Elaine Forrestal
Puffin (Penguin) 1997

Tas is having a tough time at school, getting picked on by kids that used to be his friends. So, when Enya arrives, he is pleased to have a new friend. But Enya is Irish and secretive about her family history. When Tas goes to Enya's place to get some answers, he gets caught in the middle of something nasty. This is a great story and the surprise at the end will make you wonder how you missed the clues.

About the author

Elaine Forrestal lives and works in the beach suburb of Scarborough, Western Australia, where she shares a house with her husband, Peter. She enjoys swimming, walking, reading, travelling and catching up with her many friends in different parts of the world. Her work has been published in Australia, the United Kingdom (UK) and the United States of America.

Elaine has had magazine articles and short stories published, and has also written for children's television. Three of her novels, The Watching Lake, Straggler's Reef and Deep Water were shortlisted for the Western Australian Premier's Book Awards. Her novel Someone Like Me was commended in the 1997 National Association for Special Education Needs Children's Book Awards in the UK and won the Western Australian Young Readers' Hoffman Award. It also won the 1998 Children's Book Council of Australia Book of the Year Award for Younger Readers. Another of her novels, Graffiti on the Fence, was shortlisted in 2000 for the same award. Deep Water was a 2004 Children's Book Council Notable Book.

The author’s web site: http://www.elaineforrestal.com.au/

Teacher’s notes for Someone Like Me are available on Elaine’s web site: http://www.elaineforrestal.com.au/T_Someone%20like%20me.htm

More information about Elaine is available on the Penguin web site: http://www.penguin.com.au/PUFFIN/Catalog/f_catalog.cfm

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