Singing the dogstar blues

Now, there's a lot of tox floating about alien mind scans. You know the stuff. Head exploding, faces falling off, brains being wiped. I'm here to tell you that it's all garbage. Mav scanned me and I've still got a head. I've also got Mav as a partner ... you win some, you lose some.'Since an alien selected her to be his time-travelling partner, Joss has met an assassin, confronted an anti-alien lobby and had her freewheeling lifestyle nipped in the bud by the high security that surrounds the first Chorian to study on Earth!But life with Mavkel is not really that bad, especially considering harmonica-playing Joss is fascinated by Chorians - a harmonising species who communicate through song. Only, Mavkel is sick - he is pining for his lost twin, and his will to live is draining away.Joss wants to help but this means breaking the rules and going back to the petri dish where it all began. She's playing with history, but if Mavkel doesn't survive then Joss could really be singing the blues...- Singing the Dogstar Blues won the Aurealis Award for Best Young Adult Novel in 1998. It was a Notable Book in the CBCA Awards 1999, and was shortlisted for the Victorian Premier's Literary Award in 1999. It was also listed as Best Young Adult Book by the American Library Association in 2004.- A gripping tale in a fully-realized world. A winner. - Kirkus Reviews- It's not necessary to be a fan of science fiction to enjoy this story. The plot is futuristic, but the theme is timeless. It's an original well-paced story with a feisty and engaging heroine. Here is a voice that sings. - CBCA Notable Books Report