Alison Tait
Allison Tait (A. L. Tait) is the internationally published, bestselling author of 11 middle-grade novels, including ‘The First Summer of Callie McGee’, ‘Willow Bright’s Secret Plot’ and ‘Danger Road’, all published by Scholastic Australia. Her novels, including three fantasy series, have been shortlisted and longlisted for various awards, including the 2024 Margaret and Colin Roderick Literary Award (Callie McGee).
Allison is the co-host of the top-rating Your Kid's Next Read podcast, speaks regularly in schools and at conferences and festivals, and teaches creative writing for children at the Australian Writers’ Centre.
Find out more at allisontait.com
DANGER ROAD
Everyone’s talking about Corey Armstrong... Twenty five years ago, on a dark winter’s night, teenager Corey Armstrong was left to die by a hit and run driver on Danger Road. Now Corey’s the subject of a podcast that’s putting his hometown on the map, but with the series almost over, the case remains unsolved.
When brothers Alex and Leo decide to try to find out what happened to Corey, they learn more about his world than they could have imagined. Everyone’s talking about the popular footballer, but the question remains: did anyone really know him? As Alex and Leo sink deeper into the past, they uncover old secrets, ready to resurface, and realise that someone in town must know something which means someone they know might be the killer.
Will bringing up the past jeopardise the brothers’ own futures? And could bringing a cold case back to life prove fatal?
WILLOW BRIGHT’S SECRET PLOT
‘I feel her in the breeze that makes the dahlias bob, and in the scent of the roses ...’ After moving to the city from the country, Willow Bright feels like she’s lost her mum all over again—and landed on another planet. Her clothes are wrong, her taste in music is wrong, and even the food she eats is wrong. But when Willow spots a pattern in a series of puzzling accidents and mishaps, she forms an unlikely friendship—and finds new purpose. Can Willow solve the mystery and find room to be herself along the way? Or will her plot to run home to the wide-open spaces and memories of her mum land Willow in even more trouble? A middle-grade story about growing up, grief, finding your place in the world and the restorative benefits of nature.
THE FIRST SUMMER OF CALLIE MCGEE
'The water in a rip current is always calmer than the waves on either side. Once in it, you’re best just to go with the flow.' It’s the last summer before Callie starts high school and she’s been dragged along to yet another ‘family friends’ holiday. Determined to change her nerdy reputation, Callie sets out to make waves—but nothing is quite as she expects. Her usual ally, Sasha, has outgrown Callie; her nemesis, Mitch, has brought his cousin Owen along; and the boring south coast town of Sawyer’s Point has been rocked by a series of burglaries. Callie, Owen and Mitch decide to investigate the robberies, bringing them face to face with a local gang ... and a possible ghost. But when Sasha goes missing, Callie must draw on all her smarts to find her friend, and discovers that being Callie McGee has its benefits. A middle-grade mystery about growing up, figuring things out, and solving the puzzle of who you are.