Two outsiders. Two secrets. David Piper has always been an outsider. His parents think he’s gay. The school bully thinks he’s a freak. Only his two best friends know the real truth - David wants to be a girl. On the first day at his new school Leo Denton has one goal - to be invisible. Attracting the attention of the most beautiful girl in Year 11 is definitely not part of that plan. When Leo stands up for David in a fight, an unlikely friendship forms. But things are about to get messy. Because at Eden Park School secrets have a funny habit of not staying secret for long…
REVIEWS: “A life-changing and life-saving book.” - Philip Pullman
“Impressive and affecting.” - The Guardian
“Passionate and gripping…a powerful tale of a transgender teenager’s struggle with identity.” - The Telegraph “Wow.” - Fiona Noble, The Bookseller
“The Art of Being Normal is the best YA novel I’ve read this year. David and Leo are unforgettable characters whose story will break your heart – and then mend it again. A truly remarkable debut; I can’t recommend it highly enough. Everyone – and I mean EVERYONE – should read this incredible book.” - Cat Clarke
“A sensational, heart-warming and life-affirming debut. Lisa Williamson writes witty, charming characters you can’t help but root for.”- Juno Dawson
“This book is anything but normal – it is extraordinary. My book of 2015.” - Non Pratt
Children’s Book of the Week - The Sunday Times (3rd Jan 2016)
AWARDS: Waterstones Children's Book Prize, 2016 (Best Older Fiction) Bath Schools Centurion Book Award, 2017 Hounslow Teen Read, 2016 Kernow Youth Book Award, 2017 Leeds Book Award, 2016 North East Teenage Book Award, 2017 North Herts Book Prize, 2016 Oxon Book Award, 2016 HIGHLY COMMENDED: Southern Schools Book Award, 2017 SHORTLISTED: YA Book Prize, 2016 Branford Boase Award, 2016 Islington Teen Read, 2016 St Helen’s School Library Service, BASH Award, 2016 LONGLISTED: UKLA Book Award, 2016 NOMINATED: Carnegie Medal, 2016
ALL ABOUT MIA
ONE FAMILY, THREE SISTERS. GRACE, the oldest: straight-A student. AUDREY: the youngest: future Olympic swimming champion. And MIA, the mess in the middle. Mia is wild and daring, great with hair and selfies, and the undisputed leader of her friends – not attributes appreicated by her parents or teachers. When Grace makes a shock announcement, Mia hopes that her now-not-so-perfect sister will get into the trouble she deserves. But instead, it is Mia whose life spirals out of control – boozing, boys and bad behaviour – and she starts to realise that her attempts to make it All About Mia might put at risk the very things she loves the most.
REVIEWS: “An absorbing, hilarious investigation of sibling dynamics.” - The Guardian
“Never deviating from Mia’s voice, Williamson skillfully shows that her sarcasm and self-centredness are not so much marks of confidence as insecurity… this zingy rites of passage novel is filled with warmth and insight.” - The Financial Times
"Mia is a chaotic, charming character and one of the most irresistible teenage voices I've read in a long time.” - Fiona Noble, The Bookseller
"Complex but believable family dynamics, and a rocky road to self-knowledge, can also be found in Lisa Williamson’s witty and touching portrait of an embittered, sarky middle child and her apparently high-achieving siblings. All About Mia gets the reader on Team Mia even while we long to halt her inner self-destructive express train.” - The Guardian
“An authentic, compelling and relatable read about a girl who’s never felt quite good enough.” - Irish Times
"Mia's comical, infuriating, and touching story will draw you in and keep you hooked." - Book Trust
"Deceptively deep and charmingly endearing, All About Mia has it all." - United by Pop
