to Tell You
.

 

But Lisa too keeps a journal. It's a record of her friends and family, her frustrations and successes, her thoughts and feelings. As page follows page, the real Lisa begins to emerge. Not always strong, not always private and certainly not cold.

 

As in the best-selling
So Much to Tell You
, award-winning novelist John Marsden takes us into the world of young people trying to make sense of their lives.

 

‘John Marsden is a major writer who deserves world-wide acclaim'

ROBERT CORMIER

You are invited to spend a few days with John Marsden at one of Australia's most beautiful properties.

 

The Tye Estate is just 25 minutes from Melbourne's Tullamarine Airport, and is perfectly set up for writing camps and other activities.

 

Every school holidays, John takes writing and drama camps, where you can improve your skills, make new friends, expand your thinking, and have a huge heap of fun.

 

Accommodation is modern and comfortable; meals are far removed from the shepherd's pie they gave you at your last school camp, and supervision is by friendly and experienced staff.

 

Between the workshops with John, you can explore 850 acres of spectacular bush, looking out for rare and highly endangered species like Tiger Quolls and Powerful Owls, as well as koalas, platypuses, wedgetail eagles, kangaroos and wallabies.

 

Mountain bikes, bushwalking, orienteering, and a picnic at nearby Hanging Rock, are among the highlights of your memorable stay at the Tye Estate.

 

School groups in term time are also welcome.

 

For details, write to:

 

The Tye Estate

RMB 1250

ROMSEY

VICTORIA 3434

 

Or fax: (61) 03 54 270395

Phone: (61) 03 54 270384