Booklists

Ellie is not looking forward to a year in a new home or attending a new school, Avalon High, whose students are not as they appear to be.

London, 1810: Miss Nicola Sparks, independent husband-hunting orphan meets the fabulously rich, breathtakingly handsome cad and bounder, Lord Sebastian. She is involved in a kidnapping and a very romantic rescue.

Mia Thermopokis is not herself any more. According to her dad, she is now Amelia Mignonette Grimaldi Thermopolis Renaldo, Princess of Genovia. Mia so does not want to take princess lessons from grandmere or move to Genovia or, worse still, have anyone find out about this princess thing. Life gets a whole lot more yucky when mum starts dating one of Mia's teachers and everyone else has a date except Mia. Usually read by students in Years 9, 10 or above.

Nothing is simple for the new princess of Genovia. With her mother dating her Algebra teacher, a secret admirer sending her emails and a bad case of the hots for her friend Lilly's brother, Michael, life as Princess Amelia Mignongette Grimaldi Thermopolis Renaldo can be just as bad as Mia Thermopolis's. Mia might have to sacrifice Michael for someone more appropriate like Prince William, not the biggest sacrifice.

When Lowell Sencha finds the strange girl lying, as if dead. on the riverbank, he is startled to find that she is like them, waer. Human but able to assume the form of a wolf. The Sencha family's small community has kept itself sequestered and unnoticed, and free from persecution. The arrival of a fellow traveller, and a hunted one at that, threatens their very survival. When the soldiers of the blood-purist Daeman Leldh descend on the village, searching for her, Lowell and the mysterious stranger are among the few to escape.

A stage adaptation of Bram Stoker's famous novel.

He was the first President of the brand-new United States. This biography covers both the personal and the private, during Washington's Virginia childhood, through his days as a soldier and general and his inauguration. It reveals his views on governmental power and the abolition of slavery, and separates fascinating truth from well-worn legend.

Called the Moses of her people for leading slaves northward to freedom, Harriet Tubman successfully escaped in her twenties and put herself in constant danger to help other slaves achieve liberty. When the Civil War began, this freedom fighter spied for the Union and became the first American woman to plan and direct a battle.

A week of high school gossip, dread, embarrassment, loneliness, connections and even love are all collected in this book of short narrative poems. Confessions and conversations cover a large range of events and feelings found in any high school, but the common ground is that everyone is feeling the same things all at once. Unfortunately, no one seems to know it.

He's Luke. She's Leia. Just like in Star Wars. Just like they're made for each other. Only this isn't a film, this is real life. This is where monsters from the past come back to take revenge. This is where you are sometimes the monster. And, where, the things we build to protect us can end up doing the most harm. Mature read. Usually read by students in Years 9, 10 or above.

Marcie is a real human girl. Almost 18, she has had her fair share of problems and bad decisions. When her imaginary friend Thor reappears after 8 years, Marcie has to work out whether she still needs Thor to guide her now that she is approaching adulthood. And Thor needs to figure out who he is without Marcie to keep him in existence. Usually read by students in Year 9, 10 & above.

In 1993, Ryan records a diary on an old tape. He talks about his mother's death, about his dreams, about his love for a girl at school who doesn't even know he exists. In 2013, Ameliah moves in with her grandmother after her parents die. There, she finds a tape in the spare room, with a boy's voice on it - a voice she can't quite hear, but which seems to be speaking to her.

When angels start falling from the sky, it seems like the world is ending. But for Jaya the world ended when her mother died, two weeks before the first angel fell. Smashing down to earth at extraordinary speeds, wings bent, faces contorted, not a single angel has survived and, as the world goes angel crazy, Jaya's father uproots the family to Edinburgh, intent on catching one alive. But Jaya can't stand his obsession and, struggling to make sense of her mother's sudden death and her own role on that fateful day, she's determined to stay out of it. Then something extraordinary happens: an angel lands right at Jaya's feet, and it's alive. Usually read by students in Years 9, 10 & above.

This story follows one dog's quest to understand his mission in life when he finds himself reborn as a new puppy after living a short, previous existence. When he is introduced to his new owner, eight year old Ethan, the two are immediately inseparable and Bailey lives an adventurous full life with his boy learning how to be a good dog. However, just when he thinks he has life figured out, he again finds himself reborn as another puppy. Bailey is very confused and wonders - what is his purpose?

Follow the highs and lows of Cate and Bronte Campbell's long journey towards Olympic glory. Gain insight into their motivation, mental toughness, and the balance between life and elite-level swimming.

Zara Evans has come to the Aurelia Theater, home to the visionary director Leopold Henneman, to play her dream role in Echo and Ariston, the Greek tragedy that taught her everything she knows about love. When the director asks Zara to promise that she will have no outside commitments, no distractions, it's easy to say yes. But it's hard not to be distracted when there's a death at the theater, and then another, especially when Zara doesn't know if they're accidents, or murder, or a curse that always comes in threes. It's hard not to be distracted when assistant lighting director Eli Vasquez, a girl made of tattoos and abrupt laughs and every form of light, looks at Zara. It's hard not to fall in love. Usually read by students in years 9, 10 and above.

A wonderful work of magical realism from a debut Australian Author. The Dream Walker is the story of Lucy, 16 years old and desperate to escape her life in her small impoverished fishing village. But the year ahead will change not only Lucy but reshape her entire world. Framed by the stunning Northern Queensland setting this magical tale, equally sad and optimistic, with remarkably believable characters is a joy to read and a book that is difficult to forget. Contains mature themes, usually read by student in Years 9,10 or above.

At Gallipoli, in 1915, the courageous ANZACs faced the brave Turks in the First World War. Instead of adventure and glory, they meet the sheer brutality of war. Emotional quotes about separation from family, harrowing experiences and loss of friends.

In the near future, all communication devices are linked to individual users, no-one can use an electronic item belonging to someone else. The worst possible fate is to lose that link and become a disconnect. If you can't connect with your friends, you might as well cease to exist.

Andy Tremain has a terrifying ability. Using virtual reality, he can create monsters from his unconscious mind and he's obsessed with dinosaurs.

In Quentaris, a beautiful, young man is saved from attack by Eely who everyone thinks is unattractive and simple-minded. The young man has lost something and Eely helps him find it and begins to realise the importance of inner beauty.

As head of Obernewtyn's Farseeker Guild, Elspeth Gordie must travel to the lowlands to seal an alliance between Obernewtyn and the rebel forces that oppose the totalitarian Council. Yet, her dreams call her to a completely different purpose. Elspeth must destroy what remains of the weapons that brought unimaginable chaos, death and mutation to her world. Usually read by students in Years 9, 10 or above.

Rage is desperate to find the healing magic that will save her mother. Her quest leads her to Valley, a strange, dark place where witches and wizards lurk.

When visitors arrive in Quentaris and stay, dark and strange rumours of sacrifice emerge and people start disappearing. Igorik, with the help of a mysterious cat, takes it upon himself to investigate.

Elspeth must lead the Misfits in this sequel to the popular, Obernewtyn.

Within this series of short stories you will never be sure where reality ends and imagination begins. Paths are travelled by a variety of seekers, a boy searches for his true name, a beast discovers hope and a group of pilgrims is led by a song on a ancient journey. Usually read by students in Years 9, 10 or above.

A boy writes a story about a symbolic Greylands to explain his mother's mental illness and her eventual death. Usually read by students in Years 9, 10 or above.

After a kidnapping, Elspeth Gordie and the Misfits are forced to join the rebellion against the oppressive Council, using their extraordinary mind powers. Usually read by students in Years 9, 10 or above.

Includes five long stories and a novella. A girl is sent across the world to discover her destiny in the dark tunnels of the Metro. Another seeks a lost sister in a park where winter lasts forever. A young man fulfils a dying wish. A mother works magic to summon a princess for her son. A man seeks an ending to his story. An old man goes in search of his shadow. This is a world of desire and transformation, the real and the not real.

Elspeth has enhanced mental abilities which she must hide in a world struggling back from the brink of apocalypse.

Any three titles read from this series can be included as official Challenge books; up to five more titles can be included as your personal choice books. To see the individual book titles and their PRC ID numbers, go to the Series lists on the Booklists page, on the website. Or, you can search for a series name or the individual titles by using the Search function on the top left hand corner of the screen.

Any three titles read from this series can be included as official Challenge books; up to five more titles can be included as your personal choice books. To see the individual book titles and their PRC ID numbers, go to the Series lists on the Booklists page, on the website. Or, you can search for a series name or the individual titles by using the Search function on the top left hand corner of the screen.

The time has come at last for Elspeth Gordie to leave the Land on her quest to find and stop the computermachine Sentinel from unleashing the deadly Balance of Terror arsenal. But, before she can embark on her quest, she must find a lost key. Although she has long prepared for this day, nothing is as she imagined.

Elspeth Gordie's search will take her where she never thought to go, and bestow upon her stranger companions than any she ever imagined. It will lead her far from her destination to those she believed lost forever. And, it will test her, as she has never been tested before.

While still on her quest to track down and destroy the Beforetime weapon machines, Elspeth Gordie is captured by her old enemies, the Herder Faction. While incarcerated, she learns of a vicious plot to destroy the West Coast by plague. She must track down the deadly plague carrier to prevent a catastrophe. Usually read by students in Years 9, 10 or above.

A young boy, who can communicate with animals, has a strong link to a wild falcon.

Ken's ambition was to be a comic-book artist using lifelike drawings and real stories. When he wakes from a dream, one of his characters claims to have imagined him. Ken must find who is the dreamer and who was the dream. Usually read by students in Years 9, 10 or above.

Determined, passionate and privileged, Elizabeth was born into a world where she felt she didn't belong and had to fight to survive. Her mother, Anne Boleyn, was executed by her father, Henry VIII. Elizabeth competed with her two half-siblings for love and the British throne as Queen Elizabeth 1. In the gilded corridors of the royal palace, enemies she couldn't see and those bound to her by blood, plotted to destroy her.

Any three titles read from this series can be included as official Challenge books; up to five more titles can be included as your personal choice books. To see the individual book titles and their PRC ID numbers, go to the Series lists on the Booklists page, on the website. Or, you can search for a series name or the individual titles by using the Search function on the top left hand corner of the screen.

Just a girl to those around her, Elizabeth is now the Queen of England. She has outsmarted her enemies and risen above a lifetime of hurt and family betrayal. Elizabeth is surrounded by men who give her advice and compliments but may be hiding daggers and poison behind their backs. Elizabeth must use her head and ignore her heart to be the queen her people need. But, this may lead her to betray a fellow queen.

Queen Elizabeth, the Queen of England reflects on her 40-year rule. The unwanted daughter of an executed Queen, Elizabeth is a survivor. She is not just a Queen, but as the title suggests she is a woman of flesh and blood. As her life draws to an end, is her reflection one of regret?

Ben watched in horror as the firestorm approached on Ash Wednesday in 1983.

This is a story about families and Robbie, who loves to run.

Inspired by his nearly-deaf mother and a father who developed a 'visible alphabet' of all the possible sounds a human can make, Alexander Graham Bell spent most of his life trying to improve the way people communicated. His most famous invention, the telephone, has made him one of the most well-known names of all time.

After her mother's death, Grace is sent to live with her grandfather, a powerful United States Ambassador. Grace believes her mother was murdered and that, one day, she will find the killer and make him pay. But, nobody believes her so there's no one she can completely trust. Not her grandfather or her new friends on Embassy Row. Not Alexei, the Russian boy next door, who is keeping his eye on Grace for reasons she neither likes nor understands. Usually read by students in Years 9, 10 or above.

Thank heavens, Macey knows something about boys to guide the girls through the labyrinth of lies and deception that young people use to protect themselves. Life is complicated for the girls of the famous, secret spy school when boys appear on the premises and the girls are sure they are not to be trusted. Cammie must decide if Zach is the real thing even though she is still very confused after Josh.

When Cammie visits Macey in Boston to watch Macey's father accept the nomination for vice president, they get trapped in a kidnappers' plot, with only their espionage skills to save them. Cammie can't shake the memory of Boston and even the Gallagher Academy doesn't feel safe. Shocking secrets and old flames seem to lurk around every corner as Cammie and her friends struggle to find out who is after Macey.

Any three titles read from this series can be included as official Challenge books; up to five more titles can be included as your personal choice books. To see the individual book titles and their PRC ID numbers, go to the Series lists on the Booklists page, on the website. Or, you can search for a series name or the individual titles by using the Search function on the top left hand corner of the screen.

Behind the facade of a genteel, private school, the Gallagher Academy operates as a school for highly-trained spies. Girls are fluent in fourteen languages and capable of killing a man with a stick of uncooked spaghetti. But, that doesn't stop these likeable teenagers obsessing about boys and experimenting with make-up and high heels. Cameron's life is even more complicated than that of the average teenager.

Maddie thought she and Logan would be friends forever. But when your dad is a Secret Service agent and your best friend is the president's son, sometimes life has other plans. Before she knows it, Maddie is dragged off to the middle of the Alaskan wilderness, where there is no phone, no internet, and not a single word from Logan. Six years later Logan lands on her doorstep, and an assailant is not far behind. Maddie wants to kill Logan, but she has to save him first.

When Cammie Morgan enrolled at the Gallagher Academy, she knew she was preparing for the dangerous life of a spy. What she didn't know was that the serious, real-life danger would start during her junior year of high school. But that's exactly what happened two months ago when Cammie faced off against an ancient terrorist organisation dead set on kidnapping her. Now the danger follows her everywhere, and even Cammie "The Chameleon" can't hide. When a terrifying encounter in London reveals that one of her most-trusted allies is actually a rogue double-agent, Cammie no longer knows if she can trust her classmates, her teachers, or even her own heart.

The last thing Cammie Morgan remembers is leaving the Gallagher Academy to protect her friends and family from the Circle of Cavan-an ancient terrorist organization that has been hunting her for over a year. But when Cammie wakes up in an alpine convent and discovers that months have passed, she must face the fact that her memory is now a black hole. The only traces left of Cammie's summer vacation are the bruises on her body and the dirt under her nails, and all she wants is to go home. Once she returns to school, however, Cammie realizes that even the Gallagher Academy now holds more questions than answers. Cammie, her friends, and mysterious spy-guy Zach must face their most difficult challenge yet as they travel to the other side of the world, hoping to piece together the clues that Cammie left behind. It's a race against time. The Circle is hot on their trail and willing stop at nothing to prevent Cammie from remembering what she did last summer.

For the past three years, Grace Blakely has been desperate to find out the truth about her mother s murder. But, the truth has only made her a target. The only way to put the past to rest is for Grace to kill it once and for all. On Embassy Row, power can make you a victor or a victim. Love can turn you into a fool or a fugitive, and family can lead you forward or bury you deep. Trust is a luxury and death is a real threat. Grace must be very careful about which secrets she brings to light. Usually read by students in Years 9, 10 or above.

Centuries ago, the royal family of Adria was killed. But, Grace Blakely knows the truth, there was one survivor, and that blood runs through her veins. The truth may cause a revolution and some are desperate to keep it a secret. To save herself, her family and the boy she loves, Grace must outmanoeuvre her foes and cut through the web of lies, despite the risks. If she wins, Grace will inherit a throne. If she loses, she will inherit the fate of all the dead princesses who came before her. Usually read by students in Years 9, 10 or above.

Any three titles read from this series can be included as official Challenge books; up to five more titles can be included as your personal choice books. To see the individual book titles and their PRC ID numbers, go to the Series lists on the Booklists page, on the website. Or, you can search for a series name or the individual titles by using the Search function on the top left hand corner of the screen.

Cammie Morgan has lost her father and her memory, but in the heart-pounding conclusion to the best-selling Gallagher Girls series, she finds her greatest mission yet. Cammie and her friends finally know why the terrorist organisation called the Circle of Cavan has been hunting her. Now the spy girls and Zach must track down the Circle's elite members to stop them before they implement a master plan that will change Cammie -- and her country -- forever.

A classic story set in the 1930s about an orphaned boy who goes to live with his Cherokee grandparents in the mountains of Tennessee. His education is not formal but an ancient native wisdom and way of life.

When King Jameson declares his love for Lady Hollis Brite, Hollis is shocked -- and thrilled. After all, she's grown up at Keresken Castle, vying for the king's attention alongside other daughters of the nobility. Capturing his heart is a dream come true.

America is the strong competition for Maxon's heart, to leave her life and live the world of luxury as a One. But the violence of the rebels and her feelings for an ex-boyfriend means nothing is a certainty. Usually read by students in years 9, 10 and above.

In a world of glittering gowns and jewels, the selection is the chance of a lifetime, for any girl to compete for the heart of Prince Maxon. America is chosen to meet him and all of her plans to wed her secret love start to crumble. Some adult themes. Usually read by students in Years 9, 10 or above.

Todd is running late for school when he witnesses a ruthless attack and robbery on Mr Wilson, a local shopkeeper. Something is vaguely familiar about the attacker and, when Todd finally recognises him, Todd's life and that of his friends are in danger.

After a pandemic wiped out most of the human race, The Key took power. Under their rules, touching is forbidden, and books are banned. Break the laws, and face execution. Elodie, a young nurse, has been brought up to believe that The Key govern to keep people safe. Elodie obeys the rules she trusts the system. At least, Elodie used to - Aiden, a constant rebel, knows there is another side to The Key, a truth beneath the surface. Aiden wants to be free but freedom means questioning their motives. Aiden is on his last chance - When Elodie and Aiden's lives collide, the fallout will be devastating. Especially when they realise that rather than playing protector, The Key are playing God. Usually read by students in years 9, 10 and above.

Michael turns fifteen and his brother dies. He copes with mourning in his hometown of Western Sydney, a region subject to harsh and suspicious perceptions, and filled with cultural and ethnic diversity. Through a powerful poetic experience, Michael grows by seeing deeply into the values that surround him and he rises above the distress of poverty and families under stress.

Jules' mother wins a cruise and, on board, he discovers it's full of older passengers. There's little choice of companionship other than Adrian, his dancing-obsessed cousin, the very beautiful Jenna, wheelchair-bound Suzi Q and bully, Barry Barnes. Falling madly in love with the unobtainable Jenna, Jules develops a strong friendship with Suzi as she steers him through his unrequited love, with unexpected results.

Millions of settlers come to the planet, Deucalion, to take advantage of the chance it offers for a new beginning. This will mean changes for the Elokoi, who lived there first. But worse than that, the Elokoi people are dying mysteriously. Usually read by students in Years 9, 10 or above.

Any three titles read from this series can be included as official Challenge books; up to five more titles can be included as your personal choice books. To see the individual book titles and their PRC ID numbers, go to the Series lists on the Booklists page, on the website. Or, you can search for a series name or the individual titles by using the Search function on the top left hand corner of the screen.

On an expedition to discover what happened on Earth a thousand years ago, what the new generation will find will threaten their survival and raise questions about what it means to be human and civilised. Usually read by students in Years 9, 10 or above.

A companion story to Mike, Lisdalia tells her own story which focuses on her Italian family relationships, racism, bullying and rebellion.

Sophisticated, simply well-written short stories that would appeal to both boys and girls dealing with mature themes including life choices, complex relationships and even time travel. Some strong language in context, may offend some readers. Usually read by students in Years 9, 10 or above.

Like Mike and Lisdalia, this book deals with the issues of adolescence with the added complication of living within two cultures. Maddie is a Vietnamese Australian.

An exciting, modern story with elements from ancient mythology. Usually read by students in Years 9, 10 or above.

Mike and his mother have moved from Melbourne to live in Sydney's west. Mike soon wishes they had never left. At school, he becomes the victim of a bully, Shane and meets Riny, a neighbour with a secret success story.

Tee Dee is alone, stranded on a backward planet called Earth but help is at hand. The Zone Commandos may be primitive but they make a great team. Tee Dee could do with some friends.

A compelling story about a number of diverse characters and how they deal with the plague that threatens their futuristic, burgeoning colony. Usually read by students in Years 9, 10 or above.

Max, the talking buffalope, has an enquiring mind, a keen sense of humour, and a grumpy disposition. Orphaned by the villainous Neruvians, sold off as a slave to the callous Berundians, he escapes into the wilderness, is attacked by vicious lupers, and rescued in the nick of time by the jester, Alexander Darke. Alexander is young and fairly unsuccessful. Done out in a costume of many colours, he totes his caravan around, entertaining people with (mostly bad) jokes. Max settles in with Alexander and his elvish wife, Sarah. He makes himself indispensable and the partnership prospers. Word gets around, and a Royal Command Performance is arranged. They are top of the bill. But everything that can go wrong goes wrong.... hilarously. The hitherto lugubrious King Cletus is enchanted. Stars overnight, they see off their arch-rival, the bad comic Jonathan Jolly.

Any three titles read from this series can be included as official Challenge books; up to five more titles can be included as your personal choice books. To see the individual book titles and their PRC ID numbers, go to the Series lists on the Booklists page, on the website. Or, you can search for a series name or the individual titles by using the Search function on the top left hand corner of the screen.

Sebastian, Max and Cornelius are searching for the legendary lost city of Mendip when they are attacked by the Gograth, armoured apelike beasts. Rescued by jungle girl Keera, they are taken to the Jilith, a primitive tribe of warriors, who are locked in a grim struggle for survival with the Gograth. Sebastian's arrival is foretold in an ancient prophesy that the elf-Lord will rid the Jilith of the curse of the Gograth forever.

Sebastian Darke, the son of a human father and an elfish mother, has taken on his late father's job of jester, Prince of Fools. Trouble is, Sebastian can't tell a joke to save his life. He sets off for the fabled city of Keladon where he hopes to be appointed court jester to King Septimus. On the way, he encounters a tiny but powerful warrior called Cornelius, the beautiful Princess Kerin and blood-thirsty Brigands.

Sebastian and his friends are heading to the bustling port of Ramalat to embark on a perilous sea journey in search of the fabled lost treasure of Captain Calinestra. But, first, they must make it through the dark and mysterious forest of Geltane and survive an encounter with Leonora, a powerful enchantress with a magical hold over Sebastian's senses. Once there, they must battle humans, creatures and Nature.

Football can be traced to ancient times. Read how the rules have changed, when football was banned and where football was played. The index will help you find when world cups were held and who played and about FIFA and famous players.

Cricket is a worldwide sport, which is even played on ice. Discover where it began, how the rules were created, who was the man behind the famous Lords ground in England and how Australia was the country to invent one day internationals.

Twins Lenis and Missy Clemens have found their freedom aboard the airship, Hiryu. In their search for the mercenary Karasu, Missy must decide whether the safety of an entire nation is more important than her own sense of right and wrong. The bizarre connection that binds the twins begins to unravel and, when they meet a young boy from the past, the twins must decide to embrace their destiny or be torn forever apart.

Twins, Lenis and Missy, are slaves aboard the powerful airship, the Hiryu. Relentlessly pursued, they fly over the perilous Wasteland, where corrupted Demons lie in wait. When Lenis dreams of Apsilla, the Blue Dragon of the East, the airship captain decides to help the twins find Apsilla's daughter. The survival of the last Totem may be their only hope, if they find the dragon's egg in time.

June, Bette and Gigi have given their all to dance at New York's most elite ballet school. Now they are competing one final time for a spot at the prestigious American Ballet Company. With the stakes higher than ever, these girls have everything to lose... and even the nice girls are no longer playing nice. Usually read by students in years 9, 10 and above.

Gigi, Bette, and June, three top students at an exclusive Manhattan ballet school, have seen their fair share of drama. Free-spirited new girl Gigi just wants to dance but the very act might kill her. Privileged New Yorker Bette's desire to escape the shadow of her ballet-star sister brings out a dangerous edge in her. And perfectionist June needs to land a lead role this year or her controlling mother will put an end to her dancing dreams forever. When every dancer is both friend and foe, the girls will sacrifice, manipulate, and backstab to be the best of the best. Usually read by students in years 9, 10 and above.

Will Kerwan is kidnapped in London during 1852. He is held hostage on a boat where he is made to work as a servant. He meets Runt and finds a best friend for life. They escape in Australia and make their way to the goldfields.

Angie is broken - by her can't-be-bothered mother, by her high-school tormenters, and by being the only one who thinks her varsity-athlete-turned-war-hero sister is still alive. Hiding under a mountain of junk food hasn't kept the pain (or the shouts of "crazy mad cow!") away. Having failed to kill herself - in front of a gym full of kids - she's back at high school just trying to make it through each day. That is, until the arrival of KC Romance, the kind of girl who doesn't exist in Dryfalls, Ohio. A girl who is one hundred and ninety-nine percent wow! A girl who never sees her as Fat Angie, and who knows too well that the package doesn't always match what's inside. Usually read by students in years 9, 10 and above.

Brad teaches disabled Matt how to surf and finds himself in a life-threatening situation.

Chloe Snow is back again, this time in year 10. Her life is just as awkward and disorganized as it was last year. Her mother has run off to Mexico to write a novel and her dad is dating her English teacher. On top of all this, Chloe has missed out on both a date with the boy she has a crush on and a major part in the school musical. Through her diary entries we get a glimpse into her mind and how she deals with the challenges of being a teenager.

Theo Brain is the world's youngest super sleuth and he is on the trail of a missing truck driver who has driven into a mountain tunnel and completely disappeared. Theo lives in Switzerland where holes are going missing from the cheese and cows are starting to fly. Strange creatures appear from alternative universes and Theo is forced to intervene to stop a total outbreak of silliness.

Rey Tanic is not like other 14 year olds. His dad is a mafia boss. His dad also in jail. When Rey's life explodes, every decision he makes will shape the rest of his life. How far does the apple really fall from the tree?

What happens when you mix teenage boys, a fight club and ethnic rivalries? You get war. Romeo Makhlouf knows the rules. Stick with your own kind. Don't dob on your mates or your enemies. Respect the family. But even unwritten rules are made for breaking. Usually read by students in Years 9, 10 or above.

Imagine a world without wi-fi or clothes lines or lawnmowers or Vegemite or dual-flush toilets or even mousetraps. Weird, huh? These are just a few of the many inventions that have been created by clever Australians to solve some of life's difficult problems. Suitable for Stage 2 and Stage 3.

Australian poets have a wonderful way with words and their poems bring to life the iconic Aussie characters and unforgettable landscapes that are part of our Australian heritage. This is a collection of ballads and poems by some familiar, and not so familiar, poets, accompanied by attractive pen and ink sketches. Includes an index of poets and first lines, as well as interesting notes about the writers.

Eleven-year-old Alex wants to launch his iPod into space, so that other life forms will know, from his audio recordings, what life on Earth is really like. With a troubled home life and lots of questions about family and the meaning of life, Alex sets out on a remarkable road trip to find the answers he is searching for. From Colorado to New Mexico, Las Vegas to LA, Alex meets a host of new friends who help him answer the big questions. Questions like who is out there, where do I come from, and how can I be brave. Life for Alex will never be the same.Usually read by students in Years 9, 10 or above.

During China's 'Great Leap Forward', Ming survived the famine that killed his parents. He now lives a hard but adequate life, working in the fields. As part of a Communist Party re-education program, a group of city boys arrives, unused to hard labour and village life. Despite his reservations and their differences, Ming befriends a boy called Li and, slowly, they form a bond over evening swims and shared dreams. As the bitterness of life under the Party begins to take its toll, Ming and Li begin to imagine the impossible, freedom.

Shaozhen has no intention of staying in his remote and poor village in Henan and becoming a poor farmer. But when the worst drought in over sixty years threatens the entire village, he realises he must come up with a plan. And better yet, he needs the people of the village to support his plan if it is going to succeed!

Anna Chiu has her hands pretty full looking after her brother and sister and helping out at her dad's restaurant, all while her mum stays in bed. Dad's new delivery boy, Rory, is a welcome distraction and even though she knows that things aren't right at home, she's starting to feel like she could just be a normal teen. But when Mum finally gets out of bed, things go from bad to worse. And as Mum's condition worsens, Anna and her family question everything they understand about themselves and each other. A nourishing tale about the crevices of culture, mental wellness and family.

Paris, 1889: The world is on the cusp of industry and power, and the Exposition Universelle has breathed new life into the streets and dredged up ancient secrets. In this city, no one keeps tabs on secrets better than treasure-hunter and wealthy hotelier, Severin Montagnet-Alarie. But when the all-powerful society, the Order of Babel, seeks him out for help, Severin is offered a treasure that he never imagined: his true inheritance. To find the ancient artifact the Order seeks, Severin will need help from a band of experts: an engineer with a debt to pay, a historian who can't yet go home, a dancer with a sinister past and a brother in all but blood, who might care too much. Together, they'll have to use their wits and knowledge to hunt the artefact through the dark and glittering heart of Paris. What they find might change the world, but only if they can stay alive.

Moose Flanagan lives with his family on Alcatraz, a high security prison housing the notorious Al Capone, in the 1930s. His friend's plan to make money out of this backfires with serious consequences. Usually read by students in Years 9, 10 and above.

Matthew (Moose) Flanagan lives on the island of Alcatraz. His father is one of the guards. His older sister, Natalie, is autistic and, in an effort to protect her, Moose now owes prisoner 85, Al Capone, who has managed to secure her a place at a special school. The price Moose might have to pay reveals itself quite spectacularly.

A Magical story about a brave young chimney sweep and a majestic tiger. A story about a mesmerising ruby and a magical land across an ocean. A story about discovering your destiny and what it means to be free.

Stick lives in the city of London with his other gutterling friends, performing on the streets for food and money. When children start disappearing, including some of Stick's friends, he starts to investigate. Unexpectedly, this leads him to discover a grumpy dragon trapped in a tunnel underneath London. Will helping her escape and find a new home cause him to disappear, too? Or can the dragon help him to find his friends?

Since Ava lost Kelly, things haven't been going so well. Even before she gets thrown out of school for shouting at the principal, there's the simmering rage and all the weird destructive choices. The only thing going right for Ava is her job at Magic Kebab. Which is where she meets Gideon. Skinny, shy, anxious Gideon. A mad poet and collector of vinyl records with an aversion to social media. He lives in his head. She lives in her grief. The only people who can help them move on with their lives are each other. Usually read by students in Years 9, 10 or above.

Poirot, the Belgian detective, again finds himself plunged into a world of intrigue when an uninvited stranger, coated in dust from head to foot and with a gaunt face, stands staring at him and then collapses in his doorway. Poirot must uncover the truth and solve the mystery of the piece of paper the stranger clutched with figure 4s scribbled over it. Beautifully illustrated by Alain Paillou.

Poirot, the amazing Belgian detective, is on vacation. But, some dirty business finds him as he falls foul of a murder on a Nile River steamer, followed quickly by two obviously connected murders. An elegant setting for a very sophisticated group of players, with an ingenious plot and some clever deduction on the part of our hero. Plus, a little romance on the side for glamour. Beautifully illustrated by Frank Leclercq.

The gothic tale of Michael Rogers, likeable, charming and unable to settle, who secretly marries a young, American heiress, Ellie. Together, they build Michael's modern and exotic dream house but evil encroaches on their isolated paradise. There may be supernatural forces at work or it may be Michael's paranoia, but it is a dark and scary tale. Beautifully Illustrated by Frank Leclercq.

Colonel Protheroe, the much-loathed magistrate of St Mary Mead, has been found shot through the head. It isn't his murder that raises eyebrows, it's the scandalous secrets his death exposes. Miss Marple has her work cut out to find the right trail to the killer who obviously has something to hide. Beautifully illustrated by Norma.

When the wife of the expedition leader of a large archaeological dig in Mesopotamia starts receiving letters from her dead husband, she is terrified. When she turns up dead in a room that nobody could have entered, it is up to Hercule Poirot, the famous Belgian detective, and the nurse to find the answer. Beautifully illustrated by Chandre.

The murder of a wealthy widow in a small English village leads Hercule Poirot into a strange mystery involving a determined, curious spinster, the local doctor and a wide range of suspects. All have possible motives and mysterious, sinister relationships. Beautifully illustrated by Bruno Lachard.

By the time Hercule Poirot, the famous Belgian detective, receives Monsieur Renauld's urgent plea, the millionaire has been stabbed to death and is lying in a newly dug grave on the golf links adjoining his estate. The suspects are many - the ignored wife, the embittered son and the demanding mistress. The police think they have the culprit but Poirot begs to differ. Beautifully illustrated by Marc Piskic.

Aboard the luxurious Blue Train running from London to the Riviera, a pampered millionaire's daughter, Ruth Kettering, is found murdered and her expensive jewels stolen. There is talk of the infamous jewel thief, the Marquis, but Poirot's suspicion falls closer to home and Ruth's unhappy marriage. The Belgian detective is not to be trifled with. Beautifully illustrated by Marc Piskic.

Wealthy Rachel Armstrong was struck on the back of the head by a heavy, iron poker and died instantly. Everything points to her estranged, adopted son, Jacko. His alibi that he was picked up by a stranger cannot be confirmed. Jacko is sentenced and dies in prison. But, one day, the stranger returns and the case is reopened because Jacko couldn't have done it. Beautifully illustrated by Chandre.

Meet Tommy and Tuppence, two likeable 1920s' upper class detectives, in their globetrotting quest to locate their missing client and some very important papers. This is a devious plot that goes back to the sinking of the Lusitania. The story includes international intrigue, secret treaties, disguises and blackmail. Beautifully illustrated by Frank Leclercq.

Anthony Cade is looking for adventure and a bit of quick cash. The good-natured drifter accepts a messenger job from an old friend. It sounds perfectly simple to deliver the provocative memoirs of a recently deceased European count but the murder of someone shadowing Anthony leads to the discovery of dark deeds and terrible secrets at Chimneys, a rambling estate. Beautifully illustrated by Laurence Suhner.

The Crooked place is Creije, a city built on the black market trade of magic, where buskers sell their charms and potions to customers yearning for the true magic that no longer exists because of the murder of Crafters. Tavia is one such busker, and along with Wesley, second only to the Kingpin, they must save their city from a sinister magic that has hit the streets. They team up with two other crooks, Karam and Saxony, and together they must defeat the Kingpin who will plunge their city into chaos and darkness. And perhaps new magic exists after all, perhaps Crafters are closer than they think.

Will, Beanpole and Henry have managed to escape the Tripods. But, instead of living in safety, in the small community of free people, they have chosen to embark upon a mission that may cost them their lives.

Will must fight the Tripods who have dominated and ruled humanity for many years.

Luke does not adequately anticipate the future changes to his primitive society.

Any three titles read from this series can be included as official Challenge books; up to five more titles can be included as your personal choice books. To see the individual book titles and their PRC ID numbers, go to the Series lists on the Booklists page, on the website. Or, you can search for a series name or the individual titles by using the Search function on the top left hand corner of the screen.

When Switzerland falls under the Tripods' spell, Laurie, accompanied by two other boys, flees with his family to a remote spot in the Alps. The small band resolves to devote their lives to fighting the Tripods

An adventure story which reflects on free will when alien machines try to rule.

One cold, winter morning, dad gets sick and goes into hospital. It's there that I meet Harry, with his scruffy hair and firefly eyes. From his window, we watch a wild swan on the frozen lake outside. There's something different about her, almost magical. Perhaps, if we can help her, everything else will begin to make sense.

Emily's dad is accused of killing a teenage girl in the woods. He has admitted to manslaughter, believing he was in a flashback from his army days. Emily is convinced of his innocence as she tries to untangle the events of that night. Things become even more uncertain when she comes into contact with Damon, the boyfriend of the dead girl. What really had been happening in the woods at night, what dangerous games had they been playing? Usually read by students in years 9, 10 and above.

Twenty short stories that tell the story of Mana, a young Walmajarri girl growing up in the Great Sandy Desert. The harshness of the landscape, the importance of water, how hunting was carried out, the complexity of family relationships and the obligations of kinship are captured at a time before European settlement dramatically changed the traditional way of life. Includes a Walmajarri pronunciation guide and language glossary.

When Tea accidentally resurrects her brother from the dead, she learns she is different from the other witches in her family. Her gift for necromancy means that she's a bone witch. She puts all her energy into becoming an asha. But dark forces are encroaching, and in the face of danger, Tea will have to make a difficult choice about how to use her power.

Tea, a bone witch who can resurrect the dead, is done with her self-imposed exile. She now possesses all seven bezoars she needs to revive the powerful daeva. With the help of these terrible monsters, she can finally enact her revenge against the royals who wronged her and took the life of her one true love. Alliances and allegiances are shifting, and danger lurks in and out of the kingdom. But Tea's heart is set on vengeance, even if it turns her against her now-estranged brother, who supports her enemies. War is brewing, and when dark magic is at play, no one is safe. Usually read by students in years 9, 10 and above.

Finegan, beloved King of the Leprechauns, decides to venture through the rift caves to assess this dangerous land for himself, where he is taken captive by angry giants

Marisa catches her best friend's boyfriend cheating and, before she knows it, she's got another friend setting up a website for her to catch out love rats for a living. But life starts getting complicated when the boy she is spying on for one friend turns out to be everything she has ever looked for in a guy. To make matters even worse, she is then asked to spy on her ex by his new love interest! How could Marisa ever come out of this unscathed? Usually read by students in years 9, 10, or above.

Clary Fray is dragged deeper into New York's terrifying underworld of werewolves, demons and the mysterious Shadowhunters. Discovering the truth about her past was only the start and now the fate of the world rests on Clary's shoulders. She must master her new-found powers and control her feelings for a boy who can never be more than a friend. Graphic violence relating to humans, vampires and werewolves. Usually read by students in Years 9, 10 or above.

It's after dark in New York and Clary Fray is seeing things. She has witnessed a stabbing but the victim vanishes. Clary discovers she can see supernatural beings that no one else can. She is drawn into an invisible war between ancient forces and the secretive Shadowhunters. She learns that her mother is mysteriously connected to these strange events. Graphic violence relating to humans, vampires and werewolves. Usually read by students in Years 9, 10 or above.

Simon is having trouble adjusting to his new life as a vampire, especially now that he hardly sees Clary, who is caught up in training to be a Shadowhunter. Simon decides he needs a break and heads out of the city, only to discover that sinister events are following him. Realising that the war they thought they'd won might not yet be over, Simon has to call on his Shadowhunter friends to save the day. Usually read by students in Years 9, 10 or above.

Amid the chaos of war, the Shadowhunters must decide whether to fight with or against the vampires, werewolves and other Downworlders. Jace and Clary's feelings have deepened and they must decide whether to pursue the love that they know is forbidden. Includes graphic violence relating to humans, vampires and werewolves. Usually read by students in Years 9, 10 or above.

Sebastian Morgenstern is on the move, systematically turning Shadowhunter against Shadowhunter. Bearing the Infernal Cup, he transforms Shadowhunters into creatures out of nightmare, tearing apart families and lovers as the ranks of his Endarkened army swell. The embattled Shadowhunters withdraw to Idris - but not even the famed demon towers of Alicante can keep Sebastian at bay. And with the Nephilim trapped in Idris, who will guard the world against demons? When one of the greatest betrayals the Nephilim have ever known is revealed, Clary, Jace, Isabelle, Simon, and Alec must flee - even if their journey takes them deep into the demon realms, where no Shadowhunter has set foot before, and from which no human being has ever returned... Usually read by students in years 9, 10 and above.

What price is too high to pay, even for love? When Jace and Clary meet again, Clary is horrified to discover that the demon Lilith's magic has bound her beloved Jace together with her evil brother Sebastian, and that Jace has become a servant of evil. The Clave is out to destroy Sebastian, but there is no way to harm one boy without destroying the other. As Alec, Magnus, Simon, and Isabelle wheedle and bargain with Seelies, demons, and the merciless Iron Sisters to try to save Jace, Clary plays a dangerous game of her own. The price of losing is not just her own life, but Jace's soul. Shea is willing to do anything for Jace, but can she still trust him? Or is he truly lost? Usually read by students in years 9, 10 and above.

Miss Tessa Gray, tricked into the clutches of the Dark Sisters preparing her for an evil destiny with The Magister, begins a nightmarish adventure as she tries to rescue her weak brother, Nate. Set in a 19th century London world of vampires, warlocks, shadowhunters and terror, where nothing is as it seems. Usually read by students in years 9, 10 and above.

In the magical underworld of Victorian London, Tessa Gray has at last found safety with the Shadowhunters. But that safety proves fleeting when rogue forces in the Clave plot to see her protector, Charlotte, replaced as head of the Institute. If Charlotte loses her position, Tessa will be out on the street, and easy prey for the mysterious Magister, who wants to use Tessa's powers for his own dark ends. With the help of the handsome, self-destructive Will and the fiercely devoted Jem, Tessa discovers that the Magister's war on the Shadowhunters is deeply personal. He blames them for a long-ago tragedy that shattered his life. To unravel the secrets of the past, the trio journeys from mist-shrouded Yorkshire to a manor house that holds untold horrors, from the slums of London to an enchanted ballroom where Tessa discovers that the truth of her parentage is more sinister than she had imagined. Usually read by students in years 9, 10 and above.

A net of shadows begins to tighten around the Shadowhunters of the London Institute. Mortmain plans to use his Infernal Devices, an army of pitiless automatons, to destroy the Shadowhunters. He needs only one last item to complete his plan: he needs Tessa Gray. Charlotte Branwell, head of the London Institute, is desperate to find Mortmain before he strikes. But when Mortmain abducts Tessa, the boys who lay equal claim to her heart, Will and Jem, will do anything to save her. As those who love Tessa rally to rescue her from Mortmain's clutches, Tessa realizes that the only person who can save her is herself. But can a single girl, even one who can command the power of angels, face down an entire army? The tangled threads of love and loss intertwine as the Shadowhunters are pushed to the very brink of destruction in the breathtaking conclusion to the Infernal Devices trilogy. Usually read by students in years 9, 10 and above.

Any three titles read from this series can be included as official Challenge books; up to five more titles can be included as your personal choice books. To see the individual book titles and their PRC ID numbers, go to the Series lists on the Booklists page, on the website. Or, you can search for a series name or the individual titles by using the Search function on the top left hand corner of the screen.

Any three titles read from this series can be included as official Challenge books; up to five more titles can be included as your personal choice books. To see the individual book titles and their PRC ID numbers, go to the Series lists on the Booklists page, on the website. Or, you can search for a series name or the individual titles by using the Search function on the top left hand corner of the screen.

A story about the relationships between young people and their parents in a seaside community. It's about starting high school, first love and difficult sisters.

Set inside a virtual internet world, two friends attempt to save earth's internet from evil.

An anthology of poems that creates the story of a farm boy and the journey he experiences leading up to the selling of the farm.

When the sky pirates begin flying over the city, Kiall has an idea. If he can get on a pirate ship and sneak through the caves, he might be able to steal gold from the pirates.

Dawn knows that she is not popular at school and is not a style queen. While she acknowledges that style queens are the popular ones at school, she has nothing in common with them. Dawn is having problems dealing with things at home too and wonders how she'll be able to sort out her problems.

A witty and dry account of a teenage boy's struggle to get by in his teenage years and his quest for normalcy. Usually read by students in Years 9, 10 or above.

Lily, the sensible one in her family, wants to be like other teenagers, fall in love and not be responsible for everyone. She wants to bring her freakish family together for just one whole and perfect day.

Follow the lives of two school friends who choose to follow different paths through life. The story begins in rural Australia in 1959 and moves into the past and the future. Ruth's undeclared love for an elusive and mysterious boy shapes her entire lifetime. Usually read by students in Years 9, 10 or above.

Find out the real-life stories of the bright sparks behind dozens of ideas and inventions. Includes a glossary of terms and a timeline.

Camellia Beauregard is a Belle. In the opulent world of Orleans, Belles are revered, for they control Beauty, and Beauty is a commodity coveted above all else. In Orleans, the people are born gray, they are born damned, and only with the help of a Belle and her talents can they transform and be made beautiful. But it's not enough for Camellia to be just a Belle. She wants to be the favourite, the Belle chosen by the Queen of Orleans to live in the royal palace, to tend to the royal family and their court, to be recognised as the most talented Belle in the land. But once Camellia and her Belle sisters arrive at court, it becomes clear that being the favourite is not everything she always dreamed it would be. Behind the gilded palace walls live dark secrets, and Camellia soon learns that the very essence of her existence is a lie, that her powers are far greater, and could be more dangerous, than she ever imagined.

It's 2044, and the world has become an ugly place. We're out of oil. We've wrecked the climate. Famine, poverty, and disease are widespread. Wade Watts escapes this depressing reality by spending his waking hours jacked into the OASIS, a sprawling virtual utopia where you can be anything you want to be. And like most of humanity, Wade is obsessed by the ultimate lottery ticket that lies concealed within this alternate reality- OASIS founder James Halliday, who dies with no heir, has promised that control of the OASIS will go to the person who can solve the riddles he has left scattered throughout it. For years, millions have struggled to attain this prize. And then Wade stumbles onto the key to the first puzzle. Suddenly, he finds himself pitted against thousands of competitors in a desperate race to claim the ultimate prize, a chase that soon takes on terrifying real-world dimensions. Usually read by students in years 9, 10 and above.

Eleven year old Malaak is a Palestinian living in Gaza. She endures the hardships of living in an occupied territory, with soldiers and dangers ever present. Her father has disappeared and her mother raises the family, and keeps their Islamic faith. Malaak has a tame dove which helps her to deal with her sadness. Hamid, her brother, has his own, dangerous way to cope with repression and uncertainty.

Step back to a time when giant goannas and marsupial lions stalked the Australian bush. Imagine herds of two-tonne animals roaming the plains and flocks of flightless ducks, bigger than emus, striding across the shallow, inland sea. This book reveals an Australia when humans shared the land with giants.

Plantastic! presents 26 of Australia's most unique and incredible native plants. Discover and identify native plants found in your local park, bushland or even your own backyard. With its perfect balance of fun facts, activities, adventurous ideas and gorgeous illustrations Plastic! will prove just how fantastic Australia's native plants really are.

Henrietta can burst into flames. Forced to reveal her power to save a friend, she's shocked when, instead of being executed, she's invited to train as one of Her Majesty's royal sorcerers. Thrust into the glamour of Victorian London, Henrietta is declared the girl who will defeat the Ancients, bloodthirsty demons terrorising humanity. Her fellow trainees are handsome young men, eager to test her power and her heart. One will challenge her. One will fight for her. One will betray her. But Henrietta Howel is not the chosen one. As she plays a dangerous game of deception, she discovers the sorcerers have their own secrets to protect. With battle looming, how much will she risk to save the city - and the one she loves?

In the aftermath of the bombing of Hiroshima, Sadako's dying wish is to make one thousand paper cranes in accordance with the Japanese legend that says that the gods will grant the maker's wish to be well again.

For eighteen years, the world has been divided into the magically Gifted and the non-magical Ashkind. Rose Elmsworth's identity is far more dangerous. At fifteen, she has earned herself a place alongside her father in the Department, a brutal law-enforcement organisation, run by the Gifted to control the Ashkind. But, an old enemy is threatening to start a catastrophic war and Rose faces a challenging choice and a test of her loyalties. Usually read by students in Years 9, 10 or above.

Lily's family life is in turmoil. Her uncertainty regarding her developing relationship with Dash, concerns about her infirm grandfather, her brother's homosexuality and a possible move away from New York all combine, causing Lily to give up on Christmas, usually her favourite time of year. No matter how hard Dash tries their relationship seems to be disintegrating. With a crisis of confidence Lily sees only one course of action left to her. Usually read by students in years 9, 10 and above.

We all make decisions every day that shape the lives we lead. In times of war, decision-making can take on a greater significance. Many Australians over the past century of service have demonstrated leadership with the decisions they have made.

Conor Broekhart was born to fly. In an age when many dreamed of flying, it became his destiny. When a cruel and cunning betrayal destroys his family, Conor must win the race for flight to save his family and right a terrible wrong.

Villainous twelve year old, Artemis Fowl, holds a leprechaun to ransom and gets more than he bargained for.

Artemis has frequently used high-tech fairy magic to mastermind the most devious criminal activity of the new century. Now, at a conference in Iceland, Artemis has gathered the fairies to present his latest idea to save the world from global warming. But Artemis is behaving strangely - he seems different. Something terrible has happened to him.

Is this armageddon time for artemis fowl . . . Opal Koboi, power-crazed pixie, is plotting to exterminate mankind and become fairy queen. If she succeeds, the spirits of long-dead fairy warriors will rise from the earth, inhabit the nearest available bodies and wreak mass destruction. But what happens if those nearest bodies include crows, or deer, or badgers - or two curious little boys by the names of Myles and Beckett Fowl? Yes, it's true. Criminal mastermind Artemis Fowl's four-year-old brothers could be involved in destroying the human race. Can Artemis and Captain Holly Short of the Lower Elements Police stop Opal and prevent the end of the world?

From an island stuck in time comes an army of vindictive imps bent on destroying humans. Teenage genius, Artemis Fowl, must stop the demons who have sworn revenge on humans. He uses his wit and sarcasm in this tale of murder and deceit.

Artemis Fowl, that magnet for trouble, with fairy ally, Captain Holly Short, by his side must successfully complete this mission to save his gravely ill mother. He must travel back through time and steal the cure from the clutches of a young criminal mastermind, Artemis Fowl. It will take all Artemis' ingenuity to foil himself.

In this sequel, Artemus embarks on a daring plan to fight the Lower Elements and to rescue his father.

Artemis promises his father that he'll stop his law-breaking ways but he is up for one last, tiny crime. Unfortunately, Artemis doesn't count on the operation being a total failure. Artemis is set up and forced to enlist the help of his faerie friends.

Opal Koboi, pixie and archenemy of the fairies, is under close surveillance lying in a coma. This is just a treacherous plot and Artemis Fowl, the brilliant criminal mastermind, although now devoid of faerie knowledge, must save the day.

Benny and Babe are unlikely friends who decide to go into business together, but they need to avoid the bullying of Furty Howlin. Their business of scavenging fishing tackle leads to a very dangerous encounter.

Cosmo is a fourteen year old boy of the third millennium living in an institute for parentally challenged boys. There are only three ways out and Cosmo is running out of time. But, rescue by a motley crew of kids presents new dangers. Usually read by students in Years 9, 10 and above.

Any three titles read from this series can be included as official Challenge books; up to five more titles can be included as your personal choice books. To see the individual book titles and their PRC ID numbers, go to the Series lists on the Booklists page, on the website. Or, you can search for a series name or the individual titles by using the Search function on the top left hand corner of the screen.

Unless FBI agent Chevie can return to nineteenth-century London and change the course of history, millions will die. With the help of Riley, the boy magician, they battle two crazed villains, who have brought the military technology of the future back in time, with potentially disastrous consequences.

FBI agent, Chevie Savano, is determined to help her friend, Riley, find his long-lost brother. But, the WARP wormhole has other ideas. Pulled two centuries into the past, Chevie and Riley are in the besieged town of Mandrake, whose only protector, the Witchfinder, has a hidden past and deadly powers. With Chevie branded a witch, to be burned at the stake, Riley must thwart the Witchfinder's plans before he destroys them all.

The FBI and WARP (Witness Anonymous Relocation Programme) hide witnesses in the past to protect the future. Riley is a Victorian orphan, hurtled into the twenty-first century and on the run from his evil master, Albert Garrick, the terrifying assassin-for-hire, pursuing Riley through time. As Garrick hunts them down, Riley and FBI agent Chevie, face a race to stay alive and stop Garrick from returning to his own time.

Meg Finn is in a tough spot. In her last act on Earth, she committed a crime and died. With an even tally of good and evil deeds, Meg's spirit is stuck in limbo. For salvation, she must return to Earth and do more good deeds. Satan has other plans. Usually read by students in Years 9, 10 or above.

Ebo: alone. His sister left months ago. Now his brother has disappeared too, and Ebo knows it can only be to make the hazardous journey to Europe. Ebo's epic journey takes him across the Sahara Desert to the dangerous streets of Tripoli, and finally out to the merciless sea. But with every step he holds on to his hope for a new life, and a reunion with his sister.

Artemis Fowl has always resented going to school, preferring instead to plot his next crime. So when the young criminal genius learns that his father is being held prisoner by the Russian Mafiya, he cuts class and braves the sub-zero temperatures of the Arctic Circle to rescue him.

Artemis Fowl is going straight...as soon as he pulls off the most brilliant criminal feat of his career. But his last job plan goes awry, leaving his loyal bodyguard, Butler, mortally injured. Artemis's only hope of saving his friend is to enlist the help of his old rival, Captain Holly Short of the LEPrecon fairy police. It is going to take a miracle to save Butler, and Artemis's luck may have just run out.

For the first time, rabid fans will be able to see what Foaly's tin hat looks like; discover just how "Beet" Root got his name; and of course, follow their favorite criminal mastermind as he plots and connives in action-packed, full-color panels.

Evil pixie, Opal Koboi, is back and she's more dangerous than ever. This time she doesn't just want power over the fairy People - this time she wants the humans too. Captain Holly Short is the only fairy with a hope of stopping her, but as Holly knows, it takes one genius criminal mastermind to fight another. But the 14-year-old genius that Holly is thinking of doesn't even remember that fairies exist. How is she going to convince Artemis Fowl to help her stop Opal? Gold usually does the trick, and this time is should be no different. Or is Artemis changing?

Mia is an ordinary Tiwi girl living at Purnalli outstation with her family - her little tribe. When she tries to fit in with the wrong kids at school, she ends up suspended. Mia's nanna helps her see how to choose what's best for her future. What will the future bring for Mia?

With a third of Australians born and around half with one parent born overseas, migration stories are a crucial part of our national experience. In her verse novel, Ask No Questions, Eva Collins writes spare affecting lines about her own experience as a teenager when her parents decided to emigrate from Poland to Australia. She captures the loss and gain, grief and celebration with great poignancy. Simply written but deeply moving, Ask No Questions is accessible poetry that is particularly suited for young adult readers.

Hero Rad is still very immature and finds himself kidnapped and sold into slavery. Quentaris is invaded and nearly all of the citizens are forced to wear slave neck collars.

Thieves' Guild apprentice, Crocodile Sal, hadn't reckoned on royal and political intrigue, assassins, shape-shifters, betrayal, kidnapping gypsies, rift-world travel, trolls and murderous swamp creatures. She wonders what else can go wrong.

In a galaxy of cutthroat companies, shadowy clans and hidden agendas, spy agency RIM barely wields enough control to keep order. Maximus Black, a cold-blooded killer, is RIM's star cadet but he has a problem. Someone is after him. One of RIM's best agents, Anneke Longshadow, knows there's a mole in the organisation. And, Maximus has a lot to hide. Includes violence and murder. Usually read by students in Years 9, 10 or above.

Tamaika undergoes a mysterious change after reading an ancient book. She uses her powers to fight the shadow monster who changes people into stone.

Yukin is captured by slaves and taken to Quentaris. He discovers that he has a power which he eventually uses to great effect.

This book leads you on a wild adventure when Quentaris, a replica of a city from the early 1300s, is lifted from its bedrock by the Spell of Undoing. A saboteur gets the spell wrong and, instead of unravelling the city's prosperity, it lifts the entire city, throws it into a vortex and hurls it through the rift maze and into another world.

Rad is a street lad who yearns to belong to the Thieves' Guild. More than anything he would love to be a guide to heroes journeying to the rift caves but he knows this is well beyond his capabilities. It's while Rad is watching out for the infamous skycrawlers that his chance to become anything he wants is offered to him.

Quentaris is once more under attack, this time from creatures who stalk their victims at night. With the main army away fighting the Zolka, Quentaris is vulnerable, it's fate left in the hands of Rad de La'rel.

An assortment of short stories and poems from 50 Australian authors, poets and illustrators. The contents are sorted by genre so, as the mood takes you, dip into adventure, horror, romance, crime, thriller, fantasy, science fiction, humour, historical or poetry. Try something new and discover an author, poet or writing style that you may not have considered before.

Coriolanus Snow from the once powerful and revered family is a poverty stricken and starved college student about to graduate. He has one shot to earn his way into university - win the Hunger Games! He's been given the lowliest tribute from the lowliest district to mentor and try to have survive the games. She needs to kill all 23 other contestants to be the Victor. Triumph means a shot at recovering the Snow legacy and building towards a powerful career, failure is unthinkable. And now Coriolanus is falling for his tribute. What extremes is Coriolanus Snow prepared to go to for his triumph and what price is he prepared to pay. Usually read by students in years 9, 10 and above.

Any three titles read from this series can be included as official Challenge books; up to five more titles can be included as your personal choice books. To see the individual book titles and their PRC ID numbers, go to the Series lists on the Booklists page, on the website. Or, you can search for a series name or the individual titles by using the Search function on the top left hand corner of the screen.

A terrifying reality TV show selects twelve boys and twelve girls, forcing them to compete live. There is only one rule, kill or be killed. Katniss is horrified when her younger, gentle sister is selected and volunteers in her place. She faces violent events that she does not believe she can survive. Includes cruelty and violence. Usually read by students in Years 9, 10 and above.

Katniss Everdeen has survived the Hunger Games, a terrifying fatal reality TV show. However, the Capitol want revenge for her trickery and change the rules so that she must compete for a second time. There will be twice as many opponents, all having won past games. Includes cruelty, violence and adult themes. Usually read by students in Years 9, 10 and above.

Katniss Everdeen has survived the deadly arena of the Hunger Games but, in retaliation for her rescue, President Snow has ordered the destruction of District 12. A new and deadly battle has begun. Some violent scenes are graphically described, requiring more mature readers. Usually read by students in Years 9, 10 and above.

Xander Maze loves lists and his grandmother is #1 on his list of People I Love Most in the World. But now that nanna has stage 4 cancer, can a new list of 100 Remarkable Feats really save her life? Particularly when his list contains difficult things like #2 Make a Friend and #3 Make a Best Friend. A funny and moving book about defying the odds, not accepting the unacceptable and one boy's unconditional love for his nanna. Usually read by students in years 9, 10 and above.

Ling lived a comfortable life with her parents until Comrade Li moved into their apartment. Her life changed dramatically at home and at school, and Ling soon feared for the lives of her family and friends. She endured extreme hardship just to survive, as she struggled to understand the Chinese cultural revolution. Her love for Chairman Mao and his teaching was tested to the limit.

Charlie has always lived in Little Town. It's home: the curfew, the Regime, the thugs, the poverty. He knows the rules. Then he meets Pavel. Scrawny and sweary, he is a refugee from Old Country. The wrongest person in the whole place to choose as a friend. But when the bombs come, the rules of Little Town change. Right or wrong: Charlie must choose. Usually read by students in Years 9, 10 or above.

Cassia believes that Society provides only the best for its citizens. Everything and everyone is regulated, allocated and sharing is not permitted. Cassia is seventeen and excited about attending her Match Banquet, where she will learn the identity of her perfect Match. But, Cassia falls in love with another and is determined to make her own choices.

School is over forever and Tiff is hoping her work experience will lead to a job. Driving lessons aren't going too well, Reggie is sick and her best friend has some big news. All of this at the same time as a boy is actually wanting to get to know the real Tiff. Some adult concepts. Usually read by students in Years 9, 10 or above.

Ireland in the 1840s is devastated by famine. Three children are left to fend for themselves when tragedy strikes their family. They must find their great aunts.

A WWII Japanese airman in the two greatest battles fought on Australian soil, shamed by his capture, faces a dilemma - uphold the honour of his family or risk the life of his young wife? Duty is heavy as a mountain, death as light as a feather. He conceals his true name to protect his family. Suicide is a possibility, but he's drawn away from his military indoctrination by experiences with ordinary Australians, drawn towards living out his own individuality. But the young bride he left behind had vowed she would kill herself if he died. He could write to tell her he lives, but would that reveal his cowardice, shame his family? A tale of the Australian WWII experience, seen through the eyes of this deeply troubled man.

To find freedom, you must leave behind everything you've ever known. It is 1825. You and Ma have survived on the streets of London ever since the soldiers took Da away and you fled Ireland. Now, with Ma gone too, you find yourself facing life-and-death choices at every turn. Can you carry a secret treasure across the ocean and finally be reunited with Da? You'll be asked to betray your friends, survive storms at sea and attacks by bushrangers, and trust thieves. At every turn, the choice is yours. How far will you go for freedom?

To find freedom, you must leave behind everything you've ever known. It is 2011. You want nothing more than to be a journalist in Somalia like your aunty. But the truth can be dangerous - and when you and your little sister are left alone, you find yourself facing life-and-death choices at every turn. Can you escape a terrorist organisation and find a safe place to call home? You'll be asked to cross a desert on foot, hide below deck in a leaky boat, and put your life in the hands of people smugglers. At every turn, the choice is yours. How far will you go for freedom?

Any five titles read from this series can be included as official Challenge books; up to five more titles can be included as your personal choice books. To see the individual book titles and their PRC ID numbers, go to the Series lists on the Booklists page, on the website. Or, you can search for a series name or the individual titles by using the Search function on the top of the screen.

When twelve-year-old Clancy and her fourteen-year-old sister, Tash, kidnap their grandfather from his aged-care home, it's almost by accident. But they soon set out on an intrepid adventure, in search of a better place for Pa to live. Along the way they face many challenges, and Clancy becomes increasingly sure that their journey is being guided. Is the ghost of their grandmother accompanying them on their quest?

For 16 year old Julie these Christmas holidays become life changing. Her parents separated when she was three and she is meeting her father, a pilot in New Guinea, for the first time since then. In addition, spending time away from her mother is something Julie is looking forward to - a time to decide her own path.

An unconscious stranger, possessing his own magical chantments, has infiltrated Antaris. He throws Calwyn's world into chaos, leading her on a journey of discovery in this fantasy saga set in extraordinary lands. Usually read by students in Years 9, 10 or above.

Tansy is a laundry-maid with a fear of the dark. Skir is a Priest-King who lacks the powers he's supposed to have and Perrin is a swordsman with a gift that gives him power over animals. They become unlikely travelling companions, on the run. Usually read by students in Years 9, 10 or above.

When Calwyn learns that Darrow has been infected, she begins a desperate race through the frozen forests. She must find the answers in time to heal him and have the courage to embrace the dark magic to save Tremaris. Usually read by students in Years 9, 10 and above.

Calwyn, the chantress from 'The singer of all songs', and her friends travel the vast, unforgiving deserts of Merithuros to search the Palace of Cobwebs for enchantment. It will take all their ingenuity and magic to escape the Empire's dreadful secret. Usually read by students in years 9, 10 and above.

Katy Carr is untidy, tall and gangling, planning for the day when she will be beautiful and beloved. She is also very disobedient resulting in a terrible accident that threatens her daydreams and hopes for the future. Katy courageously overcomes her difficulties.

Sophie, the diarist, is sixteen and lives in a crumbling castle on the tiny island kingdom of Montmaray with her tomboy sister, her nearly perfect cousin and the completely mad King. She loves it. The war woes of Europe rage about them, sometimes terrifyingly touching their lives, as they struggle to survive. With love interests, humour, suspense and secrets. Usually read by students in Years 9,10 or above.

A mysterious bequest sends Rosy and Jaz on a race against time to identify thirteen strange and wonderful objects - which turn out to tell the story of medicine, from the superstitions of ancient Egypt to the modern-day ethical dilemmas of genetic testing. Can unicorns cure leprosy? What secrets of the brain did Michelangelo conceal in his Sistine Chapel paintings? Did a zombie discover the cure for scurvy? Does homeopathy actually work? Why did an Australian scientist decide to drink dangerous bacteria? Is grapefruit evil? Did the bumps on Ned Kelly's head predict his fate? And how exactly did parachuting cats save a village from the plague?

When the Nazis attacked, Sophie FitzOsborne and the royal family of Montmaray escaped their remote island home. But, now that war has come to England, nowhere is safe. Sophie fills her journal with tales of wartime, while desperately waiting for news of her brother, last seen flying over enemy territory. But, hope springs up in surprising places, and love blooms unexpectedly.

As nations scramble to avert war, Sophie FitzOsborne and her eccentric family shelter in England. In keeping with high society expectations, Aunt Charlotte wants to marry off Sophie and Veronica. Toby is charming and lazy, Henry is driving the governess mad and Simon and Veronica's battle of wills continues. Sophie tries to keep her family together, when everything is falling apart. Usually read by students in Years 9,10 or above.

Any three titles read from this series can be included as official Challenge books; up to five more titles can be included as your personal choice books. To see the individual book titles and their PRC ID numbers, go to the Series lists on the Booklists page, on the website. Or, you can search for a series name or the individual titles by using the Search function on the top left hand corner of the screen.

Any three titles read from this series can be included as official Challenge books; up to five more titles can be included as your personal choice books. To see the individual book titles and their PRC ID numbers, go to the Series lists on the Booklists page, on the website. Or, you can search for a series name or the individual titles by using the Search function on the top left hand corner of the screen.

Any three titles read from this series can be included as official Challenge books; up to five more titles can be included as your personal choice books. To see the individual book titles and their PRC ID numbers, go to the Series lists on the Booklists page, on the website. Or, you can search for a series name or the individual titles by using the Search function on the top left hand corner of the screen.

The Dark and the Light are ancient enemies. In book two in the series of five, the Dark has chosen this time to begin its ascent.

The Drew children combine with Great-Uncle Merry and Will Stanton to seek the Greenwitch and locate the stolen grail.

Will Stanton, visiting in Wales, is on a desperate quest to find the golden harp and to awaken the ancient Sleepers.

Nat joins a Shakespearean theatre troupe and is transported back in time to Shakespeare's Globe Theatre.

Jane, Barney and Simon have their first journey with Great-Uncle Merry to find the gleaming grail in the battle against the Dark.

Will Stanton discovers that he is the last of the Old Ones, wielders on Earth of the giant powers of good and evil.

What happens when the truth gets lost? Where wild animals and people meet, tragedy can strike. But when a tiny baby is stolen by a dingo, people simply cannot accept such a thing. Prejudice and gossip grip the nation, and the tragedy transforms into a fight for the truth. This is a true Australian story of innocence, ignorance, and the perils of mob thinking.

Running is everything to James who considers winning the only option. However, fierce competition from a new student and the threat of bushfires may help James to see there is more to life than wanting to win.

Diverse stories about family ties and personal experiences, written by Australian and Irish authors. Usually read by students in Years 9, 10 or above.

Lee Raven, boy thief, has stolen something he really didn't mean to. Now he faces a perilous flight through London and the murky sewers below as he tries to escape capture. Lee has stolen the Book of Nebo, a book that has existed for thousands of years and tells every story and legend known to man.

Charlie meets six lions while stowed away on a circus ship bound for Paris on his quest to find his parents. Contains mature themes.

Any three titles read from this series can be included as official Challenge books; up to five more titles can be included as your personal choice books. To see the individual book titles and their PRC ID numbers, go to the Series lists on the Booklists page, on the website. Or, you can search for a series name or the individual titles by using the Search function on the top left hand corner of the screen.

Charlie Ashanti is on the run with six homesick, beautiful lions. He has promised to help the lions find their way back to the circus but Charlie has his own problems. His parents have been kidnapped and Charlie is being hunted by villains.

Charlie has found his parents, but his old enemies are closing in and hunting the Ashanti family. Contains mature themes.

Rossamund has exchanged the dangerous life of a lamplighter for Brandenbrass and an even more dangerous life as factotum to the aristocratic monsterslayer, Europe. He plunges headlong into the life of political manoeuvring, high society parties and well paid monster hunting. But rumours about her newfactotum place Europe in danger, and Rossamund and the Branden Rose face the ultimate battle against their enemies, the black-hearted schemers who would destroy them both.

Rossamund Bookchild is an orphan boy, saddled with a very unfortunate name. He dreams of joining the navy but, come the hiring season, Rossamund is instead offered employment as a lamplighter. Setting off alone, he encounters a variety of colourful characters and learns that the world is more complex and perilous than he was raised to believe. He meets Europe, a well-known fulgar or monster fighter.

Rossamund Bookchild is now a lonely, apprentice lamplighter at Winstermill, half-way through his training. His life is enlivened by the arrival of Threnody, a female wit (a lahzar or monster-hunter) who wants to train as a lamplighter, solely to spite her mother.

Any three titles read from this series can be included as official Challenge books; up to five more titles can be included as your personal choice books. To see the individual book titles and their PRC ID numbers, go to the Series lists on the Booklists page, on the website. Or, you can search for a series name or the individual titles by using the Search function on the top left hand corner of the screen.

An oath, the protagonist that pushes Uhtred of Bebbanburg from his Northumbrian home into the battle between two brothers. When King Edward dies he splits his kingdom between his two heirs. In a land fraught with battles between Saxons, Danes, and now two kings, the kingdom cannot be born without bloodshed and death of one heir.

Catalina Parkes Perez is used to living a normal life. But when her mum becomes Prime Minister her whole life changes. Life at The Lodge means having every moment scheduled and every outfit preapproved. But Cat and her mother disagree on practically everything, especially the government's climate policy. Now someone is trying to sabotage the new PM, putting Cat and everything she loves, in danger. Will she, with the help of some new friends, be able to make things right for her family and the country?

Samira wants to do well, her parents want her to do well, her teachers want her to do well, but the pressure is starting to tell. Can her friends rescue her when it all gets too much? Usually read by students in Years 9, 10 or above.

Alice's parents are having problems and she has the lead in the school play. Can her friends help her to get over her stage fright? Usually read by students in Years 9, 10 or above.

Life's easier when you stay away from other people. Rose Valentine knows that. But some people are impossible to ignore. Take Theo Lockhart, he's handsome, funny and beyond intriguing. He's a mystery; one that Rose dreams of solving. Then one night the mystery deepens. Usually read by students in year 9, 10 and above.

This history of bushranging in Australia gives details about many bushrangers.

Any three titles read from this series can be included as official Challenge books; up to five more titles can be included as your personal choice books. To see the individual book titles and their PRC ID numbers, go to the Series lists on the Booklists page, on the website. Or, you can search for a series name or the individual titles by using the Search function on the top left hand corner of the screen.

Once there was Magic, and the Magic lived in the dark forests. Until the Warriors came. Xar is a Wizard boy who has no Magic, and will do anything to get it. Wish is a Warrior girl, but she owns a banned Magical Object, and she will do anything to conceal it. In this whirlwind adventure, Xar and Wish must forget their differences if they're going to make it to the dungeons at Warrior Fort. Where something that has been sleeping for hundreds of years is stirring...

Wish and Xar are outlaws on the run, hunted by Warriors, Wizards and worst of all by WITCHES ... Can they find the ingredients for the spell to get rid of Witches before the Kingwitch gets his talons on the Magic-that-Works-on-Iron? Their next Quest is the most terrifying and treacherous of all ... and someone is going to betray them. Are you ready to KNOCK THREE TIMES?

The No.1 bestselling series from the author of How to Train Your Dragon. Can Xar and Wish unite their worlds in time to save the Wildwoods? Will it be Never... or Forever? The final book in the magical The Wizards of Once series. Xar and Wish have found the ingredients for the Spell-to-get-rid-of-Witches. Now the Kingwitch is calling them to the lake of the lost. But first they must mix the potion in the Cup of Second Chances ... Can they defeat the hungry Tatzelwerm monster and escape with the cup? And will the spell be strong enough to lift the CURSE OF THE WILDWOODS... or will Witches reign FOREVER?

This was once the story of a young boy Wizard and a young girl Warrior who had been taught since birth to hate each other like poison. But now, the boy Wizard and girl Warrior have been brought together in the Badwoods and they have witnessed the shocking consequences of the Stone That Takes Away Magic. They will need to cast aside their differences once more - for an Evil Spell has broken free. It's up to Xar and Wish to find the ingredients. But it means entering the Druids Castle unannounced.

In New Zealand during World War ll, eleven year old Bert desperately wants the war to continue so that he can join up and use guns. An abandoned derelict bakery becomes a prospective bomb shelter for the family and Bert enjoys his role in setting it up. But, when the shelter becomes home to a deserter, Bert soon learns that the secrets and danger of war don't always stay at the front line.

Jenkin Lloyd is fourteen and about to embark on the adventure of his life when he goes off to war, as an archer, for King Henry V to fight against the 60,000 strong French troups at Agincourt. Jenkin knows there is not much chance of surviving the day.

Not quite the full life story of Elvis Presley, told in chronological order and with humour, including some of his 'lost diary'.

Information about some deadly Australians, that is, some great Indigenous people who are successful, talented, outstanding and cool. They include Bronwyn Bancroft, Fabri Blacklock, Uncle Charles Moran, Darlene Johnson, Jimmy Little, Linda Burney and Charles Davidson who have achieved in art, politics, music and other fields.

When the Rift opens, death follows. For generations, the Rangers of Black Water Island have protected its sacred creatures from the horrors released by the powerful Rift. Cal West, an apprentice Ranger with rare gifts, fights daily to prove he belongs with the other rangers. Meg Archer, an old friend, returns to Black Water Island after nine years only to discover that the Island is facing a new threat that no one is prepared for. Can Meg and Cal fight their darkest fears to save the Island from disaster? Usually read by students in Year 9, 10 & above.

Evie is out of options. She must comply with the Affinity Project and obey their rules, play their deadly games, and give up Jamie. Her losses keep growing. When she decides to help a small group of Shields trying to affect change, Evie finds herself in the firing line. Counsellor Knox is intent on revealing her secrets and shackling her to the Affinity Project for life. To protect her family, Evie must betray those closest to her. Book 3 in the Spark trilogy. Usually read by students in Years 9, 10 or above.

Evie doesn't have a choice. One day, she's an ordinary girl, grieving for her dead mother. The next day, she's a Shield, the result of a decades-old experiment gone wrong, bound by DNA to defend her best friend from an unknown killer. Usually read by students in Years 9, 10 or above.

Any three titles read from this series can be included as official Challenge books; up to five more titles can be included as your personal choice books. To see the individual book titles and their PRC ID numbers, go to the Series lists on the Booklists page, on the website. Or, you can search for a series name or the individual titles by using the Search function on the top left hand corner of the screen.

Evie is a Shield, designed to kill in order to protect, and the Affinity Project have finally come for her. But, Evie isn't ready for the sinister organisation to take control of her life, her body and her mind. She isn't ready to follow their rules about who may live and who must die, not when it condemns the innocent. She has one option. Risk losing everything and everyone, including Jamie, and run. Usually read by students in Years 9, 10 or above.

Describing contemporary artworks and the intentions of the artists. The relevance of these works for today's kids is revealed.

Sal is coping with loss and change and is helped by her unusual friend, Phoebe, and her wise, loving grandparents.

In this story about sailing, Sophie travels from Nova Scotia to England to visit the grandfather that she has never met.

What does a teenage boy do when he has no friends? When everyone who knows him sneers? When he is laughed at to his face? The answer is simple. That boy chooses his own path. That boy makes his own way in life. That boy grows stronger. He finds his secret place and there- alone, in the dark- he grows even stronger. Ben Gardner is such a boy. Ben Gardner could be you...

A new perspective on the ANZAC tradition and the implications of war on different generations.

On the last night of that Three Day Dark, some said they saw a shape in the starry sky. A black void, where no star shone. A void in the shape of a rat. Is this sign a foreboding of fantastical events to befall Quentaris? What part do the rat children, Lucien and Zoe, play in this horror? Is this the final calamity that will destroy the mighty city?

An emotionally charged picture book based on the facts surrounding the shipwreck of the Quetta in Torres Strait in 1890.

This gripping fantasy tells the story of Garnet, Jasper and Moon Jewel, Quentaran children, stolen by Nordian traders to sell to the Trollantan rat people. The setting for this fantasy adventure series is the magical city of Quentaris, which is home to a Medieval-style human society, elves, dwarves, water and fire magicians, earth elementals and other amazing creatures who inhabit the fantastical Rift Caves outside the city.

In 1833, Jack Ireland is Captain's cabin boy, aboard the Charles Eaton as it sails from England to Australia. On its return journey, passing through the Torres Strait, the ship is wrecked, forcing the crew and passengers to abandon ship on two hand-made rafts. The horrifying events that follow are well documented but the passage of time allows a less sinister explanation. Usually read by students in Years 9, 10 or above.

A mysterious watertower becomes more than a place to cool off for two outback youths. The suspense is powerful.

A family relocates to Australia after a family tragedy. The parents are focussed on creating a farm and do not value the environment or interdependence of nature. Their young son is lonely and alienated, and misses his home in London. When the parents cut down a tree causing a flock of birds to die, their son makes a huge decision.

The keepers of the Eilean Mor lighthouse all disappeared without a trace. Find out what secrets the lighthouse hides in this picture book for older readers.

Something drew the boys into the corn field that day, boredom, bravado, who knows. That kid who went in years before went in and was never the same again. Enter the corn field at your own risk.

On holiday with his parents, fifteen year old Damon is bored. He is coerced into visiting an art gallery but nothing looks like anything in Damon's life. His reality is made up of TV and gaming, so Damon returns to the hotel to play his gameboy. Soon, it, too, is dull and repetitive, and Damon falls asleep. In his dreams, the artwork he ignored comes to life and, far off, a tiger roars.

Intriguing fantasy about a solitary teenage boy fascinated by the very old, reputedly mad inventor in the mysterious mansion next door. Based on the myth of Eos and Tithonus who, by a trick of the gods, were granted immortality but not eternal youth.

Through his determination and imagination, Christopher, who is blind, defeats the Kraken, the beast of doubt, and helps his cynical sister who is unwilling to see how things can be.

At a market, a boy discovers an intriguing amulet and pleads with his mother to buy it. The amulet is shaped like a snake swallowing its own tail. The mother thinks it's ugly but the boy thinks it's beautiful and that it holds a story he wants to write. The vendor will not accept payment and seems happy to be rid of the amulet. The boy finds he cannot write and, when he falls asleep, he has vivid dreams, full of many emotions.

Take the journey with an ordinary boy on a path leading him from the safety of his home into a dark forest. His head is full of the fearful images of his computer games, the ones that excite, yet terrify him, battles between heroes and dreadful beasts that may hunt this primal landscape.

Martin is the runt of his family. Without a mother to protect him, his overbearing father and brothers reject him. Martin finds the courage to fight for personal fulfilment.

The true story of David and his father who came to Stephens Island, a remote and pristine New Zealand island, in 1894. They built a lighthouse to protect ships, chopping down the trees and demolishing the habitat of the birds. But worse than that, they also brought their pregnant cat and the island's tiny flightless wrens were wiped out in less than two years.

Aidan's father goes missing at sea. Aidan lights a lantern every night to help his father home. In the light of the lantern, Aidan sees what has happened in the past and this gives him hope for his father.

Trying to understand his haunting nightmares, Dr Trotter returns to Preston, where he grew up, to the watertower, where he played as a child. The mystery lies beneath the surface of the deep, still waters. Dark sequel to 'The Watertower'. Usually read by students in Years 9, 10 and above.

Shey can't resist exploring the locked room in Uncle Ruben's house. Looking through a pair of antique opera glasses, Shey is transported to a strange land depicted in one of Ruben's paintings where there are lots of clues to be followed.

In Simbala's village, they have two treasures. There is the River, which is their road and their god, and the Book, which contains their history, their oracle and their soul. Simbala is a Keeper of the Book, the latest in a long line of women who can use it to find answers to the villager's questions. As developers begin to poison the River on which the villagers rely, the Book predicts change. But, this does not come in the form that they expect.

Explores the use of technology in ancient Egypt including technology used in architecture, crafts, hobbies, transportation and ancient inventions.

Joe hasn't seen his brother for ten years and it's for the most brutal of reasons. Ed is on death row. Now Ed's execution date has been set and this might be the last summer they have together. A novel that uses the beauty of lyrical verse to represent the ethical issues surrounding an ugly part of the American justice system but more importantly it is a story about knowing who someone is beyond the public perception of their guilt. Usually read by students in Years 9, 10 or above.

Sixteen year old Grace and Tippi are sisters, best friends and conjoined at the hip. As if life isn't difficult enough, they must leave their sheltered home schooling and go into a world of curious students, constant stares and whispers. But, a heart-wrenching decision lies ahead, one that could tear Grace and Tippi apart and change their lives even more than they ever imagined.

When Kasienka starts her new school in her new country, she is lonely and unhappy; everything is strange and her halting English sets her apart from the other students. Her mother is obsessed with finding Kasienka's father who has deserted them. Eventually, Kasienka discovers something that she excels at and the good life begins again.

Harriet's best friend at the ballet academy is suffering from an eating disorder. The ghost of a ballerina who died tragically young attempts to contact the girls to save Marianne from death.

Charlie Duskin is fleeing from failures, friends and running towards a father who won't 'see' her. Rose is suffocating in her small town, trapped by parents who couldn't chase their own dreams. When they get the chance to get to know each, other their lives will change forever.

Gracie Faltrain is back and she couldn't be happier. Her team won the Championships, she scored a few goals and a boyfriend, as well. Just as she's settling down to a new season of soccer, the stakes are raised. Coach has entered the team in the Firsts - a boys only league. To prove herself, Gracie has to fight harder than ever before. The other teams will do anything to keep her out of the game, and if she makes it, they'll do anything to see her lose. But Gracie is sick of losing. She's sick of seeing friends, like Martin and Alyce, unhappy. Gracie decides it's time to take control and even the score for everyone, on and off the field.

Lucy is in love with Shadow, a mysterious graffiti artist. Ed thought he was in love with Lucy, until she broke his nose. Dylan loves Daisy, but throwing eggs at her probably wasn't the best way to show it. An intense and exhilarating twenty-four hours in the lives of four teenagers on the verge of adulthood and of finding out just who they are, and who they want to be. Usually read by students in Years 9, 10 or above.

Goal-kicking, super-girl, soccer star. Gracie Faltrain is on her way. To the National Championships. To Nick. To everything she's ever wanted. Or so she thinks. Gracie's about to find out that life is messy. And hard. And beautiful. There's a shadow falling across her mum and dad. Her best friend is about to leave town. She's trying desperately to be with the right boy, on the edge of falling in love with the wrong boy. She's rushing headlong into screwing up, making up, trying to keep it all together. Welcome to the life and times of Gracie Faltrain.

This is a love story. It is the story of Howling Books, where readers write letters to strangers, to lovers, to poets. It is the story of Henry Jones and Rachel Sweetie. They were best friends once, before Rachel moved to the sea. Now, she's back, working at the bookstore, grieving for her brother, Cal. She's looking for the future in the books people love and the words they leave behind. Mature themes. Usually read by students in Years 9, 10 or above.

This fascinating biography details the life and achievements of Albert Einstein, a scientist and mathematician who made significant contributions to the field of physics. Einstein's famous Theory of Relativity changed the world's understanding of space and created a whole new kind of science to study cosmology.

Discover how Charles Darwin changed the world through science. This book explores why his discoveries went against the teachings of the Church in England. How Darwin learnt about animals and their change and evolution to survive. How Darwin's discoveries have changed our understanding of the world around us forever.

This fascinating biography details the life and achievements of Galileo Galilei, an artist and scientist who made significant contributions to so many fields of science that he is known as the father of modern science. Galileo developed the process of investigation of the natural world, called the scientific method, that the world's scientists still follow today.

Discover how Rachel Carson changed the world through Science. How she discovered that chemicals were changing the natural world. What she did to warn people about the poisoning of our planet. Why she loved the natural world and what she thought it could teach us. How her discoveries have changed our understanding of the world around us forever.

Any three titles read from this series can be included as official Challenge books; up to five more titles can be included as your personal choice books. To see the individual book titles and their PRC ID numbers, go to the Series lists on the Booklists page, on the website. Or, you can search for a series name or the individual titles by using the Search function on the top left hand corner of the screen.

Discover how Sir Isaac Newton changed the world through Science. Find out what he learnt about gravity. Why his 'laws of motion' are so important to us. How he came up with a new type of maths. How his discoveries have changed our understanding of the world around us forever.

Stephen Hawking's career was intrinsically tied to his impact on society. He wrote his book, A Brief History of Time, to explain physics not to just scientists, but to anyone who was interested. It made him one of the most famous scientists in the world. Later in his life, as a sufferer of ALS, Hawking became an inspirational story of living with disability, and chasing your dreams regardless. This colourfully illustrated, beautifully designed biography will captivate young readers and teach them what Hawking learned about black holes and time, how he discovered how the universe began, and why he believed that humans must live on other planets. Through his life, it gives an insight into how Hawking's discoveries have changed our understanding of the world around us forever!

Liv's older brother needs round-the-clock care after accidentally shooting himself. Liv knows Jonah is still inside his broken body, but she might just be the only person to see that. Jonah's injury changed a lot for their family. Everyone had to change bedrooms. Liv and Jonah's mum is suing Jonah's best friend Clay's parents. And Live hasn't spoken to Clay since the accident, even though he just lives across the street. Liv won't give up, though - not on Jonah, and not on Clay. Usually read by students in years 9, 10 and above.

Engaging biography of a young, Chinese peasant boy who, at the age of eleven, was taken from his school and family to be trained as a classical dancer in Beijing.

A celebration of friendship and following dreams. When Clementine and Rudy meet they forge a friendship that inspires them both. Clementine and Rudy may be from different backgrounds but together they tackle the difficulties each of them face.

In a dead-end town like Barwen, sixteen year old Clancy feels like a freak. She has a dysfunctional family, a real interest in Nature Club and a big crush on the local hot girl. Then, her dad is involved in a smash that kills two teenagers and the family must deal with the hostile town. Clancy meets someone who might become a friend and Sasha starts to show what may be a romantic interest. This is the summer when Clancy has to figure out just who she is. Adult themes, language. Usually read by years 9, 10 or above.

Millions of Australians have been affected by war. Many servicemen and servicewomen have faced extraordinary dangers, while their loved ones waiting at home suffered months, and even years, of uncertainty. Yet, despite the difficulties, a strong sense of shared experience, friendship, and camaraderie often developed.

Reluctantly taken to the diggings in California during the goldrush, Lucy wants to go back home to New England.

Set in the Middle Ages, Catherine objects to marrying the rich suitors her father has arranged for her to meet.

In 14th century England, Alyce is taken from a life on the streets to be an apprentice to a village midwife.