AustLit

'The sign on the enclosure wall read: Greepers.
But it should have said: Heaps Of Greepers.
And maybe there should have been a second sign that said: And They’re Flying Straight For You.’

A dead granddad.
A secret alien zoo.
And only two kids to save all its creatures from a terrible fate.

What could possibly go wrong?

Funny, mysterious and a little bit rude, hold on to your hippos and look inside The Alien Zoo! ' (Synopsis)

'Jemima and Jake's new babysitter doesn't look too promising. In fact she looks very sensible, very old and VERY small (she only comes up to daddy's armpit!). But the moment their parents leave the house, Marge gives a mischievous wink, takes off her hat and reveals a marvellous mane of rainbow-coloured hair!

'Marge really is a babysitter like no other and the children spend a wild evening with her - racing snails, slurping chocolate soup and mixing potions in the bath! But if Jake and Jemima want her to babysit again it's time for them to take charge of Marge, tidy up and settle her down for a little sleep.' (Publication summary)

'Nine Aboriginal children under the age of five have died in four years in Plantagenet, a small Aboriginal community on the site of a former large gold-mining town outside Kalgoorlie. Statistically, this is an horrendous infant mortality rate that doesn’t seem to bother anyone except the Catholic missionaries who support the community and community members themselves.

'Is the lack of concern just because the deaths are those of Aboriginal children or is something more sinister happening?

'Robbie Fairfax, a former road-train driver who has recently trained as a teacher, walks into the eye of a political storm on his first posting in 1974. He becomes involved in seeking reasons for these deaths, working with the missionaries, community members and an attractive young high school science teacher. His efforts put him at odds with heads of government agencies, regional Catholics, the local media and his educational superiors, all of whom seek to protect their reputations as they try to destroy his.

'His ordeal is made more complex by past personal issues, but at least he has support from the Catholic missionaries, including a very pretty nun, his ever-supportive mother and a female psychologist who returns to his life.' (Publication summary)