The Zigzag Effect

Backstage mischief. Secret kisses. Mysterious mishaps. Is Sage's holiday job a little too interesting? This is highly entertaining, original, pacy rom-crime for teenagers who like their fiction fast, funny and chock-full of sass.

Sage gave Bianca a swift hug. 'Everything will be fine,' she said. 'You'll see.' They smiled at each other, but Sage felt uneasiness creep into the pit of her belly. Something was very, very wrong at the Lyric Theatre.

Sage is delighted to land a holiday job at a theatre. Mostly because it will earn her the money she needs for the photography course she's coveted since she first picked up a camera. And working for a magician should be interesting, right? Plus there's a cute stagehand named Herb, who could make it even more interesting.

But Sage, Herb and The Great Armand's beautiful assistant Bianca stay late at the theatre one night, and a wand gets broken...on the stage. Bianca is horrified, convinced they've brought a curse upon themselves. Sage and Herb dismiss her concerns as irrational superstitions - even after they are mysteriously locked in the supply cupboard. Together. Overnight.

And then things really DO go wrong, at the theatre and at home. Sage must figure out who to trust, who's hiding secrets, what's real and what's just clever trickery. Because when a person truly disappears, it is likely that there are more sinister elements at work than magic...

About the Author

Lili Wilkinson was first published at age twelve in Voiceworks magazine. After studying Creative Arts at Melbourne University and teaching English in Japan, Lili worked on insideadog.com.au (a books website for teen readers), the Inky Awards and the Inkys Creative Reading Prize at the Centre for Youth Literature, State Library of Victoria. She is completing a PhD in Creative Writing at Melbourne University and spends most of her time reading and writing books for teenagers. She has written seven books that are published in seven countries.