Booklists

Moses Aaron tells the story of how he met Lily, a cancer patient in the Children's Hospital, and how he told her stories throughout her treatment.

Lara's friendship matchmaking days are over, until things get complicated. The playground is in chaos, kids are arguing and crying all over the place and when a recently arrived refugee students starts in Lara's class, the challenge of finding him a friend is too much for her to resist.

At her school, Lara has a mission to help other children make and keep friends. Lara gives advice and rules for friendships, and is even writing a manual about it. When a new girl comes to school, everything starts to unravel. As Lara embarks on a competition to find a best friend for the most difficult client ever, she comes to see the true value and importance of friendship.

Best friends Jodie, Rania and Deyana can't believe what they have found in the school library. A mysterious book that writes itself, just for them. Jodie's life is difficult enough. Her father is in a new relationship and Jodie is trying to get used to having a stepsister. The advice the book is giving Jodie is so confusing. She is perplexed about the ghostly writer and what it wants.

The ghost girl has messages just for Rania, if only she could work out what they mean. Rania works hard at school, has great friends and is happy with her life. Rania is delighted when her favourite cousin joins her at school but now Andrea seems to be competing with her. There is so much going on that Rania struggles to know just what to do first.

Ian Abdulla tells of his life and experiences growing up in a traditional Aboriginal family, living the Nunga way of life on the Murray River in the 1950s.

Telling the story of his childhood spent living along the Murray River, Ian Abdulla's pictures speak of fishing and hunting with his Aboriginal brothers in the 1950s.

With only books for comfort and a mouse as his only friend, when Arlo meets Lisette he is thrust into a world of danger and magic, kidnappers and cliff hangers. Arlo discovers that when people you trust believe in you, you can find the courage you need to face your fears and help your friends and yourself.

In a world of wild weather, is anywhere safe? Isabella, Griffin and their friends have settled into New City, enrolled in school and are making new friends, including the charming Aleksander Larsen. But their home is facing a new threat - weather patterns are becoming erratic and fierce ice storms batter the city. When someone from Isabella's past returns, loyalties are tested. Who is watching her from the shadows? Can Isabella and Griffin's friendship survive this furious final storm?

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.

Ghost trackers Angeline and Edgar are off to their first Ghost Club Convention in Transylvania, where a ghost is causing chaos, even with the most famous of ghost catchers around, Ripley Granger.

With the help of Ghost Club, Angeline and Edgar must find out who the ghost at their school is so they can help her but first they have to convince their school principal that kids can be ghost catchers too, and they have to avoid Travis the bully, who is spying on them and causing trouble wherever they go.

Angeline and Edgar might be kids, but they're also two of Ghost Club's youngest ghost-catchers. Got a problem with a ghost or poltergeist. Angeline and Edgar are the experts to call. A slightly spooky but mostly funny series about the mischief ghosts can make - and the kids who take care of the mess.

A group of children, led by the gutsy Isabella and inventive Griffin, are eking out a living in Grimsdon, a flooded city, abandoned due to rising sea levels. When newcomer Xavier arrives, events are set in motion from which none of them emerge unchanged.

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.

Ms Skye thinks kids can change the world with a Kindness Project. Nicolette wants to but how can she when Layla treats her like she's invisible and DJ picks on everything she says? Leaf thinks Nicolette can be a superhero. So maybe if they work together they just might do it.

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.

Blue is locked up in the world's most secure prison but that has never stopped him from making his evil plans before.

Max and Linden are a bit perplexed by how Max's imaginary, top-secret spy organisation has come to life. But they don't have too much time to think about it because Spyforce is sending them on their first mission.

This is an insect-ridden, piranha- eating, alligator- munching, tarantula- crawling adventure through the Amazon Jungle to rescue Frond, find the Triatoma bug and return to Spyforce to save the agents.

During a Spy force celebration, a small deadly devise pulses in the floor beneath them. The next day during Spy training, Max Remy is found unconscious. Did she fall or was she attacked? Why are famous monuments and buildings crumbling around London? Who is behind it, and will Linden survive a madman's deadly plans? This could be the end of Spy force.

When a leading archeologist disappears from the Louvre, the world's most famous museum, Spyforce agents, Max, Linden and Toby, are sent to France to mind his spoilt daughter.

Another in the Max Remy super spy series. This time, Max is in Hollywood but it's not all glitz and glamour as she tackles high-speed snow chases, earthquakes and an evil plan to use the movie industry to destroy the world.

Max and her friend Linden go to a secret venue for the Annual Spy Awards Night. Despite the remote location and extremely high security, their top secret location is discovered by Mr Blue.

Eleven year old Max Remy hates almost everything and everyone except her fictitious friend, super spy Alex Crane. Max is unhappily bundled off to her country relations but finds they are not the hicks she thought they would be.

Venice is in danger and they've already detonated one bomb. Max, Linden and Toby join forces with a young Italian spy, Luca Cavello, to track down the culprit.

Max embarks on a seemingly easy mission to look after a scientist and his bloodsucking leeches. But, this just might be Max's most dangerous mission yet.

India Wimple won the Stupendously Spectacular Spelling Bee and is now invited to London for an international spelling showdown. The town of Yungabilla join forces to help her and her family travel to London. India and her family are invited to Buckingham Palace and she meets old friends and new spellers. When some mysterious incidents threaten to jeopardise the finals, the group sets out to discover who is involved and why.

Isabella and her friends have escaped the floodwaters of Grimsdon for the modern world of New City. Uncertainty and fear have brought dark times, with refugees fleeing the world's rising waters and becoming imprisoned in a miserable camp. Isabella and her friends face new threats, with eyes watching them everywhere.

Aurelie's family owns, runs and performs on Bonhoffen's Seaside Pier. They have been there for decades but a developer is working to have the fair and the Bonhoffen's removed.

India Wimple is a brilliant speller. When her family tries to convince her to enter the Stupendously Spectacular Spelling Bee competition, India is reluctant. She remembers the stage fright she got in the school play and she certainly doesn't want to repeat that experience. And, there's also Summer Millicent, who's determined to win and isn't afraid to step on anyone who gets in her way.

During the war, Teresa and her family survived the bombing of their home and went hungry during the long siege of their island. But, life in peace time is still hard. Her parents want a better life and apply to migrate to Australia. But, after the long voyage to Sydney, there are more testing times ahead for Teresa as she tries to learn Australian ways, avoid the bullies and do well at school. She is not about to let anything stop her from making her family and her nanna, back in Malta, proud of her.

Depicts the story of a soccer team and their quest to make the finals. A new, enthusiastic coach is enlisted, who employs coaching tactics that a number of team members and supporters believe are too rough and inappropriate.

When a new girl, Lil, joins the team, Jasper thinks he's found someone as obsessed with soccer as he is. But there's one hitch - Lil's dad is the reason Jasper's dad has lost his job.

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.

Depicts the story of a soccer team and their quest to make the finals. A new player joins the team and suffers the taunts of others because he cannot speak English. He is a very proficient player and helps to achieve some victories on and off the field.

An account of an Aboriginal family on a weekend outing.

Discover the secrets of the luxury liner, Titanic, from life on board to its watery grave.

Go back in time to Tudor England, to meet Henry VIII and learn about the Spanish Armada. Find out why Henry VIII had six wives and see how ferocious battles were fought and won. Packed with photographs and fascinating facts that bring this exciting and, often, dangerous time to life.

A guide to the grim challenges of life or death on the Western Front of World War 1. First-hand reports and contemporary photographs of the battles that slaughtered millions, as nation upon nation sent their young men to join the carnage.

Ade is about to move house and is not at all happy about it! She meets Shanice outside her father's salon and they form an instant connection. Both write in diaries so they connect through their love of writing through their diary entries and through online chatting. As their friendship develops they help each other to settle into the early years of high school, building a strong, supportive connection.

The Lampo Circus has arrived in Drabville! Having seen the last of Lord Aldor, the town is keen to celebrate and enjoy the circus, but the circus is not as it should be and the children of Drabville find themselves in a grim world.

Milli and Ernest live in Drabville, where the houses and people are all the same. Milli yearns for adventure and when they get kidnapped to Hog House, they need to outwit Lord Aldor to escape and save their town.

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.

Master toymaker, Gustav Von Gobstopper, builds a toy arcade for the children of Drabville. Millie and Ernest encounter a small band of toys that are hiding and a cohort of discredited surgeons, all of which begins to point towards a scheme to eradicate all children.

For centuries, I've told other people's stories. Now it's time to tell my own. Discover the evolution of the printed word, told by one who knows - Book. Book takes us on a wonderful journey, from its origins in oral story and doodling in clay, to papyrus, parchment and paper, and to the e-book of today.

A fascinating backwards walk through familiar narratives that would appeal to multiple age groups, the read to and the reading. A sound knowledge of fairy stories and nursery rhymes and a willingness to think in new ways are prerequisites for enjoying this book to the full.

A lonely little pencil creates things which have a life of their own. All is well until pencil draws a rubber which then creates mayhem. Pencil must work out a way to stop the rubber from rubbing out every drawing.

Like a turtle, Salih carries his home on his back. He must cross a raging sea in search of a safe home. Salih paints his happiest memories and sends them as messages in bottles. Will someone find them and understand? Will Salih find a new home?

Sam and her mother live in the rear of the Conch Cafe, close to Sam's best friend Melody. The building is owned by greedy witch Hecate who will do everything in her power to own the cafe's Good-Luck-Conch. After Hecate steals the shell and the cafe burns down, the girls have a series of adventures in eSide where they must travel through dangerous digital worlds before they can recover their conch.

Hanna Kaminsky loves gymnastics, her best friend, chicken soup and reading. But, in September 1939, her happy life disappears. The Nazis have invaded Poland and are herding all Jewish people into ghettos in the cities. Hanna's family are forced into hiding in the country but this means trusting others. Hanna and her family are caught and sent to the Warsaw Ghetto where they must use whatever skills they have to survive.

The short stories feature girls as the main characters, girls who are strong and resourceful, overcome adversity, solve problems, and are determined and passionate about causes.

Cassie is a great swimmer but has to move to a country town with no swimming pool. But when asked to deliver an important message to the underwater city of Neptunia, Cassie has to use all her strength and skill to survive a marathon swim.

After initial mistrust, Jackson, a human boy, joins forces with young, telepathic aliens, Iyaki and Aari, to overcome a mutiny aboard a starship. A fun-packed, fast-paced, courageous adventure to save the imprisoned crew results.

Red is obsessed with painting but life on the drought-affected farm, combined with his father's need for expensive heart surgery, makes it unlikely he will pursue his artistic dream. Then a mysterious stranger buying artistic cow pats arrives.

Bullies push you around, bigmouths make sarcastic comments about you and so-called friends tell your secrets. Don't feel like a loser, just build up your defences. This book shows you how.

"With a bolt of lightning on my kicks . . .The court is SIZZLING. My sweat is DRIZZLING. Stop all that quivering. Cuz tonight I'm delivering," announces dread-locked, 12-year old Josh Bell. He and his twin brother Jordan are awesome on the court. But Josh has more than basketball in his blood, he's got mad beats, too, that tell his family's story in verse, in this fast and furious novel of family and brotherhood.

Every page includes facts and photos about Barack Obama's childhood days, his rise to the top job in the world and how he plans to change America, and the world, for the better.

Thirteen year old triplets, Gwen, Nel and Rain discover that they are a witch, an elf and a vampire. Their lives take an extraordinary twist as they are thrown into another world in their quest to defeat Driath, the most evil witch of all.

A collection of writings by people of many cultures and countries, including Sir David Attenborough, a Kapayo Indian chief, and an eleven year old boy. All talk of the need to treat the earth with care to preserve it for future generations.

Like many Australian boys in the 1930s, Victor McDonald is cricket mad. Life is hard during the Great Depression, Victor's father has lost his job and the family is moving to Sydney. Victor keeps a diary that includes his meeting with Don Bradman.

Libby adores her big sister, Nonny, who always makes her feel special. Nonny doesn't care that Libby has Turner Syndrome, and stands out a little from the other kids. Libby tries not to mind, too: she knows it won't stop her from being an amazing scientist one day, liker her hero, astronomer Cecilia Payne. When she discovers that Nonny is in trouble Libby comes up with a great plan to help her.

John is the son of a solider and his mother works at the munitions factory making weapons for the first World War. More than he wants a glorious victory for the British, he wants his family back together and all families back together. Even the German families. John finds that wanting peace during war time can be as dangerous as being at the front, yet without a vision for peace, how can it ever be found?

The new boy is certainly strange. He is very polite and knows a lot of things in a very proper way. He is also amazing at soccer, but there is something odd about him. It could be the people who are always watching him and won't let him do things like eat chips. It could be that George just needs a chance to get away with the other kids and play if his minders only let him.

As Stan journeys away from the life he's always known, he mingles with a carnival full of eccentric characters and meets the legendary Pancho Pirelli, the man who swims in a tank full of perilous piranhas. Will Stan be bold enough to dive in the churning waters himself and choose his own destiny.

In a safe and calm world, three children conjure, from twigs and leaves and stones, a mousy thing, a chirpy thing, and a twisty legless thing. But as the children's ideas grow bolder, the power of their visions proves greater and more dangerous than they, or the gods, could ever have imagined.

Before the land is flooded and the valley is lost forever, a father and daughter visit the homes and fill them with music which will last forever. A song for that which was and that which will be.

Liam just wants to go out running with his mates. It's not long till the Junior Great North Run. But, Mam needs him to help old Harry clear out his house. Harry knows a thing or two about running. He says when he was a lad, he ran twenty-one kilometres, from Newcastle to South Shields. This is the story of that day. Sweltering heat, clattering boots, briny sea air and the heavenly taste of ice cream.

Quotations by seventeen eminent people explore the many different aspects of freedom. The freedom to have an education, the freedom not to be hurt or tortured, the freedom to have a home and the freedom to be yourself.

Proclaimed by the United Nations on December 10, 1948, the Declaration of Human Rights applies to every child and adult throughout the world. Each of its 30 articles has been written in a way that children can understand and beautifully illustrated by well-known artists.

10-year-old Tess is an entrepreneur with big ideas and plans for her future, all involving earning lots of money. When a dodgy neighbour leaves a very full bag of cash in her backyard, her life takes a turn. Together with her best friend Toby, Tess finds that there is a lot you can get with a million dollars, including a whole lot of trouble.

You can run from your past, but the future is tomorrow . . . Tonight, we're gonna kidnap our best friend. And tomorrow? We run. Sticks, Maki, Jed and Tommy live on the same street. But the adults around them are making decisions that could tear the four friends apart. When they discover their favourite comic book series is being made into a blockbuster movie, they know what they have to do. Get to the audition. Get the parts. Stay together.

A comprehensive account of World War 1 and Australians' battlefield experiences at Gallipoli, on the Western Front and in the Middle East. Includes the desert campaigns fought by the lighthorsemen and the contribution of the Navy, Flying Corps and the nurses. Includes colour images and black and white photographs.

Marinka lives with her grandmother Baba Yaga. Baba Yaga's job is to guide people through The Gate into their next life. Their house has a gate made of bones and chicken legs. A couple of times a year, the house stands up in the middle of the night and walks to another location. This sounds exciting, but Marinka longs to stay somewhere long enough to make real friends. Based in Slavic folklore, this novel is about finding your own way in life even when you think your destiny might be decided.

Peter and Ernesto are sloths. Peter and Ernesto are friends. But Peter and Ernesto are nothing alike. Peter loves their tree and never wants to leave, while Ernesto loves the sky and wants to see it from every place on Earth. When Ernesto leaves to have a grand adventure, Peter stays behind and frets. The two friends grow even closer in separation, as Peter the homebody expands his horizons and Ernesto the wanderer learns the value of home.

The diggers were fed up. Ever since the gold rushes began, police had hounded them about their licences. The diggers of Ballarat took up arms, built a stockade and swore to defend themselves. That twenty minute battle changed Australia forever.

Two brothers couldn't be more different. Shaun excels at everything, both in the classroom and on the field. His younger brother, Toby, has a stumbly, fumbly body and can't do anything well. He thinks Sports Day is the worst day of the year. So, Shaun can't understand why Toby gets a laptop or why he is now being trained by Toby's coach, and coming to an elite Athletics Camp. It's just not fair.

Lucy and Dad move a lot, so its hard to make friends. Lucy's glad she has snail, the perfect pet for a lonely girl. If only she had her own shell to hide in every time she started a new school. But this place is different. She likes her teacher, her classmates and the caravan park. This place feels like home. Can she convince her Dad to stay?

As an alien Andalite warrior-cadet, life on Earth is pretty different for Ax, He's been hanging out with the Animorphs ever since the Dome ship was destroyed by the Yeerks and his brother, Prince Elfangor, was destroyed by Visser Three. But there is one thing he, Cassie, Marco, Jake, Rachel, and Tobias have in common. Something that one alien, four kids and a hawk know they have to do, stop the Yeerks.

When Marco runs into his old friend, Erek, he doesn't think too much of it. He's got a couple of more important things to do. Like helping to save the world. But, when Marco finds out Erek's been hanging with some of the kids at The Sharing, he starts to think that something just a little weird is going on.

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.

It was bad when Jake found out his older brother was one of them. It was even worse when Tobias stayed in his morph too long. But nothing compares to the horror the Animorphs are about to face. Jake has a feeling he know where the Yeerks' new base is and how to get in. But they never figured that they might get caught.

When Tobias and his friends were given the power to morph, they were warned not to stay in a morph for more than two hours. But, Tobias broke the time limit and now he's trapped in the body of a hawk. When he discovers an important Yeerk secret, Tobias knows he has to destroy it, but he'll have to contend with a part of himself that's wrestling for control. A part that isn't human.

The Earth is being invaded but no one knows about it. When Jake, Rachel, Tobias, Cassie and Marco stumble upon a downed spaceship and its dying pilot, they're given an incredible power. They can transform into any animal they touch, becoming Animorphs, the unlikely champions in a secret war for the planet. And the enemies they're fighting could be anyone, even the people closest to them.

Cassie and her friends have been having nightmares ever since they acquired the power to morph. But, when Cassie discovers that Tobias has been having the exact same dreams about the ocean and a voice that's calling to them for help, she decides it's time to start listening. Now she and the others have to figure out if the dreams are a message or a trap.

Marco never wanted to be an Animorph. He never wanted the ability to change into any animal he touches. He just wants to chill. Whatever happens, happens.

There's something weird going on in the woods behind Ax and Tobias' place. It seems the Yeerks have figured out that Andalites cannot survive without a feeding ground. Visser Three knows the Andalites don't feed where he does, so there can only be one other place. Cassie and the Animorphs must find a way to stop a bogus logging camp. If Visser Three finds Ax in the woods, he will also find the Animorphs.

Rachel and the other Animorphs have finally found the new entrance to the Yeerk pool. The infamous roach morph. But, they didn't know that roaches are a Taxxon delicacy. This time, escape doesn't look so good. The Animorphs are in for their wildest trip ever. They have the chance to decide whether they want to stay on Earth and fight the Yeerks or go to another planet. The guy giving them the choice says he can save them.

Rachel is still reeling from the news that the Earth is secretly under attack by parasitic aliens, the Yeerks. And, that she and her friends, who have the power to morph into any animal they touch, are the planet's only defence. When it's suggested that they infiltrate the home of their assistant principal, who is a human host of the Yeerks, Rachel volunteers.

When Jackson's father becomes ill and cannot work, the family is struggling to pay the rent or buy food. When it seems they could lose everything and face homelessness, Crenshaw, Jackson's imaginary cat, comes back into his life to help them.

Gabriel Avery usually only pickpockets to feed himself and his grandma but when he is recruited to Crookhaven, a school for honourable thieves, he learns so much more. With classes in Deception, The History of Crookery and Tricks of the Trade, Gabriel and his new friends hone their unusual skills and talents, but will it be enough when they have to face the ruthless Nameless, ex-students of Crookhaven who are anything but honourable?

When Le Fay McNally wins a typing competition in London, it is the start of a great adventure. Little does she know that it will lead to the salvation of her father and the end of her brother, Fergal.

A cross between Dickens and Monty Python, this is the second book in the Unlikely Explots trilogy chronicling the adventures of the McNally family. Fergal McNally's pickled brain has been stolen. The McNally children must stop fiendish Mr Maggs.

The McNally family are down-trodden no more. They are, in fact, stinking rich with plans to put the money to good use.Others, of course, have different ideas. All the questions are revealed.

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.

Ever since Stone Age humans used slabs to create sound, man has invented an extraordinary variety of instruments in the pursuit of new ways of making music. Find out how sound is created, the three main categories of instruments, how different instruments are played and the types of sound they produce.

Thirteen year old Billy is passionate about his guitar and his favourite band.

Maggie Flanagan is mad about AFL. But in a time when girls should sew and bake cakes and not do anything so unladylike as play footy, her suggestion to hold an all-girls charity game to raise money for the boys at war are met with laughs and ridicule. Will that stop the Flying Flanagan?

Fourteen year old Gus lives and breathes basketball. When he's is in a terrible accident, Gus can't believe he's survived. But, he's woken up in the body of an old man and his own body is unconscious in intensive care. Now, he has a seventy year old wife, really bad taste in clothes, his friends don't recognise him and his family thinks he's crazy. Gus just wants to be fourteen again and play basketball.

Specky Magee is mad about Australian Rules Football, but nobody comes to see him play. He finds a photo of himself as a baby in footy gear and thinks that he might be adopted. Now he is off to find his father.

Specky Magee wonders whether Robbo and Danny will ever talk to him again, what could possibly scare the Great McCarthy and what is Screamer up to now.

As Specky battles it out in the state carnival for a chance to play on the hallowed MCG turf, back at school he has a fight on his hands just to be allowed to play with his beloved Booyong Lions. And when his long-lost grandpa comes to visit, it's all-out war at home as well. Specky's loyalty to his friends, his team and to AFL will be tested like never before.

Specky has been selected to represent Australia in International Rules football, against Ireland in a two-test competition. The team is the best that Australia has but the pressure is on, with a new set of rules to learn and skills to perfect with the round ball. Specky has some serious decisions to make about his future before he returns home.

Thirteen year old Simon 'Specky' Magee is mad about Australian Rules Football. He is known for his Speck-tacular marking ability and goal kicking. Specky's change of school leads to divided loyalties in a sport where that is not tolerated.

Thirteen year old Simon 'Specky' Magee is mad about Australian Rules Football. He is known for his Speck-tacular marking ability and goal kicking. A popular television show runs a nationwide contest to find a great footy champion.

Thirteen year old Simon 'Specky' Magee is mad about Australian Rules Football. He is known for his Speck-tacular marking ability and goal kicking. The Booyong High Lions return for the second half of the season but Specky finds himself sidelined.

Specky can't wait to get to the country and have the chance to play grassroots football for the first time against adults. But more is at stake than the outcome of just one game.

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.

Step into the amazing world of cars. Check out the gadgets and secret weapons of the Batmobile and James Bond's Aston Martin DB5. Look at the fascinating history of how cars first started and dare to imagine the cars of the future. Find your favourite car in this book for car crazy kids.

Learn about some of the world's wonderful and different plants. Some are amazing in the way they look, others are extraordinary in the way they have adapted to their environment. Easy to access information includes unusual or amazing facts, photographs, charts and maps.

Some people have incredible obstacles to overcome to become stars.

In this exciting sequel to Big Magic, Potts Travelling Circus is performing in Mullimba showgrounds when Tulsi notices her magic dip for a few seconds but the second time it happens she falls during a flying act. Mum tells her she is the Bringer and she must try to get to the Seat , the home of magic. Tulsi and her best friend Kit have 24 hours to fix magic. She has been practicing magic for 4 months and is 11 years old and faces the worst. Magic energy needs to be strong to travel between parallel universes and whoever is stripping the magic is very dangerous. Brave Tulsi loves her life in the circus and will endure great pain to save it and her friend.

As Oak and Alder start school together, they can't imagine ever becoming friends. But the two of them soon discover a series of connections between them -- mysterious, possibly even magical puzzles they can't put together. At least not without each other's help.

Tom's family has moved and he now goes to a new school. Tom is finding school very difficult because Big Ben and his group take great delight in harassing him. Tom's saviour is Grey Arthur, a ghost, who is just as miserable.

The 1840's potato famine in Ireland and the death of her father dramatically change thirteen year old Esty's life. The remaining family members migrate to Australia in the hope of making their fortune. The goldfields, Ballarat and the Eureka Stockade feature in the life of this feisty heroine.

Makis and his mother, Sofia, escape a devastating Greek earthquake, which took his father's life. London is a very different place and students tease him about his language and culture. Makis quickly earns a place in the school football team. Sofia, isolated by her grief and lack of English, sinks into depression. Makis has a brilliant idea to help her but competing loyalties mean that something has to give.

Footie-mad Wasim and his team mates enter the local football competition. But, after an incident at the local mosque and a fight involving Wasim's older brother, the teams become split between white and Asian boys. Wasim and the surprise celebrity at the competition, an international boxing champion from their area, cleverly diffuse a tense situation.

Year Five are off to Snowdonia and Wasim Ahmed has been looking forward to it for months. He has vowed to participate in the Ramadan fast but keeps his fasting a secret. Lack of food and drink cause him to sit out the first day's activities. When a box of chocolates disappears, Wasim becomes prime suspect. Then, on a walk, the group gets lost and Wasim is in serious danger on the mountainside.

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 gothic fairytale about an unusual family, comprising a grieving mother, an exceptional child, a grandpa who is an eccentric apothecary and a domineering aunty. The arrival of a three legged baby from a giant blue egg is the tonic that Mama needs and a delightful distraction for Martha, who is trying to find her own special talent in the world.

Martha Grimstone is determined to find out more about her father, Mortimer, whose death, when she was a baby, dominates the household. Her mother spends much of her time in the crypt, weeping over him. Martha and her baby brother create a potion in Grandfather's apothecary and, with the doll house, recreate the events of the night Mortimer died. A gothic fairytale about a very unusual family.

Martha is at the Queen's Music Academy, where she is desperate to learn how to use her music to turn back the storms which threaten her home, but why won't the teachers let her play her own compositions.

A gothic fairytale about a whirlwind that refuses to be stomped on, two feisty Angora rabbits, and a disaster of exponential proportions that could be woven into something magnificent.

Are you a dictionary detective? This is a dictionary with a difference. Packed with weird words, cool facts, punny jokes, riddles and a mystery to solve, get set for a fun read.

At last the true, well almost, story of how cricket was invented. Told in rollicking verse and with zany illustrations, this book will bowl you over.

Sophie has an important but terrifying role to play in the Second World War. As a citizen of France during German occupation, her youth and frequent bike rides to visit other towns enable her to pass messages under the enemy's nose. She becomes deeply involved in the French resistance and a daring plan to save a young Scottish soldier.

Well-organised under clear headings and well-presented information on days that are celebrated in Australia with contents, websites, a glossary and ideas for related things to do.

Well-organised under clear headings and well-presented information on some of the natural disasters and terrible events that have happened on Australian soil with contents, websites, a glossary and ideas for related things to do.

Martin is eleven years old and thinks these summer holidays could not get any worse. His father drives him to the island where he spent this own summer holidays with his brother and in the care of an aunt. While Aunt Lenore and her brother Ned are not your average elderly and dotting relative. Everything about the Island of Beyond is not what you would expect. This includes tree climbing and canoeing new friend Martin makes named Solo. Martin learns about friendship and family and secrets this summer.

Discover icy landscapes, dense jungles and endless oceans and learn how our fascinating habitats interconnect to create the one place we call home-Our Planet.

Nancy Bird Walton grew up during the golden age of aviation. By the time she was thirteen, Nancy knew she wanted to fly. She studied under the famous aviator, Charles Kingsford Smith. This is the story of how Nancy began her career as Australia's first female commercial pilot.

Superheros have it easy. They leave all the messy work to their sidekicks like me while they take all the credit. I'm Junior Justice but you can call me JJ and it's time we made our own team.

Super-Duper alert! An unidentified object is heading straight for the city, moving fast. Something fishy is going on. The world's superheroes are missing and humankind is under threat from an ancient underwater menace. Can the Super Sidekicks save the planet before it's too late?

The soldiers came at night. 'Run" her father shouts "And don't stop". Hasina races into the forest to hide with her cousin and brother. When they emerge some days later everything has changed and her family has gone. Hasina must fight to save her family amid the escalating conflict that threatens her world and her identity.

When African refugees, Emmanuel and Prince, are sent to live with their uncle, he finds them too much to handle and throws the brothers out. Twelve year old Emmanuel knows that he must look after his younger brother. These were his father's last words to him. Without food or money, the boys turn to petty crime to keep themselves alive. And, that's when things start to spin out of control.

Have you ever thought about how it feels to be a book? To be left under a whiffy pant pile or shelved, forever collecting dust? To have your pages bent backwards or your spine BROKEN? What if you don't have a sparkly unicorn or dragon adorning your cover - who will pick you out of the bookshop then? This is the story of the sadly neglected Book That No One Wanted To Read - can its destiny change when it finally meets the right reader? Spoiler alert: yes.