Booklists

Something odd has happened to the public swimming pool, its claimed to have curative powers. When 16 year old Wolfgang Mulqueen takes a summer job there, he befriends Audrey, a blind girl, who claims she's nocturnal. The discovery of a black butterfly, unknown to science, and an unusual request from Audrey's father change Wolfgang's life forever. Deals with serious issues in a sensitive manner. Usually read by students in Years 9, 10 and above.

Treachery, betrayal, greed and racism played out in a mythical, fantastical, medieval kingdom. Ora must confront the King's terrible secret, related to the pervasive Quickwater Lake. A lake, black and deadly as night, that demands sacrifice. Usually read by students in Years 9, 10 or above.

Following on from Dahl's childhood experiences, explored in his autobiography, Boy, this book tells the hilarious and true stories of his experiences working for Shell Oil in Africa and becoming a fighter pilot during World War II. Usually read by students in years 9, 10 and above.

Tom Daley captured the hearts of the nation with his unforgettable medal-winning performance in the London 2012 Olympics. At the 2020 Games in Tokyo, he triumphed to win gold and became the most decorated British diver of all time. In this deeply personal book, Tom explores the experiences that have shaped him and the qualities to which he owes his contentment and success; from the resilience he developed competing at world-class level, to the courage he discovered while reclaiming the narrative around his identity, and the perspective that family life has brought him. Usually read by students in years 9, 10, or above

Eleven year old Ebony has a secret, one not be shared with anyone. The eldest of three, soon to be four, children, Ebony has a difficult second role after school, looking after her siblings, farm chores such as chopping wood and gathering the cow manure, all at the forceful directive of her father. Every so often the roaring, terrifying tiger that dwells within her father springs to the surface leaving the rest of the family nowhere to hide and Ebony becomes protector of her sisters, becoming the target of his vocal and physical abuse. It is only through a new friendship when Teena arrives at the school, that Ebony sees a way of dealing with the tiger. Usually read by students in Years 9, 10 or above.

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

The government needs Michael to track down a rogue gamer, but the risk is enormous and the line between game and reality could be blurred forever. Includes some violence. Usually read by students in Years 9, 10 or above.

Prequel to the Maze Runner series. Before Wicked was formed, before the Glade was built, before Thomas entered the Maze, sun flares hit the earth and mankind fell to disease. The Kill Order is the story of that fall. Some violence. Usually read by students in Years 9, 10 or above.

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

The Gladers don't remember how they came to be in their strange world, escaping from Grievers and running to solve the bizarre maze, which changes every night. When Thomas arrives, he feels a strong urge to become a Runner and solve the maze. Includes some violence. Usually read by students in Years 9, 10 or above.

Solving the maze was supposed to be the end and Thomas was sure he would get his life back. But burned and baked, the earth is a wasteland and people are driven made by an infection knows as the flare and Thomas and the gladers must face another trial. Includes some violence. Usually read by students in Years 9, 10 or above.

A balanced view of the Vietnam War is presented but it does not tell the whole story, nor does it pretend to. For mature students, the book has evocative and harrowing descriptions of war, the role of the allied soldiers and the tactics of the Vietcong. Usually read by students in years 9, 10 and above.

With each year of drought the heat became worse. The lawns and crops withered and died. Buildings began to crumble and collapse, and more people left the city. George and his little brother, Beeper, become worried when their father fails to return from a trip to town for food and fuel. Fear for the safety of their dad quickly becomes a fight for their own survival in the hot and brutal conditions. Usually read by students in Years 9, 10 or above.

Throughout history, people all over the world have invented stories to answer profound questions. These fantastical myths are fun but they don't really answer the questions. With its scientific method explanations of space, time, evolution and more, this book presents the real story of the world, and shows that its awe-inspiring beauty and thrilling magic far exceed those of the ancient myths. Usually read by students in Years 9, 10 or above.

Teenage years can sometimes feel like a battleground. There are so many confronting issues from fears of failure, confidence, self-worth or identity to the inevitable friendship challenges. This survival guide from 32 influential and witty women will include advice you will need to survive the battle. Usually read by students in years 9, 10 and above.

Raised in a magic family, in a magic community, The son of the most powerful wizard faces an unspeakable challenge. His magic is fading. Can the mysterious stranger in town help him, or is she a spy trying to bring down the entire city. Usually read by students in Year 9, 10 & above.

Toby Lolness may be only one and a half millimetres tall but he is involved in a huge and harrowing fight for his life and the safety of his family. A thrilling tale of state control, betrayal, cruelty, heroism, friendship and survival in a violent, miniature world that is not for the faint-hearted. Usually read by students in Years 9, 10 or above.

Toby's world is under greater threat than ever before. A giant crater has been dug right into the centre of the Tree, moss and lichen invade the branches, and one tyrant controls it all. Leo Blue, once Toby's best friend, now his worst enemy, is holding Elisha prisoner and mercilessly hunting the Grass People. But returning after several years among the Grass People, Toby will fight back. And this time, he's not alone. Usually read by students in years 9, 10 and above.

Lou Bertignac's father cries in secret in the bathroom and her mother hasn't been out of the house properly for years. But, Lou is about to change her life and that of her parents for good, all because of a school project she decides to do about the homeless. Lou meets No, a teenage girl living on the streets, who has disruptive as well as positive effects on the whole family. Usually read by students in years 9, 10 or above.

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

Ella is very good at providing advice to her friends. But, when her group begins to fall apart, Ella discovers that perhaps she is not as 'together' as she thought. Contains minor references to smoking and alcohol. Usually read by students in Years 9, 10 or above.

From the brilliantly bent imagination of Guillermo del Toro and Daniel Kraus comes a ripsnorter of an adventure. Jim Sturges is a typical teen, with an embarrassingly overprotective dad, a best mate called 'Tubby' and a huge crush on a girl who doesn't seem to know he exists. Until the day a 45 year old mystery resurfaces to threaten the lives of everyone in his apparently sleepy town. Children are going missing again, and it is up to Jim Jnr to team up with a band of unlikely heroes to battle the monsters of the night. Monsters with very dangerous appetites. Usually read by students in Years 9, 10 or above.

Ever since her father was exposed as a witch and a traitor, Winnie and her family have been shunned. But on her sixteenth birthday, she can take the deadly Luminary hunter trials and prove herself true and loyal -- and restore her family's good name. Or die trying. But in order to survive, Winnie enlists the help of the one person who can help her train: Jay Friday, resident bad boy and Winnie's ex-best friend. While Jay might be the most promising new hunter in Hemlock Falls, he also seems to know more about the nightmares of the forest than he should. Together, he and Winnie will discover a danger lurking in the forest no one in Hemlock Falls is prepared for. Not all monsters can be slain, and not all nightmares are confined to the dark. Usually read by students in years 9, 10, or above.

Set in the Western Australian goldfields in the 1930s, Neil describes the sometimes violent life on the diggings. Usually read by students in Years 9, 10 or above.

Louis has to adapt to moving from the city to a country, coastal town as well as dealing with the Year 8 bullies and the tragic Tilly. His dad's shop hasn't sold a single thing, his mum's lost her job and Louis wants to return to the city. Usually read by students in Years 9, 10 or above.

Living on Hope Street is a glimpse of modern day Australia through the lens of a single street and the families that make their lives along it. Kane will do everything he can to save his mother and his little brother Sam from the violence of his father, even if it means becoming a monster himself. Mrs Aslan will protect the boys no matter what, even though her own family is in pieces. Ada wants a family she can count on, while she faces new questions about herself. Mr Bailey is afraid of the refugees next door, but his worst fear will take another form. And Gugulethu is just trying to make a life away from terror. On this street, everyone comes from different places, but to find peace they will have to discover what unites them. A deeply moving, unflinching portrait of modern Australian suburban life. Usually read by students in Years 9, 10 or above.

Anh Do, comedian and television personality, arrived in Australia as a baby in a boat full of desperate family members who suffered the perils of the sea. A mother's sacrifice, a father's heroism and their adventures in a new land are inspiring. Some strong language used in context. Usually read by students in Years 9, 10 and above.

For Marie-Laure, blind since the age of six, the world is full of mazes. The miniature of a Paris neighbourhood, made by her father to teach her the way home. The microscopic layers within the invaluable diamond that her father guards in the Museum of Natural History. The walled city by the sea, where father and daughter take refuge when the Nazis invade Paris. And a future which draws her ever closer to Werner, a German orphan, destined to labour in the mines until a broken radio fills his life with possibility and brings him to the notice of the Hitler Youth. In this magnificent, deeply moving novel, the stories of Marie-Laure and Werner illuminate the ways, against all odds, people try to be good to one another. Usually read by students in years 9, 10 and above.

Cinderella is about a girl who was bullied; Stepsister is about the bully. We all root for the victims, we want to see them triumph. But what about the bullies? Is there hope for them? Can a mean girl change? Can she find her own happily ever after? Usually read by students in Years 9, 10 or above.

Sixteen-year-old Jake Livingston sees dead people. Jake can't decide what's worse: being a medium, forced to watch the dead play out their last living moments on a loop, or being at the mercy of racist teachers as one of the few Black students at St Clair Prep. Both are a living nightmare. And now life as a medium is getting worse, as a powerful, vengeful ghost targets Jake, High school has become a different kind of survival game - one Jake is not sure he can win. Usually read by students in years 9, 10, or above.

The sudden death of Sir Charles Baskerville is blamed on a fearsome, ghostly hound that has haunted his family for generations. When the famed detective, Sherlock Holmes, is engaged to ensure the safety of the Baskerville heir, Dr Watson is surprised that his friend is dismissive of the matter. Watson is dispatched alone to the wild moors and, in the cold night, a savage and bestial howl can be heard. Usually read by students in Years 9, 10 or above.

Beck, short for Beethoven, is the son of world famous ex-pianist Ida Magdalena Keverich. A stroke has left her without the ability to play, and so she places all her hopes, expectations, and efforts into turning her son into a musical prodigy. To Beck this has meant a life of emotional and physical neglect. He has no fitting clothes and struggles to find food to feed his younger sister. Beck's mother, the maestro, has a violent temper and Beck often comes to school with bruises and other signs of injury. In meeting August, a girl from his school, who is in many ways his exact opposite, Beck learns that life and music do not have to entail the suffering he is used to. Usually read by students in Years 9, 10 or above.

For three sisters growing up in Australia in the 1950s, the news is full of the Petrov affair and spies. Their ordinary lives are juxtaposed with their parents' marriage, their father's attempted suicide and the big events of the adult world. Usually read by students in Years 9, 10 or above.

When Theodora is fourteen, her father has a mysterious vision and leaves his family to live with his first wife. Theodora's grandfather is a Holocaust survivor. Complex themes, past and present tensions tell the story of a family falling apart. Usually read by students in Years 9, 10 and above.

'I have always known that in another life I was-or will be-a dolphin. I am a pink human, caught in a net of ambition and years of hard work. In a few minutes I will dive into artificially turquoise water waiting at my feet. A minute later I'll either be ecstatic or a failure.'Fifteen-year-old swimming champ Alex Archer has her mind set on one goal-competing in the Olympic Games in Rome. Alex has been training hard for six years--but so has her archrival, Maggie Benton. Usually read by students in Years 9, 10 or above.