Something More

Girlfriend Fiction #11

by Mo Johnson

Just remember, Isla, when you're searching for happiness, it knows all the best hiding places. (Gran McGonnigle)
Isla McBay is not delighted to have left Scotland for sunny Australia. For starters, she can't swim - not great for pool parties. She misses her gran and her friends, her dad's giving her unbelievably irritating driving lessons, and she's constantly fighting with her younger sister, Terry, who always does everything first. Even her photography class with dreamy Sam Doyle and annoying yet intriguing Jack Ferris can't cure Isla's homesickness...
Then Terry comes to Isla with a serious problem, forcing Isla to make a will she be the better sister Terry needs her to be - or will she close her eyes to what's really important?

Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary, Fiction

180 pages

First published April 1, 2009

About the author

Mo (Maureen) Johnson was born in Glasgow, Scotland. She met her Australian husband while teaching in Japan and moved to Sydney with him in 1991. She is lucky to live by the beach in spectacular Illawarra (NSW) with her husband, Pete, and son, Paddy, and their two dogs, Merlin and Scruffy. She couldn’t live without her Apple computers, her iPod, her crime-fiction collection, and her friendship with fellow authors Di Bates, Sandy Fussell, and Bill Condon, who give her great advice about her writing.

Mo loves staying in touch with her best friend, Auds, in Scotland, making short films, taking photographs, elephants, and people who throw back their heads to belly laugh, especially at themselves. Her phobias are flying, swimming pools, cockroaches, and people dressed in animal costumes. When she doodles, Mo draws snails and triangles and people on bicycles.

Reviews

[Jess MacFarlane · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just finished 'Something More' by Mo Johnson, it was a very gripping book about a teenage girl called Isla who moved to Australia from Scotland with her family. Throughout the book there are many challenges Isla has to face and it talks about how she overcomes these challenges.

I decided to read this book because the blurb on the back cover really grabbed my attention and instantly got me interested in reading the book.

This fantastic book fits in the category 'Your own choice'. I thoroughly enjoyed this category because I got to choose a book that I really wanted to read.

My favourite quote in this book was when Terry, Isla's sister, said to Isla "think of this now as the worst it can be and you might be surprised later." The reason I really liked this quote was because Isla said this to Terry when she found out Terry might be pregnant to try and comfort her and now Terry is saying it to Isla to try and make Isla not worry as much about some challenges she is facing. This quote is very memorable and gives a sence of hope to situations in the book.

From this book I learned that no matter how much you disagree and fight with your family members, they will always be your family and you will love each other and be there for each other even though sometimes it may not seem that way.

The character in this book that I loved and enjoyed the most was Terry. She was my favourite character because she was witty, humorous and sassy but when her family needed her she was kind, caring, supportive and helpful. She made me laugh quite a lot broke the tension in some parts of this fantastic book.

[Claire · Rating 4 out of 5]

I quite enjoyed this book. The main character's voice was compelling and funny and the characters all felt like living, breathing people (except Sam, who wasn't very well fleshed out). I was a little disappointed when I discovered that the main plot was teen pregnancy, because I feel like that plot is done to death. It bugs me that it's so common because it starts to feel like authors are punishing teenage girls for having sex. If teenage pregnancy was as common in real life as it is in literature/TV/movies, then every second teen would be pregnant. Still, I thought the subject was handled pretty well, the suspense was nicely done and I really liked the ending.

I also enjoyed reading a story about someone emigrating from the UK to Australia and having to adapt to life in a new country, because I went through the same thing when we moved back to Australia from England when I was seven. Isla's struggles with missing her friends and not accepting her new life in Australia felt very real to me. There were also some great observations about Australian society from the perspective of an outsider. I especially loved the comment about how Australians can laugh at themselves and admire people who get the better of them. So true!

[Belle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love the advices of Isla's Gran.

Good.

Good.

GOOD!

"No point in losing your head, if people won't help you look for it."

"If it looks like a horse and smells like a horse, it's probably a donkey."

"Embarassment is a state of mind. Your state, lingering much longer than you'd like it to in other people's minds."

[Selena Hanet-Hutchins · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this look at the complex politics of friendships and sisterhood, never mind emigrating from the UK. Felt like letters from an old friend: an authentic and inclusive voice that managed (somehow) too keep me guessing about the twists, even though in first person.

[Olivia Harris · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was the kind of book that after every chapter you want to keep going.

[Dulipthie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really loved how it revolved around reality of so many contemporary teenagers rather than a fantastical happy ending.

[Courtney · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book wasn't what I expected. I didn't really like the main character because she couldn't keep her mouth shut when it came to her sister's secret, even though it did help them in the end.

[Thérèse M · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was great.