{"title":"Felicity Castagna","description":"\u003cp\u003eFelicity Castagna’s works navigate the complexities of identity, belonging, and the vibrant push and pull of youth. Her stories blend sharp realism with a touch of imagination, exploring the challenges and triumphs of growing up in contemporary settings.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eReaders can expect richly drawn characters and compelling narratives that resonate across genres, from heartfelt general fiction to imaginative realms in children’s and speculative fiction. Castagna’s books invite reflection on community, change, and the power of human connection.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"small-indiscretions-by-felicity-castagna-9780980846249","title":"Small Indiscretions","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA traveller becomes a Monroe impersonator in the casinos of Macau. An obsessive son of Australians living in Jakarta confronts his strange rituals. A young woman is trapped in the boredom of her father's ministry in exotic Borneo. A daughter defies her mother and travels to Bali.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eCastagna's twenty stories range across countries including Indonesia, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, and China, deftly exploring the relationships of parents and children, lovers and enemies, the transient and the resident. In the spirit of the best travel literature, Castagna's fiction powerfully captures the landscapes and cultures of Asia and the intriguing interactions of Westerners with it.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eSmall Indiscretions\u003c\/em\u003e showcases Felicity Castagna's ability to weave compelling narratives that delve deep into the human experience, set against the vibrant backdrop of Asia.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Hachette Aotearoa New Zealand","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46714827833580,"sku":"9780980846249","price":34.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/5613263482537.jpg?v=1754372133"},{"product_id":"no-more-boats-by-felicity-castagna-9781925336306","title":"No More Boats","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNew novel by Felicity Castagna, whose previous book, \u003cem\u003eThe Incredible Here and Now\u003c\/em\u003e, won the 2015 Prime Ministers Award for Young Adult Fiction and was shortlisted for the CBCA and NSW Premier's Literary Awards.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe subject is very topical. \u003cem\u003eNo More Boats\u003c\/em\u003e tackles the fear of refugees head on, portraying the anxieties of a man who was once a migrant himself, brought to breaking point by the Tampa crisis, when the nation itself is thrown into a xenophobic frame of mind.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIt is 2001. 438 refugees sit in a boat called Tampa off the shoreline of Australia while the TV and radio scream out that the country is being flooded, inundated, overrun by migrants. Antonio Martone, once a migrant himself, has been forced to retire, his wife has moved in with the woman next door, his daughter runs off with strange men, and his deadbeat son is hiding in the garden smoking marijuana. Amidst his growing paranoia, the ghost of his dead friend shows up and commands him to paint 'No More Boats' in giant letters across his front yard.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe Prime Minister of Australia keeps telling Antonio that we will decide who comes to this country and the circumstance in which they come, but Antonio's not sure he wants to think about all those things that led him to get on a boat and come to Australia in the first place. A man and a nation unravel together.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eFelicity Castagna is the author of the award-winning novel \u003cem\u003eThe Incredible Here and Now\u003c\/em\u003e, and its stage adaptation which will premiere at The National Theatre of Parramatta in 2017. Her collection of short stories \u003cem\u003eSmall Indiscretions\u003c\/em\u003e was named an ABR book of the year. Her work has appeared on ABC Radio and TV as well as in national journals and newspapers. She holds a PhD from Western Sydney University and has served as the National Ambassador for Literacy and as a director at WestWords. She runs the storytelling series Studio Stories.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e'It is exciting to read a work of fiction that makes an explicit connection between its characters' personal narratives and the specific events of political history; something of a tradition in American fiction, but rarer in an Australian context.'\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cem\u003eDelia Falconer\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e'A fantastic, timely novel that makes a significant contribution to contemporary Australian literature - well-written, insightful, entertaining, provocative, funny, intelligent and moving.'\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cem\u003eNathanael O'Reilly\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e'I was blown away by Felicity Castagna's depictions of Western Sydney in \u003cem\u003eThe Incredible Here and Now\u003c\/em\u003e... There is something really quite magical and visceral about connecting with character and place in a book.'\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cem\u003eRanda Abdel-Fattah\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Hachette Aotearoa New Zealand","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46816954581228,"sku":"9781925336306","price":34.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/13688393482873.jpg?v=1757868047"},{"product_id":"the-incredible-here-and-now-by-felicity-castagna-9781922146366","title":"The Incredible Here and Now","description":"Winner: Prime Minister's Literary Award, Young Adult Fiction Shortlisted: Children's Book Council of Australia, Young Adult Fiction Shortlisted: Queensland Literary Awards, Young Adult Fiction  Michael's older brother dies at the beginning of the summer he turns 15, but as its title suggests The Incredible Here and Now is a tale of wonder, not of tragedy. Presented as a series of vignettes, in the tradition of Sandra Cisneros' Young Adult classic The House on Mango Street, it tells of Michael's coming of age in a year which brings him grief and romance; and of the place he lives in Western Sydney where 'those who don't know any better drive through the neighbourhood and lock their car doors', and those who do, flourish in its mix of cultures. Through his perceptions, the reader becomes familiar with Michael's community and its surroundings, the unsettled life of his family, the girl he meets at the local pool, the friends that gather in the McDonalds parking lot at night, the white Pontiac Trans Am that lights up his life like a magical talisman. Teacher's resources can be found here:","brand":"Hachette Aotearoa New Zealand","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46996361478380,"sku":"9781922146366","price":29.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9718eee709418659c8b148d392d46f00.jpg?v=1763153923"},{"product_id":"girls-in-boys-cars-by-felicity-castagna-9781760982980","title":"Girls in Boys' Cars","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA complicated friendship.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eA road trip in a stolen car.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe stories that define us.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAnd two funny, sharp, adventurous young women who refuse to be held back any longer.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eRosa was never really trying to hurt anyone, no matter what they said in court. But she's ended up in juvenile jail anyway, living her life through books and wondering why her best mate Asheeka disappeared.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eGirls in Boys' Cars\u003c\/em\u003e is a page-turning novel about a complicated friendship; a road trip through NSW in a stolen car; the stories that define us; and two funny, sharp, adventurous young women who refuse to be held back any longer.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWinner of the Victorian Premier's Literary Award for Writing for Young Adults 2022\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWinner of the Queensland Literary Awards 2022 Young Adult Book Award\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHonour Book for the CBCA Book of the Year for Older Readers 2022\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eShortlisted for the NSW Premier's Literary Awards The Ethel Turner Prize for Young People's Literature 2022\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Macmillan Publishers New Zealand Ltd","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48242240487660,"sku":"9781760982980","price":19.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9781760982980-girls-in-boys-cars-1.jpg?v=1787968079"}],"url":"https:\/\/bookhero.live\/collections\/felicity-castagna.oembed","provider":"Book Hero","version":"1.0","type":"link"}