AustLit

'Beneath the waters of a calm bay, seahorses hide from predators, feed on shrimp, and raise their young. But when a storm destroys their habitat, they are left without food and nowhere to hide. Until, a Marine Biologist comes up with a clever invention to provide them with shelter and food while the natural environment recovers.' (Publication summary)

'Our lives are measured by the places we hold dear, the people we love and the paths we have trodden. So, who better to tell our stories than the shoes we wear? Boots, exactly as the title suggests, describes a beloved pair of working boots. Through their endearing perspective, this picture book narrates the life of a cattle farmer and his love of the Australian bush. Written in simple, but lyrical prose, Boots breathes life into a generation of hardworking men and women, their humble lifestyles, and an unforgiving landscape that is intrinsic to the Australian identity. With themes of love, loss, old age, hardship and resilience, and references to drought, flood, bushfire and war, Boots provides a candid glimpse into the trials and tribulations of one man’s life. While this story paints a gentle portrait of an 'everyday hero', Boots celebrates a much broader facet of the Australian national spirit, and most importantly, it reminds readers of the universal importance of making each moment of our own finite lives count, even in the face of an unpredictable future.' (Publication summary)

'What would you do if you were about to lose your best friend … forever. Grace the Amazing is a story that GLOWS. Quirky, original, and endearing, it’s filled with fun, laughter, tears, and totally relatable childhood moments that will forever find a place in your heart. Grace Marshall is eleven years old. She’s curious and precocious, stubborn and determined, creative and eccentric. She dreams of becoming many things when she grows up, including a magician called Grace the Amazing! Grace may be little, but she has big emotions and a million burning questions that demand answers. Her only friend is her art teacher, Pamela. When Grace discovers that Pamela is dying, the fragile certainties that existed in Grace’s world threaten to slip away. She embarks on a journey to find a cure for Pamela using miraculous magic and while doing so she asks the big questions about life, love, friendship, and death. Some of the answers she uncovers will surprise both Grace and readers. Covering issues of family, friendship, finding yourself, mental health, love, loss, animals, brilliant teachers who can change your life, and everything in between. For ages 8+.' (Publication summary)

'Amanda and her two best friends, Lucia and Mai, are the Dolphin Squad. They live by the beach, hang out in HQ and solve all sort of problems. Amanda Commander is nearly nine and there is nothing she loves more than hanging out with her two best friends at HQ, making all sorts of plans and solving all kinds of problems. Amanda Commander is kind, loyal and a natural-born leader. But even school can be a battlefield sometimes, so sometimes Amanda and her Squad need a plan just to survive. When Amanda returns to school after having a sick day, she finds fitting back into the friendship group tricker than she imagined. Amanda makes a plan, with the help of the Dolphin Squad, to go out of their way and include anyone. But when Eve is sick and has a few days off school, how will Amanda ensure Eve doesn't have a blues-day back at school just like she did?

'It's OPERATION WELCOME BACK!

'Amanda tries everything to make Eve feel included, even when it means being left out herself.' (Publication summary)

'Temora Tempest is in Writungeard, a student at Lyfthelm Tower, but things aren’t as well as the Literi would have them believe. Because Rider Marr is on the loose and it’s up to Temora and her friends to uncover his sinister plans and protect the realm and the Dreamers.' (Publication summary)

'For as long as Rennie Parker’s been alive, his parents have fought―about money, about life, but mostly about him being the biggest mistake of their lives. His half-brother, Blaine Colton, seems to have landed a sweet deal with his adoptive family, and Rennie can’t help being envious. When a night of domestic turmoil lands his mother in hospital and his father a thread away from arrest, Rennie gets his wish of staying with his brother’s family―but that’s not before he witnesses a stranger with bionic powers unearthing a high-tech vault in his backyard. Determined to discover the purpose of the stranger’s visit, he manages to secure the top-secret contents of the vault with inexplicable links to his brother. This lands him in a world of pain with a time gap he can’t explain, and an accusation of arson. When the one person he trusts, Blaine, turn against him, Rennie has to figure things out on his own. Left with a video of glowing hands, part of a dead scientist’s lecture on immortality, terrifying dreams about misused children and his fragmented memories, he must piece these clues together before―? If only he could remember.' (Publication summary)

'A light-hearted story about carrying heavy loads and the strength to be found when women and girls find ways to lift each other up. Heavy is an empowering children’s picture book about intergenerational and societal patterns of burden carrying for women and girls. It addresses the glorification of business and burden-carrying in today’s world in a gentle, age-appropriate, and accessible way, with lightness and humour. It’s an anti-multitasking story for 4-8 year olds that advocates for lighter living and focusing on just one important thing at a time to avoid overwhelm and burnout. At the wild animal rescue centre run by her family of incredibly strong women, Nina watches as her older female relatives piggyback polar bears and carry boa constrictors. Every day, they pick up more and more. The trouble is, they never put anything down! Seeing her family struggle, Nina is determined to find a way to show them that just because they can carry heavy things around all the time, doesn’t mean they have to. Will Nina’s inventions help lighten their loads? Heavy is an empowering picture book about the value of rest and the lovely lightness one family discovers when the youngest, Nina, suggests they could all do things a little bit differently…' (Publication summary)

'A story of courage and resilience, readers will follow the curious and endearing Giovanni as he survives the harrowing and ultimately doomed Marquis de Rays expedition with his family. Arriving in Australia as one of the first Italian migrants, Giovanni begins a new life, and a new chapter in Australia’s migration history begins. Giovanni left Italy in 1881 with his family, along with many other villagers from the region of Veneto. The families were promised ‘paradise’ by a corrupt people smuggler. After a perilous journey, they reached Australia with the assistance of Sir Henry Parkes, who was Premier of the Colony of NSW at the time. Combining extensive research, family anecdotes and gentle narrative prose, author Crystal Corocher shares this true story of resilience and courage as both a work of historical narrative and personal passion project – Giovanni being her great-grandfather. Giovanni is a story for all Australians, and one that Crystal looks forward to sharing with students of all ages as a visiting author, it has been illustrated with stunning watercolour throughout by Margeaux Davis.' (Publication summary) 

'After Riz and her friends successfully led the Counterfeit Bust, Riz has discovered her passion for forensic science. One day at school, she finds the perfect opportunity to break out her new forensics kit and solve a new mystery. On their way to class in the morning, Riz and her friends notice a commotion outside the music room and hear that something has been stolen! They head off to class, but Riz’s observation skills allow her to notice the principal, deputy, office staff, and their music teacher speaking with removalists outside the classroom window. Riz tries to lipread their conversation and deciphers it at break with the help of her friends and Peiter from Grade 6. Instruments have been stolen from the music room in the midst of its renovations! They start their investigation by sneaking into the music room and finding some fingerprints. Riz and her friends collect the fingerprints of all their classmates and compare the patterns, promising their teacher to give the class a presentation on their findings. They break off into teams to collect even more fingerprints at break, from other Grades, and even from their principal! They finally find their match, but before they can bring the information to anyone else, the deputy principal pulls them in for a stern chat. Will they solve another mystery? Another forensic science inspired story for young readers.' (Publication summary)

'The Secret Science Society in Space is a fun story about diversity and individuality and the joys of science. It follows the adventures of four students who are forced to work together to represent their school to produce a project for a science fair.

'Zane has ADHD, Bart is autistic, Kiki has anxiety and Mona is, well, Mona is Mona. After visiting a space exhibition, they are alarmed to discover that Laika, the first dog to orbit the Earth, was sent up in a rocket with no chance of return. They decide that their project would be to create a spaceship that could bring animals home safely. On the day, Zane not only sneaks in a real dog but has the brilliant idea of cooking a piece of steak for ‘space-smell’ authenticity. Naturally, this leads to DISASTER! The twist gets even bigger when it is revealed that Mona’s dad is a real live astronaut.

'Despite a comedy of errors, naturally, they win first prize. As they work together, the very diverse characters discover that they all have strengths and weaknesses and that to be the best team, they had to support each other in the difficult times and celebrate the good.' (Publication summary)

'Riz Chester is an average 10-year-old girl. She can’t do anything special and is average at school. But Riz is particularly picky, she notices when the teacher is 2 minutes late, or when the food brand used in the cheese sandwiches changes. She also notices when money doesn’t feel quite right.

'Spotted by a police officer, Riz gets called in for questioning. She demonstrates she does notice the difference between the normal notes and the counterfeit ones, even though before her interaction with the officer she had never heard of counterfeiting.

'The officer explains that there is a ring of counterfeiting occurring locally, but they haven’t been able to pinpoint the criminal source. Mum cannot remember where the notes came from, but something sticks out to Riz when she thinks about it later.

'She recruits her friends to help her investigate, carefully planning a course of action to track down the counterfeit notes. With the help of Riz and her friends, the police uncover the counterfeit operation.'(Publication summary)

'Temora Murphy is eleven years old. She lives in an immaculate house, with a mother who wishes to control and mould her. The only other children she sees are the “shiny” girls her mother selects for her as friends. Girls who tease her for her size and shyness. Girls who call her “Puddingface”. Temora wants more.

'Temora loves reading, books about adventure and magic. She finds these books in a black pearl box at the bottom of the garden, beneath the Bloodwood tree. She does not know how they come to be there or who sends them, and every time she thinks too hard about it, some strange impulse in her mind compels her to stop.

'The books help her to escape. But only so much. Then, at a party for her twelfth birthday, Temora Murphy makes another wish. And with that wish, Temora Tempest’s life alters forever.

'Temora and the Wordsnatcher is a literary children’s story; a portal fantasy work, featuring characters from multiple backgrounds and a protagonist who does not conform to societal standards of beauty, and who wishes to push against the constructs of what it means to be “feminine”.'

'I wish I was a lion.

'If I were a lion, I would be fierce, wild,
and free.

'For every kid who has a lion inside them (even if they don’t know it yet.)

'An affirming story as loud as a roar!' (Publication summary)

'Daniella Murphy is on a mission. All she has ever wanted to do is play rugby league, just like her three brothers. However, her grandma says no, her dad stays silent and the school bully just laughs in her face. Their message is clear - girls don't play footy. With the help of an old ally and a newfound hero, she tries to show everybody that they're wrong, but when a scary accident threatens to derail her dreams altogether, even Dani is ready to admit defeat. Will she ever be able to prove that she can do exactly what the boys can do?' (Publication summary)

'Can I Sleep Tomorrow? is a fun filled bedtime adventure about a girl who can't sleep. All she does is imagine adventure, musics, creativity and much more instead of falling asleep. But will her imagination help her sleep anyway?' (Publication summary)

'Amanda has picked her dress for the Year 3 BBQ and Disco. It's yellow with long sleeves and has pockets! Amanda is so excited to wear it, but when she discovers that Eve Kelly is going to wear the same dress, she calls on the Dolphin Squad to help her out. In their mission to get get Eve to wear a different coloured dress, however, the Dolphin Squad find that there might be something amazing to be had out of wearing the same dress...' (Publication summary)