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Winner of the inaugural Walker Books Manuscript Prize. With themes including coercive control, coming of age, and finding yourself, this debut authentically deals with timely issues with insight, sympathy and well crafted humour.
How to Be Normal is a YA contemporary novel about Astrid, who is seventeen years old and about to go to a 'real' high school for the first time, after a long period of being homeschooled. She's determined to be as normal as possible. But as she makes friends and music – and falls for a popular girl in her grade – she starts to realise that it's actually her home life that isn't normal.
When her dad loses his job, Astrid’s homeschooling comes to an end. Until now, she has lived within the confines of a tightly controlled, contracted world where there's no room for anything … except following her father’s rules. As Astrid, and her mum, tentatively expand their world, they struggle to break free of their ingrained wariness and self-doubt. But with hope, new friends, and the strength of a promise, Astrid has a chance to find out what she wants, who she loves, and who she really is.
Winner of the inaugural Walker Books Manuscript Prize, this uplifting and affirming YA debut deftly explores timely issues with insight, humour and pathos.
Author: Ange Crawford
Paperback Published 5 March 2025 336 pages