Booklists

Drinking the water from a special spring ensures immortality. The Tuck family has become immortal and faces a difficult situation when a girl uncovers their secret.

Orphaned housemaid Zita Brydgeborn receives a letter delivered by a scarecrow and discovers that she has inherited a castle and a magical legacy as a witch. Her new guardian, Mrs Cantanker reluctantly begins teaching Zita charms & spells. She soon forms friendships with the servants and some of the castle's more friendly supernatural occupants, including a talking statue and the ghost of a dog. As Zita explores the castle's quirky changing landscape and embraces her newfound magical skills she becomes determined to solve the mystery of what has really happened to her family.

Malcolm doesn't like animals. Which is a problem because his family loves them. Their house is full of pets. What the house is not full of is stuff Malcolm likes. Such as the laptop he wanted for his birthday. The only bright spot on the horizon is the Year 6 school trip, to...oh no! A farm! Over the next few days, Malcolm changes. He learns what it's really like to be an animal. A whole series of animals, in fact. It does make him think differently. And speak differently. And, um, smell differently. But will he end up the same as before?

Pip is lonely and bored. She goes to virtual school on her G-Glasses. She only has a talking cat and parrot to hang out with, and she can't leave her LivingSpace due to the extreme heat and floods outside. Until the day that Pip explores a glowing ring in a lab and finds herself in a warehouse, in 2019. She meets boy-inventor Rahul -- who is also lonely and bored. Together, Rahul and Pip are no longer lonely. But they have a whole load of new problems like hiding talking animals from Rahul's parents and finding a way back to the future. And -- just maybe -- saving the world...

I wish I had better parents! Barry said a third time. And suddenly the entire room started to shake..... Barry Bennett hates being called Barry. In fact it is number 22 on the list of things he blames his parents for, after number 1: being boring. But there is a world where parents don't just have children. That's far too random. Instead, children are allowed to choose their parents. For Barry Bennett, this world seems like a dream come true. Only things turn out to be not quite that simple....

Is Christmas still Christmas if all the things that made it special are gone? Global internet giant, Winterzone, have taken over Christmas with their robots, drones and 3D holograms of Santa doing all the traditional 'Santa' work. When eleven-year-old Etta and her friend Monty stumble across a curious clue, they find themselves in a race against time and the mighty Winterzone in order to find the real Santa before the true meaning of the festive season is lost forever.

Sam Green can't wait until his eleventh birthday. He is really looking forward to it and wishes it was his birthday every day. At first, it's quite exciting when his birthday happens again the next morning. And again. And again. But sometimes you have to be careful what you wish for ....

Amy loves cars, and has always dreamed of being a race car driver. She's always wanted to learn how to drive...and now, she finally has her chance...in the Taylor Turbochaser!

The story of one boy and his brilliant burgers. Benny Burns spends every weekend helping his dad by working at their burger van. He invents the best tasting burger ever but then the rival Bonkers Burger boss gets a whiff of his talents. Who makes the best burgers? A competition will decide.

This informative book is filled with 100 fascinating facts about food: from how to grow a burger in a laboratory, to how many bees it takes to fill an orchard with apples. It contains bright, enticing illustrations, detailed facts on each page, an index and glossary, as well as internet links to specially selected websites which contain more information.

There are 4 things you should know about ben: 1. He's 12 years old 2. He's the new kid at school 3. His special number is 4 4. He has a bully in his brain.

Little Bay Village has a gigantic problem and it needs a wizard to solve it. When Meg and Russ are given the desperate mission to find the wizard known as Foggy, they find that he may be more trouble than he's worth.

Vithy is in war-torn Cambodia searching for his only remaining family member, his older brother.

Life on the run with Captain Thunderbolt, famous Australian bushranger. Based on true story of young Ben Cross and the historical figures that he meets. Although his life is exciting, Ben reflects on the ethics of the choices he has made.

Short, simple text that is easy to read but with gutsy content profiling the rogues of Australian history including how they lived and how they died. Full of action and drama.

This wordless picture book, with exquisite collage illustrations, explores the re-greening of a city, the role of community and the significance of children, family and neighbourhood in changing the urban environment.

Each year, bar-tailed godwits undertake the longest migration of any bird. They fly from Australia and New Zealand to their breeding grounds in the Arctic, and then back again. The godwits follow invisible pathways that have been followed for thousands of years, while braving hunger and treacherous conditions to reach their destination.

Chico's grandpa has taken him on holiday where he grew up as a child, out in the desert. Chico has no interest in exploring the land -- the desert jungle frightens him, and he'd much rather play on his his tablet. Grandpa decides that it is time to show Chico the secrets and the wonders that the desert has to offer so that he will not fear it but, instead, welcome it, embrace it and help protect it. Grandpa shows Chico paths through the cactus and the scrub, teaches Chico the plants' names -- ocotillo, cholla, cirios, pin cushion, fishhook -- and, soon, Chico begins to understand the wonders of the wild. He learns the value of watching, waiting and listening for all the life that hums within his desert home.

This innovative picture book is two stories designed to be read simultaneously. We experience a day in the lives of two boys and their families - one from inner city Sydney, Australia and the other from a small, remote village in Morocco, North Africa.

A how-to guide to making your own collages, brimful of fascinating hints and tips from a master of the genre, Jeannie Baker. In Playing with Collage, she shares her secrets at last - and encourages her readers to get creative. Within each of this book's four main sections, Jeannie presents an abstract collage of her own and offers suggestions and starting points for beginners. There are no right or wrong answers in this treasure of a book, it's all about trusting your instincts... and playing!

A book without words in which superb collages tell the story of a boy and his father visiting an endangered rainforest in Queensland.

A book without words showing the growth and development of a child and his environment. Superb collages tell the story.

Welcome to future Earth. Despite repeated warnings, the environment has become polluted to such an extent that many areas of the globe have become uninhabitable and wildlife is now extinct. From the ashes, a new style of 'wildlife' is created. Wildlife that will not remain harnessed by humankind.

Welcome to future Earth. All wildlife has been replaced by mechanical creatures - developed by humans, but evolving autonomously. Jurassica were created to provide humans with safety against the increasingly deadly Mechanica that are sweeping the globe, but the strength and ferocity of these new hybrid dinosaur species pose an unforeseen risk to the whole of humanity. Welcome to the world of Jurassica.

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.

Welcome to future Earth. Despite repeated warnings, the environment has become polluted to such an extent that many areas of the globe have become uninhabitable, and wildlife is now extinct. From the ashes, a new style of wildlife is created. Wildlife that will not remain harnessed by humankind. Welcome to the world of Mechanica.

The giant scrub python is rarely seen by the locals so when Sam and Davey first encounter it, they are terrified but curious. When an illegal animal trader hears about the snake, he is anxious to catch it, even though it is a protected species.

Annie has lived through a car accident but a damaged hand has left her musical dreams in tatters. Will she find the confidence to play again and to dare to dream of the healing powers of music? A new friend and a blackbird might make all the difference.

Zofia and Tom could not be more different. While one is bold and seemingly fearless the other is shy and nervous. When their worlds are brought together they have to learn to trust and conquer their fears.

The true story of one girl's journey growing up autistic, and the challenges she faced in the 'normal' world.

Imaginative tale about Emily who has an extra eye on the tip of her finger. This is how it all began.

Emily is climbing out of a hot air balloon basket when three masked people jump in and make off with the balloon, but Emily is still hanging on to the ladder. Somehow Emily must survive the flight and catch the robbers.

An imaginative tale about Emily who has an extra eye on the tip of her finger. Emily must unravels the mystery of the missing Mint money and she save a village from an erupting volcano.

Emily would never use the extra eye at the end of her finger to cheat at cards or hide-and-seek, but she can find lost objects and reform the class bully. She can even help Great Aunt Olympia find an ancient city in the sky.

Emily, the girl with the eye in her finger, finds the bones of an ancient, extinct mouse, that was as big as an elephant and terrified the cats of its day. But the so-called 'devil bones' go missing.

Emily Eyefinger's parents were shocked when Emily was born with an eye on the end of her finger but Emily has discovered that an eye on the end of her finger can be very handy, especially in these adventures.

Having an eye at the end of her finger gets Emily into all sorts of adventures. When people ask her if she likes having an eye on the end of her finger, Emily says, 'On the one hand I like it. But on the other I don't.'

Emily uses the finger to see out of the back half of a horse suit, catch a quiz cheat and even to solve an ancient puzzle. Along the way she has lots of fun and adventure.

Emily is chased by gargoyles in Paris, rescues a runaway movie star, disguises herself as a baby elephant and outsmarts a master criminal.

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.

The girl with the eye on the tip of her finger is back - and looking into some tricky situations.

When Emily Eyefinger embarks on a secret mission, to reveal the identity of the elusive King Crim, she has the most exciting and dangerous adventure of all.

Meet Emily Eyefinger, the girl who discovers that having an eye on the end of your finger is incredibly handy when it comes to solving puzzles, crimes and problems of all sorts.

Contains Emily Eyefinger's alien adventure, Emily Eyefinger and the devil bones, Emily Eyefinger and the balloon bandits, Emily Eyefinger and the ghost ship.

The clean-up of dead Uncle Arnold's Sydney house becomes a weird experience when Roger discovers that the old man is haunting the television set.

Join Selby and Gary Gaggs, Bogusville's craziest comedian, in a gathering of giggles and gut-busting gags. Watch Gary tackle life on a leaky boat with a bad history and chuckle as he gets involved in a film romance with a difference. Selby must discover who the phantom gagsteris who keeps stealing all of Gary's punchlines.

The Piggotts of Piggot Place return, triumphantly, in this cleverly-paced story of elusive pirate treasure.

A compilation of stories to celebrate thirty years of Selby , the talking dog.

Selby is desperately seeking Santa, while trying to keep his extraordinary abilities a deep dark secret.

Dr Trifle invents a robot called Frank to make life a bit easier. When the Trifles are out, Selby gets Frank to wait on him hand and paw, but things start to go awry when Selby realises just how clever Frank is.

Selby needs to speak out, indeed he needs to scream, when he finds himself being pursued by the Beast of Bogusville or dangling dangerously in mid-air.

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 Search for Selby Society is hot on Selby's tail and, as if that wasn't bad enough, so are ghostly gagsters and the Triple Terror in this story full of shipwrecks, evil curses and more. No wonder Selby is shattered after dealing with all that.

The further adventures of Selby, the talking dog who lives with a zany family.

Selby is about to embark on a chilly Antarctic adventure that is bound to take him to the peak of danger...and beyond.

Willia and Billia, the Trifle's terrible nephews, are again up to no good. Selby can end their havoc with magic, but Selby doesn't know how long he can keep them under control.

The only talking dog in Australia - and perhaps the world - is here again with more adventures and misadventures. And he's still trying to keep his gift of the gab a secret.

Selby, the talking dog, must overcome his fear of spiders to get to the computer or his emails will go unanswered.

Selby is hurled out of the world's only sky-writing embroidery aeroplane to what should be certain death. Vampires invade Selby's peaceful town, and Selby is captured by a Shark Man on Death Island. The death-defying dog is put to the test time and again in these gut-wrenching and hilarious stories. And, all the while, Morrie Artie, the Evil Genius, and his thousands of agents comb Australia in search of this remarkable dog.

What with crimes to solve, thieves to foil and adventures to fall headlong into, Selby's the busiest dog detective in the world. But a nosy video camera may reveal Selby's secret to the world.

Surely, Selby's secret won't be revealed just because he decided to go surfing.

From the only talking dog in Australia, and perhaps the world, comes a rip-snorting, rib-tickling collection of good-time gags, jokes, riddles and funny sayings guaranteed to send you into peels of laughter.

Selby, the talking dog, dreams of cosy fireside chats with his owners but he realises he must keep his powers a secret otherwise he might be turned from family pooch to family servant. It won't be easy.

A super selection of the silliest, side splitting stories chosen by Selby himself.

Mrs Trifle is putting material in a time capsule, ready to be opened in one hundred years. Willy and Billy decide to add notes about Selby and Selby must salvage these before his secret is revealed.

Warning! This book could cause your sides to split and your tummy to ache as it tickles your funny bone and rocks your socks with more hilariously, funny jokes from that master of mirth ' Selby.

Another story in the Selby series about the talking dog. In this adventure, Selby is bound for stardom in Hollywood.

Selby is back and this time he is in space. This humorous story, full of excruciating puns, recounts more of Selby's misadventures as he valiantly tries to keep his gift of the gab secret.

Anna and Tim find the real thief of the getaway gold.

At the cemetery, pieces of headstone have mysteriously been discovered, along with bizarre notes. When Anna and Tim stumble across a head, they prove that three heads are better than two and decide to get to the bottom of this deed.

Tim and Anna's house has been zapped. A gang of graffiti artists have been painting houses in Possum Creek with the huge letters ""ZAP"". The obvious suspects are the local gang called the Zappers, but Tim and Anna aren't so sure.

A skinny mysteries book.

Anna and Tim help solve three separate mysteries. A visit to the museum, a night at the theatre and a dinner invitation all present mysteries that need to be solved.

Mrs Wagner's antique clock has gone walkabout. Clocks are not supposed to be able to walk but there seems to be no other explanation.

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.

Sisters with beards, exploding bullies, a nightmare driving test, a girl whisked away by aliens and poor old Uncle Norm who got sucked up in a lightning storm. A collection of quirky, delicious and outrageously funny poems.

A boy and his Uncle Egg are on a paddling trip down an Australian river. They come across a swimming wallaby, a crashing koala and some friendly campers.

Join Clancy and Uncle Egg on a rambling, rockhopping adventure in Gariwerd (the Grampians), to find the source of the Glenelg River. A story about following your flow, and the unexpected places you may go.

Tara knows the team can't play without her, she just needs to convince them of that.

Sima and her family are pressed to the rough, cold ground among fifty others. They lie next to the tall fence designed to keep them in. The wires are cut one by one. When they make their escape, a guard raises the alarm. Shouting, smoke bombs, people tackled to the ground. In the chaos Sima loses her parents. Dad told her to run, so she does, hiding in a school and triggering a lockdown. A boy, Dan, finds her hiding in the toilet block. What should he do? Help her? Dob her in? She's breaking the law, but is it right to lock kids up? And if he helps, should Sima trust him? Or run? This moment, these decisions, will change the course of their lives.

Sam is staying with his crime reporter father as he recovers from a knee operation when he is woken shortly after 2am by loud voices arguing in the flat above. Curious he opens the window to hear more clearly when suddenly a man-sized shape falls the six floors to the garden below. Sam goes to his dad's room to wake him, only to discover that he is gone. Fearful that it may be his father lying in the garden he struggles on his crutches downstairs only to discover that there is no one there. But someone is watching Sam and now Sam is in danger too.

Dogs and humans have been friends for thousands of years. Take a look at why dogs and humans have such a special relationship.

Take a look at jokes and comedians, and what makes people laugh.

A town submerged by a now leaking dam. What will emerge? Three inquisitive kids find more than they bargain for and have to make decisions that could affect more than just their own lives! Will and his friends were already dealing with BIG challenges but nothing has prepared them for the mysteries that lie ahead.

Imagine how your life would be if you lived on a space station. See how space stations are assembled and how astronauts work and relax on board.

A knock at the door changes Ben Silver's life forever. Two police officers are looking for his parents. When Ben's parents arrive home, they bundle him and his little sister into the car, claiming they're going on a holiday. Ben begins to realise his parents are in trouble. He has always dreamt of becoming a detective and now he gathers evidence to try to uncover what his parents have done. Ben will have to make a terrible choice.

Enter the world of amusement and theme parks and take the ride of your life on some amazing, truly scary roller coasters.

I'm Tom Weekly. This book is full of my stories, jokes, cartoon characters, ideas for theme park rides and other stuff I've made up. It's where I pour out whatever's inside my head. It gets a bit weird sometimes but that's how I roll.

I'm Tom Weekly. My life is an exploding chicken and the book in your hands is my attempt to glue it back together again.

I'm Tom Weekly. This book is full of my stories, jokes, cartoon characters, ideas for theme park rides and other stuff I've made up. It's where I pour out whatever's inside my head. It gets a bit weird sometimes but that's how I roll.

Tom Weekly has helped his pop escape from a nursing home. This is the third collection of stories about Tom Weekly and his funny, weird and, sometimes, gross life story.

Tom Weekly's life just gets weirder and weirder - this is one runaway car ride you won't want to miss.

Discover what happens when you mix one kid with nine attack possums. Observe the result of a guinea pig hostage situation. Learn from my get-rich-quick scheme to put Australia's angriest ice-cream man out of business. Get ready to judge the world's deadliest fruitcake competition. And if I survive it all, let's call the experiment a success. More handy stuff inside: 1. Tips on avoiding household chores 2. Weird facts about guinea pigs 3. How to eat a car

I'm Tom Weekly. This is a nail-biting - make that toe-biting - thrill ride through my life. This is where I pour out whatever's inside my head. Like the time a bloodthirsty magpie out to get me. Or when I had to eat Vegemite off my sister's big toe. And don't forget the day I ate 67 hot dogs in ten minutes. My life gets a bit weird sometimes but that's how I roll. Top 3 reasons to read this book: 1. Cures for nits 2. Hover underpants 3. Instructions for teleporting

The illustrations are patterns from ten different landscapes, with a description highlighting some key features. Children can try to find certain objects within each vibrant, indigenous artwork.

In a similar vein to Dorothea Mackellar's My Country. Stunning images and words showcase the awe-inspiring beauty of the Australian continent.

Winter has fallen in the world of story and Tuesday's typewriter lies silent. Far away in the Peppermint Forest, Vivienne fears she will never again feel the touch of the sun. When the mysterious Loddon appears in Vivienne's treehouse, he brings terrible danger. Without warning, Tuesday is swept up into the world of story as she has never seen it before. In this forbidding and unfamiliar place, and without her beloved dog, Tuesday becomes Loddon's captive and has to muster all her resources to survive.

In search of Serendipity, Tuesday and her faithful dog Baxterr find themselves on a very dangerous mission. They enter the magical world where stories come from, a mysterious and unpredictable world, full of real danger and heart-stopping adventure. Tuesday will need all her wit, courage, perseverance and imagination in order to get to The End and be reunited with the people she loves.

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.

Strange things are happening to authors everywhere. They are disappearing and then returning in unexpected places, injured and disoriented. Tuesday's parents ban her from writing but Vivienne Small, the heroine of the books written by Tuesday's mother, Serendipity, sends out a call for help. Tuesday and her dog set out to fix the problem before the magical world and all the stories it contains are destroyed.

Omri's big brother doesn't have a birthday present for him so he gives Omri an old medicine cabinet. Although their mother supplies a key, the cabinet still doesn't seem like much of a present. But, when Omri dumps a plastic, toy Indian into the cabinet just before falling asleep, the magic begins.

Omri's father joins him in a life-threatening adventure to keep their promise to Little Bear to lead his tribe to safety.

After Omri reads his great-grand-aunt's Account, he longs to try the key in the cupboard again. When his friend, Patrick, comes to stay, nothing can stop him.

Omri can't resist bringing the small people back to life again. But, when the cupboard door opens, Omri finds Little Bull unconscious. As Omri tries to help him, he faces the terrifying responsibility of power , the power of life and death.

After a terrible battle, many of little Bull's warriors are wounded. Omri has to get them medical help but he must also protect the secret of the Indian.

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.

Pollo di Nozi, reporter-in-training, has a nose for news and strange things are happening in Riddle Gully. With Shorn Connery, her sheepish sidekick, Pollo is determined to track down the Graffiti Kid. But, maybe, Will, the new boy in town, is conspiring with the pushy mayor and a strange Transylvanian to send her sniffing up the wrong trail. Pollo is desperate for a story. But, Pollo and her reluctant offsider, Will, discover something very different from what they go looking for.

When Mayor Bullock's nephew, Benson, arrives in Riddle Gully, things start disappearing. Overeager newshound Pollo di Nozi points her finger his way and Benson skips town, hitching a ride on a sheep truck. But, when Pollo and her best mate, Will, realise who the real culprit is, they set off to track down Benson to convince him he is not the hopeless scumbag he's come to believe himself to be.

Junior reporter, Pollo di Nozi, is on the lookout for another juicy news story. When she and her friend, Will, come across two strange campers, they are off to solve a mystery. Unravelling hidden treasure, cunning crooks, mistaken identities and mysterious disappearances might just be Pollo's greatest ever challenge.

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.

Dorothy and her family have moved from their farm to the city and life is very different. She struggles at school and dreams of writing and acting. With the help of her new Ruby Road friends and with the support of her family, Dorothy discovers that she can follow her dreams and also find an ingenious way to help the local suffragists in their fight for women's right to vote! Join Dorothy and her family at 11 Ruby Road in 1900, as Federation is dawning and a new century begins.

Aboriginal dreaming stories of the Jirrbal people. Contains factual narratives about the author's life and the rainforests of North Queensland. Traditional language words of the Jirrbal people are included.

Merdyn the Wild is from the Dark ages but banished to the 21st century for bad behaviour. He's the greatest Warlock of all time. He will tell you to bow down before him or feel his wrath. He's about to cause problems for 12 year old Rose, who is on a mission to mend her broken family and has no intention of bowing down before anyone. And then, there's Bubbles. He's Rose's guinea pig. He just poos a lot.

It's 23 October 1821 and convict William Swallow stands on the deck of the Malabar for muster. He is wearing a canary yellow convict uniform and his legs are chained. He's just completed the 121-day sea voyage from London to Hobart Town, but his wild and audacious adventures have barely begun. He'll soon ditch the convict uniform and the chains, take part in a mutiny, become a pirate captain and fool the world in what just might be the most outrageous and unbelievable true story in Australia's convict history.

I am a non-stop ball of energy. Powerful and full of light. I am a go-getter. A difference-maker. A leader. Step inside the mind of the confident narrator of this book! He is proud of everything that makes him who he is. He's got big plans, and will see them through. He's creative, adventurous, smart, funny. A good friend. A superhero. Sometimes he falls, but he always gets back up. And other times he's afraid, because he's often misunderstood. So, slow down, look and listen as he shows you who he really is ...

Florence Nightingale's intelligence, determination and bravery made hospitals cleaner and safer, and saved countless lives through her work. This provides an insight into her life.

Everyone said his dad's motorbike crash was an accident but he doesn't believe them, not even for a second, and Stunt Boy is going to prove it. With his amazing wonder dog Blindfold and his best friend Benny, Stunt Boy has to find out who is trying to sabotage their Stoked Stunt Circus and stop them.

Explore the fascinating story of Australia, from its ancient Indigenous past to the present day, through the biographies of significant people. Find out how these people brought important changes to Australian society through their knowledge, actions or achievements.

Explore the fascinating story of Australia, from its ancient Indigenous past to the present day, through the biographies of significant people. Find out how these people brought important changes to Australian society through their knowledge, actions or achievements.

Explore the fascinating story of Australia, from its ancient Indigenous past to the present day, through the biographies of significant people. Find out how these people brought important changes to Australian society through their knowledge, actions or achievements.

Explore the fascinating story of Australia, from its ancient Indigenous past to the present day, through the biographies of significant people. Find out how these people brought important changes to Australian society through their knowledge, actions or achievements.

Explore the fascinating story of Australia, from its ancient Indigenous past to the present day, through the biographies of significant people. Find out how these people brought important changes to Australian society through their knowledge, actions or achievements.

Explore the fascinating story of Australia, from its ancient Indigenous past to the present day, through the biographies of significant people. Find out how these people brought important changes to Australian society through their knowledge, actions or achievements.

Explore the fascinating story of Australia, from its ancient Indigenous past to the present day, through the biographies of significant people. Find out how these people brought important changes to Australian society through their knowledge, actions or achievements.

Explore the fascinating story of Australia, from its ancient Indigenous past to the present day, through the biographies of significant people. Find out how these people brought important changes to Australian society through their knowledge, actions or achievements.

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.

Explore the fascinating story of Australia, from its ancient Indigenous past to the present day, through the biographies of significant people. Find out how these people brought important changes to Australian society through their knowledge, actions or achievements.

In this classic, magical Peter Pan comes to the night nursery of the Darling children. He teaches them to fly and takes them through the sky to Never-Never Land for many adventures, including a battle with the infamous villain, Captain Hook.

This is a time-slip story of friendship and of Australia's early gold-mining days. Jeremy makes contact with a boy who lived in Jeremy's house a hundred years before.

Have you been unexpectedly burdened by a recently orphaned or unclaimed creature? Worry not! We have just the solution for you! Welcome to the Home for Wayward and Misbegotten Creatures, an institution run by evil Miss Carbunkle, a cunning villainess who believes her terrified young charges exist only to serve and suffer. Part animal and part human, the groundlings toil in classroom and factory, forbidden to enjoy anything regular children have, most particularly singing and music.

Release date: March 25, 2025 Beatrice Glass - Bea - lives in a tiny fishing village that's sleepy all year until the summertime, when the tourists flock in and most of the locals leave. But summer is also when Bea's favourite person in the entire world, her fun and hilarious uncle, Byron, comes to stay. On their last day together the previous summer, Byron had given Bea an intriguing antique book containing a map of Somewhere, a mysterious island off the coast, and promised that next summer they'd sail to Somewhere together for their best adventure yet. That was last year. Now summer has arrived, but Byron hasn't. And now it looks like he never will. Are the book and Byron's disappearance linked? Byron has left some clues for Bea - a scavenger hunt of sorts designed to bring her and her new friend, Arabella, together and give Bea one last magical summer. Could Somewhere hold the key to both Bea's and Arabella's future?

You've never met a vampire like Solomon before. He is friendly and polite. But when his parents go on a one hundred year cruise without him, he is not impressed. Especially when it means he has to stay in creepy Transylvania with his uncle, Count Dracula, and six naughty cousins. He ends up in spooky Wildwood on a dangerous mission to try to save his catastrophic cousins and possibly the world A fangtastic tale about loving your family, even when they drive you batty."

Solomon is traveling to Paris with his cousins and his Uncle Dracula. To help cheer up their Uncle Dracula, the mischievious cousins steal the Mona Lisa with the help of Mademoiselle Bon-Bon. But things don't go quite as planned.

Elizabeth II came to the throne in 1953. This is the story of her life before and during that reign. In magazine layout, the book provides interesting and historical information.

An in-depth examination of Australia's national emblems, songs, poems and icons.

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.

In the fast-moving second instalment of the stunning Averil trilogy. Averil, returning from a trading expedition, is horrified to find that the Wise Woman Warrior Metria and Averil's sister, Ludella, have been kidnapped. Averil and a smal band of warriors set out to rescue them. They find the wider world again thrown into chaos. The evil sorcerer Malidon has emerged stronger than ever, and this time not even the master sorcerer Panay is strong enough to defeat him. Will Averil be able to convince the reclusive and mysterious Beast of Dreyon to help them?

Averil discovers a world of wonder, sorcery and evil and is drawn into a battle between malevolent powers that threaten to change the world forever.

The stirring final book of the Averil trilogy finds the Taalian Alliance again threatened by evil. The sorcerer Malidon has captured the iron forges of Suther, stemming the flow of weapons to the rest of the world. Averil, now Aum's Chief Trader-Diplomat, knows of an ancient magical weapon that might be used to finally defeat Malidon- the Winged Spear of Iraz. But the spear is lost. Its custodian, the Beast of Dreyon, helped Averil once. Will it help her again? And what will happen in the final dramatic battle? Fourteen-year-old Averil has never been far from the small desert town of Aum. But all that is about to change. Chosen as a novice Trader-Diplomat on her first expedition, she finds a world full of surprises. But Evil is stirring, and Averil is drawn into a battle between malevolent powers that threatens to change the world forever. In a world of war and sorcery, Averil finds strengths and qualities she didn't know she possessed.

Well-organised under clear headings and well-presented information on all aspects of Australian currency including manufacture and design with contents, websites, a glossary and ideas for related things to do.

Well-organised under clear headings and well-presented information about Australia's shipwrecks and sea mysteries, with a glossary of terms, website addresses and ideas for related things to do.

Well-organised under clear headings and well-presented information on the early settlement of Australia and exploration of Australia's inland and coastline with contents, websites, a glossary and ideas for related things to do.

Stimulating, intricate illustrations take us into the magical world of dragons.

In ancient Egypt, Jackal and Ibis are given a task by Cat Pharaoh, to travel along the Nile to retrieve the previous jewel fish from Crocodile Prince. Contains hieroglyphics and a jewel puzzle.

An aquatic, colourful gangster tale with a cautionary moral that greed is bad.

In a far-off desert world, similar to outback Australia, evolution has taken a turn. It is inhabited by creatures covered in fur but with living steel panels beneath who gnaw on bones, sniff lamp posts and fill up on oil.

A poetic narrative involving Sprocc, an alien, and his struggle for freedom of expression.

It is the 1850s on the Australian goldfields. People are caught up in the, often violent, grip of gold fever. Miju and her brother, kidnapped from their homeland, are working to earn their passage home. Racism and robbery make their quest more difficult.

One April night, people living near Chernobyl see a great flash in the sky...Everyone is told to move out of the forbidden zone around the destroyed nuclear reactor, but two stubborn old ladies, Anna and Klara, refuse to leave. Nine years later, the forest wolves bring a ragged child to their - a child who has been living with wolves in the forbidden zone. Who is the lost child of Chernobyl and will Anna and Klara be able to find the child's family after all this time? Inspired by the real events of the global environmental disaster at Chernobyl in April 1986, this haunting and deeply relevant graphic novel is about the place of humans in the natural world, about healing, survival and the meaning of home.

Peter is just an ordinary boy, who loves playing football with his friends and eating cake. But, when war comes to his city, Budapest, Peter and his family have to go into hiding.

Life is never dull with Grandma Cadbury, especially at a beach resort.

Nine year old Sam is always in trouble. He has a kind heart but more challenges than most children his age. After getting into trouble with the police, Sam thinks things can't get any worse. But, it seems that this is just the beginning.

Ron's family is broken. He isn't able to live with his mum or dad. Now he's being fostered by his aunt who has three sons of her own. It's a chaotic, angry environment, and Ron isn't at all happy. When strangers, Rosie and Bob, offer to care for him, he jumps at the chance. It's the kind of home he's always dreamed of. There is only one thing missing. He aches to be with his dad.

Julia's life is overshadowed by the death of her little sister. From her forbidden treehouse, Julia can see everything and she hides secret treasures there. In her house, there are secrets too but Julia can't figure them out by herself.

Poetry is magical and funny, and tells stories about life. This collection includes forty-five different kinds of poems, by thirty-five Australian poets. They share, reveal and confess parts of their life experiences in passionate, angry, absurd, moving and hilarious ways.

Magenta is worried her about her dad. He hasn't moved on since the divorce. Magenta is trying to write her fantasy trilogy but, since she registered her father on an internet dating site, she has to spend time pretending to be him and replying to the emails he doesn't know he is receiving. Now, someone wants to meet him.

When grief strikes, you need an ally. For Mimi, that ally is Ableth, the wildly disobedient blue slave. He comes, he goes, he says and does whatever he likes, but he's always there when Mimi needs him most, offering his own brand of crooked wisdom.

Rain May and her mum escape their old inner-city life for a dream house in the country. There are more than a few surprises in store like discovering a platypus or the fun of befriending eleven year old, Captain Daniel, who lives next door.

Star and her mum used to manage. Now mum's old friend Charlie has moved in and life is topsy-turvy. Star knows she wants a horse and needs a new best friend. But how is that going to happen when no one is listening to her?

Ruby has had her mum and dad and best friend, Sarah, to herself for as long as she can remember. Now everything is changing because her mum is having a baby and her best friend has found a better friend. She wishes things could be back to how they were. Ruby learns that we must be careful what we wish for.

Magrit lives in an abandoned cemetery. She is as forgotten as the tiny graveyard that surrounds her. One night, a passing stork drops a strange bundle into the graveyard. Master Puppet, her friend and advisor, tells her it is an awful, ugly, terrible thing and she should get rid of it. But, Magrit has other ideas.

Grandpa tells his grandson about his life and guardian angel during a dark period in history. Watercolour illustrations add to this endearing story.

A team of scientists are trying to transport a live dinosaur to the future by stretching time. When the dinosaur becomes stranded in the Middle Ages, it crosses the paths of twin brothers, Roland and Oswald, who are struggling to save their father from a corrupt official. Roland dreams of being a knight while Oswald imagines a future as a physician. Meeting the dinosaur changes their lives forever.

Mr Mosely isn't a purebred dog but he's just the dog that Corey and his family want. He is loyal, protective and loving. And, he is much more than that. He might well be the one thing that holds them all together.

Ever had a nickname? A rotten run of bad luck? A best friend who just looks on the bright side - even when the bright side looks black? Well, Eric Vale's got all three, and they're pushing him towards the epic-est of all epic fails!

Principal Porter thinks Eric Vale has gone off the rails, but could there be an explanation for his behaviour, like mutant vampire zombie werewolf aliens stealing Eric's brain.

It is superhero week at school and Eric Vale, superfail and writer of superhero comics, is in his element. But there are surprises in-store including a mutant orang-utan and the dreaded Oogily Boogily man.

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.

Wild animals are turning to a life of crime and it's all the work of evil Doctor Evil Mac Evilness. Secret Agent Derek Danger Dale must outwit a criminal mastermind, escape the clutches of the four most deadly creatures on the planet and save the world's biggest diamond.

Evil Doctor Evil MacEvilness has created a magnet so powerful that it can attract anything. Now, he's using it to steal whatever he wants. To stop him, Secret Agent Derek Danger Dale must go undercover and apply for a job as one of MacEvilness' own goons. Derek must also survive his close encounters with Petunia, the Giant Piranha, and the Notoriously Nasty but Nevertheless Nifty Ninjas.

Once again, Secret Agent Derek Danger Dale faces the evil Doctor Evil Mac Evilness, whose new evil device uses people's own nightmares against them. Derek must overcome the world's greatest fears and the horrors of the Rooms of Getting Scarier.

Dorothy thinks she is lost forever when a terrifying tornado crashes through Kansas and whisks her and her dog, Toto, far away to the magical land of Oz. To get home, Dorothy must follow the yellow brick road to Emerald City and find the wonderfully mysterious Wizard of Oz. With her companions, the Tin Woodman, the Scarecrow and the Cowardly Lion, Dorothy embarks on a strange and enchanting adventure.

Poll and her family have to move to a small town in the English countryside in the early twentieth century. They take their family pet, a pig. Now Poll's father has gone away and there is a mystery surrounding his departure.

Discover the secrets behind some of the natural world's most unusual creatures of camouflage and mimicry. Find out about the chameleon who changes colour to communicate with its friends, the burrowing owl who copies the sound of a fiercer animal to protect itself from threats, and the harlequin filefish that has come to smell like coral to blend in with its surroundings. You'll be amazed by how these clever creatures use disguise and imitation to find food, send out warning signals and, most of all, avoid predators!

With more than sixty of the most deadly and dangerous animals from across the world to explore, every page of this beautifully illustrated volume is more eye-opening than the last. You will learn interesting facts about these fascinating species, (many of which you won't have even known were deadly) such as how they have adapted to survive and whether we should be threatened by these animals or appreciate them for their incredible features. Children and adults alike will pore over the breath-taking scientific illustrations of unusual animals from the geography cone snail to the wolverine, the Irukandji jellyfish to the slow loris, debating their relative dangerous features, learning about science and nature along the way.

Discover the most curious relationships in the natural world. The relationships between these peculiar pairs could be mutualistic, communalistic, parasitic or predatory. There are so many surprising partnerships from frogs and tarantulas, to sponges and crabs.

Enter the world of ugly animals in this gallery of the animal kingdom's most unusual and beauty-challenged species. Featuring sixty breathtaking scientific illustrations, and facts about the thorniest creatures the natural world has to offer. Celebrate the beauty of ugliness from the naked mole rat to the goblin shark, it's time to let ugly shine!

A celebration of the Warner Brothers animated series, packed with images from the TV show and the comic books it inspired. Contains in-depth profiles of the main heroes and villains, and annotated illustrations of the key weapons and places.

Stuff happens sometimes. Everyday stuff. At school, at home, with sport, with mates. For Dale, it happened during a school play when he decides to take revenge on Dan, the coolest kid in school. Dale intends to embarrass Dan during the finale of their school play.

Derek is on a mission to go viral. After all, what is more super cool than being an internet hit? The only problem is thinking of a super cool viral idea, nothing is working out as expected. But Derek is not one to give up, he is determined to achieve viral victory- even if it's the last thing he does.

Tom's six older brothers go on dangerous quests in the Land of Stories. They are famous for the exciting endings they discover for the tales the Story Bureau assigns to them. When his brothers fail to return from their adventures it is up to Tom to find out why his brothers haven't completed their missions.

The Trueheart house is busy - today Tom's older brothers are getting married and preparing to live happily ever after. But an unexpected wedding guest arrives. Someone who has decided that there will be no more Happy Endings. Tom must defeat the storybook monsters even though he is only the size of a thumb.

Tom is determined to rescue his father, Jack the Giant-Killer, from the clutches of the dastardly Ormestone. But to do so he will have to overcome such terrors as the ferocious Norse dragon, an angry Cyclops and, worst of all, the hungry Minotaur waiting in the centre of the labyrinth.

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.

Four exploding grandparents. Twenty four hours in the Land of the Dead. One Epic adventure. An action packed, magical story full of humour and heart.

Twelve year old Harley just wants a normal life, but it is her destiny to be a Legendary Hero in the Land of the Dead. Now it is time for Harley to travel back through the Portal of Doom and rescue her best friend, battle with a massive fish and solve a mysterious prophecy. This is an incredible adventure including a dangerous toilet and a perilous rescue.

The Team is excited to be going to Soccer Camp. They are a little nervous to be playing against the best of the best. They are even more nervous that they will be sent home if anyone finds out that Mark 1 is a robot.

Born in the year of the snake, May Tang is a dreamer who will never be sensible and obedient like her elder sister Jie Jie or clever like her brother Peter. Her parents are worried by rumoured events in China, and May finds herself on her way to a new life in Sydney. It is so different that May wonders if she will ever be able to love her new country.

Going to school and making new friends can be tough. But going to school and making new friends while wearing a bulky hearing aid strapped to your chest? That requires superpowers! In this funny, poignant graphic novel memoir, author/illustrator Cece Bell chronicles her hearing loss at a young age and her subsequent experiences with the Phonic Ear, a very powerful - and very awkward - hearing aid.

When lifelong friends Lola, Belle, Maisie and Sophia reunite at their beloved Corner Park Clubhouse for the winter school holidays, Lola has a great idea: they'll enter the local drama competition! It's the perfect way to spend as much time together as possible, and there are prizes for best actor, director and sets. As an artist, Lola's determined her sets will win - but there's just one problem. She can't figure out what to paint, or even how to get started. And that's because of something that happened at her super sophisticated art school last term ... something Lola can't discuss with anyone. Not her bestie, Belle, who's brought her new friend Matilda home for the holidays. Not Maisie, who's always busy with gym. Not Sophia, who's focused on her secret crush. And not even her cool older sister, Tally, who's at a conference in New York. With no-one to turn to but herself, can Lola figure out how to get her creativity back - before it's too late?

Sophia and her lifelong best friends, Belle, Maisie and Lola, are reunited at their old favourite hangout - the Corner Park Clubhouse - after their first term at different high schools. But it soon becomes obvious that, in spite of pinkie swears and promises, they're drifting apart. The one thing keeping them together is the clubhouse, which holds special memories for each of them - and after what happened there last summer, it means more than anything to Sophia. So when they find out it's going to be bulldozed, the girls set out in a race against time to save it - and their friendship - from demolition.

It's 1918 and the Great War rages on the other side of the world. Alice lives with her big family by the Swan River in Perth and her deepest wish is to become a ballerina. When she auditions for a famous dance teacher from London, it seems as if her dreams might come true. But, then there's a terrible accident, and Alice must ask herself whether there are more important things than dancing.

Alice's mother is sick and everyone fears she might have the dreaded Spanish Influenza. When the family celebrates Papa Sir's life and plants a tree at King's Park, Alice's brother Teddy makes a surprise announcement. But, an even bigger shock awaits Alice when someone from the past returns with the power to change her future and make her dreams come true.

It's 1918 and Alice has never felt lonelier. Her father is missing at sea, her brother, Teddy, is away at war and she's not allowed to speak to her best friend anymore. Alice tries to forget her worries by having a stall at the Apple Blossom Fair. But, when strange events start happening in the town, everything goes wrong. Alice just wants the war to be over and for her life to be the same again.

The war is over, summer has arrived and Alice is hopeful that life with her family will finally return to normal. However, nothing goes as expected. Her mother loses her job at the bank, the country is gripped with the deadly Spanish Influenza and there are problems between Alice and her best friend, Jilly. Even the return from Europe of Teddy, Alice's big brother, can't fix everything.

A pair of black swans, separated from their flock, is forced to nest alone in shrinking wetlands where they face unknown dangers in changing and increasingly hostile conditions.

Count as you walk up Numerical Street, every page has a numerical treat. Get your pants altered, get your keys cut, hop, skip or jump up Numerical Street, past cake shops, hair stylists, laundromats, pet stores and shoe repairers, all with their curious wares on display.

When Arthur, Ren and Cecily investigate a mysterious explosion, they find themselves trapped in the year 2473. Lost in the Wonderscape, an epic in-reality adventure game, they must call on the help of some unlikely historical heroes to play their way home before time runs out.

Agnes Gamble never knew there was a secret agency for protecting rare and endangered animals. When a talking shrew takes her to the headquarters, she is is keen to impress Commander Phil with her trial role in Operation Honeyant. Hopefully Agnes will become a permanent SPEARS agent.

FEEL THE MAGIC. CONJURE THE IMPOSSIBLE. When her dad is kidnapped by a woman with a giant hamstoceros, Bitsy and best friend Kosh are swept into a secret world of ancient meteorites and strange beasts called magicores, each conjured using a different emotion. Using a powerful bestiary called Magicalia, the friends must quickly become conjurors themselves, before following a trail of clues that will take them from London to India to Paris, in a race to rescue Bitsy's dad from a mysterious villain...

Meet deaf artist, Dion Beasley, and the people he calls family. Dodging road trains by day and giant blue monsters at night, Dion weaves his way through life on an electric scooter, collecting rocks and dogs to make art. In his dreams he sees animals from overseas and his mother's country, Lake Nash, but every morning, without fail, he puts on his favourite socks and gets ready to feed the dogs. Is it time yet?

This little book will delight word buffs. It contains examples of homonyms with cartoon drawings to illustrate the words.

Aidan leaves the farm to join the war, along with his bugle. He is excited by the promise of travel, adventure and new friends, using his bugle to inspire his battalion.

When Russell witnesses his mother burning wooden bails from a friendly cricket match between Australia and England, little does he know just how important that night becomes in sporting history.

Kids are on a mission to make our Earth a better, safer, happier place, and you can join in! Every day, we see a problem we would like to fix. A piece of rubbish in a green, grassy park. Plastic water bottles buried in the sand at the beach. A garbage bin overflowing onto the street, and much more. This book gives the reader simple and mostly free ways to better a more environmentally aware human.

Do you know about half of all fruit and vegetables produced end up as waste, and each year, Australians throw away enough food to fill 17,000 jumbo jets? You can use Foodwise to find simple and delicious ways to stop our food from ending up in landfill. Packed with awesome activities, fun facts and 50 delicious recipes, Foodwise will help you become a food genius in no time - all while saving the planet! So come on, join a new generation of food-waste warriors, fighting to keep food on plates, in tummies and out of the bin!

This book deals with the fragility of our planet's ecosystem. Topics include household recycling, earth-friendly shopping tips, biodegradable products and links for further information.

Find out about some of the amazing inventions in the British Science Museum. In fact, find out what an invention is. Read how modern day inventions came about, showing the development of some items we use today from their earliest beginnings through all the changes that have improved them.

When the comet looked down to the Earth, the humans gazed right back. Every seventy-six years or so, Halley's Comet passes the Earth on its orbit, catching snapshots of how the planet and the Earthlings that live there change over time. Even though the comet's path continually leads it back into the vast universe, it always looks forward to its return to Earth to see what humans will accomplish next. Told with wonder and striking illustrations, this story follows Halley's Comet as it traces the journey of human civilization over the thousands of years it has travelled the Earth.

Claire Martinson still worries about her older sister Sophie, who battled a mysterious illness last year. But things are back to normal as they move into Windermere Manor. Everything changes when the sisters climb a strange ladder in a fireplace and enter the magical land of Arden. There, they find a world in turmoil. The four guilds of magic no longer trust each other, the beloved unicorns have disappeared, and terrible wraiths roam freely. Scared, the girls return home. But when Sophie vanishes in the night, it will take all of Claire's courage to climb back up the ladder, find her sister, and uncover the unicorns' greatest secret.

Claire and her sister are the lost princesses of Arden. They have released the last unicorn from its stone prison hoping it could save the waning magic of the kingdom. But the unicorn has vanished and it is being pursued by enemies. The sisters face challenges if they want to help the unicorn rise again. Claire will have to find the courage to master her new magical powers. Sophie must face dangerous truths about the people she thought were her friends and about herself.

Three women elders share the stories and knowledge of food and medicine from Jawoyn county and the people who live there in the Barunga and Wugularr communities.

Orinoco is certainly the tubbiest of the Wombles, and is the one who needs the most encouragement to go out on the daily sortie to clear up and recycle all the rubbish that humans leave behind. Meanwhile, Tomsk is getting to grips with one of the humans' more ingenious inventions, the vacuum cleaner.

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 Wombles' peaceful, harmonious existence is suddenly under threat. The heavy lorries, thundering along the roads near the common, make the burrow shake and tremble so it's no longer safe for the Wombles to live there. Great Uncle Bulgaria decides they will have to move from the burrow they've lived in for many, many years.

There's been a huge festival and no end of rubbish has been left behind by the Human Beings. Everything from umbrellas to shoes, drink cans and bottles. The Wombles have their work cut out for them.

Great Uncle Bulgaria loves telling the history of the Womble clans to the younger Wombles. But, when he notices that they are not really interested in the history, Great Uncle Bulgaria decides to take action. Tobermory invents some eco-friendly clockwork air balloons to travel in and Orinoco, Bungo, Tomsk and Wellington are sent variously to interesting and far-flung America, Tibet and Australia.

The Wombles are now safely back in their burrow on Wimbledon Common. They had had to leave because heavy lorries thundering up and down the nearby road threatened to make their burrow cave in. However, there is another problem. It seems that the humans have realised they have an energy crisis and are throwing much less away. The Wombles' supplies begin to run low.

Meet the Wombles of Wimbledon Common, very prim and proper little animals, whose self-appointed duty it is to keep the common tidy by collecting and recycling all of the many things left behind by those most strange of all animals, the Human Beings.

Go behind the camera to find out how films are made and who makes them, from the greatest animators to the most talented set designers. Explore different genres and movie styles from westerns, musicals and sci-fi to cult movies and documentaries. Take a trip from Hollywood to Bollywood and see what makes different world cinema styles unique.

Lots of interesting information and answers to questions you've always wanted to ask about poisonous creatures. Find out how long a king cobra can grow and which ants can put out fires.

Lots of interesting information about sharks and answers to all the questions you've always wanted to ask, and a few you might not have considered. Find out where sharks have their ears and what do we get from shark's liver oil.

Lots of interesting information and answers to questions about endangered animals. Find out if sea otters are now safe and which is the most endangered whale.

You'll find answers to lots and lots of interesting questions about space. Find out how planets differ from stars, why we don't feel the Earth moving, what makes the seasons and lots more.

Andromache Peters wants a normal life but this is almost impossible when your parents were famous adventurers who saved the world and nobody will let you forget it. Add to this the fact that her father has been missing for twelve of her fourteen years, her mother has retreated into her grief and Andromache has been expelled from yet another school. But when a mysterious stranger reveals to her that her father is not only still alive but trapped in a parallel world, Andromache is thrown into a daring journey across other universes to find and save the father she never knew. It's a journey so strange and dangerous that it will forever transform Andromache's life into anything but normal.

A miner from the 1860s and his nine year old companion find themselves in contemporary Sydney after their mining blast coincides with 20th century excavation.

When two children want to save the Moreton Bay fig tree in their local park, they are taken back in time to colonial days.

Beautifully illustrated, by an Aboriginal artist from Cairns, the retelling of how creatures came into the world during the Dreamtime. The author, an anthropologist, lived among the Aborigines in the north of Australia for many years.

Aboriginal Dreaming stories.

Ever since a notorious shark took the lives of her parents, Blue Wing's ambition has been to become a Shark Caller like her guardian. It is a skill that she believes will help her get revenge. But instead, she has been asked to keep Maple, the daughter of a university professor who has come to her island, company while Maple's father searches the island for the answers to a secret he keeps close to himself. Once the two girls stop being angry at their situation, they begin to realise they have a great deal in common and become friends. However, as they begin to unravel the mystery of what brings Maple's father to the island, their friendship and bravery are really put to the test.

Trace the journey of a gold mask in Egypt centuries ago. It is melted down to become a prize at the Colosseum, a gift for Queen Elizabeth I, counterfeit coins, a toothpick holder at Versailles, gold buttons on a waistcoat and a necklace in New York.

These cutaway drawings contain minute details and explanations of technological marvels.

Alfred was just a young man when he was injured and shipped home from France. Neither honoured as a returned soldier or offered government support afforded to non-Indigenous servicemen, Alfred took up a solitary life walking the back roads - billy tied to his swag, finding work where he could.

Through challenging puzzles, find out how people lived in castles, and the tournaments and battles that occurred. Each double page spread covers a different aspect of castle life and is crammed full of things for you to find.

There's no doubt about it, our planet is in trouble. So what can YOU do to help? This hands-on guide to practical choices and actions provides helpful checklists of things you can do. You'll find clear guidelines on planet-friendly shopping, eating and travel, as well as ways to save energy, deal with waste, and get drastic about plastic. With the help of this book, YOU can make a difference to the future of our planet.

This puzzle book explores life on Earth millions of years ago and the many different plants and animals that inhabited it. Every double page spread is packed with extraordinary detail and objects to spot, including intriguing prehistoric creatures from the most fearsome of dinosaurs to the tiniest of insects.

Leopold and Alytash - Leo and Tash - are neighbours who used to be best friends, but aren't anymore, for reasons that Leo doesn't entirely understand. But now it's the last week of Year Six and Tash is standing in Leo's front yard with a misdelivered letter - and a favour to ask. It's a request that will set off a chain of events in their little crescent in Noble Park, a suburb that is changing, and fast. In the process of solving an unfolding neighbourhood mystery and helping Ms Shepparson, a reclusive neighbour with a tragic past, Leo and Tash each have to confront fault-lines in their own recent histories and families. They will discover that friendships can grow and change, that bravery takes many forms, and that, most of all - whatever the future holds - friends and family are what matter.

The year is 1999, the year Winifred's world and perspectives are turned upside down. Her grandfather is in a rehabilitation home after a fall, and now her adoptive father's new girlfriend and her son, Sam, have come to live with them. What's worse, now there is a baby on the way. Where does she possibly fit in now? But when 400 Kosovar-Albanian refugees arrive in her town escaping their war-torn homes, she quickly begins to understand and appreciate the importance of family and compassion when she and the visitors experience a year of change that they will never forget.

Fascinating facts about the dwarf planets and the solar system. Includes photographs, a glossary and websites links.

Fascinating facts about our planet, Earth, and the solar system. Includes photographs, a glossary and websites links.

Fascinating facts about the planet, Jupiter, and the solar system. Includes photographs, a glossary and websites links.

Fascinating facts about the planet, Mars, and the solar system. Includes photographs, a glossary and websites links.

Fascinating facts about the planet, Mercury, and the solar system. Includes photographs, a glossary and websites links.

Find out whether there is sound on the Moon, how long it takes for the Moon to orbit the Earth, what happens in a lunar eclipse. Lots of fascinating facts and photographs about the Moon and the solar system.

Fascinating facts about the planet, Neptune, and the solar system. Includes photographs, a glossary and website links.

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.

Fascinating facts about the planet, Saturn, and the solar system. Includes photographs, a glossary and website links.

Find out how stars form, what Blue giants are, how stars are studied. Lots of fascinating facts and photographs about stars and the solar system.

Find out why the sun is so hot and big, how it relates to the seasons and why planets orbit the sun. Lots of fascinating facts and photographs about the sun and the solar system.

Fascinating facts about the planet, Uranus, and the solar system. Includes photographs, a glossary and website links.

Fascinating facts about the planet, Venus, and the solar system. Includes photographs, a glossary and website links.

The Penderwick sisters, Rosalind, Jane, Skye and Batty, are ready for an adventure but what happens isn't quite what they had in mind. When Mr Penderwick's sister, their Aunt Claire, decides it's time for him to start dating, it can only mean one thing, disaster.

This book brings together the language and sounds of over 100 animals and creatures. Explore the way creatures and critters communicate in the wild.

The Grace children enter the world of faeries and explore the Spiderwick estate and surrounding areas. The boggart is making life difficult for Jared, but the whole family is in grave danger if they remain at Spiderwick.

The Grace children enter the world of faeries, and explore the Spiderwick estate and surrounding areas to see what is unseen to most humans but themselves. Introduces Mallory, thirteen, and Jared and Simon, nine.

The Grace children enter the world of faeries and explore the Spiderwick estate and surrounding areas to see what is unseen to most humans but themselves. Doppelgangers, dwarves and a dastardly double-cross mean more surprises in store for the Graces.

The Grace children enter the world of faeries and explore the Spiderwick estate and surrounding areas to see what is unseen to most humans but themselves. They discover the fate of the missing cat and the power of the seeing stone.

The Grace children enter the world of faeries. Mallory, Jared and Simon return to their home from the underground kingdom of the dwarfs, to find it ransacked and their mother missing. It ends with a dramatic rescue and the demise of Mulgarath.

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.

Ashley has been longing for a pet of her own but her plans for a puppy fall through. Instead, her parents send Ashley on a holiday to her eccentric Aunt Micky. There, Ashley saves an injured mother koala and her joey Dexter. When a storm cuts off the only access road to the vet, Ashley must find the courage to find another way to safety.

Matthew has a new computer and he finds that someone who died fifty years ago is trying to communicate with him through this technology. Every real adventure has its funny, scary and desperate turns but this one has a startling twist.

Told in diary form by a young girl in an Australian village. It is 1915 and Australia is involved in World War 1. Emma writes of the perils and difficulties of wartime and the hatred against the German settlers in the area.

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.

Tom travels back to the ancient Aztec Empire where he must face the rain god Tlaloc. He must outsmart the god and snatch the missing treasure before it is too late.

Join Tom and Aztec girl, Zuma, as they travel through time, battling the mightiest warriors of the past.

Tom meets Princess Isis and her pet, Cleo, when he breaks a museum statue that releases an ancient curse. He must help the Princess on her quest to track down six amulets. Tom is on his sixth quest and hopes that this will be his final quest to free Princess Isis of the ancient curse. He finds himself in Ancient Egypt fighting alongside King Tutankhamun in his most dangerous battle so far.

Tom meets Princess Isis and her pet, Cleo, when he breaks a museum statue that releases an ancient curse. He must help the Princess on her quest to track down six amulets. On Tom and Isis' first adventure they arrive in Ancient Rome. To find the amulet they will have to fight the fiercest gladiator who ever lived.

Tom meets Princess Isis and her pet, Cleo, when he breaks a museum statue that releases an ancient curse. He must help the Princess on her quest to track down six amulets. On this, his fourth adventure, Tom becomes a Spartan soldier and must fight against the powerful Trojans. While dodging swords and arrows he is helping Princess Isis retrieve the amulet.

On their second quest, Tom and Isis meet King Arthur's heroic knights. They must prove their bravery in a race to find a legendary golden sword.

Tom and his new Mohican friends battle the mighty Mohawks. As tomahawks and arrows fly, can Tom fight his way to the golden coin.

Tom lands in the Australian outback amongst a band of dangerous outlaws. When one of them runs off with the loot, can Tom track him down and get his hands on the precious coin.

Tom meets Princess Isis and her pet, Cleo, when he breaks a museum statue that releases an ancient curse. He must help the Princess on her quest to track down six amulets. On his fifth adventure, Tom stows away on Blackbeard's pirate ship. They could never have imagined the cruelty he can inflict. Have they made a deadly mistake that could see them walking the plank.

Join Tom and Aztec girl, Zuma, as they travel through time, battling the mightiest warriors of the past.

Join Tom and Aztec girl, Zuma, as they travel through time, battling the mightiest warriors of the past.

On their third journey, Tom and Isis set sail in the freezing cold on a Viking longboat. Will they succeed in their treasure hunt before the terrifying Vikings begin their next raid.

Start a poem with Michael Rosen, act out a story with Julia Donaldson and get doodling with Chris Riddell. In this lively anthology, bursting with scraps of stories, poems, plays and pictures, the UK's best-loved writers and illustrators share their top tips and ideas to inspire budding artists and writers. What are you waiting for? Discover your creativity now!

Living a normal life on Firefly Lane, Mori and her friends are safe and have never had to question anything or wonder about how their lives came to be. This all changes when Ilana moves into town - a girl that seems so perfect yet acts so strangely sometimes. Mori and her friends become curious about Ilana and what her background is. Secrets are revealed and decisions must be made.

Without a saddle or a bridle, all that's left is the truth. Kai thinks he doesn't care about horses- until he meets Monty, the little Brumby who the dream riders rescue and bring back to The Pocket. But Kai has to go back to the city, so Kai's sister finds a way for Monty to come too. There's a lot for them to learn together about friendship and fitting in. And when Monty faces his biggest challenge yet, Kai needs to draw on everything he's got to make sure Monty doesn't have to do it alone.

Mika doesn't want to go away with her family for the weekend. It's lucky she does, though, because otherwise she never would have met Max, or stayed with him on the Magic Bus, or sung in public for the first time, or made a game-changing phone call, or swum through shark-infested waters, or discovered The Meaning of Life! And all on the one special day...

Frankie's dream of owning a horse becomes more of a nightmare when it turns out to be a shaggy disobedient pony. Now she will never fit in with the girls in her new town, especially Violet. If only her new friend Shannon, the horse whisperer, can help her then all of her dreams may come true.

A varied collection of poems about travel from dragons on buses to visiting Jupiter. A thought-provoking anthology with fantastic illustrations.

Chronologica is an informative and entertaining glimpse into history, beautifully illustrated and full of incredible facts. This book has a combination of both major and lessor known historical events, ranging from Napoleon Bonaparte, the first emperor of France, to Adolphe Sax, who patented the Saxophone. Chronologica is full of facts and figures, and will entertain history buffs and inspire some new ones.

Pete is just about to enter high school. Peter's little brother, Fudge, is mad about money and he wants loads of it. In fact, he's going to print a hundred million "Fudge bucks" and buy the whole world. He's driving Pete nuts.

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.

Peter finds himself stuck on summer vacation for three whole weeks with little brother, Fudge, and Sheila Tubman. Peter may not like Sheila but Fudge plans to marry her. Maximum embarrassment ensues but with lots of laughs.

Sheila is trying to retain her reputation as great while facing two of her greatest fears - dogs and water. Sheila learns you don't have to save face to keep a friendship.

The family is moving, mum is going to have another baby and Peter's brother, Fudge, is a constant embarrassment. He learns how to ride a bike but not how to stop. He tries to sell his baby sister and calls his kindergarten teacher, Rat Face.

Disaster follows Fudge, a four year old, wherever he goes. His older brother, Peter, is usually the one who has to sort out the mess while Fudge gets all the attention, all the time. It's enough to drive an older brother mad.

Five children have mad adventures without parental interference.

For Famous Five fans of all ages, this book is an interesting mix of fact and fiction. Find out how to survive a shipwreck, pack a rucksack, crack a secret code, use interrogation skills and find a secret passage plus an unsolved mystery from the past. A nostalgic look at the Five will appeal to older fans as well.

The famous five are together again and camping near their friends. A burglary results in stolen research papers and someone involved in the neighbouring circus falls under suspicion.

Julian, Dick and Anne are really worried. George and her devoted dog, Timmy, have just disappeared. Not only that, somebody has broken into Kirrin Cottage. They wonder if there could be a connection.

The famous five get into a fix together.

The Famous Five are distraught. Dick has been kidnapped presumably mistaken for somebody else.

There's a thief at Kirrin Cottage! The Famous Five think they know who it is, but they need to prove it! The discovery of an old map and very unusual hiding place is all they need to get to the bottom of this mystery and uncover the true culprit!

The famous five wonder if anyone would deliberately lure somebody on to treacherous rocks on the Cornish coast. Somebody is flashing lights from the old tower on stormy nights and the five sense danger.

A caravan holiday for the Famous Five is bound to be an adventure! And when they stumble across a circus troupe, the gang are thrilled. But some of the circus people have more sinister plans than just clowning around.

Ghost trains that vanish in the middle of the night, the Famous Five can't believe it. There has to be a logical explanation. But as they follow the tracks, they realise there might not be.

The famous five go on an adventure to Billycock Hill.

The famous five go to Demon's Rocks.

There's something dangerous out on Mystery Moor, and the Famous Five will have to risk the treacherous mists to follow the trail.

The Famous Five go to stay at a large old house, and discover lots of hiding places and underground tunnels. Perhaps there are still smugglers at Smuggler's Top.

The famous five have another mystery to solve.

The Famous Five are on holiday and they've discovered a ruined castle nearby. The castle looked deserted but is that a face at the window.

Berta is in hiding from kidnappers, and she needs help from the Five, but to help out a virtual stranger, they will have to risk great danger to themselves.

When Dick is woken by a light flashing through his window, he is puzzled. Perhaps someone is trying to send him a coded message. And when the famous five hear of an escaped convict in the area, they are on red alert.

Camping again, the five have pitched their tent near an old, abandoned cottage, but Anne hears strange noises at night. Perhaps it isn't abandoned after all.

Julian, Dick, George Anne and Timmy the dog are in their first adventure which involves an island, a ruined castle, a submerged wreck and a desperate treasure hunt.

This adventure story sees the Famous Five down on the farm.

What can Uncle Quentin be up to, all alone, on Kirrin Island. He won't let anyone visit, not even George and the rest of the Famous Five.

Someone has been on George's island. The five wonder what is locked in the mysterious trunk hidden on Kirrin Island.

A beautiful retelling of a classic Japanese folk tale about a sail maker and his wife. Exquisitely illustrated in traditional Japanese style.

An introduction to extreme sports including mountain biking, skydiving, urban sports like skateboarding and watery extremes such as surfing and whitewater kayaking. Find out what makes a sport extreme , how fast do you fall in a skydive and where are the biggest waves ever surfed.

Find out all about the amazing types of helicopters, how they are made, how they operate and how to fly them.

A boy takes on a challenge to stop his father from being depressed after he has to sell his truck.

Henry Hoey Hobson arrives at his sixth school, a small, Catholic school, to discover he is the only boy in his grade. There are three male misfits a year below him. Fatherless, friendless and non-Catholic, Henry earns a reputation as a vampire when ill-fitting braces make his mouth bleed.

Whaling has long been part of Australia's history. Over the past centuries many coastal towns owe their existence to the hunting and slaughter of whales for numerous by-products. More recently these same towns focus on viewing the beauty of these majestic creatures as they travel between the cold and warmer waters. Here both stories are told through the eyes of a young boy who hears the distant calls, sometimes joyful, sometimes apprehensive, of a whale.

In a churchyard, the raven watches the comings and goings of everyone, making sure that peace and order are maintained. He keeps to himself, except during church services, when he sneaks into the building so he can listen to the hymns that he loves. The raven would be happy if everything stayed this way forever. Until a new, small grave is dug, an annoying pigeon arrives and a church member is up to no good.

Two young Australian men, Ace and John, who were living in London in the swinging 60s, bought themselves a real lion cub from Harrods department store. This book follows their journey to raise a lion cub in a big city and then attempt to return him to the wild, with the support of famed lion expert, George Adamson.

Nina Peanut creates amazing videos - so why is it only her nan and best friend Brian who watch them? Surely everyone should be interested in her SERIOUS and NOT-STUPID videos about potatoes with faces? Nina dreams about being as popular as class queen bee Megan Dunne, who films NOT AMAZING AT ALL content of her pampered dog, Princess Trixie Bell. So when Nina's stinky cat Les wanders into one of Megan's videos by accident, and goes viral, Nina and Les are suddenly internet famous! But is overnight stardom as wonderful as Nina always imagined it would be?

Twelve year old Zackary s a disappointment to his parents, the King and Queen of Zedge. He as failed with the Artists, the Scholars and the Knights so is sent to work reckoning cutlery and kitchen utensils. When Zackary stumbles across an adventurous job as sorcerer's assistant in the Zoo of Magical and Mythological Creatures, he must survive the most dangerous and destructive creature the zoo has ever seen.

Young Danny writes a fan email to a deceased horror writer, which enables him to put a hex on his horrid stepmother.

Liam is not your usual twelve year old boy. For a start, he is man-size and is always being mistaken for his father. This is Liam's opportunity and his greatest dilemma. Yesterday, he was just a kid, now he is stuck in space, perhaps forever, with hilarious results. But, the greatest lessons he learns are about fatherhood.

Dylan, the only boy left in his tiny Welsh village, has no-one to play with and his family's business is going broke. When a mysterious convoy of trucks arrives with a precious cargo to hide in a disused mine, Dylan must save his family.

When a bag full of money drops out of the sky, Damien and Anthony find they are very, very rich. Suddenly, the brothers can buy anything they want except for the one thing they really need. Winner of 2005 Carnegie Medal.

The Earth is about to be destroyed, you need to make a list of ten things on Earth that make it worth saving, what will you pick? Prez mets Sputnik, a small loud alien who looks like a dog. They both make a list but they are very different, will they be able to work together and save the world?

Two refugee brothers from Mongolia are determined to fit in with their Liverpool schoolmates. They bring so much of Mongolia to Bootle that their new friend and guide, Julie, is hard-pressed to know truth from fantasy, as she recollects a wonderful friendship that was abruptly ended when Chingis and Nergui were forced to return to Mongolia.

Bakir and Mar live on a remote island called Egur with their two young children. While fishing, Bakir comes across a very special pelican named Bi. A famine occurs, and life on the island is no longer harmonious. One day Bakir and Bi disappear and Mar and the children are forced to make the journey to another island by canoe and so begins the adventure.

The Brockets are normal and respectable, and they hate anyone who is different. When Barnaby is born, he's certainly not ordinary. He defies the laws of gravity and floats. Barnaby is desperate to please his parents but he just can't keep both feet on the ground. The Brockets decide Barnaby must go. Betrayed and alone, Barnaby floats into the path of a special hot air balloon and begins a magical journey with extraordinary new friends.

A book about the journey of life, from our wide-eyes of childhood through the tangles and brambles, into our end.

Extraordinary things just don't happen to fourteen-year-old Sydelle Mirabil, a talented weaver who dreams about life outside of her tiny village. But that all changes when a mysterious young wizard named Wayland North appears and asks for Sydelle's help. He's got a shocking secret that could stop a war between kingdoms-if he can reach the capital with the news in time. North needs a navigator who can mend his magical cloaks, and Sydelle is perfect for the job. As Sydelle and North race against the clock to deliver their message, they must contend with unusually wild weather and a dark wizard who will do anything to stop them. But the sudden earthquakes and freak snowstorms may not be a coincidence. As Sydelle discovers more about North's past and her own strange abilities, she realizes that the fate of the kingdom may rest in her fingertips.

Eleven year old Isabelle is a lacemaker like her mother and grandmother in the town of Versailles. It is the year 1789 and the eve of the French revolution. Isabelle is caught between being the Queen's daughter's companion, amid the luxury of the royal court, and having to earn a living lacemaking to keep her family alive.

Nine year old Ada has never left her one-room apartment. Her mother is too humiliated by Ada's twisted, club foot to let her outside. So, when Ada's little brother, Jamie, is shipped out of London to avoid the war, she escapes to join him. A new adventure begins for Ada, and for Susan Smith, the woman forced to take them in. As Ada teaches herself to ride a pony, learns to read and watches for German spies, she begins to trust Susan. And, Susan begins to love them both. But, wartime and Ada's cruel mother threaten the growing bond.

A useful overview of the process of writing for aspiring writers. Excerpts from books and helpful addresses and websites are included.

Take an immersive tour of everyday world of the Vikings, with Gunnar, the hero of the action packed novel Viking Boy, as your guide. Find out how the Vikings lived, what they believed, and how they gained their legendary reputation as warriors.

Jack Sullvan wants to be voted in as the mayor of Mallusc City. He has mastered the art of zombie control, taken down massive monsters, and survived the most epic road trip ever. He is ready for anything. The Destructor of Worlds has nothing on him, his awesome gang of monster fighting friends or his radical zombie squad. Whatever it takes, he is going to win the Doomsday Race and save the world.

Jack is an amazing zombie slaying master of cool with an awesome cosmic hand to prove it. He is reporting from the Apocalypse once again. Thrull, the Destructor of Worlds, has everything he needs to complete the Tower and bring back Rezzoch who wants to destroy the world. Jack and his friends are stronger than ever and travelling further than ever. Saving the world doesn't end at home. So hop in. Next stop is the Monster Dimension.

Me, Jack and my best friend against the whole world of evil. With the Cosmic Hand starting to take over my whole body in a strange way. Thrull is getting closer and closer to his ultimate destruction of the whole world.

A comprehensive look at life on Earth, a fragile and changing place. Find out how climate change affects the world around us and what might happen in the future to the food we eat, the air we breathe and the land we live on.

Freddy Tangles is in trouble with everybody, again. New boy, Hugo, initially very popular, has become a bully and turned Freddy's friends against him. Freddy will have to do something spectacular to prove he's no chicken and win back his friends.

Freddy Tangles and his friends are in danger. No one is scarier than the big bully, Sid Malone. Freddy must come up with a plan but this will be difficult because he's even afraid of his little sister.

In 1942, a World War II campaign between Australia and Japan occurred on a track, the Kokoda Trail. The track begins in Kokoda, in Papua New Guinea, and winds its way through rugged mountains towards Port Moresby. The Kokoda Track is only one hundred kilometres long but the tropical conditions made it a mudslide. Australian troops were ill-equipped and unprepared, and completely outnumbered.

Have a look at many of the landmarks of Australia, the home of some iconic architecture and all things big, including the Big Pineapple. Includes contents, websites, a glossary and ideas for related things to do.

Well-organised under clear headings and well-presented information on some of Australia's greatest legends including folk heroes and famous animals with contents, websites, a glossary and ideas for related things to do.

See history through the eyes of the everyday Australians who lived it, featuring interviews, diary and journal entries, newspaper articles and official documents, sometimes presenting differing points of view.

Meet three first grade National Rugby League (NRL) players from diverse cultural backgrounds. Find out how their heritage has influenced their lives and their sporting careers.

Meet three first grade National Rugby League (NRL) players who were inspired to play at school. Find out about each player's journey, from childhood to making it in first-grade. Share the challenges and triumphs, and meet the people who have supported them to become Legends of League.

Meet three first grade National Rugby League (NRL) players who value the bonds of mateship in their personal and professional lives.

When Belle touches the Beast's enchanted rose, memories flood through Belle's mind -- memories of a mother she thought she would never see again. And, stranger still, she sees that her mother is none other than the beautiful enchantress who cursed the castle and all its inhabitants. Shocked and confused, Belle and the Beast will have to unravel a dark mystery about their families that is 21 years in the making.

It should be simple -- a dragon defeated, a slumbering maiden, a prince poised to wake her. But when said prince falls asleep as soon as his lips meet the princess', it is clear that this fairy tale is far from over. With a desperate fairy's last curse infiltrating her mind, Princess Aurora will have to navigate a dangerous and magical landscape deep in the depths of her dreams. Soon she stumbles upon Phillip, a charming prince eager to join her quest. But with Maleficent's agents following her every move, Aurora struggles to discover who her true allies are, and moreover, who she truly is. Time is running out. Will the sleeping beauty be able to wake herself up?

Five years after the (twisted) events of the film, Ariel is now the queen of Atlantica, and Ursula is running Eric's kingdom on land. But when the sea witch threatens Atlantica once more, Ariel finds herself returning to a world (and a prince) she thought she'd left behind forever...

Sixteen-year-old Wendy Darling's life is not what she imagined it would be. Her only escape from the doldrums of an empty house after her brothers have gone to school and the dull parties where everyone thinks she talks too much is is in writing down tales of Never Land. After nearly meeting her hero, Peter Pan, four years earlier, she still holds on to the childhood hope that his magical home truly exists. So when an opportunity to travel to Never Land via pirate ship presents itself, Wendy makes a deal with the devil. But Never Land isn't quite the place she imagined it would be. Unexpected dangers and strange foes pop up at every turn, and a little pixie named Tinker Bell seems less than willing to help. But when Captain Hook reveals some rather permanent and evil plans for Never Land, it's up to the two of them to save Peter Pan-and his world.

Alice is different than other eighteen-year-old ladies in Kexford, which is perfectly fine with her. She'd rather spend golden afternoons with her trusty camera or in her aunt Vivian's lively salon. But when Alice develops photographs she has recently taken about town, familiar faces of old suddenly appear in the place of her actual subjects-the Queen of Hearts, the Mad Hatter, the Caterpillar. There's something eerily off about them, even for Wonderland creatures. And as Alice develops a self-portrait, she finds the most disturbing image of all-a badly-injured dark-haired girl asking for Alice's help. Mary Ann. Returning to the place of nonsense from her childhood, Alice finds herself on a mission to stop the Queen of Hearts' tyrannical rule and to find her place in both worlds. But will she able to do so... before the End of Time?

When Jafar steals the Genie's lamp, he uses his first two wishes to become sultan and the most powerful sorcerer in the world. Agrabah lives in fear, waiting for his third and final wish. To stop the power-mad ruler, Aladdin and the deposed Princess Jasmine must unite the people of Agrabah in rebellion. But soon their fight for freedom threatens to tear the kingdom apart in a costly civil war. What happens next? A Street Rat becomes a leader. A princess becomes a revolutionary. And readers will never look at the story of Aladdin in the same way again.

Maddy receives an unexpected and quite unpleasant tenth birthday present. The family is to move from their inner-city home to the country, to be closer to her rarely-visited grandmother, who is battling the early stages of dementia. Stories by her grandmother and her Sudanese refugee classmate help Maddy to realise the true meaning of home, family and belonging.

If you want to create digital animations, this book will introduce you to important game design concepts through three simple projects. Step-by-step instructions walk you through the four major phases of animation design, showing you how to turn your idea into a real animation, with sound effects and more.

Discover your design skills by developing a video game and learning basic programming concepts to complete cool projects. To get started, all you need is a computer connected to the Internet.

Before 1901, the nation of Australia did not exist. Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia and Western Australia were six separate colonies under British rule. Find out how ordinary citizens became the first in the world to write and vote for their own Constitution, and how they came together to form the nation of Australia.

In eighteenth century Britain, children were tried in court like adults. Some as young as nine were transported to the colonies. Their names may not be familiar but a child convict became the first person hanged in Australia, another is celebrated on our twenty dollar note and one would count a future prime minister as a descendant. Their stories are ones of survival and building Australia as a nation.

Australia's passion for sport often defines our history, our traditions, our values and our identity. These are the stories of the sportsmen and women whose talents have stopped the nation. These are the moments when we threw our arms in the air and cheered.

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.

It's 135BC and Emperor Han Wudi is desperate for a tall, dark and handsome horse. He will be hard to track down, as he is as free as a gypsy.

Chester Choi is one bad Chinese dragon. He just loves children... eating them, that is! But Chester has a secret - he's desperately lonely and what he really wants is a friend.

Ming Kee is the cheekiest monkey in Yunnan, and her jungle friends are getting REALLY annoyed! Then one day she offends the Emperor Taizong of Tang! Ming Kee flees the jungle...but where has she gone, and will she ever return? And will she ever mend her mischievous ways? A tale of mayhem, monkey business...and the getting of wisdom!

Meet Oswald Ox. Bone idle on the farm, just chewing his cud and rolling in the mud, while all the other animals are hard at work. No wonder he's in trouble! Then the winter stores go missing, and Oswald is firmly in the frame. Will wisdom and dignity triumph over meanness and greed?

Pin Yin is a giant panda living in the misty Sichuan forests in China... but she isn't just any giant panda. She's got beautiful, brains and a healthy ego to match! On Chinese New Year's Eve, she makes a surprise announcement - this year is going to be The Year of the Panda. Will the tradition of a millennia be swept aside or will this practically perfect panda be put in her place?

It's 221BC, and the mighty Emperor Qin Shi Huang is not amused. Somebody or something is stealing from the royal vegetable patch! Enter Rhonda Rabbit, one very bad bunny, with extremely annoying habits and an appetite to match! Will the Emperor save his greens, or will Rhonda Rabbit live to crunch another day?

How did rice become one of the most important foods in the world? You can turn to a history book or the Internet to find out. Or you can have a lot more fun reading how Rodney the Ram saves the villagers of Guangzhou!

Meet Run Run Rat - a loveable rodent with a mission. He's determined to find fame and glory when he sets out to travel the length and breadth of China. But fame and glory find him in the most unexpected way when he reaches Beijing on the eve of the Olympics Marathon.

Everybody adores Sybil Snake - she's beautiful, clever and extremely charming. But all is not as it seems ion the Emperor's menagerie and Sybil is more of an enchantress that meets the eye.

Temujin the Tiger is the Terror of the East. He's wrought a trail of destruction and fine dining from Mongolia right up to the gates of the Grand Imperial Palace in China! But Princess Precious is pretty awful as well, with a talent for tantrums and an ear-piercing scream! Watch what happens when two irresistible forces collide!

Eloise has spent her life at the orphanage doing chores and being a good example for the younger children, but she cannot win favour with cruel Sister Hortense. Eloise holds on to hope of a family of her own, but she is also becoming aware of the world outside the orphanage and city gates. She feels a connection to something greater than the strict rules and limited experiences of the orphanage; something magical.

Information about the camels of the desert and their role in Australia's development. Coloured photographs and maps cover every imaginable aspect of camels and their presence in Australia.

Sol still can't believe he told Aggo, the school bully and hand ball champion, that he was going to thrash him using hypnotism. Sol is sure that this moment of temporary insanity is going to lead to certain death. Sol wonders whether wit, wisdom or nothing will save him when he has to face Aggo.

Pilawuk explains that she was one of the Stolen Generation, and describes her life growing up with non-Aboriginal families and her search for her surviving relatives.

Jack and Gilbert made a pact when they were younger - to work together in the mines, just like their fathers and other immigrants. Jack is turning twelve, and the thought of working underground fills him with panic. When Gilbert leaves school to earn a wage, Jack wants to keep his word - but that means facing his fear. All the while his heart is telling him to follow another path. That boy, Jack must find the courage to choose.

Thirteen year old Yong doesn't want to leave his home in China to travel to the Australian goldfields in Ballarat. But, as the firstborn son, he has no choice. On the long and treacherous journey, Yong strives to be an honourable son, while he and his father face many hardships and dangers. But, in his heart, Yong knows the shameful truth. His honour is a lie. Somehow, Yong must find the courage to face what lies ahead.

Ned Kelly was a notorious bushranger, he lived in Australia's earliest days. Ned was daring and clever and bold, in a suit made of iron, and his story is still being told.

Kasem is thrilled when he is given responsibility for baby elephant, Pooky, and promises the elephant that he will always look after him. Kasem has to remember many important things and wonders whether he will be able to keep his promise to Pooky.

Our village sits above the great river, nestled in the Himalayan mountains. This is what we do on summer days when school is closed for holiday time, in our village in the sky.

This book will help you stay in charge of who you are - on and off your device.

Find out how humans have created these mechanical minds and bodies, from the earliest single-task machines to the advanced intelligence of robots with feelings. Read how robots perform delicate surgical operations, clean city sewers, work as museum tour guides and even battle each other in combat.

A black swan escapes from a cage and flies away to another land, where villagers welcome her to settle. They believe that birds bring good fortune and, each year, the villagers build nests beside the lake to lure them. The people ask the swan to incubate an egg found in one of the nests. When the ground shakes and everyone is afraid, the swan asks them to leave their valley.

It is hard to imagine being lost and not finding your way home again. Saroo Brierley became lost on a train in India at the age of 4. Not knowing the name of his family or where he was from, he survived for weeks on the streets of Kolkata, before being taken into an orphanage and adopted by an Australian couple. This is the story of Saroo's journey to finding his way back home, through his memories, using a map of India and poring over satellite images on Google Earth. This incredible true story is about one man's journey back to India to see if he could find his mother.

Can you imagine being lost and not finding your way home again? Saroo Brierley became lost on a train in India when he was only five. He survived for weeks on the streets, before being taken into an orphanage and adopted by his Australian family. Despite being happy, Saroo always wondered about where he was from. And one day, after years of searching, he miraculously found what he was looking for. This incredible true story celebrates the importance of hope and never giving up.

Adapted from Briggs' celebrated song 'The Children Came Back', Our Home, Our Heartbeat is a celebration of past and present Indigenous legends, as well as emerging generations, and at its heart honours the oldest continuous culture on earth.

A strip cartoon book about a miserable Bogeyman called Fungus, his wife Mildew, and son, Mould.

A little, hairy man appears in the bedroom of a schoolboy demanding food, clothing and shelter. This story is told in cartoon style.

Warren Brimm and Anna Iglitis embark on a cross-cultural journey to show us the remarkable array of creatures that inhabit the Queensland rainforest.

Lord Flannery is a beagle, recently retired from Scotland Yard's dog squad. Flannery meets DemiChat, an exotic cat, who spends her time watching old Sherlock Holmes movies. She is most impressed with Flannery's real life crime experiences. When they see suspicious activity on a building site opposite, the pair set off in pursuit of a kidnapper and find themselves in Paris and Rome.

Detailed book of the making of the film, 'The Chronicles of Narnia'. A fascinating look at the process of film-making.

The secrets of the shadowy world of spies, their dangerous missions and secret identities are revealed. Find out about the control officers, field agents and intelligence analysts fighting a secret war to protect their countries from threats around the globe.

Where do you find shelter in rough country? What skills do you need to stay safe in the jungle? How do you protect yourself from a wild animal attack? How can you attract the attention of rescue teams? Survival is all about living through dangers, from howling storms to being cast away at sea. Explore amazing true survival stories of people stranded alone in the wildest places on Earth, and find out simple survival techniques.

Find out about all types of tanks, from the first world war on. Discover their mechanics, what it's like to drive a tank and what tanks will look like in the future. Includes exciting photographs, diagrams and comic strips, plus fold-out pages that reveal the hidden workings of tanks.

From ancient sea battles to World War Two battleships and modern stealth missions, this book is packed with fascinating information and comic-strip illustrations with a four-page fold-out illustration of a modern destroyer.

Meet the elite soldiers who have been through the toughest training on Earth to take on the most dangerous missions. This thrilling insight into the secret assignments of the SAS, Navy Seals, HALO and more.

So you think that machines aren't as intelligent as people. This book will make you think again. Find out how intelligent machines, from smartphones to driverless cars, can do all sorts of tasks, from exploring space to playing- and winning- all sorts of games.

From the dogfights of the First World War to top secret missions flown by the latest stealth fighters, this book reveals the inner workings of the fastest, deadliest machines ever made.

Victor is a boy who loves to take his tortoise to the highest mountain in his village to watch the sunrise each day. On the day he sees a peddler approaching in his wagon, everything changes and Victor is forced to leave behind everything he knows in search of a cure to the magical curse that has been placed on his parents and the whole village. Along the way, he finds a group of friends who help him to see that it takes all kinds of people to make the world go around.

When Oleg and Emma invent a new classmate called Sebastian, they are amazed when he appears in their secret den. Sebastian is different. The three friends are soon chased by the Institute of Unreality, who want to capture and erase Sebastian, to restore order o the world.

What do you think of when you hear the word 'hero'? Is it the wall-climbing, cape-wearing, villain-fighter you see in comics and films? Heroes can actually come in all forms, shapes and sizes. Some cook for the hungry. Some nurse the poorly back to health. Others raise money for important causes. From small acts of kindness to inventions that have saved the lives of hundreds of people, every person in this book has found their passion - or their superpower. No matter how big or small it might be, your power can be used to change the world for the better too.

A rich exciting compendium for children of speeches, letters, stories and poems by people who have all used words to do wonderful things in this world.

These are the memoirs of ME, Holly Hopkinson, aged almost ten, except without any of the rubbish adults usually put in, thank you very much. My dad just lost his job, which means me and the rest of my family have to leave London and move to the middle of nowhere, which is a TOTAL DISASTER! But then for my birthday, my eccentric aunt gave me a magic pocket watch, which I can use to hypnotise and CONTROL people. This new power is REALLY FUN and has led to the MOST unexpected things -- including a visit to the QUEEN.

When Katherine's parents die of the plague, her grandmother decides it would be safer to raise her as a boy. Little do they know that 'Kit' will be made a knight of King Arthur's court and sent on a dangerous quest to rescue one of the Queen's maidens from a dragon.

Welcome to the virtual museum. Wander the six galleries, which present the animal kingdom - Invertebrates, Fish, Amphibians, Reptiles, Birds and Mammals. Each chapter features a different branch of the tree of life, from the simple sponge to the enormous elephant.

Gracie has been told many stories about the emperor, Napoleon Bonaparte, who will stop at nothing to rule the world. When the dreaded man comes to the island where Gracie lives, she wants to run away but she has nowhere to go.

Quentin is dominated by an overprotective mother, but he learns self confidence from Gus, a man with a past.

The compelling story of the Italian composer Bellini's rise to fame and his forbidden love.

Francesca desperately wants a horse of her own. When her grandpa brings home the Judas donkey, Francesca is less than impressed. But, Judy is not an ordinary donkey.

"I didn't want the exterminator to be flattened by a flying sink. I just wanted a home for the cockroaches." Charlie is thrown into an adventure when his new friend Vivien hands him a mysterious box and makes him swear to look after it no matter what

"I didn't want Mrs Cyclopolos to explode. I just wanted a paper round." Charlie find himself at war with the grannies after they squirt hot sauce in his face and make him think he's dead. Throw in a glass eye, snot-covered hankies and some mysterious underground people, and you have a fantastic adventure!

An hilarious trip to the supermarket for two Aboriginal kids and their weary Nan to buy bush tucka, sees the children being both cheeky and rambunctiously helpful. Contains bush tucka recipes for banana jelly and fried scones.

Roan's one dream is to leave home and attend Pilot Academy like his older brother, father, and grandfather. But just as Roan is mysteriously denied entrance to Pilot School, he is invited to attend Jedi Academy--a school that he didn't apply to and only recruits children when they are just a few years old. That is, until now... This inventive novel follows Roan's first year at Jedi Academy where, under the tutelage of Master Yoda, he learns that he possesses more strength and potential than he could have ever dreamed. Oh, and he learns other important things too--like how to make a baking soda volcano, fence with a lightsaber, slow dance with a girl, and lift boulders with the Force.

I thought my second year at Jedi Academy would be a breeze, and it was...at first. I built an awesome robot, took a field trip to an ice planet, and avoided Gammy's alien cooking. But then things got all mixed-up! Star pilot training was way harder than I expected, my best friends started ignoring me, and the class bullies are trying to lead me to the dark side--which actually looks fun. Just when I thought I had middle school all figured out...

It's hard to believe that this is my last year at Jedi Academy. I've been busier than ever learning to fly (and wash) starships, sight-seeing in the Lake Country on Naboo, studying for the Jedi obstacle course exam, and tracking down dozens of voorpaks...don't ask. But now someone is setting me up to get in trouble with everyone at school. If I don't find out who it is--and fast--I may flunk out! Why can't middle school just be easy...?

Luke Abbott's school is the losing-est school in the history of losing. And that's just fine for him. He'd rather be at home playing video games and avoiding his older brother Rob and the Greatest Betrayal of All Time. But now he's being forced to join the robotics team, where surely he'll help uphold the school's losing streak. He'll also meet a colorful cast of characters, including: Mikayla, the girl who does everything with her toes; Jacob and Jacob, who aren't twins but might as well be; the sunflower seed-obsessed Stuart; and Missy the Cruel, Luke's innocent-looking bully since they were six-years-old. But it's an unlikely connection with a mysterious boy known only as "Lunchbox Jones" that will change Luke's life. Turns out, Luke and Lunchbox Jones have a lot more in common than just robots.

Sport loving Toby can't believe his luck when instead of being punished by his parents, they issue him with a sporting challenge. All he has to do is take 20 wickets in the cricket season and make 10 tries in rugby to earn the latest gamebox. But unfortunately the new boy at school seems to be blocking Toby all the way.

Roz is not a normal robot. She is a wild robot who has lived with animals her entire life. Roz has even adopted and raised a baby gosling named Brightbill. But Roz has been taken away from her home and been forced to work for humans like a normal robot. Now Roz must find a way to escape her confines and be reunited with her son. Will she be able to escape the prying eyes of humans and a gang of robots following her every move?

Unlike the other robots who washed ashore, Roz survived. Activated but alone and unsure of what to do, she works to understand the animals around her and how to survive. Survival is not enough for Roz. She also wants to learn how to make friends and become a part of life on the island but her robot makers might stand in the way.

Spartacus, the gladiator who fought for and against the Romans, had a life full of surprises. Learn about the Roman Empire and Spartacus's story from amassing an army inside a volcano to the crucifixion of six thousand slaves.

When twelve-year-old Waka's parents suspect she's having trouble understanding the basic Japanese they speak to her, they make a drastic decision to send her to Tokyo for several months to live with her strict grandmother, Obaasama, so she can brush up on the language and reconnect to their family's culture. Once in Japan, Waka feels like an outsider, even though this is the country her parents came from. If she's always been the "smart Japanese girl" in America but is now the "dumb foreigner" in Japan, where is home...and who will Waka be when she finds it?

This the traditional story of King Kong, brought to life with Browne's wonderful and unique illustrations of the apes. It is a very moving and exciting retelling of the story.

A lonely little girl dreams of flying. But is it only in her imagination that she can escape her troubles and travel to a surreal land. There a friend awaits her, strange and familiar at the same time...Inspired by the art of Frida Kahlo and based on the true story of her imaginary childhood friend, this is a touching story about creativity, hope and belonging.

A family reluctantly visits an art gallery but, one by one, each member is enthralled by a different picture in the gallery and transported into an imaginative and colourful world.

Ruby Rosemount and her friends are off to Babylon to study magic at the Academy of Peace. But Ruby's Mum and Grandma have disappeared and a terrible Doomsday Curse has been invoked which may mark the end of the world. As Ruby tries to uncover who is causing the curse and how it can be reversed, she also tries to unravel her family's history. Her father may still be alive and Ruby wonders if he is behind the curse.

The mail wind brings a letter from Granny McQuirky telling Ruby she'll find her special twelfth birthday gift in the attic. What Ruby finds in the attic is more than just special. It's a magic carpet that flies her to a strange and wonderful oasis, where she discovers the genie family that her mother didn't want her to know about.

Ever since Ruby discovered she is half genie, she has been desperately trying to improve her magic skills. Granny helps by sending magic lessons on the mail wind but her mother forbids her from using magic in the house. But, when her next door neighbour, Mrs Pinkus, disappears through Granny's traveller's telescope, Ruby knows she has to use magic to get Mrs Pinkus back.

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.

In 1942 much of France is occupied by the Nazis. Separated from her parents, 12 year old Miri is Jewish and not safe. Entrusted with 2 year old Nora, the girls flee to a small village where Nuns will look after them if they pretend to be Catholic. Miri takes the chance to help others at great risk to herself. Can she forgive herself for those she couldn't save and will she be able to save Nora and herself?

Read about what made people choose to become bushrangers. Readers can decide whether the bushrangers' actions made them victims, villains or heroes.

A reference book containing detailed information, colourful illustrations and facts about Australia's historic coat of arms and the interesting animal, bird and flower emblems of the States and Territories.

Lots of useful information about identifying Australian native animals by their droppings and footprints.

Shelby and her friends are horse mad. Shelby must find a new home for her horse, Blue, who has been evicted from his paddock or her parents will get rid of him.

Shelby is convinced her reliable but ugly pony, Blue, is holding her back at Pony Club. If only she had a beautiful horse, everyone would see what a great rider she is.

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 Shelby's new friend Olivia tells her about a horse that she got for free, Shelby knows it's too good to be true and wonders what secret price Olivia will have to pay.

Shelby resolves to find Brenda Edel's champion stallion that has disappeared. She also toys with the idea of joining a troupe of trick riders.

Shelby and her friends can't resist buying a beautiful, young pony that is going cheap at the horse auctions. Unfortunately, Hotty is not as easy to hide, or train, as they had imagined.

Maggie has grown up without her father. He is alive but obsessed with finding the creation of Dr Frankenstein. When her father is forced to come back and care for Maggie, she becomes mixed up in his latest quest to find the monster. The adventure takes Maggie from continent to continent where she meets extraordinary people, both kind and cruel.

Eleven year old Aya has arrived in Britain with her mother and baby brother seeking asylum from Syria. A local ballet teacher notices Aya's talent and her fascination with the dance classes. While Aya finds friends and begins to settle into life in Britain, she and her family must fight for survival and to stay in the country.

Billie's mum is getting married to a bald, old man. Billie doesn't fit in with her uncool stepfather and her posh stepsister and would rather live with her best mate, Archie. A funny book about Billie's valiant attempts to resist her new family.