Booklists

Fleeing Paris for a new start in New Orleans, Celine Rousseau hoped it would be a safe place. Before long she was drawn into the dark underbelly of the city and the La Cour des Lions. As she struggles with her memories and an uneasy feeling there is something she needs to recall, Celine's dreams are troubled. While Sebastien, cursed and changed forever, struggles with his own new identity and what he has lost because of it. Broken treaties and new truths bring danger to this pair and their future. Usually read by students in years 9, 10 and above.

Despite her brother leaving for the Otherworld, Liobhan, a young warrior bard is determined to complete her training as an elite fighter on Swan Island. She is devastated when her comrade Dau is injured and loses his sight in a training bout. Blamed by Dau's family, she agrees to accompany him home to Oakhill as a bondservant for one year. But Oakhill is a place of dark secrets. Dau battles demons of despair whilst the vicious Crow Folk threaten both worlds. It will take a great deal of skill and a touch of the uncanny to give them hope of survival. Usually read by students in years 9, 10 and above.

Patch is out of place at Mountford College- she wears the wrong clothes, she's not sporty or popular, she lives in a small flat above her dad's record shop a world away from the leafy suburb where she goes to school. And she has a secret long-term crush on basketball star Evie Vanhoutte. Evie barely knows Patch exists until an accident involving a bottle of ink and Patch's school uniform sparks a friendship that's equal parts exhilarating and terrifying, and very, very confusing. As if that weren't enough, Patch is also trying to deal with a jealous school bully, forgetting to be supportive of her transitioning best friend, Edwin, and worrying about how a potential new stepmother could throw everything off course. Usually read by students in years 9, 10, or above.

Australian refugee stories is a unique anthology of essays, interviews, and stories written by children and young adults. The stories are the finest of hundreds collected through a nationwide schools competition in 2002. The essays and stories represent many different countries and themes. Some focus on survival, some on horrors, some on the experiences and alienation of a new world. This book is usually read by students in years 9, 10 and above, and contains stories featuring difficult and potentially confronting subjects and experiences.

The Dark King has risen. Only a handful of heroes remain. The Hall of the Stewards is in ruins. Pursued by dark forces, Will and his allies must travel to the heart of the ancient world, forging new and dangerous ties, and revealing the shocking secrets of the past. But Will is carrying a dark secret of his own - his true identity. As the ancient world threatens to return, can Will and his friends fight their fate? Or will the truths they learn tear their world apart? Usually read by students in years 9, 10, or above.

The ancient world of magic is no more. Its heroes are dead, its halls are in ruins and its great battles between Light and Dark are forgotten. Only the Stewards remember. For centuries they have kept vigil, sworn to protect humanity if the Dark King ever returns. Sixteen-year-old dock boy Will is on the run in London, pursued by the men who killed his mother. When an old servant urges him to seek out the Stewards, Will is ushered into a secret world, where he must train to fight for the Light in the oncoming war. Usually read by students in years 9, 10 and above.

The Storm is a deadly force that surrounds the city and curses everyone in it. Vesper Vale and her ex-revolutionary father must evade both the storm and the queen's soldiers by using dangerous experimental magic. When her father is captured, Vesper must find a way to infiltrate the elite squad of soldier-sorcerers, lead by the powerful Prince Valca. When Vesper learns there's more at play within the deadly Storm, she must risk everything to fight - including her heart. This book contains adult themes, including depictions of death and violence. Usually read by students in years 9, 10, or above.

As the fragile truce between the Traction Cities and the Green Storm crumbles, Theo and Wren are reunited in the ruins of London but they cannot tell for how long. Hester is missing, presumed dead. In a violent and complex world, power, corruption and betrayal are a way of life. The abandoned and far-flung are making strange alliances but there is no guarantee that anyone will survive. Usually read by students in years 9, 10 and above.

Sorina is 16 and lives in the travelling city of Gomorrah - famous for it's talent shows, jynx-workers and criminality. She's the daughter of the 'Proprietor' and therefore due to inherit control over the city. This inheritance takes a deadly turn when members of her 'illusion' family start dying. Will Sorina find the killer before more of her illusions are taken from her and what will she do when she discovers the truth of how close to her the killer is? Usually read by students in years 9, 10, or above.

A sweeping fantasy chronicling a courageous girl's sometimes violent fight for freedom in a world ravaged by war and religious fanaticism. Tackles themes such as religion and terrorism as well as unconventional love. Usually read by students in Year 10 and above.

Aaron has left school and is starting a job as assistant to a funeral director. Although uncommunicative, Aaron is a willing and capable worker. But, his home life is fraught. Aaron lives at a caravan park and is the sole carer of his guardian, who's on the verge of dementia. And, Aaron is frightened. He walks in his sleep and has nightmares he can't explain and memories he can't recover. Usually read by students in Years 9, 10 or above.

Laney Curtis is in Year 8 when her mother develops breast cancer rejecting chemotherapy because she is pregnant. This touching story describes Laney's struggle with the possibility that her mother may die. Also, Laney develops a plan to snare Andy Carter, a student at her school. Best suited to mature readers. Usually read by students in Years 9, 10 and above.

The time for Wocked's lies is over, but the truth could be more dangerous than Thomas could ever imagine. Includes some violence. Usually read by students in Years 9, 10 or above.

Thomas Timewell is sixteen, living in England in 1828, where body-snatching is rife, cut-throats are about and terrible novelists are absorbing the lives of wealthy women with nothing better to do. Contains some horror and mature themes. Usually read by students in Years 9, 10 and above.

They say the thirst of blood is like a madness - they must sate it. Even with their own kin. On the eve of her divining, the day she'll discover her fate, seventeen-year-old Lil and her twin sister Kizzy are captured and enslaved by the cruel Boyar Valcar, taken far away from their beloved traveller community. Forced to work in the harsh and unwelcoming castle kitchens, Lil is comforted when she meets Mira, a fellow slave who she feels drawn to in a way she doesn't understand. But she also learns about the Dragon, a mysterious and terrifying figure of myth and legend who takes girls as gifts. They may not have had their divining day, but the girls will still discover their fate... Usually read by students in years 9, 10 and above.

Spensa has made it out of the Nowhere, but what she saw in the space between the stars has changed her forever. She came face to face with the Delvers, and finally got answers to the questions she's had about her own strange Cytonic gifts. The Superiority didn't stop in its fight for galactic dominance while she was gone, though. Spensa's team, Skyward Flight, was able to hold Winzik off, and even collect allies to help with the cause, but it's only a matter of time until humanity-and the rest of the galaxy-falls. Defeating them will require all the knowledge Spensa gathered while in the Nowhere. But being Cytonic is more complicated than she ever could have imagined. Now, Spensa must ask herself: How far is she willing to go for victory, if it means losing herself-and her friends-in the process. Usually read by students in years 9, 10, or above.

Two very different girls, the punk and the goody-goody, are forced together in a peer-counselling situation at their school. Surprisingly, they find they have some things in common. Usually read by students in Years 9, 10 or above.

Civil war has come to the island of Bellona. Veda has joined the underground revolutionaries and they are determined to overthrow the ruling Imperi and find justice for their people. Nico is one of those ruling Imperi and has just been named heir to the most powerful man aboveground. Nico and Veda are childhood friends and possibly more but their people are at war with eachother. Veda becomes a hostage. The whole island will burn unless Nico and Veda can come together and rip everything apart. Usually read by students in years 9, 10, or above.

The last thing Jacob Portman saw before the world went dark was a terrible, familiar face. Suddenly, he and Noor are back in the place where everything began - his grandfather's house. Jacob doesn't know how they escaped from V's loop to find themselves in Florida. But he does know one thing for certain: Caul has returned. After a narrow getaway from a blood-thirsty hollow, Jacob and Noor reunite with Miss Peregrine and the peculiar children in Devil's Acre. The Acre is being plagued by desolations - weather fronts of ash and blood and bone - a terrible portent of Caul's amassing army. Jacob and his friends will face deadly enemies and race through history's most dangerous loops in this thrilling page-turner, the final adventure in the beloved Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children series. Usually read by students in years 9, 10, or above.

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.

Lemon Fresh has seen better days. After the climactic battle in Babel, she finds herself separated from Ezekiel and Cricket in the wastelands. Lemon's abilities to manipulate electricity mark her as a deviate, and deadly corporate operatives are hunting her to use as a weapon in the war between BioMaas Incorporated and Daedelus Technologies. Instead, Lemon finds herself falling in with a group of fellow deviates-a band of teenagers with astonishing abilities, led by an enigmatic figure known as the Major, who may hold the secrets to Lemon's past. Meanwhile, Cricket find himself in possession of the puritanical Brotherhood, a religious cult set for a head-on collision with the Major and his band. Searching for Lemon, Ezekiel finds a strange ally in an old enemy, and uncovers a plot that may see him reunited with his beloved Ana. And inside Babel, a remade Eve hatches a plan to bring an end to the world. Usually read by students in years 9, 10 and above.

The world knows the name William Shakespeare, but what of the man behind the name- the husband, lover, son and poet? Was he happy with his riches? Who was the woman he truly loved? And could the acclaimed playwright put down his pen forever to become a gentleman? Written by Australian Children's Laureate Jackie French and based on new documentary evidence, this story is a fascinating glimpse into a life that might have been and a story that has never been told. Usually read by students in Years 9, 10 or above.

A swim in the sea results in Libby catching an infection which paralyses her legs and leads to a different life. Usually read by students in Years 9, 10 or above.

Ember Crow is missing. To find her friend, Ashala Wolf must control her increasingly erratic and dangerous Sleepwalking ability and leave the Firstwood. But, Ashala doesn't realise that Ember is harbouring terrible secrets and is trying to shield the Tribe and all Illegals from a devastating new threat, her own past. Usually read by students in Years 9, 10 or above.

Just when Nax - a hotshot pilot with dreams of becoming a member of the Ellis Station Academy - thought things couldn't get any worse, the entire galaxy turns against him. After being kicked out of Ellis Academy's training program in under 24hrs, he and three other washouts are framed for a deadly terrorist attack. After escaping (barely) with their lives, Nax and his fellow failures are living life on the run when they uncover a terrible plot with galaxy-wide implications. They may not always get along, but they're the only ones left to step up and fight. Usually read by students in years 9, 10, or above.

Graeme starts to feel as if he is alienated from the rest of the human race. A psychological thriller that deals with schizophrenia. Usually read by students in Years 9, 10 or above.

Macy Cashmere lives with her mother, but her mother doesn't really know how to be a proper, caring parent. Her school has classified her as "disturbed" and she is in a special class due to her behaviours and her learning difficulties. Macy has only one good friend, Alma, but she has offended her. Macy will do anything to win Alma's affection again. Macy's brother has been taken by Child Protection Services and if Macy is to avoid the same fate, her mother needs to shape up and get a real job. Macy's world is fraught with danger and all she wants is to belong. Usually read by students in years 9, 10 and above.

WE ARE ALL STORIES, IN THE END... Fifteen tales of ancient wonder and mystery, passed down through generations of Time Lords. Dark, beautiful and twisted, these stories are filled with nightmarish terrors and heroic triumphs, from across all of time and space. Usually read by students in year 9, 10 and above.

Amal is a typical sixteen year old. When she decides to wear a head scarf to school, her Islamic faith, personal strength and friendships are tested. An insight into contemporary Australian ethnic and religious issues. Strong language in context. Usually read by students in Years 9, 10 and above.

In his first year at high school, Ishmael was the focus of the school bully's tactics. Then Ishmael is assigned as buddy to the new boy and finds an unlikely ally who is not the slightest bit afraid of the bully. Some strong language in context. Usually read by students in Years 9, 10 or above.

AJ Flynn is seen as a lost cause but he still manages to get a job in a lawyer's office. In the office records, he finds a key, mysteriously labelled with his name and date of birth. He is determined to find the door that fits the key. An amazing journey back in time not only helps solve the mystery of the key but helps solve a series of crimes, including murder, in Victorian London. Usually read by students in Years 9, 10 or above.

I didn't ask for any of this. I didn't ask to be some kind of hero. But when your whole life gets swept up by a tornado - taking you with it - you have no choice but to go along, you know? Sure, I've read the books. I've seen the movies. I know the song about the rainbow and the happy little bluebirds. But I never expected Oz to look like this. To be a place where Good Witches can't be trusted, Wicked Witches may just be the good guys, and winged monkeys can be executed for acts of rebellion. There's still a yellow brick road - but even that's crumbling. What happened? Dorothy. They say she found a way to come back to Oz. They say she seized power and the power went to her head. And now no one is safe. My name is Amy Gumm - and I'm the other girl from Kansas. I've been recruited by the Revolutionary Order of the Wicked. I've been trained to fight. 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.

Dr Karl is on a mission to track down Awe and Wonder in the Universe. Why do wombats poo cubes? Do fish drink water? What nearly destroyed humanity on Halloween 2015? How do you use an incinerating toilet? Find out why we've sent a spacecraft with Dr Karl's name on it to kiss the Sun, whether cannibalism is nutritious, how birds fly when they're asleep and much more. So strap in and get ready for a random ride through everything, from atoms to rogue planets and everything in between, including the Big Question - why does spaghetti always break into three parts? Usually read by students in years 9, 10 and above.

Dr Karl is surfing the Universe for all that's gnarly, awesome, weird and wonderful. Why is sharpening a pencil in space a risky business? What makes a sunset red and not blue? How far would the Earth's viruses reach if you laid them end to end? Which animal grows an anus every time it needs to poo? Find out how spiders can fly and count, whether 5G networks are safe, why we're running out of sand, and the answer to the Question on Everyone's Lips - how to make the best coffee. Plus loads more, including pop-up Karl holograms! So take a surfing safari with Dr Karl and get ready to Hang Ten - or wipe out. Usually read by students in years 9, 10 and above.

From small steps to great leaps ... Gene understands stories - comic book stories, in particular. Big action. Bigger thrills. And the hero always wins. But Gene doesn't get sports. As a kid, his friends called him "Stick" and every basketball game he played ended in pain. He lost interest in basketball long ago, but at the high school where he now teaches, it's all anyone can talk about. The men's varsity team, the Dragons, is having a phenomenal season that's been decades in the making. Each victory brings them closer to their ultimate goal: the California State Championships. Once Gene gets to know these young all-stars, he realises that their story is just as thrilling as anything he's seen on a comic book page. He knows he has to follow this epic to its end. What he doesn't know yet is that this season is not only going to change the Dragons's lives, but his own life as well. Usually read by students in years 9, 10 or 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.

'Barack Obama was the 44th President of the United States and the first African-American president. This memoir has been adapted for young adults and explores family, race and identity. It is a revealing portrait of a young Black man asking questions about self discovery and belonging, long before he became one of the most important voices in America. The son of a white American mother and a Black Kenyan father, Obama was born in Hawaii, where he lived until he was six when he moved with his mother and stepfather to Indonesia. At twelve he returned to Hawaii to live with his Grandparents. Obama explores the challenges of high school and college, living in New York, becoming a community organiser in Chigago and travelling to Kenya. Usually read by students in years 9, 10 or above.

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.

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.

Self-proclaimed fat girl Willowdean Dickson has always been at home in her own skin. Her thoughts on having the ultimate bikini body? Put a bikini on your body. When until Will takes a job at the local fast food joint, she meets Private School Bo -- a hot former jock. Will is unsurprised to find herself attracted to Bo. But she is surprised when he seems to like her back. Instead of finding new heights of self-assurance in her relationship with Bo, Will starts to doubt herself. So she sets out to take back her confidence by doing the most horrifying thing she can imagine: entering the Miss Clover City beauty pageant -- along with several other unlikely candidates -- to show the world that she deserves to be up there as much as any twiggy girl does. Along the way, she'll shock the hell out of Clover City -- and maybe herself most of all. Usually read by students in years 9, 10 and above.

Cecilia grew up on a farm, with her six brothers, in rural Queensland. She despised her neighbours, the Kapernicky girls. When Cecilia returns as an adult, secrets which were deeply buried come to the surface. Contains adult themes. Usually read by students in Years 9, 10 and above.