Young Adults

Here are some of my books for young adults, including the recently published semi-autobiographical Uprooted and other teenage fiction!

  • Uprooted

    In 1940 as war rages across Europe, ten-year-old Lindy waves goodbye to England and makes the long journey to Saskatoon, Canada, along with her mother and her cousin Cameron. They may be far from the war but they are also far from home and everyone they know and love. Life in Canada is very different but it is also full of exciting new adventures…

    This captivating story is inspired by my own childhood experience and time in Canada!

  • The Dungeon

    A medieval tragedy in which a Scottish laird orders a castle to be built, with a dungeon below it to imprison his mortal enemy. But another person, not hated but loved, is destined to be shut up in this dark and terrible place.

    'A scary, ambitious, exciting story...it will enthral.'

    The Times

  • One More River

    14 year-old Lesley loves her life in Canada. Her family is wealthy, she’s successful at school and has a good social life. But one day her father announces that he’s taking his family to Israel in order that they can be more fully Jewish. Lesley tries to rebel, but once she gets to her new country and finds herself in a left-wing kibbutz, she can’t resist its excitements and challenges. A strange relationship with an Arab boy across the River Jordan has a major influence on the new Lesley, as does the reappearance of her banished brother in the run-up to the Six Day War.

    Set in the 1960s, this is an exciting story about how an outsider becomes an insider in a pioneering new country.

  • Broken Bridge

    The attack came suddenly and without warning, as two young teenagers walked casually through the streets of Jerusalem. When it was over, one lay dead, the other mysteriously spared, yet left to face the horrendous choices and consequences that resulted from being the sole witness.

    In this gripping sequel to One More River, the author captures the spirit and complex passions of present-day Israel through the powerful voices of a new generation as they join the unrelenting struggle against the consequences of decades of war.

  • Stealing Stacey

    Stacey's life isn't great. Her dad's run off, she and her mum live alone in a poky flat, school's one big bore and her friends are all bad news. Then, out of the blue, a glamorous gran she's never met comes to visit - all the way from Australia. When Stacey gets the worst news yet, Grandma Glendine has the perfect solution... Christmas in the outback. But what if Grandma doesn’t want to send Stacey home?

    Shortlisted for Blue Peter Prize 2004.

  • Moses in Egypt

    "My son, I have nothing I can give, but this chance that you may live." With these words, a Hebrew mother places her infant son, Moses, in a basket and sets him adrift on the River Nile, from which he is plucked by the royal servants and given to the Queen of Egypt. She raises him with her own son. From his carefree days as a spoilt young prince to his rescue of his enslaved people and his flight into the Promised Land, Moses’ strange destiny became the stuff of legend.

    This novel, for all ages from 9 to adulthood, was written as a tie-in book for the animated movie, 'The Prince of Egypt'.

  • Maura's Angel

    Set in war-ravaged Belfast, Northern Ireland, Maura and her Catholic family are struggling. When Maura's guardian angel appears after a bomb-blast, she tries to make their troubles disappear. But even angels can't do everything, and Angela, now human and with human frailties and feelings, finds that being able to do some miracles doesn’t stop her from making tragic mistakes.

    'Kids will race through this novel, yet will think about it long after they turn the final page.'

    School Library Journal.

  • The Writing on the Wall

    Kevin is a bad influence - or at least that's what Tracey's dad thinks.

    So she isn't surprised when her parents won't let her go on holiday with him alone. But Tracey is determined to have some fun before she settles down in a boring job like her sister. So she finds a good way of getting round her dad - at least, it seems like a good way at the time...