Books

® In print in Australia. ¤ Tape casette.

SENIOR NOVELS

China Coin ® Leah steps into a turbulent China, searching for her ancient links. And the search draws her toward the horror of Tiananmen Square. Puffin Australia, also UK, Germany, France, Canada.
Awards: Short Listed for UK Guardian Award, NSW State Literary Awards, Adelaide Festival, Children's Peace Literature Award. Won the Multicultural Children's Book Award, German Academy for Children's Literature’s Book of Month.
In the list of Premier's Reading Challenge (NSW,Vic,SA) in 08.
¤ Louis Braille audio.
If you are studying China Coin in Year 12 English ESL try: China Coin
Photos of China Coin
Or contact kazifj for Carolyn Fairjones's written another study guide for China Coin with the new focus 'belonging', specifically for the HSC English (ESL) course. It is free.
Penguin Books

Treasure Hunters ® Pat joins his dad, Matt, and his mate in the waters of Indonesia as they begin to hunt for an ancient wreck. When they find clues on the bottom of the sea Matt believes that they are about to discover the world's richest wreck. But as they dive near a close island erupts in violence. Matt says this is nothing to do with them. He is terribly wrong. Puffin Australia, also UK,
Penguin Books
Collins Readers
Awards:A CBCA notable book, SA Kanga short-list.
On the list of Premier's Reading Challenge (Vic,SA) in 08.

Adrift Two children are playing on a crate on a rocky shore ... they they realise that they have drifted from the safety of the shore. In Australia, UK, Japan, Sweden, US.
Awards UK Kathleen Fidler Award, Short list: CBCA Book of the Year, Adelaide Festival; American Bookseller's Pick of the Lists.
In the list of Premier's Reading Challenge (SA) in 07.

Riverman    Tim has always been known as 'Shrimp' - and in the tough town of Zeehan a small kid is no use to anyone. But a mine disaster and a perilous journey up the wild Franklin River changes that. Australia, UK, Spain, France.
Awards: Short list for UK Guardian Award; for CBCA Book of Year; Selected for White Ravens of IYL, Munich; IBBY Honour Diploma.

Eagle Island    A handicapped boy duels with a drug-smuggling youth on a lonely island in the Great Barrier Reef. Australia, UK, Sweden, Spain.
In the list of Premier's Reading Challenge (SA) in 07.

Megan's Star    Megan finds a desperate boy trapped in a ruined house. He has incredible powers and he knows that she has them too... Puffin Australia, UK, Sweden, South Africa
Awards: Short list for NSW Premier's Literary Award, for CBCA Book of Year.
Hero   School is out but the Hawkesbury River has broken its banks and three children go their separate ways - to meet at a flooded bridge. One will become a hero. But which one? Australia, UK

Magician®   For hundreds of years the people of Howling Gap have lived in the shadow of the Tower, watching for the Golden People to return as they prepare to fight the Darkness. Then a hunted magician begins to reveal an astounding truth. Puffin Australia, UK.
In the list of Premier's Reading Challenge (NSW,Vic,SA) in 08.

Songman    Yukawa sails from his tribal lands in northern Australia across pirate-infested seas to a dagger-shaped island where East and West mix and clash. Puffin Australia, also in UK, Germany
Awards: Vic Premier's Awards: Alan Marshall Diabetes Prize for Children's Lit.
¤ Louis Braille audio.

The Secrets of Walden Rising   For years the mysteries of Walden have been unsolved - mysteries of the gold rush, of Thunderbolt the bushranger. But Walden is coming back... Puffin Australia, also US, Germany
Awards: Short-listed for NSW Premier's Literary Awards, Named for New York Public Library Books for the Teen Age.
The Last Shot    Steve is a great basketball player, and he knows it. But on the night of the big match, they both know that there is far more riding on the game than the final score. Omnibus Australia.
Awards: Short list for CBCA Book of Year.
In the list of Premier's Reading Challenge (Vic,SA) in 08.

Wreck!    Reene and Ian crawl from a cave after the rage of a cyclone and see a rusty freighter on the beach. They are tempted to climb aboard - but it's a trap. Puffin Australia, also Germany.
In the list of Premier's Reading Challenge (NSW,Vic,SA) in 08.

Saving Abbie ®   Ian first met Abbie the orangutan when they were trapped together on a sinking freighter in the middle of a cyclone (Wreck!) Now Ian is taking Abbie back home, her freedom in the jungles of Borneo.
But there is something much worse than the cyclone waiting... Puffin Australia. Awards:White Ravens of International Children’s and Youth Literature (IYL)
In the list of Premier's Reading Challenge (NSW,Vic,SA) in 08.
¤ Louis Braille audio.
You might like a look at Abbie's home: Orangutan Foundation International

Photos of Saving Abbie
PICTURE BOOKS

Drac and the Gremlin ®   Illustrated by Jane Tanner. Drac, the Warrior Queen of Tirnol Two, is in terrible danger. She must capture the Gremlin of the Groaning Grotto, but he is quick, quiet as a spider, and very, very dangerous. Fantasy and reality become transformed by the power of the imagination. Puffin Australia, UK, US.
¤ Children's Talking Books have produced a tape cassette.
Awards: CBCA Picture Book of the Year, short list Vic Premer's Awards.
In the list of Premier's Reading Challenge (NSW,Vic,SA) in 08

Bawshou Rescues the Sun with Chun-Chan, illustrated by Michelle Powell. Thousands of years ago in Chine, life was rich and peaceful. Then one dark day a wild wind took the sun from the sun...

The Boss Illustrated by Fiona O'Byrne. A bump and a shout shattered the peace of the village. 'Ah, The Emperor.' sighed Mother. 'The Lord of the World,' muttered Father.
'The Boss,' sniffed Sister.

All pages of The Boss

Rebel! Illustrated by Di Wu. A general marches into a Burmese school and starts to order people about, but he has a surprise waiting. Australia, US.
Awards:Short listed CBCA Picture Book of the Year, American Bookseller's Pick of the Lists
On the list of Premier's Reading Challenge (SA) in 07.

Old Magic Illustrated by Di Wu. An old grandfather in a modern suburb cracks his top to bring back his magic in the old country.
On the list of Premier's Reading Challenge (NSW,Vic,SA) in 08.

Star Navigator Illustrated by Wayne Harris. A young star navigator faces many perils as he races against time and across space to rescue a stricken freighter.
In the list of Premier's Reading Challenge (SA) in 07.

Archie - the Big Good Wolf ® Illustrated by Jonathan Bentley. Forget those terrible wolf stories, this is the real story, from the wolf. Random Australia, Germany, Korea

PLAY

Archie - the Big Good Wolf ®   who started as a picture book (Random House) is now a play. So Archie tells the true story on the stage about those Big Bad Wolf tales. How he was drawn into the country's worst crime wave. Could he track down the villain behind it? But could he escape from the deadly hit man? Archie's play will be in VoiceWorks,
Pearson Education Australia.

YOUNGER READERS

Imp with Caroline Magerl's illustrations is part of the Aussie Bites.
  Dad has found a weird mansion for a new house.
  Brian meets the last people in the house and they are very odd, but he moves in a high tower and prepares to put up with everything.
  But something has been left in the mansion. Something that can get Brian in serious trouble at any time.
  And this cannot be put up with.
On the list of Premier's Reading Challenge (Vic,SA) in 08.
Penguin Australia

Foggy ®   is just trouble.
But the Little Bay Village has huge trouble! Russ and Meg must be sent out on a desperate mission to find a wizard. But the wizard they find - Foggy, Wizard of Oops - may be worse than the trouble... With John fairbridge's illustrations. Puffin Australia, France.
In the list of Premier's Reading Challenge (NSW,Vic) in 08.

Little Monster    Drew has bought himself five cents of trouble. He has a smelly little monster that flies and he can't get rid of it. Illustrated by David Cox. Scholastic, US, Canada, Mexico, India.

In the list of Premier's Reading Challenge (SA) in 06.

The Bad Guys     When Wheels and his gang arrive at the camping ground, they find that the man in charge has been taken away sick. High on the hill rule Wild Alice and her Tribe; further down is the Nerds. The scene is set for terror, rampage ane battle!
In the list of Premier's Reading Challenge (SA) in 07.

The Excuse ®   Pete's teacher seems to ready to to swallow any excuse but surely even he won't fall for the tale about a space ship and an alien who floats? Or will he? Part of Puffin's Aussie Bites, illustrated by Ned Culic.
¤ The Excuse is on the Bolinda tape casette Aussie Bites 4 with others. Also US.

In the list of Premier's Reading Challenge (SA) in 07.

NON-FICTION
Legends - Stories of Australia    Some of Australia's greatest tales from the Dreamtime to the end of 20th century - from horse racing, shipwrecks, cavalry charges, plane crashes, bushrangers, to blizzards... Phoenix Education Australia.

Phoenix Education Australia

Heroes - Australians at their best ®   Heroes at their worst moment:
'The moment the engine runs out of oil it will seize and the remaining single engine on the nose will not keep the plane in the air.
The plane will slide into the sea. Fuel and mail were frantically jettisoned, but the port engine was getting weaker. The plane slowly dipped, until it was no more than three metres from the hissing sea...'
What would you do?
On the list of Premier's Reading Challenge (NSW, Vic) in 08.

Phoenix Education Australia

Villains - A Gallery of Australian Rogues ®   is published by Phoenix Education.   Have you heard …
  Of a barber who told of a river that flowed right across the continent, with hippos and orang-utans? And he was believed!   Of the battling women gangsters in the mean streets of Razorhurst?   Of the wild rider who blindfolded his horse and jumped it over a high fence - was he the real Man of Snowy River?   And what about the Clint Eastwood movie launched a plot and that led to a new movie.
  We have had pirates, bushrangers, woman bushrangers, slavers, murderers, con-men, swindlers rattling our history Phoenix Education Australia
   Macmillan Education Australia are using two of these Villains in Storywizards, a book looking how authors create a story.

On the list of Premier's Reading Challenge (NSW, Vic) in 08.

SHORT STORIES

A Taste of Cockroach   Penguin Australia.
  These short stories begin in the Himalayas and end with am ill-starred romance on Mars. In between are adventures down the rivers af Cambodia and Laos, battle with bulls in Australian country towns, encounters with French agents, freelance photographers in a war, handbag-snatchers in Naples, rebel thong-flinger in Rangoon, a hunted girl in Afghanistan, and more.
'Some of the stories are cropped anecdotes of unusual poignancy' - The Age
'In most of these stories we meet characters who could well carry the weight of a novel' - Viewpoint

Creature
Mates    Mates are fun to be with. Mates are reliable. Mates can be also be funny, different, sometimes vene heroic. Mates are your friends - and everybody needs friends!
On the list of Premier's Reading Challenge (NSW,Vic,SA) in 08.
Dream Catcher    A look at real - and the unreal - in thirteen stories.

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