When Only One

WHEN ONLY ONE
BY MEG GATLAND-VENESS


'There's someone in the school. Someone who's not supposed to be there. This person is walking towards the classroom. They're holding something in their hands. Something terrifying.' 

Sam lives with his mum, dad and four brothers in a small farming town. At his school, there are three main factions: the rich kids, the mid-grounders and the farm kids who live on the outskirts. Sam is a comfortable mid-grounder and life is pretty good. He works as a lifeguard at the local surf club, is saving to buy his first car, he's training with his friends for the Ironman challenge, and on Sunday afternoons he and his family take care packages to their less fortunate neighbours. Then, five years since they last spoke, Emily Burrow climbs back into Sam's life and everything changes. Emily's life is very different to Sam's – her absent father has returned and her mum struggles with her mental health. Sam does his best to be there for Emily when he wasn't for so long, but there seems to be no right way to help her. 

From the bestselling author of I Had Such Friends comes a novel that's gritty, full of heart and shines a light on kids who are doing it tough in a rural Australian town.

Meg Gatland-Veness is a high school drama teacher. She attended the University of Newcastle where she studied a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Secondary Teaching. Meg has been writing stories for as long as she can remember and reading them even longer. Equal to her love of words is her passion for championing local youths and fostering important conversation about issues facing young Australians.

Meg Gatland-Veness is the author of I Had Such Friends (2018). Her second novel, When Only One, will be published by Pantera Press in June 2022.

When Only One

Author: Meg Gatland-Veness

Panterapress

RRP: $19.99
Genre: Young Adult

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