I wasn't sure how I was going to feel about this book, but I actually loved it. I wasn't sure if I would be able to connect with Egan, especially after the last book I read taking place in modern day Auckland with a male lead was Into the River. But Egan was very likeable, the prime example of innocence and wonder, something with is usually reserved only for young kids, not older teenagers. It was refreshing to see my city from the eyes of someone new to it, and someone who really doesn't understand it. Some background, Egan has grown up in hiding in the bush with only his mother for company. His story is about his journey to find his mother who has suddenly disappeared, while trying to avoid his famous father who was very abusive. He travels to Auckland in search of her and experiences a first love among many firsts. The way cursing is approached in this book was adorable, as it's quite clear Egan doesn't actually know any, and his interpretations are great. I would recommend this book, it is an excellent story told in journal entries which makes it an easy book to read little and often.

A fascinating and highly original novel about a boy raised in the bush on the Coromandel, who is thrust into the world after his mother goes missing. So many different elements come together: strong, evocative writing, authentic dialogue, complex characters, a page-turning plot, the 'code' Egan lives by, and challenging themes of domestic violence, systemic injustice and living ethically and authentically.

Innocence collides fist first with brutal reality in Shooting Stars, a new novel from Brian Falkner. The latest work from this award-winning New Zealand author packs a powerful punch. This is the private diary of Egan (Bush) Tucker and ‘other stuff compiled by his friend JT'.

An engaging YA story, Shooting Stars tells the tale of a fifteen-year-old boy raised in isolation in the midst of the New Zealand Coromandel wilderness. His mother, Moma, has sheltered Egan from a danger hunting them since their treacherous journey into the wild when Egan was a baby.

Away from the convenience and corruption of modern day society, Moma has instilled a code of ethics in Egan. Moma's code guides Egan as he faces moral dilemmas. When she disappears, it is Moma's strength and code at the forefront of all Egan's actions. He must leave his life in the bush behind to search for the only family he knows. Life in the city, however, is not what he expected. And his code elicits a range of reactions from those he encounters. No amount of preparation could ready Egan for what he will find in the outside world.

The pacing of the story is done well. We are introduced to Egan in the bush prior to his first meeting with another person – ex-soldier, DOC, deer culler and soon to be friend, JT. We experience Egan's basic lifestyle and are drip-fed information about how and why Moma chose this life for her son.

Egan's voice is unique. It is that of an isolated boy raised on a diet of Hemingway and Steinbeck. His views are a blend of naivety, wisdom and innocence. He is largely fearless, a strength in the wild but an attribute that brings him trouble in the city.

A compelling story in a captivating setting, this was my first time reading a novel set in New Zealand. The Coromandel Peninsula provides the reader with a beautiful sanctuary in which to meet Egan before we are thrust into the unforgiving underbelly of the city.

Shooting Stars is an enjoyable, gut-wrenching, unpredictable story full of vitality. The mix of writing styles used to tell the tale – diary, poem, short story, reports, lists, letters, articles and illustrations – work seamlessly to bring Egan's journey to life. It is laced with gentle humour – an innocent boy's perception of the world jarring with the unforgiving modern world.

This is an excellent read and one that older teen readers will enjoy. The heavy topics touched upon mean the story is not suitable for younger readers. The book deals with themes of survival, responsibility, homelessness, morality, friendship and domestic violence. Shooting Stars is highly recommended for readers aged 14 and over.

If a reviewer can have their best book of the year, this is mine.

Shooting Stars is written largely in diary form over a four-month period by Egan, a teenager who has lived an isolated life in the Coromandel forest with only his mother and his dog for company. One day he meets a deer culler, JT, and they become good friends. When Egan's mother does not return from a trip to replenish supplies, JT is no longer there to help.

With only a limited knowledge of the outside world, but with Moma's Code of Honour to live by, Egan heads to Auckland to search for her and JT. He sleeps rough, becomes involved in fights with streetkids, befriends one group, eventually is found, and goes to live with his father. His story becomes a news sensation.

Where relevant, each diary entry ends with an explanation of one of his mother's Codes: a Thought for the Day, A Word of the Day, Book I am Reading, Things I am Afraid Of (or No Longer Afraid Of). Through these the reader learns more of Egan's character. Only 15, he is a thoughtful and resourceful boy whose love for, and belief in, his mother is challenged. His other great loves – the bush and books – sustain him, as does his growing awareness of the impact his mother's Code is having on most of the people he meets.

While Egan appears naïve to some, his steadfastness in the face of adversity wins over all but the most cynical and hardhearted. For readers who have not discovered Brian Falkner before, this book is an excellent introduction. He has upended the adage that stories with a moral should not spell these out for the reader. Instead, the 30 Points of Moma's Code of Honour are central.

This is a teenage story that could well become a classic, a personal and classroom favourite. A tragic ending can be turned into something uplifting, leaving the reader with plenty to ponder, plenty to discuss.

This is the type of book where I wish there was a pause button on life. I just wanted to read it from cover to cover and not stop! It's times like this that I hate being a parent, wife, have a job and a life and wished that I did not need sleep as much as I do. It took me three days to read and that was trying to read thru tears last night as I was so tired. Today when I finished work I spread out on the couch and did not want to move (except had to pick up girls from school and then take them to swimming class) but the whole time I was needing to know what would happen next and could not wait to pick it up again.

I loved everything about this story. The characters, the easy flow of the writing, the various levels of meanings in the little every day things, the brutality of it and the share innocence of Egan. I liked how it was like reading a diary and how intimate it all seemed. I especially loved reading about his fears and loves and found myself laughing out loud quite a few times. I also enjoyed reading about his 'first experiences' like using a shower or phone and the simple way he explained everything. Even his discussion on finding his one true love was rather sweet - the whole thing was just fascinating to me.

I think, though I was most intrigued by 'Egan's Code of Honor'. Yes, it has been written in so many books, but I like how basic this version is and how it is explained so well. I plan to write it up on a board and have it posted on a wall so my girls will also learn from it and hopefully in time live by it. I only wish the world would adapt to this way of thinking we would live in such a better place.

The topic of domestic abuse was discussed so delicately, but yet it showed how easy it is to look the other way or hide it. I liked the way he second guessed his upbringing when being faced with the monster in real life not knowing what was true or made up. How easy it is to manipulate the truth with a few sweet words. How the darkness can blend into the light. It is written so well.

This story has really touched me. One minute I was on a high and the next I was left heart broken. It is a book I will be putting away for my girls to read, once they are older. I am also encouraging my husband to read it and will pass on to friends. Personally I think this is a book that should be read in high schools as it covers so many topics which are not really addressed in New Zealand that well. Reading about the runaway children and the lives they had escaped from was rather startling and when they discussed the various types of people who live on the streets was rather eye opening to the dangers they experience on a daily basis. Not to mention, life in the bush - such a broad range of subjects in such a awe inspiring book.

I have not got enough good things to say about this book and highly recommend that everyone should read it. It is aimed at Young Adults but honestly, I think everyone can learn something by it. I just hope it is made into a movie one day as I think it is that good.

Brian Falkner's Shooting Stars engages from the outset. Presented as a collection of diary entries, interspersed with supporting transcripts, letters and reports, Egan's story is told largely in his own words – and these are by far the strongest sections.

Raised in isolation in the bush, Egan is direct, unsophisticated, skilled in bushcraft, but decidedly (and inevitably) unstreetwise. When circumstances force him to head for urban Auckland, it is clear to the reader, if not to Egan, that all is unlikely to go well. Occasionally the “newbie exposed to the real world” line is slightly overworked; far more would be new and confusing than Falkner allows, and those moments where Egan reacts to or comments on the strangeness he meets veer a little too often towards the author playing it for laughs. But the overall story is thoroughly engaging; Egan is wholesome and likeable, his backstory revealed at a perfect pace. Once he arrives in the city, we are presented with a street-world that is both credible and alarming, and we're with him at each twist and turn, desperately wishing we could ward off the impact of his naively bad choices.

When he discovers a long-lost relative, it is only a matter of time until things begin to unravel, and unravel they do. This third section of the novel is delivered at a pace that will work for younger readers, the reality of Egan's mother's past and his own predicament crisply presented. Egan is fortunate in his friends, which is not to say they are not flawed. The role played by social media is right on the money.

Falkner risks trying to cover off a great many bases and just about manages it, with the possible exception of a critical aspect of the novel's conclusion. The story would have been stronger without the vaguely theological echo – trying to avoid a spoiler here! – which may have shock value, but which requires a series of slightly forced, and not entirely convincing, actions from key characters to achieve a finale that, ultimately, doesn't quite gel.

That said, Shooting Stars is a good read with a strong New Zealand feel and a take on urban Auckland that readers of all ages would do well to consider. Egan's 30-point Code – a guide for surviving in the world beyond the bush, based on the pitfalls Egan's mum Moana discovered the hard way – provides a touch of lightness within the darker sections of the story. The advice it offers, gleaned from philosophers, theologians, popular culture and life experience, is all-purpose and excellent but, presented as an appendix in addition to its more subtle inclusion within the body of the novel, I was left wondering whether you really can have too much of a good thing.

Falkner has written a truly gripping story that is essential reading. It contains pathos, joy, hope and despair, leading us on a rollercoaster of emotion which we only survive by hanging on to 'the rules' for dear life. One of the best YA books I've read in a long time, and set to be my Book of the Year, I suspect. Egan will stay with me for a long time. He lived #2, and taught us #10.

Brought up in the bush, hiding from a violent father, Egan must venture out after his mother fails to return home one night. He finds surviving on the streets of Auckland much harder than in the wild. Riveting.

Shooting Stars begins somewhat unbelievably, with a woman and her baby (Egan) traversing a river in the dead of night to escape (as it is later revealed) a life of domestic abuse. Their destination, a hidden and dilapidated hut deep in the NZ forest, where they will live in hiding for 15 years.

The mother nurtures a love of writing and reading in her son. This passion and his aspiration to become a writer are the basis of the book's story. Diary entries, thoughts and words of the day, along with some of Egan's attempts at writing are included in the layout. This style, in addition to short chapters, makes the book fast-paced. It will appeal to both avid and reluctant readers.

There are moments of sadness, humour and many thought provoking inclusions based around the ‘code' of rules taught to Egan by his mother.

The book takes many twists and turns, some credible, others a little far-fetched, for example: finding his way after 15 years of total isolation to the city of Auckland. Description of violence toward an animal, physical domestic abuse, and reference to drugs and glue sniffing would suggest the book is best suited for young adults.

Recommended level would be Year 10+ and although most of the characters and story line would suggest it would appeal to males, I consider there is plenty to capture a female reader.

A fantastic read.

One of the BEST reads of 2016! I devoured this in two days (and it would have been one if I hadn't had the whanau visiting most of yesterday). It will not be enough for me to read this book - it is something I need to own. Quintessentially Kiwi but with a universal message. Written in an eclectic style with a mix of diary, short story, poetry and transcripts it vividly created a host of different environments and posed moral dilemmas that kept me thinking and turning the page. The action was not forgotten either as the pace was maintained throughout. Hats off Mr Falkner.

“You're Moana's boy…You know that the police – and your father – have been looking for you for years.”

Brian Falkner's novels are always unpredictable and exciting. Shooting Stars is his best work so far. It takes a classic theme that dates back to Swift and Voltaire – an idealistic innocent thrust into a society that is less than innocent – then gives it a modern New Zealand setting. The result is intriguing, exciting and amusing.

We first meet Egan as a Candide figure, raised by his mother, Moana, in the isolation of a miner's cottage deep in the Coromandel Peninsula bush. His diary records his daily life in the bush, along with his aspirations and enthusiasms. He not only enjoys a range of authors but also imitates their style of writing with amusing effect.

Egan is a lively and cheerful narrator. Woven like a thread through his account is Moana's Code, a set of 30 ethical guidelines she has inculcated into Egan. “#7 Do not allow other people to get hurt…All that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good people to do nothing.” Egan hasn't read Edmund Burke but he does realise that Moana has drawn widely for her list. “I think she borrowed this from someone else.”

While out hunting the wild pig that has damaged their vegetable garden, Egan encounters a hunter, J.T. Hunter, who saves his life. J.T. and Egan develop a friendship. “He took my hand and lifted it up and down a few times. I think it is called shaking hands, I have read about this.” This friendship will prove vital to both of them later in the story.

A tragic event leaves Egan alone and forces him to come out of the bush earlier than Moana had planned. His quest for information about his origins takes him into the grim underbelly of Auckland. A gang of street kids promptly rob him but ,after several bruising encounters, Egan finds that his bush skills enable him not only to survive but to achieve a level of understanding with Reggie, Mohawk, Junior and little Allan. The depiction of street life is grim and convincing.

Then Egan's father discovers him and he is swept into a world of press interviews, TV fame and Facebook celebrity. Life in the Coatesville mansion of the famous Ray Tucker, well-known former rugby star, might sound like a happy ending but, all through Egan's diary, there have been reminders of his father's violent, controlling personality. The conclusion sees the moral conflict between father and son becoming a physical confrontation.

Various documents included with Egan's diary entries help the reader to draw their own conclusions about the events which follow and create their own conclusion to the story.

This is an excellent novel, bursting with vitality, deeply moving and full of ideas. The characters are all interesting and their reaction to Egan's philosophy is both amusing and thought-provoking. Vida Kelly's illustrations show another facet of Egan's personality.

Shooting Stars is my pick for the Best Young Adult Novel of the year.

This story follows some well-worn tropes, but is filled out with a compelling back-story and some brilliant set-pieces from the assured pen of Brian Falkner.

Wild boy Egan has been raised by his mother, through her fear of his father, entirely in the Coromandel bush. Moma has taken inspiration from a variety of philosophies – Christian, Confucian, Hindu and more, to instill in Egan a Code of rules to live by. This Code forms the centre of all of the actions that Egan takes, and as he writes in his diary – the book is in diary format – he records the codes he had cause to reflect on that day.

When Moma goes missing near to Christmas during Egan's 15th year, Egan is dismayed but determined to find her – he knows she would never voluntarily leave him alone. With the help of a letter and money from the lock-box in their hut, he goes to find an Uncle in Auckland. He has been living with no running water, no internet, no electricity for his entire 15 years, so to say this is a cultural clash is putting it mildly.

Brian Falkner really knows how to write action. He's been doing this well since his junior fiction-writing days, so it is no surprise to see this continue. The thing that I felt this book lacked a little was emotion. Egan's mother is his entire world right up until he meets J.T., a hunter, near the time of her disappearance on Christmas Eve. When she disappears, this is forced to change so quickly that Egan doesn't seem to sit down and mourn. His actions are rational, and though this seems to be put down to living by the Code, it stretched my credulity a little.

When Egan is in Auckland, he has to learn quickly how to live in a city, sleeping in the Domain. He has his stuff stolen by street kids early on, then after a few heroics ends up part of the crew that tried to steal from him. He continues to live in the Domain, but falls in love with Reggie, the only female member of the teenage homeless kids. He has just settled into his new life when somebody in the crew betrays him, and his past catches up with him – or rather, his mother's past.

One of my favourite parts of the book were the short stories scattered throughout it, written by Egan in the style of the author whose book he is reading at the time. This is exactly how any young writer starts out – in fact it could probably be said to be how any young writer should start out – and neatly encompasses Falkner's reading/writing philosophy. The absence of books in a significant house later on in the story is a neatly set up harbinger of doom.

The other fun aspect of the book is when Egan meets the “real world,” as the media calls it when he becomes a media superstar. His observations are priceless – heading to Maccers for lunch, he is impressed they even give him a toy.

While this isn't as strong for me as Falkner's last published book, Battlesaurus: Rampage at Waterloo, which won the Book Award for Young Adults in last year's NZCYA; it is a rattling good read that keeps you turning those pages to see how things will end. Recommended for age 11+.

Egan Tucker is fifteen and has been in hiding his entire life. But things are about to change. Forced to leave his home, he must venture out into a world that is unlike anything he has ever known. He is not ready for this world. And the world is not ready for Egan.

Egan has lived his whole life hidden from the world, protected by his mother who snatched him away when she ran from an abusive husband. For fifteen years they have lived in the forest, surviving on the wilds of nature. He knows the bush and forests of the Coromandel Peninsula so well. It provides all their needs. He spends much of his time scouting the bush, hunting pigs with CrackerJack, his faithful dog. On one of these hunts he meets DOC deer culler J. T. Hunter and this encounter changes everything for Egan. They become friends and for Egan who has known no-one else except his mother, this relationship becomes an important aspect of the novel. Then Egan's mother goes missing and he finds himself in Auckland searching for his moma. Auckland is a world of noise and people, cars and technology. It is a world he has only read about and his adjustment is both difficult and intriguing. The language of the street kids he encounters is foreign to him but he is determined.

He may be well-educated from the books he has read, mostly from second-hand classics his mother has bought him over the years but he is also very naive. These books are the reasons he wants to be a writer and the reason he writes his diary. I love how Egan is both gullible and strong which comes through perfectly in his diaryand his relationships with the street kids he meets.

His mother has taught him a set of codes to live by and these codes guide him whenever he faces different or difficult situations.

I was totally swept away with Egan and his life. Falkner's quality writing made these people very real.

This is certainly a story with a difference and one that will be enjoyed by many teen readers for its action and great characters.

After reading this book, the thought occurred to me that this would make a good movie.

“You who are on the road must have a code that you can live by” these lyrics from a 1970 Crosby Stills and Nash song ran through my mind as I was reading this superb novel.

Egan and his Moma have lived in the remote forests and bush of the Coromandal Peninsula for 15 years since Moma fled from an abusive husband with Egan as a baby. She taught him well, bringing him up on a code that is not unique- based on the Golden Rule, and written by every philosopher from Socrates to Fred Dagg. Egan is well read and wants to be a writer, Hemmingway and Steinbeck are favourites. Some of his stories are spread throughout the novel. The Code works well in the bush where there are no other humans, until Egan meets D.O.C. deer culler J.T. Hunter.

Egan and his dog Jack like J.T. and they learn much from each other, then Moma goes missing. Egan looks for clues in his mother's papers and this takes him to Auckland. This is part 2 of the novel with Egan describing Auckland as a bonfire that needs constant feeding. He learns to live with the street kids and finds violence and love. He could survive anything but The Code by which he has lived is sorely tested.

Part 3 tells the father's story and Egan learns what celebrity status means. The Code is further tested and broken. I would ruin it for you if I told you anything else.

Falkner narrates the story in diary form through Egan from December to March and it is totally compelling. The wit, the humour, the characterisation and the flow of the novel are strong traits of all Falkner's novels, this is no exception. I was mesmerised from start to finish and you will be too. It is a triumph for motherhood.

Mention must be made of the cover, it is outstanding, any reader can see what the novel is going to do from the cover. The best I have seen for a long time.

Would be a great text for students from year 9 – 11 and great reading for everyone else. My book of the year so far.