Edwards, Janet

Jarra never wanted to be a celebrity. All she ever wanted was to gain some respect for the people left on Earth: the unlucky few whose immune system prevents them from portaling to other planets. Except now she's the most famous Earth girl in the universe - but not everyone in the universe is happy about it, nor the fact that she has found love with a norm. Jarra's actions have repercussions that spread further than she ever could have imagined, and political unrest threatens to tear apart the delicate balance of peace between humanity's worlds.

Eighteen-year-old Jarra, one of the unlucky few born with an immune system that cannot survive on other planets, derided as an "ape" and a "throwback" by the rest of the universe, is on a mission to prove that Earth Girls are just as good as anyone else, except now the planet she loves is under threat by what could be humanity's first ever alien contact, not only is her specialist knowledge and bravery challenged, but she must discover if the rest of the universe considers Earth worth fighting for.

Abandoned on Earth because of her inability to survive on other planets, Jarra crafts a fake background for herself to join a class of norms who are excavating the dangerous ruins of the old cities.