Author(s): Lili Wilkinson

Young Adult Fiction

Astrid Katy Smythe is beautiful, smart and popular. She's a straight-A student and a committed environmental activist. She's basically perfect. Hiro is the opposite of perfect. He's slouchy, rude and resentful. Despite his brains, he doesn't see the point of school. But when Astrid meets Hiro at the shopping center where he's wrangling shopping trolleys, he doesn't recognize her because she's in disguise--as a lobster. And she doesn't set him straight. Astrid wants to change the world, Hiro wants to survive it. But ultimately both believe that the world needs to be saved from itself. Can they find enough in common to right all the wrongs between them? A romantic comedy about life and love and trying to make the planet a better place, with a little heartbreak, and a whole lot of hilarity.

"Astrid, a straight-A student, is well meaning but incredibly dogmatic about saving the planet and manages to alienate many of her classmates (and even the school principal) over the introduction of her environmental schemes.
Hiro is the opposite – slouchy, rude, resentful and bored with school. But when Astrid, disguised as a lobster, and Hiro, collecting shopping trolleys, meet outside the local supermarket, they click immediately. Hiro doesn’t recognize the overbearing and supercilious girl from school and Astrid doesn’t reveal her true identity to the boy who is now appealing and funny and quite unlike the school dropout.
Friendship blossoms, amid misgivings, and eventually turns to love. But can these two “superheroes” find enough in common to right all the wrongs between them and save the world?

Lili Wilkinson writes wonderful romantic comedies, such as A Pocketful of Eyes, Love-shy and The Zigzag Effect, and Green Valentine is another smartly funny novel about life, love and a little heartbreak. Age 13 plus."

– Ruth