And in addition to loving this book completely in its own right, I’m also utterly thrilled for Danielle to see it out in the wild and causing such a buzz. B egin, End, Begin is edited and features a story by Danielle Binks, who I have the great fortune of calling my agent. And while I haven’t been paid, bribed, cajoled, blackmailed, coerced, or, you know, asked to write about Begin, End, Begin (I didn’t even request a review copy because I so wanted to have the experience of buying this book from my local bookshop), I am ever so slightly biased.

Overall, it’s a really terrific YA collection and lovers of YA will find so much to enjoy in this book.Before I launch into the fanfest that’s about to ensue, I feel I need to be upfront: My intent in writing this post is 100% to make you go out and buy Begin, End, Begin: A #LoveOzYA Anthology (Harper Collins, May 2017). I focuses on starting a new high school, making friends, and all the awkwardness that comes with that. There is so much love for the Australian landscape in this little tale, the sights, scents and feelings are captured so perfectly I felt like I was breathing in Rachel’s memories. A story that explores the dislocating feeling of moving from the country to the city. It was one of the shorter stories in the collection, but it has really stuck with me. A really touching and raw letter from a teen mum to her unborn child that also touches on 1st and 2nd generation migrant family dynamics. Girls in love in space, and excellent opener. She is grappling with the very relatable challenge of deciding what and where to study after graduating high school, and with her growing crush on her best friend. Zaida has grown up with the whole world watching her, a space-age celebrity, as the world clamors to know all about the first child on Mars. The perfect choice as an opening story, One Small Step focuses on the first child born on Mars. For me some of the memorable stories were: This will most likely be different for every reader, that’s the nature of collections.

They are all stories which show the layers of Australia and the diversity of people within this country.Īs with all short story collections there were stories that stood out and stories which I felt missed the mark. There are stories that include characters with disabilities, LGBTQIA+ characters, characters of many races. There is contemporary, a little bit of YA romance (a love story or two), plus urban fantasy and sci-fi. If you’ve never read a modern Australian YA book, this is the perfect place to dive in.ĭanielle Binks has done an excellent job of curating a selection of very different stories that are all united in their strength as narratives for young adult readers. If you are a #LoveOzYA fan you’ll spot stories from authors you love. Wonderfully diverse, Begin End Begin showcases so many different ways to tell an Australian story.

Begin, End, Begin by Danielle Binks