AustLit

'Norm has lived in Norman his whole life. It's where he grew up with his dad, where he went to school and met his best friend Ella. But the town is dying - the river has dried up, and with it all the jobs.

'One night at the pub, on the anniversary of his dad's death, Norm announces a plan. He's going to build a Big Thing - like Coffs Harbour's Big Banana or Ballina's Big Prawn - to drive tourism to the town and give it a future. And to show Ella that she could have a future here too, maybe even with him.

'Ella, meanwhile, plans to leave Norman for the big smoke. She's tired of being a big fish in a small pond, especially when that pond is running out of water.

'Ella encourages Norm's big idea nonetheless. If it works, Norm will have a four-metre-high reminder of her. And if not, at least they'll have one last perfect summer together.' (Production summary)

'After the corpse of a newborn baby is discovered in a nearby laneway, an adopted girl being raised in a funeral home finally appreciates the sanctity of her own life. A drug dealer goes missing and his many clients plot an outrageous plan to ensure his safe return, with comically fatal results. A middle-aged playwright conspires with a young university student to commit a scandalous act of literary fraud. A man takes a live-in job at the local funeral home so he can eventually transport kilos of marijuana inside funeral home’s coffins. A co-dependent mother suspects her beloved and mentally-ill son of murder, triggering a moral dilemma. A successful gynaecologist develops a severe cocaine addiction. A young boy about to testify in court about his mother’s innocence in a murder trial decides to lie under oath. An elderly drug runner for strippers and prostitutes plans to pass on the business to his only son. In the final, novella-length story, a young couple decides to escape the grime and noise of the city and camp on the property of an uncle’s farm, to help the uncle search for his teenage niece, who has mysteriously vanished without a trace.' (Publication summary)

'Lock the windows! Turn off the lights! Be prepared to shiver and shake when you listen to Really Scary Stories for Brave Children.

'Contains six scary, frightening and bloodcurdling stories by a selection of great Australian authors.' (Publication summary)

'After solving the mystery of the koala-nappers in The Tripp Diaries #1, Nick Tripp and his family are back on the road and facing their next challenge - the Nullabor Plain. Between each exciting chapter of the story.' (Publication summary)

'The much-loved series for adults and children alike.The adventures of an Aussie family on a driving holiday. Featuring original songs, comedy sketches and special guests – everything you need when you’re stuck in a car with your family!'

'The eagerly awaited third instalment in the riotous Tripp Diaries series. Written and read by one of the most entertaining children's narrators around, Stig Wemyss. Huge fan base. For some time we've wanted to let you know how much we have enjoyed your various reading exploits... we have three kids and you have become almost a part of our extended family, we hear you so much. Kind of like a fun, slightly manic (and I mean that in a good way!!) uncle. Very impressive work. You are far and away the best voice talent we have heard for storytelling. Thanks for a heap of enjoyment, especially the Tripp Diaries. - The Winkler Family. After two years of waiting, The Tripp Diaries 3 is coming! And this one is a top-of-the-range, fuel-injected, turbo-charged, streamlined, state-of-the-art, fully sick, Tripp Diaries with more added features, improved handling, leather trim and a bigger boot! Plus, it comes with its own airbag! This time, the Tripp family are heading up through the Pilbara in North West Australia in search of an outback adventure. But when Roadie's beloved Commodore snaps an axle, leaving the Tripp family stranded in the middle of the searing desert, panic sets in and the family must unite if they are to make it out alive... Featuring all your favourite characters, new songs, new sketches and ... a wedding!' (Publication summary)

'Backseaters! The complete In-car entertainment package for 8 to 88 year-olds! A two hour audio extravaganza, written and performed by Stig Wemyss and friends. Backseaters! features: The Tripp Diaries the adventures of an Aussie family on a driving holiday; original songs Are We There Yet? and Turn Off Your Radio, comedy sketches, and special guest: Neighbours star, Alan Fletcher. Backseaters! Everything you need when youre stuck in a car with your family!' (Publication summary)

'Winter 1945. The Second World War is over, but it is a time of armistice, not peace. Austria is grieving its defeat and the loss of a generation of men; it is a land without leaders. To men like Major Mark Hanlon, Occupation Commander of the alpine town of Bad Quellenberg, falls the task of destroying the legacy of the Nazis once and for all.

'When his driver is murdered by an Austrian soldier, Hanlon is determined to bring the man to justice. But investigating the crime proves difficult in a community where nearly everyone has something to hide.'

Source: Publisher's blurb (Allen & Unwin, 2017).

'Though eight years old, his body is so small, his face so pinched, you would take him for five or six.

'Antonino is an abandoned child struggling for survival in the dark alleys of Naples. He is one of thousands whose waking hours are spent in petty crime and whose bed is a street grating above a bakers oven.

'Yet there is hope, in the shape of a young priest, Mario Borrelli. In a journey of self-transformation and love, Father Borrelli befriends the street children and sets up a support network for them: The House of the Urchins.

'Morris West spent time in the slums of impoverished postwar Naples. His chilling account of the local street urchins in his international bestseller Children of the Sun drew the world's attention to their plight, and offers a timeless insight into child poverty. West's portrayal of Father Borelli has inspired many others to follow in Borelli's footsteps.'

Source: Publisher's blurb (Allen & Unwin, 2017).

'A cryptic and mysterious case history appears in the autobiography of pioneering Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung: 'A lady came to my office. She refused to give her name ... What she had to communicate to me was a confession. Some twenty years ago, she had committed a murder ...'

'Jung's encounter with the woman had an explosive effect on him, and brought him very close to total breakdown. Morris West recreates this episode in a gripping blend of truth and dramatic speculation.

'Set in pre-World War I Europe, The World is Made of Glass is a powerful novel of love, sexual obsession, murder and guilt It has been called Morris West's finest creation of the imagination.'

Source: Publisher's blurb (Allen & Unwin, 2017).