AustLit

'Ava would like nothing more than to tell her family she loves them, particularly her big sister, Nic. But Ava has Rett syndrome - she can't talk, can't nod her head, can't even point at a communication card. She understands everything, but no one understands her. When tragedy strikes her family, Ava becomes even more determined to talk. But it's not until she meets occupational therapist Kieran and new friend Aimee that she is hopeful for change - and to find her voice at last. A powerful novel about a subject rarely tackled - young people with disabilities and the families who love and support them.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Mouse by name, mouse by nature.

'Mouse is not prepared for her last-minute stay at Aunt Evie’s. How will she cope at a new school without her parents around?

'But before Mouse has even unpacked her suitcase, she makes a new friend – a wombat called Miss Pearl!

'Suddenly, being in a strange cottage doesn’t seem so bad, especially when she can snuggle up with a wombat.

'Mouse soon learns that not everyone in the area loves wombats, including Aunt Evie’s landlord, a sheep farmer who destroys them on sight.

'Can Mouse find her voice in time to keep her furry friends safe? ' (Publication summary)

'City boy Flynn is taken to Mission Beach by his dad to ready his Grandad Barney's banana farm for sale. Flynn has never been north before, even when his grandad was alive, and the last thing he wants to do is to be stuck in the middle of woop-woop with his dad who thinks he is too young to be trusted with anything!.

'When Flynn meets local girl Abby and two lost baby cassowaries things become interesting. What does Abby know about Grandad's mysterious death? And why does Dad refuse to talk about it and seem so scared of the cassowaries? Did this dinosaur-like bird kill Grandad?

'Time is running out and Flynn and Abby need a plan. Can Flynn convince Dad to tell him the truth before it is too late for the cassowaries?' (Publication summary)