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A Good Kind of Trouble #2
Making Trouble
A brilliantly warm-hearted NEW book from Brooke Blurton and Melanie Saward, a follow-up to A Good Kind of Trouble.
Things don't always go to plan. I should be at the Australian Ballet School. But instead, here I am, boarding and going to school hundreds of kilometres away from home, but I feel even further away from my dreams. At least I've got Jamie ... that part's deadly. Until she finds out my secret.
Stella is nervous about another new city, a new school, and new friends. Her love for ballet - and Jamie - pulls her forward, but fear threatens to drag her back home.
It's only when she thinks she's lost everything that Stella starts to see what she's been missing. Maybe she can shine - in class, on stage, and in her own story - and make her family and Jamie proud.
Brooke Blurton, proud Noongar-Yamatji woman and Australian TV star, and Melanie Saward, proud Bigambul and Wakka Wakka woman and acclaimed author, have created a heartfelt story of friendship, rivalry, ballet, footy, secrets, and believing in a future big enough to hold all your dreams.
Things don't always go to plan. I should be at the Australian Ballet School. But instead, here I am, boarding and going to school hundreds of kilometres away from home, but I feel even further away from my dreams. At least I've got Jamie ... that part's deadly. Until she finds out my secret.
Stella is nervous about another new city, a new school, and new friends. Her love for ballet - and Jamie - pulls her forward, but fear threatens to drag her back home.
It's only when she thinks she's lost everything that Stella starts to see what she's been missing. Maybe she can shine - in class, on stage, and in her own story - and make her family and Jamie proud.
Brooke Blurton, proud Noongar-Yamatji woman and Australian TV star, and Melanie Saward, proud Bigambul and Wakka Wakka woman and acclaimed author, have created a heartfelt story of friendship, rivalry, ballet, footy, secrets, and believing in a future big enough to hold all your dreams.
148 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 1, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
April 1, 2026
Love this book and I flew through this in one day! Stella and her girlfriend Jamie attend boarding school in Naarm for ballet (Stella) and AFL (Jamie). There’s secrets, tension and the chance for the girls to find their feet at their new school. This is such a good series, perfect for Middl Grade and older readers!
October 20, 2026
✨3.25 stars✨
📖 FORMAT: 📱& 🎧 - available to listen on Spotify Premium
Shortly after finishing A Good Kind of Trouble, I just had to start the second book.
Making Trouble follows Stella, new girl at Jamie’s school turned Jamie’s girlfriend as they both journey over to a boarding school in Melbourne to chase their dreams in footy (Jamie) and ballet (Stella).
Whilst there, Stella begins to get anxious about this big change. A new city/school, new people, and a secret she is worried that will affect her friendships and relationship with Jamie.
It isn’t until she almost loses everything that she begins to see what she has missed…
Like with the first book, I loved the representation. Especially Stella with her anxiety. Even as a 26 year old, I found some moments of overthinking and worry relatable.
But I didn’t find this to be as strong or as bold as A Good Kind of Trouble was.
Overall, this was a great duology (unsure if there will be another book written after this). I’d definitely recommend it for young/middle grade readers ✨🌻
📖 FORMAT: 📱& 🎧 - available to listen on Spotify Premium
Shortly after finishing A Good Kind of Trouble, I just had to start the second book.
Making Trouble follows Stella, new girl at Jamie’s school turned Jamie’s girlfriend as they both journey over to a boarding school in Melbourne to chase their dreams in footy (Jamie) and ballet (Stella).
Whilst there, Stella begins to get anxious about this big change. A new city/school, new people, and a secret she is worried that will affect her friendships and relationship with Jamie.
It isn’t until she almost loses everything that she begins to see what she has missed…
Like with the first book, I loved the representation. Especially Stella with her anxiety. Even as a 26 year old, I found some moments of overthinking and worry relatable.
But I didn’t find this to be as strong or as bold as A Good Kind of Trouble was.
Overall, this was a great duology (unsure if there will be another book written after this). I’d definitely recommend it for young/middle grade readers ✨🌻
April 2, 2026
Thanks so much to Harper Collins Australia for sending me a copy of this one. All thoughts are my own.
This is another great instalment in this series dealing with real, hard-hitting realities that kids, especially queer Indigenous kids, face in their every day lives. My heart absolutely went out to the kids in this book and the things they were dealing with.
This was a really beautiful extension of these characters, their relationship and their story. I really loved getting Stella’s POV as she settles into a new school and all the anxieties that come with that.
This is such a great book for old and young readers alike.
This is another great instalment in this series dealing with real, hard-hitting realities that kids, especially queer Indigenous kids, face in their every day lives. My heart absolutely went out to the kids in this book and the things they were dealing with.
This was a really beautiful extension of these characters, their relationship and their story. I really loved getting Stella’s POV as she settles into a new school and all the anxieties that come with that.
This is such a great book for old and young readers alike.
September 10, 2026
A diverse, coming of age book about a ballet dancer being transferred to a private school with other Australian Indigenous talented students. Some context about being a scholarship student and also some family tensions, also about what the main character has experienced being queer.
October 29, 2026
This was an amazing book that I could really relate to about having friends being in footy and me being a dancer or I do calisthenics. I also loved how she had to balance school with friends, family and dance. I absolutely loved this book.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews