Quirky and wonderful

I read this book for school and it was so much better than I initially thought it was going to be. It was funny, Intriguing and you never quite new what was found to happen next. The crime subplot of this book was unlike any other crime novel I’ve ever read. I highly recommend this book to lovers of a mix of contemporary and mild crime.

It's so fun to discover a new YA author. Especially when it is by random chance browsing at the library. Jonsberg's Calma Harrison reminds me of Susan Juby's Alice Macleod - both paint a picture of an awkward teenage girl searching for friendship, acceptance, and ultimately self-identity. Unrelated to the book... i swear the character of Beast in Glee is based on the Pitbull!

In the beginning, what first struck me, was the way how the author describes characters and the writing style ish is in a may similar or reminds me of John Green's books. This tells us that it's important to be there for our friends.
When Kiffo screamed and collapsed, then Calma told, "Why? Why Kiffo?" Kiffo of all people died, and it's not fair. This brings the idea that life is fragile and we have to value the people around us and things around us. Most people might say we have time to live, but no. We only have time in the present, (as we are 3d beings but not 4d entities, lol) so. SO we have to cherish what we have now as "nothing stay forever".
However, when at the end I can't believe I cried at the end. Well instead of mainly feeling bad for the characters, I imagined my funeral and my friend's funerals. Either the best part from the whole book was when Calma delivered her speech for Kiffo's. It true and no one can deny it; there's no sugar coating in it, she tells the truth good and bad.  In the end, we should realise not to judge someone for just how they seem, but also the reasons for their actions. This reinforces that people should have different perspectives and not just our own. A historic one can be shown through Hitler, people out of Germany see him as someone who genocides and a dominator. The citizen of Germany, however, see Hitler as savour, who increased their jobs and made "Germany great again!" Both are not wrong but one sees one more than the other or not. And understanding each other's perspectives we'll ultimately everything will be more understanding.

bloody lover calma.

read this as an audio book, but they didnt have the edition.

This is such a funny book, very Australian and realistic.

If sarcastic humor fed by an incredible wit us up your ally, than you're going to love Calma Harrison. With a skill for English that might surpass that of some of her teachers, and a flair for blunt truth, this girl will have you laughing almost instantly and incessantly, as she delves into her tales of life, Kiffo, and the Pitbull.

Arriving at school after her predecessor was driven out by various forms of emotional torture, Miss Payne presents a picture that lives up to her name, and an attitude to match. Or does she? At first cold and seemingly cruel, she eventually has her students laughing and smiling as they learn. Except, that is, for Calma and Kiffo, who are instead lost in a world of paranoia and suspicion, sure that Miss Payne is up to no good. We follow along on their adventures and mishaps as they struggle to learn the truth of the teacher that can't be tamed, learning valuable lessons of life and friendship and self along the way.

'The Whole Business with Kiffo and the Pitbull' delves into student/teacher relationships, poverty, education and teenage-hood without over the the cliches of a teen drama. This, and its sequel 'Its not all about you Calma', are told from the view point of its female protagonist Calma. Calma is smart brilliantly written character that is the hero of our story, yet is deeply flawed and portrays the conflicting, sometimes selfishness of a teenage girl.

I really enjoyed this book,
it had me laughing, probably because I am in a school and see similarities between English teachers and students.

I really liked this book, and it's one of few that made me laugh out loud. The ending was sad though.

Brilliant!

Light, humorous, smart writing style. Very funny.

The extracts from her earlier life were a great touch, and the mystery character that is mentioned here and there (won't elaborate- I don't do spoilers) keeps you guessing non-stop.

Really quick and fun read- will definitely recommend it.

I love Barry Jonsberg, and while as a narrator, I found Calma more awkward to read than Candice Phee (My Life as an Alphabet), I loved the friendship between her and Kiffo. The plot ranges from achingly real to completely surreal, which works better at some point than others, but overall it's a very sweet read.