Steal My Sunshine

Steal My Sunshine
ISBN: 9781742758497
Publication Date: 1 May 2013

"Steal my Sunshine is a gorgeous read, full of mystery, history, hope and heartbreak. I was gripped all the way to the bittersweet end." - Simmone Howell, author of Everything Beautiful

During a Melbourne heatwave, Hannah's family life begins to distort beyond her deepest fears. It's going to take more than a cool change to fix it, but how can a girl who lives in the shadows take on the task alone? Feeling powerless and invisible, Hannah seeks refuge in the two anarchists of her life: her wild best friend, Chloe, and her eccentric grandmother, Essie, who look like they know how life really works.

But Hannah's loyalty to both is tested, first by her attraction to Chloe's older brother, and then by Essie's devastating secret that sheds new light on how the family has lost its way. Even if Hannah doesn't know what to believe in, she'd better start believing in herself.

Combined with Hannah's contemporary story, at the heart of Steal my Sunshine is the revelation of a shameful aspect of Australia's history and how it affected thousands of girls and women - the forced adoptions that saw 'wayward girls' and single mothers forced to give up their babies by churches and hospitals. The practice endured for decades, and only now are the numbers and the heart-wrenching stories coming to light.

About the Author

Emily Gale was born in London and worked as a children's book editor for several years before going freelance. She is the author of several pre-school books and YA novel Girl Aloud, which has been published in the UK, Germany and the US, where it is called Girl Out Loud. It was shortlisted for a regional UK award and described by Jaclyn Moriarty as 'powerful, funny, wise and true'. In 2008 Emily and her Australian-born partner moved to Melbourne...