Unhei (meaning Grace) is a young Korean girl who thinks an American name might help her fit in better. But she decides that her own name is best.
SUITABLE AGES:
5 to 7
PUBLISHED:
2001
PUBLISHER:
Dell Dragonfly Books
ISBN:
0440417996
CATEGORY:
Novel
THEMES:
Names, Personal
Koreans in the United States
Self-perception
School
Asia
Tolerance
Said, Aimee
Little sister
2011
9781921529214
TITLE:
Little sister
AUTHOR:
Said, Aimee
Allison Miller is in Year 10, with good friends and a part time job she enjoys. Life should be perfect, but for Al there is one big problem - her older sister Larrie.
Max's uncle Jack has died and, during the funeral service, Max discovers that the body is about to be cremated. This goes directly against Jack's wishes to be buried alongside his father.
In a whimsical story inspired by the journey of Bourke and Wills, Carnavas has a group of young explorers travelling across wild country to deliver a valuable parcel.
SUITABLE AGES:
5 to 7
PUBLISHED:
2011
PUBLISHER:
New Frontier
ISBN:
9781921042812
GENRE:
adventure
CATEGORY:
Novel
THEMES:
Friendship
Resilience
Voyages and travels
Success
Achievement
Imagination
Explorers
Read aloud
Leadership
Quests
AWARDS:
Early Childhood Book of the Year Award Notable Books 2012
Arthur Bannister is unexpectedly offered a scholarship at the Shiverton Hall boarding school. The place is downright spooky to look at and is shrouded in tales of curses and evil, not to mention the school bullies and the headmistress who seems determined to make his time at school horrible.
Emmanuel and Prince, from the Democratic Republic of Congo live in foster care in England. When they hear that their father is trapped in Tanzania they are determined to help him.
SUITABLE AGES:
12 to 18
PUBLISHED:
2013
PUBLISHER:
Frances Lincoln Children's Books
ISBN:
9781847803894
GENRE:
crime
CATEGORY:
Novel
THEMES:
Brothers and sisters
Africans in Great Britain
Crime - Tanzania
Tanzania
AWARDS:
Frances Lincoln Diverse Voices Children's Book Award
When a travelling stranger brings disease to the village Peat is blamed and just escapes the mob. Alone and knowing she cannot return to the Overhang Peat travels towards the marshes at the opposite end of the valley.
SUITABLE AGES:
9 to 12
PUBLISHED:
2013
PUBLISHER:
Allen & Unwin
ISBN:
9781743313589
GENRE:
fantasy
CATEGORY:
Novel
THEMES:
Adventure
Storytelling
Survival
Loyalty
Friendship
AWARDS:
Aurealis Award finalist 2013, Younger Readers Book of the Year Award shortlist 2014, Readings Children's Book Prize shortlist 2014, Prime Minister's Literary Awards shortlist 2014
Multinational company Symbogen has patented a pill containing genetic material from tapeworms and other unspecified gene sources, marketed it aggressively, and vast numbers of people now host these parasites in supposed harmonious symbiosis. All is not as it seems, however, as people start coming down with a fatal 'sleepwalking' sickness.
When a king buys a length of sumptuous red velvet to have a cloak made for his daughter's Christmas present, it is not just the Princess who receives a beautiful present.
As Biddy's past resurfaces and Quincy faces a harrowing experience that no one should have to go through alone, the two of them realize that they might have more in common than they thought - and more important, that they might be able to help each other move forward, together. (Book cover)
Joe knows there is no such thing as a toy fairy. So why do his toys keep going missing? Joe's cunning plan to get the toys back takes him on an unexpected adventure. (Back cover)
Billionaire entrepreneur Radius Limpfast is the most successful creator of reality TV shows in history but is never content to rest, always seeking more spectacular attention on his programs.
KidGlovz is a musical genius. His gift is so precious that he's kept under lock and key. But when a young thief helps him escape, Kid must embark on a perilous journey through which he will discover the terrifying nature of his talent. (Back cover)
Last Christmas Ruby the pet reindeer caused mayhem at Grandma's for Christmas, so when the family heads off again this year, they leave Ruby at the zoo. Silly Ruby decides to give all the animals a present and finding the keeper's key, lets the animals out.
Over the summer of 1911, Joan pours her heart out into her diary as she seeks a new, better life for herself - because maybe, just maybe, a hired girl cleaning and cooking for six dollars a week can become what a farm girl could only dream of - a woman with a future.
SUITABLE AGES:
12 to 18
PUBLISHED:
2015
PUBLISHER:
Walker Books
ISBN:
9781406361407
GENRE:
diary
CATEGORY:
Novel
THEMES:
Household employees
Sex role
Diary stories
Housework
Work (Labour)
Living standards
United States - History - 20th century
United States - Social conditions - 20th century
AWARDS:
Boston Globe-Horn Book Award fiction honor boo, 2016, Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction 2016, Best fiction for young adults 2016
Since the death of Denis, Tuesday's dad, Tuesday and her mum haven't written a story. They haven't even visited Vivienne's world. Sadness fills their hearts and their homes until Collette arrives to help. Serendipity is called to the story world and Tuesday is pulled into Vivienne Small's world by an unknown force; by a character who doesn't belong there. Does Tuesday have the imagination to help her escape? Can Collette enter a world of writers in the hope of getting Tuesday back? How does a small dog turn into a large, winged dog?
FORMAT:
paperback
SUITABLE AGES:
8 to 12
PUBLISHED:
2016
PUBLISHER:
Allen & Unwin
ISBN:
9781760110451
SERIES:
Tuesday McGillycuddy adventure.
GENRE:
fantasy
CATEGORY:
Novel
THEMES:
Authors
Magic
Adventure stories
Sorcery
Writers
AWARDS:
Younger Readers Book of the Year Award Notable Books 2017
Frank (or Francesca) is alone while her friend is away on holidays and her pet cat has gone missing. The story begins with an encounter with the local Junior School bully and his two goons while she is out putting up Missing Cat posters. Her fear rises and overtakes her until Nick, the big ostracised kid from her class, rescues her from another incident of humiliation.
The Penny Dreadful is full of the stories of missing children in London, with dire predictions of what has happened to them. Lucy Goodly meets her match at the card table at one of London's seamier gambling establishments, when she is beaten by someone with better skills at cheating. So convinced that she would win, she set herself against the dastardly Lord Grave, and in losing must return with him to Grave Hall and be his boot boy. Here she finds strange things happening.
On Thursday, January 15th, 2009, the world witnessed the Miracle on the Hudson when Captain, Chesley Sullenberger glided his disabled plane onto the frigid waters of the Hudson River, saving the lives of all 155 aboard.
SUITABLE AGES:
M
PUBLISHED:
2016
PUBLISHER:
Roadshow Entertainment
CATEGORY:
Novel
THEMES:
Sullenberger, Chesley
Air pilots
Aeronautics - Accidents
Airlines - Safety measures
Aviation accidents
Air transport
Safety
Biographical fiction
Comparative texts
Weir, Alison
Anne Boleyn : a king's obsession
2017
9781472227638
TITLE:
Anne Boleyn : a king's obsession
AUTHOR:
Weir, Alison
Recommendation:
Recommended
Alison Weir develops a page turning story of Anne's life both before and after her marriage and we see her as a young woman sent to several countries in Europe where she learnt the pattern of surviving in a court.
SUITABLE AGES:
14 to 18
PUBLISHED:
2017
PUBLISHER:
Headline Review
ISBN:
9781472227638
GENRE:
historical
CATEGORY:
Novel
THEMES:
Anne Boleyn, Queen, consort of Henry VIII, King of England
Jes is now moving up the ladder as she competes in the The Fives, the difficult athletic contest that she loves. She goes to the countryside with Lord Gargaron's entourage, competing against others on the way and gaining good experience while earning enough to help her family. At the same time, she gets caught up in the political machinations that are happening in the country.
Sixteen-year-old Winter Mae Jones knows exactly what she wants. A career in fashion design. There's only one thing standing in her way. She's fat. And fat girls don't work in the fashion industry.
What awaits Annalie, Will, Essie and Pod beyond Sundia's Skeleton Coast - the greatest danger they have yet faced, or the answers they have been seeking and journey's end at last? (Back cover)
SUITABLE AGES:
11 to 14
PUBLISHED:
2017
PUBLISHER:
Allen and Unwin
ISBN:
9781760290931
SERIES:
Quest of the Sunfish ; 3
GENRE:
adventure
CATEGORY:
Novel
THEMES:
Missing persons
Sailing ships
Adventure
Voyages and travels
Deception
Ships
Quests
AWARDS:
Younger Readers Book of the Year Award Notable Books 2018
Trapped in a city no one knows exists, Squid lies dying as Nim fights for their lives. WIth every minute, their hope of getting the vaccine back to civilization is fading.
SUITABLE AGES:
15 to 18
PUBLISHED:
2016
PUBLISHER:
Momentum
ISBN:
9781760302450
SERIES:
Territory ; 3
GENRE:
dystopian
CATEGORY:
Novel
THEMES:
Survival
Monsters
Cults
Zombies
Greene, Rhonda Gowler
Let's go ABC! : things that go from A to Z
2018
9780802735096
TITLE:
Let's go ABC! : things that go from A to Z
AUTHOR:
Greene, Rhonda Gowler
Introduces the alphabet using a vehicle for each letter, from airplane to zeppelin.
Are our ears supposed to be a weird shape? Why do we sneeze? What is the point in having skin? The human body is one of the most complicated things in the Universe.
For as long as A can remember, life has meant waking up in a different person's body every day, forced to live as that person until the day ended. A always thought there wasn't anyone else who had a life like this. But A was wrong. There are others.
The true story of Australia starts with a piece of land that went for a swim. About 200 million of years ago it floated away from Africa. Very, very, slowly. It was home to dinosaurs and giant animals, then the first Australians showed up and got comfortable. And for a long time this wild and wonderful land was a mystery to the rest of the world. Until the English decided to make it the biggest jail ever.
Sixteen-year-old Bri wants to be one of the greatest rappers of all time. As the daughter of an underground rap legend who died right before he hit big, Bri's got massive shoes to fill. But when her mom unexpectedly loses her job and homelessness is staring her family down, Bri no longer just wants to make it - she has to make it. (Publisher)
SUITABLE AGES:
14 to 18
PUBLISHED:
2018
PUBLISHER:
Walker Books Australia Pty Ltd
ISBN:
9781406372168
CATEGORY:
Novel
THEMES:
Rap musicians
Adolescents
Poverty
Single-parent families
Rap
Musicians
Drug abuse
Homelessness
Social media
AWARDS:
Carnegie Medal shortlist 2020, Best Fiction for Young Adults Top Ten 2020, Children’s Book Award 2020
A tiny coin found inside a Cloudy Bay oyster, a postcard of a white-haired child leaning against a beached dinghy and a coconut peeled and carved once upon a time on the Batavian coast. These trinkets, found in a sea chest, and the fragmented memories of her grandfather's tall tales are all Essie Lewis has left of her family history. (Publisher)
SUITABLE AGES:
15 to 18
PUBLISHED:
2003
PUBLISHER:
Allen & Unwin
ISBN:
9781741140651
GENRE:
Australian
CATEGORY:
Novel
THEMES:
Family
Genealogy
Tasmania
AWARDS:
Australian Vogel Literary Award
Jorgensen, Norman
Wreckers' revenge
2019
9781925815450
TITLE:
Wreckers' revenge
AUTHOR:
Jorgensen, Norman
Recommendation:
Recommended
Red Read doesn't set out to find trouble, but trouble sure has a way of finding him. Expelled from school, he is whisked off by Captain Black Bowen, one of the most infamous smugglers ever to ply the coast of northern Australia in the early years of the twentieth century. Together they battle demon storms, crazed pirates and killer diseases while hunting down a great lost treasure. (Back cover)
When Charlie McGuffin gets stressed, something a little bit different happens: he turns into an animal! Unfortunately, things are getting quite stressful for Charlie: His dad's business is in real trouble; He might have to move in with his Aunt Brenda and her seventeen cats (and wooden leg); And it's getting harder and harder to control his powers.
From the heroes familiar to everyone, such as Malala Yousafzai, to the amazing activists you might not have heard of, like Baruani Ndume, the teenager who gave a voice to fellow refugee children in Tanzania, discover the incredible true stories of child activists. (Publisher)
When Rasmus bid his best friend Rosie goodbye to journey to the Island of Dragons, he wasn't sure what to expect - he's never met another dragon before! Upon his arrival to the island, he finds the other dragons to be fierce, feisty, and a little mean. Luckily, Rosie travels to the island, and helps her dear friend discover that being his own true self is what really matters in friendship and dragonhood.
