Ballad for a Mad Girl

‘Fans of intelligent, unflinching, spine-crawling thrillers…will love Ballad for a Mad Girl.’ * Books + Publishing *
‘Vikki Wakefield writes stories that will break your heart.’ * Readings *
‘[Wakefield’s] characters are believable flawed and memorable and there are some good life lessons for young players.’ * Otago Daily Times *
‘Everything you already love about Vikki Wakefield—plus a spine-tingling supernatural mystery. Ballad for a Mad Girl is brilliantly creepy and thrilling.’ – Fiona Wood
‘There’s a dark side to being the funny one in the group. This is a piercing, creepy tale about a wild girl who could lose herself to a ghost. Vikki Wakefield’s writing never fails to give me chills.’ – Emily Gale
‘Ballad for a Mad Girl is brilliant, edgy and unsettling. Grace is a tough and sympathetic anti-heroine. I felt her grief and, even when I cursed her curiosity, was compelled to follow her to the story’s satisfying, cinematic end.’ – Simmone Howell
‘Vikki Wakefield is one of Australia’s best YA writers. I couldn’t put down Ballad for a Mad Girl.’ – Cath Crowley
‘Vikki Wakefield is one of the most creative and daring authors writing for young adults today. Ballad for a Mad Girl is an Aussie YA Gothic tale that smartly uses the supernatural to explore the depths of grief and growing up, and the pain to be found in both. This is a caring and keening novel, creepy but tender and wholly marvellous.’ – Danielle Binks
‘Ballad for a Mad Girl is an intense, unsettling read…Every page is charged with emotion.’ * Loony Literate *
‘Ballad for a Mad Girl is about the living, the dead, the long journey of grief, and what happens when the lines between them blur. A spooky, gripping rollercoaster ride!’ – Nadia L King
‘In Ballad for a Mad Girl, Vikki Wakefield does it again, this time raising the bar with a riveting, beautifully told ghost story that draws you in until the very last page.’ * Kids’ Book Review *
‘Vikki Wakefield is one of the most creative and daring authors writing for young adults today. Ballad for a Mad Girl is an Aussie YA Gothic tale that smartly uses the supernatural to explore the depths of grief and growing up, and the pain to be found in both. This is a caring and keening novel, creepy but tender and wholly marvellous.’ * ALPHA Reader *
‘Talented author Vikki Wakefield produced another gripping novel for YA readers…A clever mystery and insightful working out of newly adult relationships among characters as real and nuanced as ourselves.’ * Adelaide Advertiser *
‘A beautifully creepy book.’ * Booktopia *
‘With complex and genuine characters, a captivating narrative and the authenticity of a small-town setting, Ballad for a Mad Girl is the epitome of great Aussie YA.’ * Written Word Worlds *
‘Beautifully written, chilling and atmospheric, Ballad for a Mad Girl is a story with heart, horror, and hope.’ * Bookish Manicurist *
‘Ballad for a Mad Girl is a real page turner…Beautifully written. The gothic, literary tone adds to the creepy atmosphere.’ * Reading Time *
‘Ballad for a Mad Girl has all the features to appeal to its intended audience, with its tight plot, its claustrophobic country town atmosphere and a group of longtime friends growing up and sometimes growing apart. Many are sure to enjoy the tension and edginess of Vikki Wakefield’s novel.’ * Magpies *
‘A tightly drawn story of compulsion…I could picture the landscapes so carefully created by Wakefield. The striking cover will impel young adults to choose to read it and they will be stunned by the extraordinary thriller within.’ * ReadPlus *
‘This is another great young adult novel by Vikki Wakefield that looks at the real world of a teenager, and what might be happening on the other side.’ * Big Book Club *

Vikki Wakefield writes realist fiction for young adults. Her work explores coming-of-age, family, class, relationships and the lives of contemporary teens. Her novels All I Ever Wanted, Friday Brown, Inbetween Days and Ballad for a Mad Girl have been shortlisted for numerous awards. Vikki lives in Adelaide, Australia.

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