CATCH ME IF I FALL

Ashleigh and Aiden are thirteen-year-old twins who promise to always look out for each other. To catch each other if they fall. Aiden is more dedicated to the task than Ashleigh, but when it comes to matters of life and death, they both exhibit a fierce protectiveness that will change the course of their lives.

'We've been worried about Aiden too, Ash,' said Mum. 'He's always been such a predictable child. You're not the only one to have noticed the changes in his temperament.' Ash and Aiden Delatour live a privileged lifestyle with doting parents. They protect each other and are, in turn, protected from the harsh outside world a near-future world altered by climate change. They attend an exclusive school, and when Ash has a serious accident on an excursion, the fiercely protective Aiden rescues her, suffering a head injury in the process. Though he seems to recover, his personality subtly changes. The love between siblings is undiminished, but Aiden becomes introspective and uncharacteristically aggressive. It's a time when family should offer unconditional support. But there is something being kept from Ash and Aiden and when the secret breaks, it turns everything the siblings know upside-down. Only then will they discover the importance of family, love and the bond between brother and sister. How far will we go to protect those we love? Filled with an array of hugely important questions about what it is to be human, including our place in the world, yet delivered lightly with humour and compassion Catch Me If I Fall quickly draws you in and holds you close. It's sure to resonate with middle fiction readers of all ages. About Barry Jonsberg: Barry lives in Darwin in the Northern Territory with his wife, Nita and his dog Zorro, who is certifiably insane. He used to spend some days teaching English at a local school but gave it up after 38 years of classroom contact. That is a very long time and he'd had enough. So now he spends most of his time tapping away at his computer trying to make sense of the stories in his head. He doesn't get much leisure time, but what little there is, is spent walking the dog and reading. He does a lot of reading and a lot of writing. He gave up playing sport when he was fifteen on the grounds he was rubbish but loves to watch Liverpool FC play and was thrilled that England won three successive Ashes series.