AustLit

'An entertaining yet scientifically accurate exploration of the origin of life on Earth from the award-winning author of Do Not Lick This Book and the bestselling illustrator of Who Am I?

'What is life?

'How did it start?

'Long, long ago, no one knows exactly where or when, a tiny bubble formed that was a Little Bit Different. It was the first living cell. Everyone's ancestor.

'And so the story of life begins ...

'In this visually stunning and brilliantly devised picture book, Idan Ben-Barak and Philip Bunting lead us through the origin of life on our planet, and how an odd little bubble gave rise to the incredible web of life on Earth.' (Publication summary)

'Quog and Oort are on their way to Kevin's birthday party. Unfortunately, their spaceship has crashed. Pick up this book to lend them a hand!

'An interstellar exploration of hands and what's inside them, from the award-winning creators of the internationally successful Do Not Lick This Book.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Min is a microbe. She is small. Very small. In fact so small that you'd need to look through a microscope to see her. Or you can simply open this book and take Min on an adventure to amazing places she's never seen before - like the icy glaciers of your tooth or the twisted, tangled jungle that is your shirt.

'The perfect book for anyone who wants to take a closer look at the world.' (Publication summary)

'George has no interest in exploring the world. He’s far too busy at home baking fine pastries. Or so he tells everyone when they invite him along on their wonderful adventures.

'But when his friend Pascal digs a little deeper, the real reason George won’t leave home is finally revealed . . . ' (Publication summary)

'Who knew boarding school could be this perilous!

'When Friday Barnes cracked the case of Highcrest Academy's mysterious swamp-yeti, the last thing she expected was to be placed under arrest. Now with the law on her back and Ian Wainscott in her face, Friday is not so sure boarding school was the smartest choice. From a missing or not-so-missing calculator to the appearance of strange holes in the school field, she is up to her pork-pie hat in crimes – and she swears not all of them are hers. There's also new boy Christopher, who has taken quite a shine to Friday, to contend with.

'Can Friday navigate the dangerous grounds of Highcrest Academy and decipher a decades-old mystery without getting caught in an unexpected love triangle?'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Imagine if Sherlock Holmes was an eleven-year-old girl!

'When girl detective Friday Barnes solves a bank robbery, she uses the reward money to send herself to the most exclusive boarding school in the country, Highcrest Academy.

'On arrival Friday is shocked to discover that the respectable school is actually a hotbed of crime. She's soon investigating everything from disappearing homework to the Yeti running around the school swamp. That's when she's not dealing with her own problem – Ian Wainscott, the handsomest boy in school, who inexplicably hates Friday and loves nasty pranks.

'Can Friday solve Highcrest Academy's many strange mysteries, including the biggest mystery of all – what's the point of high school?'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Escaping from a gang of bullies, a Boy slips into a grand old gallery - the perfect hiding place, full of mystery and treasures. Enchanted by the magic of painting and befriended by a mischievous dog, the Boy ventures into the world of a famous Vermeer painting - and he and his new friend are transported to Little Street, Delft in seventeenth century Holland.

'But the streets of Delft are a dangerous place for a dog, and the Boy has to use every ounce of his ingenuity to rescue his canine mate from an untimely fate on the butcher's block.' (Publisher's website)

'Prudence wants a pet. Desperately.

"No," says Dad, "pets cost too much to keep."

"No," says Mom, "pets make noise."

'But Prudence is determined. She finds her own pet. It is a…branch. But Branch isn't exactly the pet of her dreams, and neither are Twig, Mr. Round (a car tire), or her baby brother Milo.

'Poor Prudence. Will she ever find the perfect pet?'

Source : publisher's blurb

'Don'tcha just hate the way you get caught up in stuff without really wanting to? Then it goes a bit further, and suddenly you're one of those jerks you hate because . . . you can't be trusted. ROSE WANTS NOTHING MORE THAN TO GET AWAY. Last year she'd had it all: pre-law in the fall, a budding romance, and her best friend, Zoe. Now Zoe will never forgive her, her family is crumbling, and the secret that's been boiling up inside her is bubbling a little too close to the surface. All Rose needs to escape are an old van, her surfboard, the road, the ocean, and . . . mom? When Rose's mother jumps in the passenger seat right as Rose is about to set off, her trip takes an unexpected turn, filled with nagging memories of last year, and the looming scandal that refuses to be ignored. A twisting plot that keeps you guessing, told from the viewpoint of a realistically flawed yet snarky main character, makes this a book that just can't be put down.' (Publication summary)

'A mysterious forest . . . A faerie kingdom . . . A greedy villain . . . A clash of swords . . . A knight to the rescue

'On a morning of midsummer magic the Bear discovers an enchanted world in the heart of the forest. But there is treachery at work and the Bear is swept up in a sinister plot that lands him in the palace dungeons. After masterminding a crafty escape he leads his new friends into a royal battle - but what hope do they have once swords are drawn?'  (Publication summary)