The 2008 Inkys Longlist

A Brief History of Montmaray, Michelle Cooper

Officially, the head of our household is Uncle John, who is Aunt Charlotte's brother and Veronica's father (and the King of Montmaray), but he's rather distracted on his good days, and downright alarming on his bad ones.

Before I Die, Jenny Downham

I sit up and switch on the bedside light. There's a pen, but no paper, so on the wall behind me I write, I want to feel the weight of a boy on top of me.

Boy Toy, Barry Lyga

It was like watching the mating rituals of retarded birds, clumsily stepping the wrong patterns around each other over and over again.

Broken Soup, Jenny Valentine

It wasn't mine. I didn't drop it, but the boy in the queue said I did. It was a negative of a photograph, one on its own, all scratched and beaten up.

Extras, Scott Westerfeld

Maybe people weren't as beautiful as back during the Prettytime, but parties were a lot more interesting.

Finding Darcy, Sue Lawson

Mum gripped the steering wheel tight. 'Don't ever ask her again, Darcy.'

Game as Ned, Tim Pegler

I know what people say. They reckon I'm simple. Call me dumb. Retard. Spastic.

Genesis, Bernard Beckett

…the only thing the population had to fear, was fear itself. The true danger humanity faced during this period was the shrinking of its own spirit.

Hero, Perry Moore

'Oh, that's the gay guy.'

Indigo Girls, Penni Russon

Now me, I'm not an alpha obviously.  I'm more like one of the obscure ones in the middle that no one's ever heard of - omicron or something.

Joel & Cat Set the Story Straight, Nick Earls & Rebecca Sparrow

Then nothing happens for about a hundred years in this goddamn story, though it feels like a million and a half...

Kill the Possum, James Moloney

His hands are slotted loosely in his pockets, as though he hasn't just murdered Ian Cartwright, too.

The Knife of Never Letting Go, Patrick Ness

I know what a girl is. Course I do. I seen ‘em in the Noise of their fathers in town, mourned like their wives but not nearly so often.

Life As We Knew It, Susan Pfeffer

"Great," I said. "The world's coming to an end, and we're fixing it with Band-Aids."

Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac, Gabrielle Zevin

For the first time, I allowed for the possibility that I had forgotton everything from the last four years.

Michael Sweeney's Method, Sean Condon

Dud says, 'We're not gay,' probably mishearing the last word, which is crunched and skewed by Tom's accent.

Our Little Secret, Allayne Webster

When the news swept the little town of Wattleton that sixteen-year-old Anne-Marie Cooper had been raped on her way home from school one summer afternoon, some townsfolk said they weren't surprised.

Snakehead, Anthony Horowitz

Alex Rider would never forget the moment of impact, the first shock as the parachute opened and the second - more jolting still - as the module that had carried him back from outer space crashed into the sea.

Tales from Outer Suburbia, Shaun Tan

It's funny how these days, when every household has its own intercontinental ballistic missile, you hardly even think about them.

Town, James Roy

My brother Kimlan works all night fixing the road. He wears a shirt that reflects the light from the cars. The boss man says that if he does not wear that shirt, no one will be able to see him unless he smiles.