Cobalt Blue by
For 35 years, the United States and Russia each had their own superhero. Three days ago, America's hero died. Today will be bad. In the face of an overwhelming attack, one young woman-unassuming and anonymous-might be America's only hope. Her codename... COBALT BLUE
Evan Smoak SERIES by
'Do you need my help?' It was always the first question he asked. They called him when they had nowhere else to turn. As a boy he was chosen, then taken from the orphanage he called home. Raised and trained as part of a top-secret programme, he was sent to the worst places in the world to do the things his government denied any knowledge of. Then he broke with the programme, using everything he'd learned to disappear. He wanted to help the desperate and deserving. But now someone is on his tail. Someone who has issues with his past. Someone who knows he was once known simply as Orphan X
Nowhere on Earth by
Sixteen-year-old Emily and her little brother Aidan are onboard a plane bound for Anchorage. When the plane crashes, both kids and the pilot barely escape with their lives and are left to fight for survival in the Alaskan wilderness. But there is worse to come - Emily and Aidan are being chased and their shady, unknown pursuers are closing in. As the kids go on the run, Emily finds herself in greater danger than she could have imagined. Because nothing in her life is what it seems - not even the things she holds dearest of all.
Last Light SERIES by
It seems to be a very normal Monday morning. But in the space of only a few days, the world's oil supplies have been severed and at a horrifying pace things begin to unravel everywhere. And this is no natural disaster: someone is behind this. Jenny is stuck in Manchester, fighting desperately against the rising chaos to get back to London, where her children are marooned as events begin to spiral out of control: riots, raging fires, looting, rape and murder. In the space of a week, London is transformed into a lawless and anarchic vision of hell. Jenny's estranged husband, oil engineer Andy Sutherland, is stranded in Iraq with a company of British soldiers, desperate to find a way home to his family, trapped as transport links and the very infrastructure of daily life begin to collapse around him. And against all this, a mysterious man is tracking Andy's family. He'll silence anyone who might be able to reveal the identities of those behind this global disaster. It seems that the same people who now have a stranglehold on the future of civilisation have flexed their muscles before, at other significant tipping points in history, and they are prepared to do anything to keep their secret - and their power - safe.
The Secret Runners of New York by
THE COMING END
When Skye Rogers and her twin brother Red move to Manhattan, rumours of a coming global apocalypse are building. But this does not stop the young elite of New York from partying without a care.
CAN YOU KEEP A SECRET?
And then suddenly Skye is invited to join an exclusive gang known as the Secret Runners of New York.
But this is no ordinary clique - they have access to an underground portal that can transport them into the future.
And what Skye discovers in the future is horrifying.
RUN! AS FAST AS YOU CAN!
As society crumbles, Skye and Red race to figure out how to use their knowledge to survive the impending annihilation, they soon discover that the chaotic end of the world is perfect time for revenge...
One of Us Is Lying SERIES by
"When the creator of a high school gossip app mysteriously dies in front of four high-profile students all four become suspects. It's up to them to solve the case"--
The sequel One of Us in Next was released in 2020 and One of Us is Back is due for release in 2023.
Shelter by
After tragic events tear Mickey Bolitar away from his parents, he is forced to live with his estranged Uncle Myron and switch high schools, where he finds both friends and enemies, but when his new new girlfriend, Ashley, vanishes, he follows her trail into a seedy underworld that reveals she is not what she seems to be.
The Gaps by
When sixteen-year-old Yin Mitchell is abducted, the news reverberates through the whole tenth grade class at Balmoral Ladies College. As the hours tick by, the girls know the chance of Yin being found alive is becoming smaller and smaller. Everyone in school is affected by Yin's disappearance--even scholarship student Chloe, who usually stays out of Balmoral dramas, is drawn into the maelstrom. And when she begins to form an uneasy alliance with Natalia, the queen of Tenth Grade, things start to get even more complicated. A tribute to friendship in all its guises, The Gaps is a moving examination of vulnerability and strength, safety and danger, and the particular uncertainties young women face in the world.
The Outsiders by
50 years of an iconic classic! This international bestseller and inspiration for a beloved movie is a heroic story of friendship and belonging. No one ever said life was easy. But Ponyboy is pretty sure that he's got things figured out. He knows that he can count on his brothers, Darry and Sodapop. And he knows that he can count on his friends--true friends who would do anything for him, like Johnny and Two-Bit. But not on much else besides trouble with the Socs, a vicious gang of rich kids whose idea of a good time is beating up on "greasers" like Ponyboy. At least he knows what to expect--until the night someone takes things too far. The Outsiders is a dramatic and enduring work of fiction that laid the groundwork for the YA genre. S. E. Hinton's classic story of a boy who finds himself on the outskirts of regular society remains as powerful today as it was the day it was first published. "The Outsiders transformed young-adult fiction from a genre mostly about prom queens, football players and high school crushes to one that portrayed a darker, truer world." --The New York Times "Taut with tension, filled with drama." --The Chicago Tribune "[A] classic coming-of-age book." --Philadelphia Daily News A New York Herald Tribune Best Teenage Book A Chicago Tribune Book World Spring Book Festival Honor Book An ALA Best Book for Young Adults Winner of the Massachusetts Children's Book Award
The Pearl by
For the diver Kino, finding a magnificent pearl means the promise of a better life for his impoverished family. His dreams blind him to the greed that the pearl arouses in him and his neighbors. Baring the fallacy of the American dream-that wealth erases all problems-Steinbeck's classic illustrates our fall from innocence.
Heart of Darkness by
Dark allegory describes the narrator's journey up the Congo River and his meeting with, and fascination by, Mr. Kurtz, a mysterious personage who dominates the unruly inhabitants of the region. Masterly blend of adventure, character development, psychological penetration. Considered by many Conrad's finest, most enigmatic story.
The Count of Monte Cristo by
Imprisoned for a crime he didn't commit, Edmond Dant's spends fourteen bitter years in a dungeon. When his daring escape plan works he uses all he has learnt during his incarceration to mastermind an elaborate plan of revenge that will bring punishment to those he holds responsible for his fate. No longer the naive sailor who disappeared into the dark fortress all those years ago, he reinvents himself as the charming, mysterious and powerful Count of Monte Cristo...
The happiest man on Earth by
Summary: Eddie Jaku always considered himself a German first, a Jew second. He was proud of his country. But all of that changed on 9 November 1938, when he was beaten, arrested and taken to a concentration camp. Over the next seven years, Eddie faced unimaginable horrors every day, first in Buchenwald, then in Auschwitz, then on a Nazi death march. He lost family, friends, his country. Because he survived, Eddie made the vow to smile every day. He pays tribute to those who were lost by telling his story, sharing his wisdom and living his best possible life. He now believes he is the 'happiest man on Earth'.
Patty Mills: beyond basketball by
Summary: Patty Mills is the first book exploring the Indigenous Australian athlete and trail blazer—the first Indigenous Australian to win an NBA Championship in 2014 with the San Antonio Spurs. He continues to break records and inspire with his achievements, all of which are covered in this tribute to the extraordinary sportsman. In 2021 he led the Boomers to their first Olympic medal at the Tokyo Olympics, arguably the greatest single game played by anyone wearing the green-and-gold for an Australian men's basketball team, and in 2022 he was awarded an AM (Member of the Order of Australia) for charitable initiatives in the Indigenous community and his contribution to basketball in the Australia Day honours. Boti Nagy celebrates the star athlete's achievements on the court and gives an overview of Australian basketball history, the Boomers, past Olympic campaigns, and standout players who paved the way for Patty Mills and others of his generation. Beyond basketball the book looks at Mills' understanding of his identity as an Indigenous Australian through his family history and his off-court leadership efforts in creating pathways for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as a spokesman and ambassador. (Distributor).
Disrupting the game: from the Bronx to the top of Nintendo by
Summary: Reggie Fils-Aimé, retired President and Chief Operating Officer of Nintendo of America Inc., shares leadership lessons and inspiring stories from his unlikely rise to the top. Although he’s best known as Nintendo's iconic President of the Americas—immortalized for opening Nintendo’s 2004 E3 presentation with, “My name is Reggie, I'm about kicking ass, I'm about taking names, and we're about making games”—Reggie Fils-Aimé’s story is the ultimate game plan for anyone looking to beat the odds and achieve success. Learn from Reggie how to leverage disruptive thinking to pinpoint the life choices that will make you truly happy, conquer negative perceptions from those who underestimate or outright dismiss you, and master the grit, perseverance, and resilience it takes to dominate in the business world and to reach your professional dreams. As close to sitting one-on-one with the gaming legend as it gets, you will learn: About the challenges Reggie faced throughout his life and career—from his humble childhood as the son of Haitian immigrants, to becoming one of the most powerful names in the history of the gaming industry; what it takes to reach the top of your own industry, including being brave enough to stand up for your ideas, while also being open to alternative paths to success; how to create vibrant and believable visions for your career, your team, and your company. how to maintain relentless curiosity and know when to ask questions to shatter the status quo. (Publisher).
Ready Player One by
Nominated as one of America's best-loved novels by PBS's The Great American Read The bestselling cult classic--now a major motion picture directed by Steven Spielberg. At once wildly original and stuffed with irresistible nostalgia, READY PLAYER ONE is a spectacularly genre-busting, ambitious, and charming debut--part quest novel, part love story, and part virtual space opera set in a universe where spell-slinging mages battle giant Japanese robots, entire planets are inspired by Blade Runner, and flying DeLoreans achieve light speed. It's the year 2045, and the real world is an ugly place. Like most of humanity, Wade Watts escapes his grim surroundings by spending his waking hours jacked into the OASIS, a sprawling virtual utopia that lets you be anything you want to be, a place where you can live and play and fall in love on any of ten thousand planets. And like most of humanity, Wade dreams of being the one to discover the ultimate lottery ticket that lies concealed within this virtual world. For somewhere inside this giant networked playground, OASIS creator James Halliday has hidden a series of fiendish puzzles that will yield massive fortune--and remarkable power--to whoever can unlock them. For years, millions have struggled fruitlessly to attain this prize, knowing only that Halliday's riddles are based in the pop culture he loved--that of the late twentieth century. And for years, millions have found in this quest another means of escape, retreating into happy, obsessive study of Halliday's icons. Like many of his contemporaries, Wade is as comfortable debating the finer points of John Hughes's oeuvre, playing Pac-Man, or reciting Devo lyrics as he is scrounging power to run his OASIS rig. And then Wade stumbles upon the first puzzle. Suddenly the whole world is watching, and thousands of competitors join the hunt--among them certain powerful players who are willing to commit very real murder to beat Wade to this prize. Now the only way for Wade to survive and preserve everything he knows is to win. But to do so, he may have to leave behind his oh-so-perfect virtual existence and face up to life--and love--in the real world he's always been so desperate to escape. A world at stake. A quest for the ultimate prize. Are you ready?
Mortal Engines SERIES by
Summary:In the distant future, cities on wheels fight each other for survival. As London pursues a small town, young apprentice Tom is flung into the wastelands, where a terrifying cyborg begins to hunt him down.
Chaos Walking SERIES by
Chaos Walking Series - Book 1: The Knife of Never Letting Go; Book 2 - The Ask and The Answer; Book 3 - Monsters of Men.
A dystopian thriller follows a boy and girl on the run from a town where all thoughts can be heard -- and the passage to manhood embodies a horrible secret. Todd Hewitt is the only boy in a town of men. Ever since the settlers were infected with the Noise germ, Todd can hear everything the men think, and they hear everything he thinks. Todd is just a month away from becoming a man, but in the midst of the cacophony, he knows that the town is hiding something from him -- something so awful Todd is forced to flee with only his dog, whose simple, loyal voice he hears too. With hostile men from the town in pursuit, the two stumble upon a strange and eerily silent creature: a girl. Who is she? Why wasn't she killed by the germ like all the females on New World? Propelled by Todd's gritty narration, readers are in for a white-knuckle journey in which a boy on the cusp of manhood must unlearn everything he knows in order to figure out who he truly is.
The Maze Runner SERIES by
When the doors of the lift crank open, the only thing Thomas remembers is his first name. But he's not alone. He's surrounded by boys who welcome him to the Glade - a walled encampment at the centre of a bizarre and terrible stone maze. Like Thomas, the Gladers don't know why or how they came to be there - or what's happened to the world outside. All they know is that every morning when the walls slide back, they will risk everything - even the Grievers, half-machine, half-animal horror that patrol its corridors, to try and find out.
Dark Artifices SERIES by
The Shadowhunters of Los Angeles star in the first novel in Cassandra Clare's newest series, The Dark Artifices, a sequel to the internationally bestselling Mortal Instruments series. Lady Midnight is a Shadowhunters novel. It's been five years since the events of City of Heavenly Fire that brought the Shadowhunters to the brink of oblivion. Emma Carstairs is no longer a child in mourning, but a young woman bent on discovering what killed her parents and avenging her losses. Together with her parabatai Julian Blackthorn, Emma must learn to trust her head and her heart as she investigates a demonic plot that stretches across Los Angeles, from the Sunset Strip to the enchanted sea that pounds the beaches of Santa Monica. If only her heart didn't lead her in treacherous directions... Making things even more complicated, Julian's brother Mark--who was captured by the faeries five years ago--has been returned as a bargaining chip. The faeries are desperate to find out who is murdering their kind--and they need the Shadowhunters' help to do it. But time works differently in faerie, so Mark has barely aged and doesn't recognize his family. Can he ever truly return to them? Will the faeries really allow it? Glitz, glamours, and Shadowhunters abound in this heartrending opening to Cassandra Clare's Dark Artifices series.
Throne of Glass SERIES by
Meet Celaena Sardothien. Beautiful. Deadly. Destined for greatness.
In the dark, filthy salt mines of Endovier, an eighteen-year-old girl is serving a life sentence. She is a trained assassin, the best of her kind, but she made a fatal mistake. She got caught.
Young Captain Westfall offers her a deal: her freedom in return for one huge sacrifice. Celaena must represent the prince in a to-the-death tournament — fighting the most gifted thieves and assassins in the land. Live or die, Celaena will be free. Win or lose, she is about to discover her true destiny. But will her assassin's heart be melted?
Highway Bodies by
Who will you rely on in the zombie apocalypse?
Bodies on the TV, explosions, barriers, and people fleeing. No access to social media. And a dad who'll suddenly bite your head off - literally. These teens have to learn a new resilience...
Members of a band wield weapons instead of instruments.
A pair of siblings find there's only so much you can joke about, when the menace is this strong.
And a couple find depth among the chaos.
Highway Bodies is a unique zombie apocalypse story featuring a range of queer and gender non-conforming teens who have lost their families and friends and can only rely upon each other.
Man Made Boy by
Sixteen-year-old Boy's never left home. When you're the son of Frankenstein's monster and the Bride, it's tough to go out in public, unless you want to draw the attention of a torch-wielding mob. And since Boy and his family live in a secret enclave of monsters hidden under Times Square, it's important they maintain a low profile. Boy's only interactions with the world are through the internet, where he's a hacker extraordinaire who can hide his hulking body and stitched-together face behind a layer of code. When conflict erupts at home, Boy runs away and embarks on a cross-country road trip with the granddaughters of Jekyll and Hyde, who introduce him to malls and diners, love and heartbreak. But no matter how far Boy runs, he can't escape his demons - both literal and figurative - until he faces his family once more. This hilarious, romantic, and wildly imaginative tale redefines what it means to be a monster - and a man.
Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by
A New York Times #1 best seller On the New York Times Best Seller List for more than 52 consecutive weeks Includes an excerpt from the much-anticipated sequel and an interview with author Ransom Riggs A mysterious island.

 An abandoned orphanage.

 A strange collection of very curious photographs.

 It all waits to be discovered in Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, an unforgettable novel that mixes fiction and photography in a thrilling reading experience. As our story opens, a horrific family tragedy sets sixteen-year-old Jacob journeying to a remote island off the coast of Wales, where he discovers the crumbling ruins of Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children. As Jacob explores its abandoned bedrooms and hallways, it becomes clear that the children were more than just peculiar. They may have been dangerous. They may have been quarantined on a deserted island for good reason. And somehow--impossible though it seems--they may still be alive. 

A spine-tingling fantasy illustrated with haunting vintage photography, Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children will delight adults, teens, and anyone who relishes an adventure in the shadows. "A tense, moving, and wondrously strange first novel. The photographs and text work together brilliantly to create an unforgettable story."--John Green, New York Times best-selling author of The Fault in Our Stars "With its X-Men: First Class-meets-time-travel story line, David Lynchian imagery, and rich, eerie detail, it's no wonder Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children has been snapped up by Twentieth Century Fox. B+"--Entertainment Weekly "'Peculiar' doesn't even begin to cover it. Riggs' chilling, wondrous novel is already headed to the movies."--People "You'll love it if you want a good thriller for the summer. It's a mystery, and you'll race to solve it before Jacob figures it out for himself."--Seventeen
Pet Sematary by
The house looks right, feels right to Dr Louis Creed. Rambling, old and comfortable. A place where the family can settle; the children grow and play and explore. The rolling hills and meadows of Maine seem a world away from the fume-choked dangers of the city. It's only those big trucks on the road outside which growl out unnerving threats. Behind the house there's a carefully cleared path up into the woods to a place where generations of local children walked in a procession with the solemn innocence of the young, taking with them their dear departed pets for burial. A sad place maybe, but safe. Surely a safe place. Not a place to seep into your dreams, to wake you, sweating with fear and foreboding.
The Passage Trilogy SERIES by
Amy Harper Bellafonte is six years old and her mother thinks she's the most important person in the whole world. She is.
Anthony Carter doesn't think he could ever be in a worse place than Death Row. He's wrong.
FBI agent Brad Wolgast thinks something beyond imagination is coming. It is.
Unaware of each other's existence but bound together in ways none of them could have imagined, they are about to embark on a journey. An epic journey that will take them through a world transformed by man's darkest dreams, to the very heart of what it means to be human. And beyond.
Because something is coming. A tidal wave of darkness ready to engulf the world. And Amy is the only person who can stop it.
Whiteout by
Charlie hopes that the school ski trip is the escape from his unhappy home life he so desperately needs. But there is something wrong with the remote ski village of Kaldgellan. Something is out there, something ancient and evil, among the pines and the deep untracked drifts, watching and waiting. And then the storms blow in... Cut off from the rest of the world far below, as night falls the few left alive on the snowbound mountain will wish they were somewhere, anywhere else. Only ski guide Hanna seems to know some of Kaldgellan's long-buried secrets, but whether Charlie can trust her is another question...
One Step by
Dylan is struggling. He's struggling with the acne that has declared war on his face; struggling with his pushy younger sister; with his nagging mum and his dad who never has time for him anymore; struggling with his old phone-me-down; and struggling with his constant preoccupation with girls, and what might happen if he manages to snag one. Struggling, but surviving. But when Dylan's creative writing piece is read out in class, it sets off a chain of events that sends him on a frantic roller coaster of emotions culminating in a revelation that could make or break his survival.
The Boomerang Effect by
A hilariously subversive YA debut that explores the meaning of friendship and loyalty, and also why you should avoid being trapped in a small space with an angry chicken. Perfect for fans of Andrew Smith's Winger and Frank Portman's King Dork. It all started with a harmless prank. But now high school junior Lawrence Barry is one step away from reform school unless he participates in a mentorship program. His mentee? Spencer Knudsen, a Norwegian exchange student with Spock-like intelligence but the social skills of the periodic table. Then disaster strikes. Homecoming Week. When someone dressed as the school Viking mascot starts destroying the fairytale-inspired floats, all suspicion falls on Lawrence. Add to the mix a demon Goth girl, a Renaissance LARPing group, an overzealous yearbook editor, and three vindictive chickens, and Lawrence soon realizes that his situation may be a little out of control. But Spencer seems to have some answers. In fact, Spencer may be the one friend Lawrence never knew he needed.
Don't Hate the Player by
Summary: Sixteen-year-old Emilia, secretly a dedicated gamer, competes with her elite team in a major tournament at the same time she and her best friend are running for class president and vice president.
Between Us by
Between Us is the story of two teenagers - Jono and Anahita - falling in love for the first time. There's just one thing standing between them: twenty kilometres of barbed wire fence. Anahita lives in the Wickham Point Immigration Detention Centre, where asylum seekers are detained while they wait to be 'processed' by the Australian government. The two teenagers meet at Darwin High School. Anahita travels from Wickham Point to school each day, passing through metal detectors, checkpoints and enduring multiple roll calls on the detention centre bus. Jono has no idea about any of this. All he knows is that there's a beautiful new girl with dark eyes, who keeps looking over in his direction ... is it possible she likes him? Between Us is a playful and bittersweet novel about starting a new romance with someone whose life circumstances are miles from yours. Jono is athletic, musical and self-assured. He sees himself as 100% Australian, despite his Vietnamese heritage. He's had girls keen on him before and hasn't been interested ... but Anahita is different. He doesn't know that she lives in a three by three metre room with her mother, and shares a bunk bed with her younger brother. He doesn't know that she has toparticipate in activities to earn credits to buy a phone card to call him for half an hour. Or that she's allocated an hour of internet time a day, with guards patrolling behind her to make sure she's only doing homework. And she doesn't want to tell him either. She wants to try to maintain the feeling of having something special, something secret, between them. It's one area of her life in which she can pretend to be relatively normal ... but for how long?
The Sidekicks by
Summary: The Swimmer. The Rebel. The Nerd. All Ryan, Harley and Miles had in common was Isaac. They lived different lives, had different interests and kept different secrets. But they shared the same best friend. They were sidekicks. And now that Isaac's gone, what does that make them? (Back cover)
Australia Day by
Australia Day is a collection of stories by debut author Melanie Cheng. The people she writes about are young, old, rich, poor, married, widowed, Chinese, Lebanese, Christian, Muslim. What they have in common--no matter where they come from--is the desire we all share to feel that we belong. The stories explore universal themes of love, loss, family and identity, while at the same time asking crucial questions about the possibility of human connection in a globalised world. Melanie Cheng is an important new voice, offering a fresh perspective on contemporary Australia. Her effortless, unpretentious realism balances an insider's sensitivity and understanding with an outsider's clear-eyed objectivity, showing us a version of ourselves richer and more multifaceted than anything we've seen before.
Rules of Backyard Cricket The by
LONGLISTED FOR THE UK CRIME WRITERS ASSOCIATION STEEL DAGGER AWARD 2017! 'Serong writes pithy, pin-sharp dialogue...Expertly plotted, and its noirish climax with its dark drama and its final twists, is devastating. Get out and buy this book; it is the best new novel I've read this year'-Crime Time (UK) 'There are moments of sheer delight in the boyhood sequences, where sibling rivalry is painted with unerring accuracy by Jock Serong (winner of the Ned Kelly Award for his novelQuota)...A novel of suspense, I heartily recommend it'-Shots Magazine (UK) 'A story of the love and hate within families, of the failures of masculinity, in a cricket context rendered with technical precision. Brutal, perceptive, uncomfortably funny, occasionally breaking into poetry.'--Geoff Lemon onRules of Backyard Cricket 'Funny, sad and oddly touching...also riveting...Beautifully written and acutely observed,The Rules of Backyard Cricket is a noir tour de force...Original Australian crime fiction of the first order.'--Sydney Morning Herald 'Pitch-perfect dialogue, and a strong sense of place...A very engaging, and extremely realistic debut novel.'--Reviewing The Evidence onQuota A novel of suspense about family, sport, celebrity, rivalry, masculinity and the high price of getting everything you want. Darren Keefe and his older brother are sons of a fierce and gutsy single mother. Darren has two big talents: cricket and trouble. No surprise that he becomes an Australian sporting star of the bad-boy variety-- one of those men who's always got away with things and just keeps getting. Until the day we meet him, middle aged, in the boot of a car. Gagged, cable-tied, a bullet in his knee. Everything pointing towards a shallow grave. Narrated by Darren from the boot of a car on his way to what's sure to be his own murder, this ambitious literary work is impossible to put down. Reads like literary fiction, grips like a thriller. Jock Serong lives and works on the southwest coast of Victoria. Formerly a lawyer, he is now a features writer, and editor ofGreat Ocean Quarterly. His debut,Quota, won the 2015 Ned Kelly Award for Best First Crime Novel.
The Bogan Mondrian by
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.
Struck by Lightning by
This book follows the story of outcast high school senior Carson Phillips who blackmails the most popular students in his school into contributing to his literary journal to bolster his college application; his goal in life is to get into Northwestern and eventually become the editor of The New Yorker.
The Way We Roll by
Will went to private school, and Julian went to juvie. Will is running from a family secret, and Julian is running from the goat next door. The boys meet pushing trolleys, and they find a common enemy in the Westie hoons who terrorise the carpark. After a few close calls, Will has to nut up and confront his past. But on the way, he learns a few things about what it means to be a friend - and what it means to be family. The Way We Roll a rattling urban bromance made of plastic and stainless steel.
The Boxer by
Told over the course of the ten rounds of his first fight, this is the story of amateur boxer Sunny. A seventeen year old feeling isolated and disconnected in the city he's just moved to, Sunny joins a boxing club to learn to protect himself after a racist attack. He finds the community he's been desperately seeking at the club, and a mentor in trainer Shobu, who helps him find his place in the world. But racial tensions are rising in the city, and when a Far Right march through Bristol turns violent, Sunny is faced with losing his new best friend Keir to radicalisation.
A gripping, life-affirming YA novel about friendship, radicalisation and finding where you belong.
The bad decisions playlist by
Summary: A stranger rolls into town... And everything changes for Austin Methune, when the stranger turns out to be his father, presumed dead, and his father turns out to be Shane Tucker, a bigtime musician -- just the role Austin wants for himself. Austin has a long history of getting himself in trouble, with the assistance of weed, inertia, and indifference. And he's in deep trouble now -- the deepest ever. He's talented, though. Maybe his famous father will help him turn his life around and realize his musical dream. But maybe Austin has inherited more than talent from Shane, who also does drugs, screws up, and drops out. Austin is a wickedly funny tour guide to his own bad decisions and their consequences as he is dragged, kicking and screaming, toward adulthood. (From back cover)
Golden Boys by
Gabriel, Reese, Sal and Heath are best friends, bonded in their small rural town by their queerness, their good grades and their big dreams. But now it's the summer before their last year of high school, and each of them is going on a huge new adventure. Reese has a design internship in Paris, Gabriel is going to Boston for an internship with a charity organisation and Sal is volunteering on Capitol Hill for a senator - while Heath is stuck going to Florida to help his aunt's business. What will this summer of new experiences and world-expanding travel mean for each of them - and for their friendship? A sweet and compelling coming-of-age story that explores identity, the importance of found family and the complexities of falling for your best friend.
Black Brother, Black Brother by
Summary: Donte wishes he were invisible. As one of the few black boys at his school, he feels as if he is constantly swimming in whiteness. Most of the students don't look like him. They don't like him either. Dubbed the 'Black Brother', Donte's teachers and classmates make it clear they wish he were more like his lighter skinned brother, Trey. When an incident with a white student leads to Donte's arrest and suspension, he's sure the only way to get even is to beat the student at the school's most valued game: fencing. With the help of a former Olympic fencer, Donte embarks on a journey to carve out a spot on the school's fencing team and to find a way to make people at school see past the colour of his skin to who he really is.
Tea and No Sympathy by
The brilliantly funny new novel featuring The Grade Cricketer, hero of the bestselling cult classic The Grade Cricketer.
The Line Formation by
Ozzie is an 18-year-old country boy who leaves Australia for a six-month stint in Texas America, as an exchange student. A star rugby league player, it doesn t take long for Ozzie to shine on the (American) football field but with his winning move - The Line Formation - comes an unexpected price. Ozzie learns it is too easy to let success go to his head and remaining true to himself will take courage and strength. The Line Formation is a fast-paced sports-action novel; it is a page-turner for mid-teens, particularly boys. And on a deeper level, the novel addresses themes such as culture and identity, teenage sexuality, the American dream, and the true nature of success.
Casey Stoner: pushing the limits by
For the first time ever, two-time World MotoGP champion Casey Stoner will open up and tell his story.
The Jersey by
New Zealand rugby is a dynasty that transcends all national barriers. As a culture and a model of humility and consistent success, which have led them to three Rugby World Cups, the world of rugby continues to look to the New Zealand model for guidance. Traditionally, the renowned All Blacks and those charged with guiding them have kept their rules of engagement close to their chests. However now, New Zealand Rugby has agreed to open their doors to rugby writer Peter Bills to consider the reasons behind their dominance of the world game in the build-up towards the Lions Series in 2017 and Rugby World Cup 2019 in Japan. Through this book, Peter Bills draws on case studies and interviews of officials, coaches and players, as well as people involved in all elements of rugby right across New Zealand. The Jersey tells an extraordinary story with unprecedented access and insight, and explores the basic requirements and immense challenges required not only to become number one in the world, but remain consistently at the top.
Head of the River by
It's the most elite school sporting event in the country. Nine rowers, 2000 gruelling metres and one chance for glory in the ultimate team sport. Sit forward . . . ROW. Tall, gifted and the offspring of Olympians, superstar siblings Leni and Cristian Popescu are set to row Harley Grammar to victory in the Head of the River. With six months until the big day, the twins can't lose. Or can they? When Cristian is seduced by performance-enhancing drugs, and Leni is suffocated with self-doubt, their bright futures start to fade. Juggling family, high expectations, study, break-ups, new relationships and wild parties, the pressure starts to builds. As the final moments tick by, who will make it to the start line? And who'll plummet from grace?
Willowman by
Reader Cricket Bats, one of the last traditional batmakers back in the old country, has a contemporary home in the Antipodes, with Allan Reader keeping the family business alive in a small workshop. Allan lives alone, all but estranged from his adult daughter, quietly going about his days with the cricket commentary for company.
When Todd Harrow, a gifted young batter, catches Allan's eye, a spark is lit and Allan decides to make a Reader bat for him, selecting the best piece of willow he's harvested in years to do so.
As Harrow charts a meteoric rise to the highest echelons of the sport, leaving his equally talented sister's dreams in his wake, Allan's magical bat takes centre stage as well, awakening something in Allan and bringing him back into himself. But can Allan's fledgling renaissance - hanging as it does on the magic of that bat - carry on after Harrow is cursed by injury and a strained personal life?
No one by
In the ghost hours of a Monday morning a man feels a dull thud against the side of his car near the entrance to Redfern Station. He doesn't stop immediately. By the time he returns to the scene, the road is empty, but there is a dent in the car, high up on the passenger door, and what looks like blood. Only a man could have made such a dent, he thinks. For some reason he looks up, though he knows no one is there. Has he hit someone, and if so, where is the victim? So begins a story that takes us to the heart of contemporary Australia's festering relationship to its indigenous past. A story about guilt for acts which precede us, crimes we are not sure we have committed, crimes gone on so long they now seem criminal-less. Part crime novel, part road movie, part love story, No One takes its protagonist to the very heart of a nation where non-existence is the true existence, where crimes cannot be resolved and guilt cannot be redeemed, and no one knows what to do with ghosts that are real.
Flock by
This wide-ranging and captivating anthology showcases both the power of First Nations writing and the satisfaction of a good short story. Curated by award-winning author Ellen van Neerven, Flock roams the landscape of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander storytelling, bringing together voices from across the generations. Featuring established authors such as Tony Birch, Melissa Lucashenko, and Tara June Winch, and rising stars such as Adam Thompson and Mykaela Saunders, Flock confirms the ongoing resonance and originality of First Nations stories.
Calypso Summer by
Calypso is a young Nukunu man, fresh out of high school in Rastafarian guise. He finds work at the Henley Beach Health Food shop where his boss pressures him to gather Aboriginal plants for natural remedies. Growing up in urban Adelaide and with little understanding of his mother's traditional background, Calypso endeavors to find the appropriate native plants. The support of a sassy, smart, young Ngadjuri girl helps Calypso to reconsider his Rastafarian façade and understand how to take charge of his future.
The Window Seat and Other Stories by
Since Archie Weller was runner-up for the first Vogel Award for his novel The Day of the Dog in 1980, he has become an important voice in contemporary Indigenous writing. The Window Seat is a collection of his best short fiction - some award-winning and some previously unpublished. It is both a retrospective and a tribute to his place in Australian literature. These stories are honest, brutal and often moving. In 'The Window Seat', we witness an old woman's final journey home and the view of the reluctant white traveller who sits beside her; in 'Stolen Car', a young Aboriginal man learns his first lesson in rough justice; and in 'Dead Dingo', we see another rallying against what his friends, life and fate are offering him. Collected here for the first time, these nineteen powerful stories present a rich and rewarding reading experience.
Becoming Kirrali Lewis by
Set within the explosive cultural shifts of the 1960s and 1980s, Becoming Kirrali Lewis chronicles the journeyof a young First Nations Australian teenager as she leaves her home town in rural Victoria to take on a law degree in the city of Melbourne in 1985. Adopted at birth by a white family, Kirrali doesn't question her cultural roots until a series of life-changing events force her to face up to her true identity. Her decision to search for her biological parents sparks off a political awakening that no one sees coming, least of all Kirrali herself as she discovers her mother is white and her father is a radical black activist. Narrative flashbacks to the 1960s, where Kirrali's biological mother, Cherie, is rebelling against her parent's strict conservatism sees her fall into a clandestine relationship with a black man. Unmarried and pregnant, Cherie's traumatic story of an unforgiving Australian society give meaning to Kirrali's own rites of passage nearly twenty years later. The generational threads of human experience are the very things that will complete her. If only she can let go.
Dear Son: Letters and Reflections from First Nations Fathers and Sons by
Dear Son shares heartfelt letters written by First Nations men about life, masculinity, love, culture and racism. Along with his own vivid and poignant prose and poetry, author and editor Thomas Mayor invites 12 contributors to write a letter to their son or father, bringing together a range of perspectives that offers the greatest celebration of First Nations manhood.
Brontide by
Summary: Brontide is a coming of age story about four boys and their lot in life. Recounted through storytelling sessions at their school over a period of five days, these boys chronicle their lives. They are at times demanding, occasionally rude, always funny and unexpectedly profound. The boys like to challenge themselves and the rules, and soon realise that not everything goes to plan.
Vietnam by
Summary: It's 1969. The sixties are still swinging, man is headed for the moon and surfing-mad Davey is out to win the inaugural Newcastle Under-14 Surf Championship. But when his older brother Tom is drafted to fight in the army, the far-away war in Vietnam creates waves very close to home.
Grenade by
Summary: It's 1945, and the world is in the grip of war. Hideki lives with his family on the island of Okinawa, near Japan. When WWII crashes onto his shores, Hideki is drafted into the Blood and Iron Student Corps to fight for the Japanese army. He is handed a grenade and a set of instructions: Don't come back until you've killed an American soldier. Ray, a young American Marine, has just landed on Okinawa. This is Ray's first-ever battle, and he doesn't know what to expect - or if he'll make it out alive. He just knows that the enemy is everywhere with ambushes and dangerous traps. But then the two of them collide in the middle of the battle and choices they make in that single instant will change everything.
Hero at Dunkirk by
2010 sees the 70th anniversary of the evacuation of the British army at Dunkirk. The lives of 338,226 men were saved in 861 vessels. The story of one of the young men who aided in the evacuation is now heard for the first time. Joe Read was only 15 years old when he crossed the channel in his father's lifeboat, Brittanic, and braved artillery fire and German bombing to rescue men of the British Expeditionary Force.
The Tattooist of Auschwitz (YA edition) by
On cover: Based on the powerful true story of Lale Sokolov.
New Zealand author.
Summary: This novel is based on the true story of Lale and Gita Sokolov, two Slovakian Jews, who survived Auschwitz and eventually made their home in Australia. In that terrible place, Lale was given the job of tattooing the prisoners marked for survival - literally scratching numbers into his fellow victims' arms in indelible ink to create what would become one of the most potent symbols of the Holocaust. Lale used the infinitesimal freedom of movement that this position awarded him to exchange jewels and money taken from murdered Jews for food to keep others alive. If he had been caught he would have been killed; many owed him their survival.
The book thief by
It is 1939. Nazi Germany. The country is holding its breath. Death has never been busier, and will become busier still. Liesel Meminger is a foster girl living outside of Munich, who scratches out a meager existence for herself by stealing when she encounters something she can't resist--books. With the help of her accordion-playing foster father, she learns to read and shares her stolen books with her neighbors during bombing raids as well as with the Jewish man hidden in her basement.
Run by
Dee lives for parkour, and the alternate worlds he invents to escape his mundane life. He knows the city better than anyone--the hidden spaces at night, the views that no one else sees, from heights no one else can scale,. With parkour, he's not running away. He's free. But just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they're not out to get you. And soon Dee is running for his life, running for real. Run is an unmissable, paranoid thriller--genre fiction meets literary verse novel.
Lemons in the Chicken Wire by
From a remarkable new voice in Indigenous writing comes this highly original collection of poems bristling with stunning imagery and gritty textures. At times sensual, always potent, Lemons in the Chicken Wire delivers a collage of work that reflects rural identity through a rich medley of techniques and forms. It is an audacious, lyrical and linguistically lemon flavored poetry debut that possesses a rare edginess and seeks to challenge our imagination beyond the ordinary. Alison Whittaker demonstrates that borders, whether physical or imagined, are no match for our capacity for love.
Another Night in Mullet Town by
People like you and me, Jonah,we drag down the price of everything we touch. 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.