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AUGUST & JONES

Pip Harry

Two extraordinary kids discover the life changing power of friendship and teamwork.
Eleven-year-old JONES KIRBY has just moved to the big city of Sydney from her farm. She's missing her alpacas and wide-open paddocks and can't get used to her family's tiny apartment on a noisy train line. She's also worried that her vision is blurry - she lost her eye to cancer as a toddler. Could it be another tumour? When Jones enrolls mid-year at Oakwood Primary, she meets shy, awkward AUGUST GENTING. He loves fun facts, the library and knitting as much as Jones loves rock climbing and being outdoors. Despite their differences, they become fast friends. At home, August's parents are fighting. And for Jones, the news from the doctor is not good. To cheer themselves up, the pair hatch a brilliant plan: the August and Jones Must-See Bucket List. Together, this brave duo will set out to meet a rare monkey, run across the Sydney Harbour Bridge and even climb Australia's highest mountain. After all, with your best friend beside you, anything is possible! PIP HARRY is a writer, copywriter and journalist. She has written 3 award-winning YA novels. Her latest, Because of You was shortlisted for the 2018 Victorian Premier's Literary Award, the CBCA, and Queensland Literary Award. Pip published her first story for middle graders in 2019, The Little Wave (UQP) which won the CBCA and Are You There Buddha? in 2020. August & Jones is her sixth novel. Instagram: @piphaz
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Published 2025-03-06 by Hachette AUS

Comments

SHORTLISTED FOR THE CBCA BOOK OF THE YEAR: YOUNGER READERS 2023 SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2023 MARGARET AND COLIN RODERICK LITERARY AWARD SHORTLISTED FOR THE YABBA AWARDS 2024 WINNER CBCA SHADOW JUDGING BOOK OF THE YEAR AWARD YOUNGER READERS 2023

A hopeful story about human resilience and the life-changing power of discovering your best friend...a powerful coming-of-age story.

August & Jones is a big-hearted story for middle readers from an award-winning author, about how friendship can lend us courage to defy adversity

I wish I was reading it for the first time again - that is how much I loved it ... Pip Harry balances the reality of illness and the joys and travails of being a child with a deft hand. She never overplays the emotional drama of illness and family rifts, but offsets them with the power of friendship, love and strength of character. Harry really portrays the vicissitudes of life with big-hearted sensitivity

A delightfully Australian book and a sensitive picture of what family and friendship means ... Highly recommended

Melik Pashaev