Red Tears

A gripping, real-life novel about a teenage girl hiding a wretched secret.

Emily Bowyer is a normal, confident teenager - lots of friends, loving family and a good student. But beneath the surface she has a wretched secret. Because, for Emily, life isn't as much fun as it would appear. Her friends are going off her and her parents only seem to care about her troubled brother. Plus, she's expected to complete hours of homework, to excel in her exams, to be the perfect student.

Tension, pressure, anxiety, anger and self-hatred. Where does it go when no one will listen? Emily has found a way to let it all out, a way to cope when life is overwhelming. But it is private. No one must ever find out.

Red Tears is a confronting, extremely well-researched novel about a girl who self-harms.

'AWESOME! My friend read it, same time as me, till some unearthly hour of this morning . . . your book is un-put-downable!' - Sarah, 17

'It was as if Emily could be me . . . the way she reacted to situations, especially the problems with her friends. I loved this book.' - Samantha, 16

'I thought it was amazing. There was an AWFUL lot of stuff in there that I could really relate to . . . gave me some stuff to think about.' - Kirsty, 18

Review: A compelling read and in-depth look into the passage to self-harm.

Joanna Kenrick is the author of three children's books as well as teaching History and Drama part time. Joanna meticulously researched Red Tears by spending months speaking on dedicated websites and attending psychiatric sessions. She lives in Oxford.

Red Tears
Allen & Unwin
Author: Joanna Kenrick
ISBN: 9780571234837
RRP: $16.95