'What makes a good family? Love or blood?

'And what if you have to choose between the two?

'Ethan's parents are in jail; his Aunt works too hard; the new kid, Joshua, has a scar on his arm; a fire storm threatens the suburb, while wildflowers bloom along the school fence.

'For Ethan, Audrey and their friends, it's time to choose what's important and what to leave behind.' (Publication summary)

'Isaac is running from his old life when he steps off the bus in a small town. He doesn’t plan on sticking around and has nowhere to stay, but a local café owner's kindness offers him a chance to change his story. Then Isaac meets Sophie and learns he’s not the only one wanting to repaint his life.

'As he did so masterfully with The Simple Gift, Steven Herrick delves into the universal themes of rising above the past and taking control of your future.' (Publication summary)

'With their new teacher’s help, the kids in Class 5D ride to school together in a bicycle bus. Olivia can fix a puncture in two minutes and Max can ride on one wheel. Lily wishes she wasn’t quite so wobbly and Jordi’s been waiting forever to ride on the road. Dylan has a speedy getaway from alley cats, Dabir’s glad to be part of a group and Zoe’s bike even has a name (Esmeralda). Everyone loves their new way of getting to school.

'But there’s a narrow stretch on Fishers Road with no white line to separate the cyclists from the local traffic, so Zoe and Max decide they need to make it right (even if that means breaking a few rules).'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'There are worse things than school.'

'Luke sleepwalks through his days wagging school, swimming at the reservoir and eating takeaway pizza.

'That is until Charlotte shows up.

'Rumour is she got expelled from her city school and her family moved to the Blue Mountains for a fresh start.

'But when Luke's invited to her house, he discovers there's a lot more going on than meets the eye.' (Publication summary)

'Life for Jonah and Manx means fishing for mullet at the lake, watching their school mates party on Friday night and wishing they had the courage to talk to Ella and Rachel.'

'But now their lakeside town is being sold off, life doesn’t seem so simple. Manx holds a grudge against the wealthy blow-ins from the city and Jonah just wants his parents to stop arguing.'

'One memorable night at the lake will change everything.' (Source: QUP website)

''Thank Trevor, he didn't see me.'

'Meet Jesse James Jones. He's an eleven-year-old boy tackling big problems in life, especially being the new kid in school. Luckily, Jesse can confide in his friend Trevor. Problem is, Trevor is a poster of Jesus on his bedroom wall.

'Meet Hunter Riley. Hunter is the school bully and loves calling Jesse anything but his own name. With Hunter's catch phrase 'Ha!' and his mean words echoing through the grounds of their peaceful school, something or someone has to give.

'But will it be Jesse? Or is Hunter more than he seems?

'An inspiring and funny story about the little things that help to make everyone's world a better place.' (Publisher's blurb)

'"How about we toss a coin? Heads, it's west and a lift. Tails, it's still west, but no lift."

'James is heading into the country on his first teacher-training round when a mysterious girl asks him for a ride. Sophie has him all worked out: "You live with your parents and they bought you this car, and a very nice car it is too..." At first James can't see past her wild hair and attitude, but then Sophie trusts him with a secret she's been keeping too long.

'Steven Herrick masterfully reveals the essence of his characters in this tough and tender story about opening up to love and living a life that's true. Black Painted Fingernails is a captivating novel by the author of By the River and other popular, award-winning books.'

(From the publisher's website.)

'Darcy Walker is a normal 16-year-old boy but he can handle that. He can even cope with parents, deal with parties, and soldier through the occasional fight. He’s certainly got his infatuation with the beautiful Audrey under control, is clearly the best at spending quality chess-time with his nerdy best friend, Noah, and doesn’t blink an eye at the misadventures that can occur when kayaking on a school excursion. He’s a teenage boy – he can handle anything. That is, if only he’d learn to keep his mouth closed first.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Are toenails a good source of vitamin C? What are ten things you will never hear your parents say? And, more importantly, how do you untangle spaghetti?

'A collection of humorous, touching and thought-provoking poems celebrating the everyday lives of children through topics as wide-ranging as food, animals, school, friends and sport - especially soccer!' (From the publisher's website.)