Countdown to YALC: The Art of Being Normal by Lisa Williamson

In this awesome YA book, Lisa Williamson encourages her readers to consider what is normal? This is a particularly significant question for the intended audience - teenagers - where the pressure to conform in one way or another is huge. Whether it's conforming to your parents' ideals and expectations, fitting in at school or following the fashions of whichever social sub-culture you and your friends belong to, even the unconventional kids have their own conventions to adhere to.

So what is normal? The title of this book suggests a certain level of performance - being normal is an 'art' - which I thought was really interesting, as lots of theorists suggest that gender norms are just social constructs that we put on and play the part. The idea of social and gender norms is developed on the cover of the book where the traditional male and female icons (typically seen on the doors of public toilets around the world) are used to depict a girl breaking out of her masculine mould.

Blog Tour: White Lies by Zoë Markham

What's it all about?

A haunting YA thriller you won't be able to put down, White Lies is a boarding school story - with a shockingly dark twist.

Everybody hurts

For Abigail, a new school could be the fresh start she so desperately needs. With her parents in the army and her sister Beth too far away to run to, she knows this year needs to be different. She's never been part of the cool crowd and for the first time Abby wants to fit in. And all it takes is just one little white lie…because some truths are too painful to share.

Everybody lies

But at Cotswold Community College, Abby isn't the only one with a past she'd rather forget. And when she stumbles across a closely-guarded secret, Abigail realises that her one little white lie could reveal everything she’s worked so hard to hide…