Author(s): Kate Gordon

Picture Books

Spirals and Stars is a timeless story of friendship loss and gain, finding your place in the world, and breaking free from expectations. Set in a of small town, “nerd culture” and the big life moments that many young people experience, Spirals and Stars is a wealth of ‘90s era fun. It’s 1993. Beth McMaugh is eleven years old and about to start her final year of middle school. Her best friend since kindergarten is Ashlee, but Ashlee is changing. She wears surf brand clothes now, and watches teenage TV and knows all the words to all the songs by Girlfriend and Peter Andre. Beth is terrified of losing her when they get to senior school, but Ashlee assures her that grade six is going to be the best year ever. On the first day, though, Beth enters her new homeroom to find Ashlee sitting with Kristy, Abbi and Nikki – the popular girls. The mean girls. What is Beth going to do? Ashlee can’t really want to be one of them. They must have trapped her into being part of their group, through some sort of heinous bribery. Beth has to save Ashlee, but how?  Further complicating matters, there is a new kid in class – a strange, loud, smart kid from Brisbane, called Jools, who listens to Queen and is obsessed with science fiction and all things nerdy. So obsessed that, on her first day at her new school, she starts the Cooee Middle School Nerd Club and she wants Beth to be her first member – despite the fact that Beth has never even seen Star Wars! Behind all of this – behind everything – is a secret from Beth’s past, a secret so terrible it stays with her, every day, whispering in her ear: Wash your hands. Behind everything is that day at the beach, when Kristy saw her in her worst moment. Is that why Ashlee doesn’t want to be friends with Beth anymore? Is that why her mother doesn’t want to be near her? Has Beth ruined everything? And if she has, can a nerdy girl with mismatched socks, a rebellious punk, a popular boy and a science fiction movie trilogy set it all to right? Real Friends, by Shannon Hale, meets Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell, meets The Friendship Matchmaker, by Randa Abdel Fattah, this is a story of growing up, of friendship, of finding your tribe and unlocking your hidden talents ... plus Star Wars. ‘Clean’ middle fiction and YA for younger readers (this has been identified as a big hole in the market for booksellers) Exploration of coming of age, popularity, judging beyond appearances Diversity introduced gently Subtle exploration of neurodiversity “Nerd” culture is now booming and books in this area are popular – i.e. The Princess and the Fangirl, Fangirl, Geekerella Set in the nineties, Spirals and Stars is a timeless story of friendship loss and gain, finding your place in the world, and finding the confidence to break free from expectations. Set on a backdrop of small town life, “nerd culture” and the big life moments and discoveries in our bodies and our souls, Spirals and Stars features a cast of diverse characters, a found family, a protagonist on the cusp of self-discovery, and a wealth of nineties era fun.