Looking for Alibrandi meets Arrested Development in this YA screwball comedy about a student exchange gone hilariously, criminally wrong.

? NOTABLE BOOK in the Children's Book Council of Australia Awards
? LONGLISTED for the DANZ Young Adult Book Award

Maria Petranelli will do anything to get away from her overbearing Italian-Australian family. So when they declare that she ‘couldn’t handle living in Italy’, sixteen-year-old Maria signs up to go there on student exchange. What could possibly go wrong? Well, everything …

Despite months of mental preparation for every possible scenario, Maria is out of her depth in Italy. She struggles with the language, immediately gets scammed, and is terrible at socialising with the other high school exchange students – especially Kennedy, a girl from America who is hopeless yet strangely attractive.

When the two girls accidentally witness a crime, Maria discovers just what she can and can’t handle. Being kidnapped in the boot of a car and driven off into the Italian countryside? Maybe. But working out her feelings for Kennedy before it’s too late? 

Maria Petranelli is prepared for anything … except this.

? WINNER of the Ampersand Prize, the premier Australian award for debut books by authors of middle grade and young adult fiction! ?

'A fast paced, funny and exciting teen read. Maria’s desire to prove herself brings a powerful message of individuality and strength... a great YA novel, that can be highly recommended to young readers looking for queer, adventure fiction.' –CBCA READING TIME

Perfect for:

• Fans of queer YA comedies such as Rainbow Rowell’s Carry On and Patrick Ness’s The Rest of Us Just Live Here
• Readers seeking entertaining teen fic with a coming-out storyline
• Educators and booksellers seeking high-interest, low-difficulty YA