Awards

• Long-listed for Inky Awards: Gold Inky 2014.
• Short-listed for Queensland Literary Awards, Griffith University Young Adult Book Award 2014 (Australia)
• Shortlisted for Dioraphte Literatour Prijs: Vertaald (Dioraphte/Literatour Prize: Translated) 2015.
• Shortlisted for NSW Premier's Literary Award Ethel Turner Prize 2014.
• Shortlisted for Queensland Literary Awards: Griffith University Young Adult Book Award 2014.
• Shortlisted for West Australian Young Reader's Book Awards: Older Readers' Award 2015.
• Winner of NSW Premier's Literary Award Ethel Turner Prize 2014.
• Winner of Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators Crystal Kite Awards: Australia & New Zealand 2013.
• Winner of The Text Prize for Young Adult and Children's Writing 2012.

Overview

The last person Zac expects in the room next door is a girl like Mia, angry and feisty with questionable taste in music. In the real world, he wouldn’t—couldn’t—be friends with her. In hospital different rules apply, and what begins as a knock on the wall leads to a note—then a friendship neither of them sees coming. You need courage to be in hospital; different courage to be back in the real world. In one of these worlds Zac needs Mia. And in the other Mia needs Zac. Or maybe they both need each other, always.

Full Product Details

9781922147257

Table of Contents

Reviews

'Zac and Mia are unforgettable-they put hooks into my heart that are still there. Be warned: if you pick up this book, you won't want to put it down.' -- Fiona Wood 'Warm and uplifting.' Weekend Australian 'There is a great sense of warmth and humour in this story, which will appeal to both YA and adult readers...A stand-out novel for 2013.' Australian Books and Publishing 'Above average in this burgeoning subgenre; it's the healing powers of friendship, love and family that make this funny-yet-philosophical tale of brutal teen illness stand out.' Kirkus 'Betts portrays cancer as hard, scary, and isolating, but beatable-or at least bearable-if one isn't facing it alone, and her depiction of a boy trying to hold onto normal life and a girl realizing she can't keep hers from changing has power.' Publishers Weekly 'Zac & Mia holds its own as a smart, well-crafted story about the importance of friendship and feeling understood.' starred review School Library Journal 'I think you have to be brave to write a book like this. To write it without overt, condescending sympathy. And to be brave enough to write the moments that are funny, or grotty, or filled with rage, alongside those that are brave and heroic. It's a book that is well deserving of a prize, and is likely to win many more.' -- First Impressions (Bec Kavanagh) 'For communicating the day-to-day mundane madness of cancer, Betts deserves high praise...Another triumph for the Text Prize, A. J. Betts is in good company and Zac and Mia is another great read.' -- ALPHA Reader (Danielle Binks) '[Zac & Mia] is an outstanding novel about the stuff of life that really matters. There will be laughter, there will be tears, some of which will be for the truly amazing Zac and Mia and all their real life counterparts. Most of all there will be joy. You will not want to put this book down once you start to read it.' -- The Hoopla 'Zac & Mia by A.J. Betts is a beautifully written story from dual perspectives...A warm-hearted story and two unforgettable characters.' Hypable 'I found Zac & Mia to be a compelling story with characters that I truly cared about by the end of the novel...confronting and heartbreaking at times, but it is also comforting and moving, a beautifully written portrait of our basic human need to connect. It's a story that I'm glad I had the opportunity to read and one that I'm sure will linger with me for some time.' Kids Book Review 'The strength of Betts novel is how well she gets inside her character's head...her characters felt real -- her dialogue is spot-on, the supporting characters truly shine in their own ways, and Zac and Mia's perspectives ring unique and true. Everything feels raw and real, completely grounded.' Inkcrush 'The writing was close to perfect. A. J. Betts effortlessly created a story, while daringly similar to John Green's, still equally fascinating and touching.' YA Midnight Reads 'If you are after a book filled with hope and heart I recommend Zac & Mia.' Obsession with Books 'A.J.Betts has painted Zac and Mia with strong colours. I was drawn into their lives. I felt their anger, injustice and pain. I empathised with both families. I admired the courage, the honesty and the sense of hope. But I also laughed at the humour and cheered for the successes. These two characters will stay in my heart.' -- Buzz Words 'Funny, graceful and full of heart. You can whip through it in a day or two and it feels like you've lived a whole life.' -- Brooke Davis Australian Women's Weekly 'Zac and Mia is billed as a young adult title, but this old adult read AJ Bett's debut novel in one sitting.' -- Clare Wright, Best Books of the Year Weekend Australian

'Young adult fiction at its best.' Australian Book Review on ShutterSpeed 'Wavelength is extraordinary for the amount of empathy, insight and intuition it packs into one slim volume-all while transfixing the reader with a page-turning narrative thread.' West Australian

'Zac and Mia are unforgettable-they put hooks into my heart that are still there. Be warned: if you pick up this book, you won't want to put it down.' -- Fiona Wood 'There is a great sense of warmth and humour in this story, which will appeal to both YA and adult readers...A stand-out novel for 2013.' Australian Books and Publishing 'I think you have to be brave to write a book like this. To write it without overt, condescending sympathy. And to be brave enough to write the moments that are funny, or grotty, or filled with rage, alongside those that are brave and heroic. It's a book that is well deserving of a prize, and is likely to win many more.' -- First Impressions (Bec Kavanagh) 'For communicating the day-to-day mundane madness of cancer, Betts deserves high praise...Another triumph for the Text Prize, A. J. Betts is in good company and Zac and Mia is another great read.' -- ALPHA Reader (Danielle Binks) '[Zac & Mia] is an outstanding novel about the stuff of life that really matters. There will be laughter, there will be tears, some of which will be for the truly amazing Zac and Mia and all their real life counterparts. Most of all there will be joy. You will not want to put this book down once you start to read it.' -- The Hoopla 'Zac & Mia by A.J. Betts is a beautifully written story from dual perspectives...A warm-hearted story and two unforgettable characters.' Hypable 'I found Zac & Mia to be a compelling story with characters that I truly cared about by the end of the novel...confronting and heartbreaking at times, but it is also comforting and moving, a beautifully written portrait of our basic human need to connect. It's a story that I'm glad I had the opportunity to read and one that I'm sure will linger with me for some time.' Kids Book Review 'The strength of Betts novel is how well she gets inside her character's head...her characters felt real -- her dialogue is spot-on, the supporting characters truly shine in their own ways, and Zac and Mia's perspectives ring unique and true. Everything feels raw and real, completely grounded.' Inkcrush 'The writing was close to perfect. A. J. Betts effortlessly created a story, while daringly similar to John Green's, still equally fascinating and touching.' YA Midnight Reads 'If you are after a book filled with hope and heart I recommend Zac & Mia.' Obsession with Books 'A.J.Betts has painted Zac and Mia with strong colours. I was drawn into their lives. I felt their anger, injustice and pain. I empathised with both families. I admired the courage, the honesty and the sense of hope. But I also laughed at the humour and cheered for the successes. These two characters will stay in my heart.' -- Buzz Words

Prue writes: Zac & Mia is a special novel. It is impossibly moving and deeply touching. Not to mention that the writing is flawless, sparse, taunt and sweeps you along on a journey with the characters who really feel alive to you, as though you could meet them on the street and have a conversation about how their lives are going. The characters Zac and Mia, the two teenage protagonists, are drawn so richly and vividly that you feel their struggles and triumphs as you would feel your own. They first meet in hospital, and in a world of white walls and bone marrow transplants they strike up a relationship which develops into a strong bond that gives them each extraordinary something to live for. The novel is set in Western Australia and swings between Mia's city life, the time that they both spend in hospital, and the idyllic farm that Zac's family own. The descriptions of Zac's family life on the farm are enough to turn any city dweller's head to the country, and consider it anew. The family dynamics are so utterly enthralling and realistically sketched, nothing in this novel smacks of an overactive imagination, or unrealistic exaggeration - everything feels raw and true. The most brilliant thing about this book is that you feel so aware of your own life, so grateful for it, even if it is not in a state of complete perfection. Even though the book goes to some dark places, the subject matter is perfectly balanced by the humour displayed by both Zac and Mia as they negotiate their way through life, post diagnosis and post treatment. This book is a must for any avid young reader, and will draw in any reluctant young readers, so compelling and hilarious is Zac's voice in the opening pages. Any teenager who might need to be reminded of their own lucky life would do well to be given a copy as well! And last but not least, make sure you read it yourself before you hand it on to the young adult in your life- it really is phenomenal!

'Zac and Mia are unforgettable-they put hooks into my heart that are still there. Be warned: if you pick up this book, you won't want to put it down.' -- Fiona Wood 'Warm and uplifting.' Weekend Australian 'There is a great sense of warmth and humour in this story, which will appeal to both YA and adult readers...A stand-out novel for 2013.' Australian Books and Publishing 'Above average in this burgeoning subgenre; it's the healing powers of friendship, love and family that make this funny-yet-philosophical tale of brutal teen illness stand out.' Kirkus 'Betts portrays cancer as hard, scary, and isolating, but beatable-or at least bearable-if one isn't facing it alone, and her depiction of a boy trying to hold onto normal life and a girl realizing she can't keep hers from changing has power.' Publishers Weekly 'Zac & Mia holds its own as a smart, well-crafted story about the importance of friendship and feeling understood.' starred review School Library Journal 'I think you have to be brave to write a book like this. To write it without overt, condescending sympathy. And to be brave enough to write the moments that are funny, or grotty, or filled with rage, alongside those that are brave and heroic. It's a book that is well deserving of a prize, and is likely to win many more.' -- First Impressions (Bec Kavanagh) 'For communicating the day-to-day mundane madness of cancer, Betts deserves high praise...Another triumph for the Text Prize, A. J. Betts is in good company and Zac and Mia is another great read.' -- ALPHA Reader (Danielle Binks) '[Zac & Mia] is an outstanding novel about the stuff of life that really matters. There will be laughter, there will be tears, some of which will be for the truly amazing Zac and Mia and all their real life counterparts. Most of all there will be joy. You will not want to put this book down once you start to read it.' -- The Hoopla 'Zac & Mia by A.J. Betts is a beautifully written story from dual perspectives...A warm-hearted story and two unforgettable characters.' Hypable 'I found Zac & Mia to be a compelling story with characters that I truly cared about by the end of the novel...confronting and heartbreaking at times, but it is also comforting and moving, a beautifully written portrait of our basic human need to connect. It's a story that I'm glad I had the opportunity to read and one that I'm sure will linger with me for some time.' Kids Book Review 'The strength of Betts novel is how well she gets inside her character's head...her characters felt real -- her dialogue is spot-on, the supporting characters truly shine in their own ways, and Zac and Mia's perspectives ring unique and true. Everything feels raw and real, completely grounded.' Inkcrush 'The writing was close to perfect. A. J. Betts effortlessly created a story, while daringly similar to John Green's, still equally fascinating and touching.' YA Midnight Reads 'If you are after a book filled with hope and heart I recommend Zac & Mia.' Obsession with Books 'A.J.Betts has painted Zac and Mia with strong colours. I was drawn into their lives. I felt their anger, injustice and pain. I empathised with both families. I admired the courage, the honesty and the sense of hope. But I also laughed at the humour and cheered for the successes. These two characters will stay in my heart.' -- Buzz Words 'Funny, graceful and full of heart. You can whip through it in a day or two and it feels like you've lived a whole life.' -- Brooke Davis Australian Women's Weekly 'Zac and Mia is billed as a young adult title, but this old adult read AJ Bett's debut novel in one sitting.' -- Clare Wright, Best Books of the Year Weekend Australian 'It is a deeply affecting (but never sentimental), dramatic and sparklingly told story, with universal interest and appeal. Betts' ability to capture and sustain the voices of these two fragile teenagers is remarkable as is her facility with snappy, authentic, convincing dialogue.' Australian Book Review

'Zac and Mia are unforgettable-they put hooks into my heart that are still there. Be warned: if you pick up this book, you won't want to put it down.' -- Fiona Wood 'There is a great sense of warmth and humour in this story, which will appeal to both YA and adult readers...A stand-out novel for 2013.' Australian Books and Publishing 'I think you have to be brave to write a book like this. To write it without overt, condescending sympathy. And to be brave enough to write the moments that are funny, or grotty, or filled with rage, alongside those that are brave and heroic. It's a book that is well deserving of a prize, and is likely to win many more.' -- First Impressions (Bec Kavanagh) 'For communicating the day-to-day mundane madness of cancer, Betts deserves high praise...Another triumph for the Text Prize, A. J. Betts is in good company and Zac and Mia is another great read.' -- ALPHA Reader (Danielle Binks) '[Zac & Mia] is an outstanding novel about the stuff of life that really matters. There will be laughter, there will be tears, some of which will be for the truly amazing Zac and Mia and all their real life counterparts. Most of all there will be joy. You will not want to put this book down once you start to read it.' -- The Hoopla

Author Information

A. J. Betts is an author, teacher, speaker and cyclist. Zac & Mia, the winner of the Text Prize for Young Adult and Children’s Writing, is her third novel for young adults. Her others are ShutterSpeed and Wavelength. She lives in Perth, and writes when she’s not pedalling.

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