AustLit

(Publication summary)

'Five misfits hit the road in a haunted hearse, on a madcap road-trip from their prison-bordering suburb behind the 'Mullet-Proof Fence' to small-town Mount Gambier.

'After Taylor Kennedy makes a fatal Facebook error and is dumped by his best friend, he's befriended by his eccentric next-door neighbour. Aspiring pornographer Chip drives a funeral hearse and talks to dead people, and he wants Taylor's help.

'But mild-mannered prison escapee Jackson Rollock has other plans. They're liberating Jackson's beloved, mouthy grandmother from her nursing home and hitting the road to fulfil her dying wish - with beautiful hitchhiker Chloe on board.

'They'll break the rules, bare their souls ... and make a shitload of questionable jokes, while inadvertently exploring sexuality, consent, the dark side of social media, mental health and friendship.

'Frank, fearless and taboo-breaking, That Thing I Did is a rollicking road trip with a serious side.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'When thirteen-year-old Samantha moves to a new town, she decides to reinvent herself. She wants to be called SJ now. She's going to be cool and mysterious. But above all, she's going to pretend to be healthy.

'SJ suffers from chronic eczema and allergies - she's sick of doctors' appointments and tests, sick of itchiness and pain, sick of looking different, feeling different. All SJ wants is to be 'normal'. She'll do whatever it takes to keep her illness a secret. After all, would new friend Livvy or cute boy Sam still want to hang out with her if they knew the truth?'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Justin's back, and wants to put the past behind him.

'Corey's a footy hero and high-school dropout who can't even find work picking fruit.

'Tara wants to be loved. But if her mother doesn't care, why would anyone else?

'Margo wants out, and she has a plan to get there.

'Plans change. Life happens. Some secrets won't stay buried. Peace isn't as simple as laying bones to rest.

'A story about love and loss. About tragic secrets and the lengths people will go to hide them. About intergenerational pain and desperate attempts to break the cycle. And about yearning for love and finding it where you least expect. ' (Publication summary)
 

'Ten-year-old Sam Sumner is the best sportsman at Robe Primary School. He loves Nippers surf club the best. That's until Finn Hester moves to town. Finn is good at everything and Sam isn't happy about it. Likewise, Sam's mum feels a bit intimidated by Finn's mum's cooking - she used to be the best cook in town! Finn joins Nippers, much to Sam's displeasure. A special competition is announced: a chance to win a surfboard signed by Mick Fanning. Sam has his heart set on it, but so does Finn. Who will win the big race? Will Sam and Finn remain sworn enemies? And who is the best cook in town? A story about rivalry and friendship.' (Publication summary)

'Jorge lives in a shanty town on the outskirts of Paris. Bill, a controller, has an army of child thieves at his command—and Jorge is one of them.

'But soon Jorge faces an even bigger threat.

'His home is to be bulldozed. Where will Jorge sleep? What will happen to his friends, Ada and Gino? Could a burgeoning friendship with Australian chef, Sticky-Ricky, help Jorge to stop Bill and save the army of child-thieves? And will he do it before he loses Ada forever?

'Jorge can’t keep fighting to live—now he must live to fight.

'A harrowing, humbling story about one boy’s desperation to escape a life of crippling poverty. ' (Publication summary)

'Niko and his family are trapped in Sarajevo during the Bosnian War. The siege lasts for three years and Niko's family struggle to find enough food and avoid the snipers whose targets are civilians in the streets.

'Niko and his friend Nadim take refuge from the bombing in the stairwell of their apartment building and together they find hope in the midst of a war they did not start but must try to survive.' (Publication summary)

'OMG! Year Eleven results are out today, my boyfriend is MIA and my mum is acting totally weird. I'd turn to my BF Kat, but her life has suddenly gone from hero to zero.' A wry, first-hand account of trying to cope with the almost overwhelming burden of being sixteen.

'Hannaford's family loves giving things a name, even the lawnmower. The baby lamb needs a name and Hannaford wants to give it a really cool one.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.