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  • Published: 31 July 2017
  • ISBN: 9780143781561
  • Imprint: Random House Australia
  • Format: EBook
  • Pages: 288

Exchange of Heart




A tough, funny, touching story of the echoes left behind by tragedy and the bonds carried forward by healing.

Since the death of his sister, Evie, Munro Maddux has been stuck.
Flashbacks. Anger. Chest pains. A constant ache in his right hand. And a taunting voice he calls the Coyote. In an act of desperation, Munro heads off on a student exchange to Australia – the country of Evie’s dreams.
Forced by his new school to join a volunteer program, Munro discovers the Coyote is silenced in one place: Fair Go, an assisted-living residence in Brisbane’s west. Munro gets to know his team of residents: designer Bernie; sleeping refugee Shah; would-be wedded couple Blake and Dale; comic creator Iggy; and self-defence tutor Florence. As this unlikely group shows Munro the sights, Munro’s notion of what it means to be a big brother begins to change.
But the burden Munro carries is not so easily cast aside. Will the Coyote triumph? Or can Munro find the fortitude necessary to mend his heart?
'Funny-sad, authentic and uplifting. Groth is a writer who can pivot from heartbreak to humour without missing a beat' – Vikki Wakefield, author of All I Ever Wanted

  • Published: 31 July 2017
  • ISBN: 9780143781561
  • Imprint: Random House Australia
  • Format: EBook
  • Pages: 288

About the author

Darren Groth

Darren Groth is the author of six novels, including Kindling and the acclaimed YA novel Are You Seeing Me?. He was the winner of the 2016 Adelaide Festival Award for Young Adult Literature and has been a finalist in numerous other prestigious prizes including the CBCA Book of the Year (Australia), the Prime Minister’s Literary Awards (Australia), the Governor General’s Literary Awards (Canada) and the Sakura Medal (Japan).

Darren is a former special-education teacher and the proud father of a son with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). For fun, he watches Game of Thrones with his beautiful Canadian wife and eats Fatburger with his wondrous sixteen-year-old twins. He lives in Vancouver.

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Praise for Exchange of Heart

Funny-sad, authentic and uplifting - Groth is a writer who can pivot from heartbreak to humour without missing a beat.

Vikki Wakefield, author of ALL I EVER WANTED

A highly engaging and heartfelt story, deftly told ... An accomplished piece of work, reading Exchange of Hearts is an uplifting experience

Sue Osborne, Magpies

If you were impressed with Groth’s 2014 novel Are You Seeing Me? you will be likewise taken with his new one and his ability to blend heartbreak and humour into one splendid story ... There is a real tenderness in this novel which the reader feels palpably as we begin to unravel Munro’s real issue with his sister’s death and his growing attachment to his new life after Evie ... [A] beautifully written book full of emotion and empathy. I highly recommend it for readers 15 upwards.

Sue Warren, losangzopa.wordpress.com

One of the most moving books I’ve read in the last few months ... Heartwarming yet gritty, Exchange of Heart is a novel not to be missed.

writtenwordworlds.com

Exchange of Heart is a gift.

Dani Solomon, readings.com.au

Highly recommended ... This is a memorable read.

Fran Knight, ReadPlus

Highly recommended for teen readers, this is one I will enjoy promoting in my library.

lizderouet.wordpress.com

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