{"product_id":"im-not-really-here-9781761180767","title":"I'm Not Really Here","description":"\u003cb\u003eA wonderful coming-of-age queer romance from the multi award-winning author of \u003ci\u003eThe Boy from the Mish\u003c\/i\u003e. Jonah is the new kid in a country town. When he joins the local soccer team to be closer to his crush, Harley, it feels like a fresh start - but he still has to navigate new friendships, an unresolved past, and the same body image issues he's always had.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003e\"A moving coming-of-age story with so much heart. For readers who enjoyed \u003ci\u003eHeartstopper\u003c\/i\u003e.\" \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e--\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003eBOOKS \u0026amp; PUBLISHING\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ci\u003eFootsteps approach behind me. I turn and see an Aboriginal boy arriving at the doorway. He's tall, taller than me. He's got curly hair. His body is fit. His chest is chiseled and bare and he's wearing only football shorts.\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e When 17-year-old Jonah arrives in a new town - Patience - with his dad and younger brothers, it feels like a foreign place. A new town means he needs to make new friends - which isn't always easy. Especially when he's wrestling with his body image, and his memories of his mother. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e When he joins the local soccer team so he can spend more time with his new crush, Harley, he feels like he's moving closer to something good. But even though he knows what he wants, it doesn't mean he's ready. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Emotionally compelling, honest and warm, \u003ci\u003eI'm Not Really Here\u003c\/i\u003e is a beautiful novel about navigating family and friendships, and finding a way through grief towards love, from an internationally acclaimed bestselling Indigenous author. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Praise for Gary Lonesborough \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003e\"What a revelation this young writer is. He is doing something no other male First Nations novelist has attempted: the YA Black queer genre that is a glimpse into another world view, at once confronting yet heartwarming.\" \u003ci\u003e--\u003c\/i\u003eAustralian Book Review on \u003ci\u003eWe Didn't Think It Through\u003c\/i\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \"A lightning bolt to the soul. \u003ci\u003eThe Boy from the Mish\u003c\/i\u003e announces a bold, necessary new talent.\" \u003ci\u003e--Will Kostakis \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eGary Lonesborough \u003c\/b\u003eis a Yuin man, who grew up on the Far South Coast of NSW as part of a large and proud Aboriginal family. Gary was always writing as a child and continued his creative journey when he moved to Sydney to study at film school. Gary has experience in youth work, Aboriginal health, child protection, the disability sector (including experience working in the youth justice system) and the film industry, including working on the feature film adaptation of \u003ci\u003eJasper Jones\u003c\/i\u003e. His debut YA novel, \u003ci\u003eThe Boy from the Mish\u003c\/i\u003e, won the Booktopia FAB Debut Book Awards and the Ena Noel Award and was shortlisted for the CBCA Awards, the QLD Literary Awards, The Victorian Premier's Literary Awards, the Indie Book Awards, the Adelaide Festival Awards, the NSW Premier's Awards and was selected as a White Raven. It was published in the U.S. in 2022 under the title \u003ci\u003eReady When You Are\u003c\/i\u003e. His second novel, \u003ci\u003eWe Didn't Think It Through, \u003c\/i\u003e was published in 2023 and won the Marion ACT Book of the Year, was shortlisted for the NSW Premier's Literary Awards, the Prime Minister's Literary Awards and the Readings Young Adult Prize and was a CBCA Notable Book.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"A\u0026u Children's","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":52078108344594,"sku":"9781761180767","price":12.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_7e1716ec-8999-474a-b0f8-8d5769a3742d.jpg?v=1772528628","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/im-not-really-here-9781761180767","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}