Last Chance Joey

After being expelled, Joey is sent to the country to help an old man. Will it turn his life around or will

his past follow him?

Joey is sent to live with his great-aunt in the country where his phone won't work and he'll be far

away from his mates. But there isn't any choice—this is the third school he's been expelled from for

fighting. Which is stupid because he doesn't fight. It's an unfortunate case of being in the wrong place

at the wrong time. Sure, he disrupts every class he attends—a skill he's proud of. Or at least pretends

to be proud of. But he has to disrupt them to keep everyone from realising he can't read.

It turns out that Auntie Belle is not so old and not so bad, and when she asks him to help a neighbour,

Young Harry, who's recovering from a bad accident, Joey finds a world he can understand. Young

Harry is eighty-five years old. He has horses and dogs and a bull, a garden that produces more food

than Joey has seen in the city supermarket. He doesn't have a phone either—or anything else from the

21st century. But even without electricity and the internet, Joey has never felt more at home. He likes

the trust Harry has in him, hopes to join the local AFL team and enjoys going for rides with Emily,

the girl who looks after Harry's horses. Joey and Young Harry become good mates —better than the

ones he hung out with on the city streets.

But then the break-ins start. Robbie, jealous of Joey's relationship with Emily, points the finger at

Joey and the locals turn against him. And when one of his old city friends is revealed as the culprit, he

tries to rope Joey into his break-and-enters. After all, he can't change who he is, can he? And the

locals will never accept him as one of them. Will they?

Last Chance Joey is a coming-of-age story for every kid who struggles to find acceptance and their

place in the world. Joey finds not only somewhere that he belongs, but also the courage to stand up for

what's important to him and the people he cares about. 

About the Author

South Australian author Meredith Resce has been writing since 1991 and has had books in the Australian market since 1997. Following the Australian success of her Heart of Green Valley series, they were released in the UK. Last Chance Joey is Meredith's 30th published title-her first targeted young adult novel. Apart from writing, Meredith teaches high school students. She is an avid reader, particularly Christian fiction. She is a fan of British costume-drama television series, and British murder mystery shows. Jane Austen, LM Montgomery and Charles Dickens are favorite classic authors. Meredith is a country girl at heart, and takes every opportunity to visit the farm where she grew up. Aussie Rules football and cricket are her choice when following televised sport. Meredith often speaks to groups on issues relevant to relationships and emotional and spiritual growth. Meredith was also co-writer and co-producer of the 2007 feature film Twin Rivers, now available on Amazon Prime. Meredith has worked in Christian ministry with her husband Nick since 1983. Meredith and Nick have three adult children.