It's not all about YOU, Calma

Published September 2005

Calma Harrison is back! This time she is not pursuing drug-dealing teachers but rather a gorgeous boy at her local supermarket. Of course, nothing is simple for Calma and the situation quickly spirals out of control.

Much anticipated sequel to hilarious yet poignant popular debut novel The Whole Business with Kiffo and the Pitbull by Barry Jonsberg - a fresh, funny and engaging new voice in young adult books.

Laugh-out-loud humour with a strong beating heart and a sting in the tail.

Description

Calma Harrison is in love.

Not just with herself, but also with the handsome checkout guy at Crazi-Cheep.

But when Calma gets a job at Crazi-Cheep, her cynical approach to customer service makes headlines.

And then there's the small matter of the rest of her life, which is fast falling apart: her absent father turns up unexpectedly and wants to talk'; her mother, The Fridge, is keeping secrets; and her new best friend, Vanessa, is hiding something horrible.

Fearing the worst for her family and friends, Calma knows the only sure way to shape events is direct, personal intervention...

It's not all about YOU, Calma! is a bold and witty novel about friendship, loyalty and acting on impulse.

Praise for The Whole Business with Kiffo and the Pitbull

This is the best teen fiction I have read in years. Barry Jonsberg's first novel is an absolute riot. As hilarious as it is poignant, The Whole Business with Kiffo and the Pitbull should be on every year-10 syllabus in the country. If this book doesn't make them want to read, nothing will.' The Age

Magnificent! Loved it! Laughed, snorted, and snickered maniacally on the subway all through it. It's taking great restraint not to run down the hall and read bits aloud to people - Nancy Siscoe, Knopf USA

Jonsberg's writing is fresh and funny, and bites with fierce teenage realism. Children's Bookseller & Publisher, April 2004.

Awards

Shortlisted 2006: Children's Book Council of Australia (CBCA) Awards in the Older Readers Category. 

Winner 2006: Festival Awards for Literature (SA) Award for Children's Literature.

The Author Says

This was my second book and is a follow-up to The Whole Business With Kiffo and the Pitbull, though it can be read as a stand-alone. I didn’t intend to write a sequel to Kiffo, but the narrator, Calma Harrison, had different ideas.

It’s a very unnerving feeling, having a character in your head who demands that you put aside all the other things you would sooner be doing in order to write her story. But that’s the way it turned out. She just wouldn’t shut up. So, in the end, I simply did as I was told.

I really like Calma Harrison. She is rude, sarcastic and an insufferable know-it-all. But there is something endearing about her. At least writing the book kept her happy for a while. She is no longer ranting on inside my brain.

But then again, you can never tell with Calma. She just might start up once more and I’ll find myself having to tell a third story involving her. For the time being, though, she’s leaving me alone. I’m pitifully grateful.