AustLit

'Jane stops being Jane at breakfast on Monday. It's way too plain a name.There must be a better one, more suited to who she is. Mum and Dad go along with her plan. So does her class teacher. But finding the right name is far more difficult than Jane expected.

'Every name she tries for herself feels wrong until her class holds a Name Jane Contest. Jane chooses a winner and the family plans a picnic to celebrate her new name. When there is an incident at the park, Jane must decide whether to become Sharla - or stay Jane.'  (Publication summary)

'Amy's unusual pet has won the family a summer vacation in the school Pet Parade but Mum and Dad say Rocky has to stay home because no pets are allowed at the beach cottages.

'How is that fair? They wouldn't be going to the seaside if weren't for Rocky.

'Amy has to find a way to take him. Luckily the strange neighbour who gave Rocky to Amy has an interesting solution to the 'no pets' problem.

'Mum and Dad don't know it but an extra guest has come along to join the summer fun.

'Can Rocky stay Amy's secret?

'Perhaps her holiday will be a monstrously more fun if he doesn't...' (Publication summary)

'Once Grandma knew so much. Now she finds most things a puzzle. Even her granddaughter's name has become a guessing game.

'As her grandmother seems to be going backwards, a young girl remembers all the treasured times they have spent together.

'Although Grandma is different now, their love for each other has not changed. They can still connect in special ways, making new memories for her granddaughter to carry forwards.

'Grandma's days of looking after others may be over, but there is someone who will look after her.

'A warm-hearted story of family love and connection.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Anyone can write stories. You can too!

'Writing stories is like having an adventure.

'This book will lead you on your own story adventure.

'Imagination is your passport. It can take you anywhere.

'Start with an idea...choose your characters...decide where they live and when their story takes place...think about what could happen to them.

'Follow the simple instructions in this book and write your own story to share.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Emi and her twin brothers have a secret.

'There's a Christmas elf in their backyard and she's eaten so many strawberries it's given her a tummy ache. She needs help and the grownups mustn't find her. Emi, Max and Sam know the perfect place to keep her safe while they work out what to do. Their special remedy might work but will their special visitor recover in time to can return to the North Pole and deliver her Christmas gift list to Santa?' (Publication summary)

'Jake can't believe his luck when he finds a strange object at the beach. It is shaped like a banana, gleams like a copper coin, crackles and pops and is getting hotter by the minute. The story about a flying saucer crashing in Pelican Bay must be true and this is an alien object. There is only one thing for four cousins to do - take home The Find and study it in secret. Strange things begin to happen to Jake and the cousins have to figure out how to return him to normal before the grownups find out. But just when they think their problems are over, The Find's owner turns up and wants it back. It might have been best to leave the strange object where they found it...

'An alien encounter story for young readers.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'It’s the 1980s but feminism has passed Stella by and her sole focus is being the best wife and mother she can be. Her husband Daniel’s shock announcement that their marriage is over casts her adrift.

'Stella has to rethink everything she believed about herself and their life. The future she imagined of growing old together is not to be and she has no idea what will replace it.

'Meeting a stranger at the seashore where she goes to seek solace takes her in an unexpected direction. Free spirit Chris introduces her to a different perspective on life – and the possibility their friendship can become something deeper.

'As Stella's life opens up, Daniel’s choice doesn’t deliver the freedom he expected.

'Will she find it in her heart to offer compassion and support to the father of her children? She can choose to stay mired in yesterday’s regrets - or do what she can to create a brighter tomorrow for them all.'

'Who do you trust when those you love most let you down? Kate should have hung up the minute the caller said he was her father. She already has a dad, and now it turns out her life with him, Mum and younger brother Ben was a happy family fantasy. Her mum has been keeping secrets. Now the father she never knew she had is coming to Perth. He wants to take Kate back to Brisbane with him because his mother has cancer and wants to get to know her only granddaughter before it's too late. Kate is on an emotional roller coaster. Everything she believed about herself and her life has been based on a lie. Her wonderful dad is not her father. Even her beloved Nana Hannah is not her "real" grandmother. Kate has to find out who she is and where she belongs. Only then can she find out if her friendship with newcomer Joshua Perrin can become something more.' (Publication summary)

'Orphan Dan has never had a place to belong. He bounces from one home to another like a ball no one can catch. He’s okay with that. Families can be too much trouble. His shadow is all the company he needs. Or is it? Perhaps what he really wants is a forever home.'

'A story about hope, love and belonging.'

(Source: bookseller's abstract). 

'A cancelled wedding. A besotted ex-fiance. An undeserved hate campaign. The best thing Christa can do is leave town and try to reclaim her life far from home where no one knows her. Enigmatic taxi driver Reece appoints himself Christa's protector and within days she's left Australia and is planning a new future on the other side of the world in bustling Glasgow. Reece's sudden arrival at the same hotel sets off alarm bells. Has she swapped the unwanted attention of one love-struck man for another? Or was her true destination a forever love? Only Christa's heart knows the answer...'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Trouble comes to Tea Tree Bend...

'In cowboy movies the sheriff forms a posse to round up all
the bad guys. Cam and Ellie from Daisy Cottage and their friends Billy and
Louisa have formed a different posse. Their mission is to find and fix all
the signs in Tea Tree Bend with missing apostrophes. The summer holidays are
almost over so they have just nine days to complete their task.

'How can trying to do the right thing go so wrong?' (Publication summary)

 '"Don't go, Daddy!" It's the plea that tugs at the heart of every loving father whose child no longer shares his everyday life due to a relationship breakdown. For a young child, accepting how things have changed once parents live apart can be difficult. When 'Daddy time' is occasional instead of constant, saying goodbye for now can be the hardest part of spending time together. In this gentle story about the special bond between a little girl and her father, the fun of sharing a day imagining everyday activities into extraordinary adventures turns to sadness when it is time for him to leave. Tears turn to acceptance with the promise that Daddy will soon return - and there is a special way to know when that will be.' (Publication summary)

'There is magic, mystery, adventure and fun in this collection of short stories for young readers.

'Meet a monster with a toothache, a princess who doesn't behave like one and a fairy who can't fly. Find out what happens when Cinderella's slipper is the wrong fit, the answer to a Dads' Day dilemma and how to find a little brother lost in another time. Often funny, sometimes serious, the 15 stories are an entertaining mix of humour and whimsy, fantasy and reality.

'The Fifty Per Cent Princess & Other Goodnight Reads is certain to become a family favourite for bedtime sharing or reading alone.'   (Publication summary)

'This gentle story is a conversation about God between a mother and child. Told from the child's perspective, the series of questions and answers in rhyme introduces young children to the idea of a higher being that can see, hear and speak without eyes, ears or tongue, and does not live in a house with roof, walls and locking doors.

'"For God's house is this world we share and God is in it everywhere."'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'All Dani wants is to see her sister married without losing her own sanity or sinking into despair over her miserable love life. But an encounter with a testosterone tornado as she enters Serendipity Bridal Boutique is not a good omen.

'LUKE McAlister's dad has lost his temper once too often.

'A crazy plan to sell him for $500 works, Dad is taken away in a van and Luke's troubles are over - until Mum finds out. Luke turns super sleuth to try to get Dad back and learns the frightening truth behind the mysterious disappearance of an increasing number of townsfolk and their pets.

'It's up to him to save not just Dad, but his whole family, their friends and a host of other people. He doesn't have the brawn to defeat his deadly opponent...does he have the brains? Their lives depend on it...'

Source: Publisher's blurb.