Booklists

Luke and his twin brother Cullen are podcasters. In their final year of high school, their podcast has reached a cult level following. When Cullen and his boyfriend (also Luke's best friend) Zack release a recording of Luke singing a love song to an unnamed girl on the podcast, the whole listenership wants to know who this mystery girl could be. Luke is furious. Meanwhile, Luke's colleague Vada has a solid five year plan. Falling in love with Luke is not part of that plan. But with the release of this song, she starts to wonder if he could be part of her life. Usually read by students in years 9, 10, or above.

When sixteen-year-old Yin Mitchell is abducted, the news reverberates through the whole Year Ten class at Balmoral Ladies College. As the hours tick by, the girls know the chance of Yin being found alive is becoming smaller and smaller. Everyone is affected by Yin's disappearance - even scholarship student Chloe, who usually stays out of Balmoral dramas, is drawn into the maelstrom. And when she begins to form an uneasy alliance with Natalia, the queen of Year Ten, things get even more complicated. Usually read by students in years 9, 10 and above.

Gideon always had a plan. His plans include running for class president, leading the yearbook committee and having his choice of colleges. They do not include falling head over heels for his best friend and next-door neighbour, Kyle. Kyle finally feels like he has a handle on life. He has a wonderful girlfriend, a best friend willing to debate the finer points of Lord of the Rings and social acceptance as captain. Then both Ruby and Gideon start acting weird...Usually read by students in Years 9, 10 or above.

The last time Lex was happy, it was before. When her family was whole. and friends didn't look at her as if she might break down. Now, she's just the girl whose brother killed himself. Lex tries to block out the night Tyler died but regret and their last goodbye haunt her. As Lex learns to grieve and recover, she discovers that a ghost doesn't have to be real to keep you from moving on. Usually read by students in Years 9, 10 or above.

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

Makepeace Lightfoot lives during harsh times. During the English Civil War she has to travel to live with her paternal family after the death of her mother. Makepeace has inherited more than most from her father's family. She has to learn to defend herself from ghosts. The struggle to make a life for herself in 17th century England with strict religious rules could be the hardest struggle of all. Usually read by students in Year 9, 10 and above.

Sassycat is lightning fast and beautiful but, so conceited. She places her human carer, Rebecca, in great danger of being possessed by evil ghosts. Sassycat must stop thwarting the local pets and become a team player to protect Rebecca. Usually read by students in Years 9, 10 or above.

Themes of bullying and prejudice interweave in this story of gentle Hector and two neighbouring boys. Usually read by students in Years 9, 10 or above.

Young Maddy Smith is despised and feared because of her runemark, showing she has magic powers. Since the war which destroyed the Norse Gods, the Order has taken hold, decreeing all magic should be banned. Maddy is befriended by a mysterious old man who asks her to journey into the earth to bring back the Whisperer, an oracle which foreshadows amazing changes to the balance between Worlds. Usually read by students in Years 9, 10 or above.

Tiny is an eighteen-year-old girl living on the streets of Sydney, running from her small-town past. She finds short-term accommodation at Hope Lane - a shelter for the homeless - where she meets Nola, a high school student on volunteer placement. Both girls share their love of words through the Hope Lane writing group. Can they share their secrets, too? Usually read by students in Years 9, 10 or above.

In the Birmingham slums. the outcast gangs are creating a new kind of music, with pounding rhythms and wild guitars. Seventeen year old Astor is trained in classical music but, when her life plummets from riches to rags, there is only one way to survive. Charismatic Verrol, once her servant, is now her partner in crime. He could be so much more, if only he'd reveal his past. Usually read by students in Years 9, 10 or above.

Vaughan gets caught up with an evil Pastor who has created division in his town. He desperately wants to belong. In fact, Vaughan wants to gain entry to the gang so badly he is willing to accept their terrifying challenge. Usually read by students in Years 9, 10 or above.

Living one hundred years apart, two seventeen year old men are artists and share a love of painting. In 1915, Maurice enlists to fight in World War l and his story allows us to see the brutality and futility of war, as well as the friendship and loyalty that develops. A century later, it is Maurice's diary, preserved in a tin box, that saves his deeply-troubled nephew, Oliver, from entering a downward spiral. Usually read by students in Years 9, 10 and above.

Leslie is a normal, healthy, well-adjusted fourteen year old going to a good school. She has a great friend and her mother loves her to the moon and back. But, something is wrong and Leslie would be happy if only she was thinner. A very candid disclosure of the story of a young girl in the grip of anorexia nervosa, of the fight she had to conquer her problems and a subtle insight into her particular circumstances. Usually read by students in years 9, 10 and above.

Ameera is seventeen, the daughter of an Australian Christan mother, and a Pakistani father who is a devout Muslim. Seeking to be like her Australian friends, Ameera discovers that her father strongly opposes social contact with non-Muslims. When her father discovers Ameera's interest in a Pakistani Christian boy, she is sent to Pakistan, thinking she is attending her cousin's wedding. Usually read by students in Years 9, 10 or above.

When Aster's brother dies, everything changes. Instead of marriage, she is sent to the high school in her brother's place. Aster is excited but, as a Christian, she is unprepared for the difficulties of attending a Muslim school in Pakistan. When Aster is accused of blasphemy, she is taken to jail. A social justice lawyer defends her and Aster's cousin starts an online campaign to free her. Usually read by students in Years 9, 10 and above.

Sixteen-year-old Lianna Bedford lives in constant fear. Political tensions in Pakistan are rising. Terrorist attacks are becoming an everyday norm. As a Pakistani-Australian, she could be the next target. When her school friends are taken hostage by terrorists, Lianna's world disappears overnight. Alongside her music teacher, Mr Kimberley, she must journey through rural Pakistan in a bid to find them and bring them home. But Mr Kimberley has a secret, and to save him and her friends, Lianna must overcome her fears. And dance for her life. Usually read by students in Years 9, 10 or above.

After the shipwreck of the Batavia off Western Australia in 1629, a cabin boy and a soldier were involved in a grisly, notorious mutiny. Most mutineers were hanged but the two men were marooned on the mainland, becoming Australia's first European settlers. No trace of them was ever found. Later European explorers reported seeing Aboriginal Australians with blue eyes. This novel suggests what might have happened in between. Usually read by students in Years 9, 10 or above.

Fatimah is a devout Muslim. Steve has never given much thought to faith. Both are in the street the day a terrorist bomb explodes and their lives are changed forever. While their families are breaking down barriers, the terrorists have another target in mind. Usually read by students in Years 9, 10 or above.

Halima, 18, has moved with her family to London and her horizons are beginning to expand. Then, just as she is about to start university, she discovers her father's plan to marry her to the son of a distant relation in Pakistan who once did him a favour. Halima is to be the repayment of the debt. And it's payback time. Adult themes and strong language in context. Usually read by students in years 9, 10 and above.

A translation of the classic, Anglo-Saxon epic of warriors, dragons and monsters composed between the 7th and 10th centuries. Usually read by students in years 9, 10 and above.

Ivy, a common, laudanum addict living with thieves and scoundrels, is a stunner, a term for an artist's model and beauty. After embarking on a life of crime in London, she is sold out by her adopted family and falls victim to a pre-Raphaelite painter's jealous mother. Usually read by students in Years 9, 10 and above.

Ash and Benjamin are thieves. They find stolen artefacts and return them to their owners. When they try to rescue Alice B from the only place in the world who know more than the CIA, they encounter assassins, huge swimming pools and Ghosts. Includes violence. Usually read by students in years 9,10 and above.

A mystery surrounds Harry's late father, a Vietnam veteran. Grandfather knows but he won't say, and no-one in Harry's family wants to have anything to do with Grandpa. Harry spends a lot of time recording Grandpa's memories of heroic action in World War ll. After Grandpa addresses Harry's class at school, the mystery is solved, leaving Harry devastated. Some adult themes and coarse language in context. Usually read by students in Years 9, 10 or above.

What is it like to grow up Aboriginal in Australia? This anthology, compiled by award-winning author Anita Heiss, attempts to showcase as many diverse voices, experiences and stories as possible in order to answer that question. Each account reveals, to some degree, the impacts of invasion and colonisation - on language, on country, on ways of life, and on how people are treated daily in the community, the education system, the workplace and friendship groups. Accounts from well-known authors and high-profile identities sit alongside newly discovered voices of all ages, with experiences spanning coastal and desert regions, cities and remote communities. All of them speak to the heart - sometimes calling for empathy, oftentimes challenging stereotypes, always demanding respect. This groundbreaking anthology aims to enlighten, inspire and educate about the lives of Aboriginal people in Australia today. Usually read by students in years 9, 10 and above.

Since the disappearance of her identical twin sister nine years ago, 16-year-old Frankie has kept her distance from everyone. Despite the years that have passed, she spends her days scanning and searching for her sister. When the police fail to find an 11-year-old runaway, Frankie takes it upon herself to find her. Despite her best attempts to stay out of the public eye, this earns her a reputation as a 'finder'. Enter Elias - an extrovert with an extravagant sense of fashion and endless enthusiasm, who is looking for his birth mother. When Elias offers to employ a cash-strapped Frankie to track down his birth mother, she reluctantly agrees. What follows next is a journey of self-discovery as both Frankie and Elias uncover the things that truly define them. Usually read by students in Years 9, 10 or above.

Pandora has returned to her village. She is haunted by both her failure to bring her friend home and the vision she has seen of the last few days, The Burning, when creatures swarmed the city. How did these creatures come into being in the first place? Are the last remnants of humanity really safe from them? The River People and the Mountain People have survived for another season. But at what cost? Usually read by students in years 9, 10 and above.

Stella may only be seventeen, but having read every self-help book she can find means she knows a thing or two about helping people. She sure wasn't expecting to be the one in need of help, though. Thanks to her father's gambling addiction, Stella and her family now find themselves living at Fairyland Caravan Park. And hiding this truth from her friends is hard enough without dealing with another secret. Stella's birth mother has sent her a letter. As Stella deals with the chaos of her family, she must also confront the secrets and past of her 'other' family. But Stella is stronger than she realises. Usually read by students in years 9, 10, or above.

Seventeen-year-old Gwendolyn P. Pearson has become very good at not thinking about the awful things that have happened to her family. But following a strange disturbance at the cafe where she works, Gwen is forced to confront what happened to her family all those years ago. And she slowly comes to realise that people aren't as they first appear and that like her, everyone has a story to tell. Usually read by students in Years 9, 10 or above.

With every step down the road, and every bus stop he passes, Isaac moves further from his father and a life of fear. When he is given a chance by a kind cafe owner, Isaac feels he may have a chance at a new life. He decides that he will trade kindness for kindness with those he encounters as a way forward from the cruelty he has left behind. Usually read by students in years 9, 10 and above.

Billie Jo describes the difficulties of rural life in Oklahoma during the dust storms of 1934 and 1935, the brutal reality of her mother's death, her own injuries and her father's illness. Billie Jo's story is dark and intriguing, with a trace of hope. Usually read by students in Years 9, 10 or above.

Young Nick faithfully records the ordinary human achievements that make extraordinary those of the company of the bark, 'Endeavour', on Captain Cook's first epic voyage. Usually read by students in Years 9, 10 or above.

The city is at war. Southside, the hostiles live in squalor and are hungry to cross the river. Cityside, ISIS is in charge, keeping the hostiles at bay. Nik has spent his life training to join ISIS but, when his college is blown up and his friend kidnapped, he must cross the bridge into hostile territory. Nik and his friends must choose their loyalties in a war that is not as clear as they were brought up to think. Some language in context. Usually read by students in Years 9, 10 or above.

The city is split in two by warring factions, either side of the river. When Nik saves a stranger from the debris, she keeps repeating the word 'havoc'. As he delves further, Nik uncovers a complex web of power, fear and betrayal that enwraps the city. He also learns more about his parents, finds out who he can trust and is forced to make an impossible choice. Usually read by students in Years 9, 10 or above.

Australia's gold rushes of the nineteenth century produced tremendous wealth and population growth for the struggling Australian colonies. People from all walks of life made the perilous journey to the goldfields, returning either fabulously wealthy or demoralised and broke. It was a time of huge political, social and cultural change. Includes diaries, journals, letters, official reports, newspaper articles of the time. A challenging read. Usually read by students in Years 9,10 or above.

The harrowing, true story of Laura Wolff, a survivor of the holocaust and one of Schindler's women, who lost all her family but found love and friendship during her terrible experience in German concentration camps. Contains adult themes. Usually read by students in Years 9, 10 or above.

Gareth Hinds' Beowulf is a beautiful graphic novel, with some violent scenarios, remaining true to the classic Norse saga about Beowulf. He tackles a dragon with tragic consequences leaving questions about the real cost of his sacrifice. Usually read by students in Years 9, 10 or above.

Fourteen year old, Rusty-James, runs one of the meanest gangs in his neighbourhood. His reputation remains safe because his brother is the widely-feared Motorcycle Boy, but his brother is a peace-loving loner, unlike Rusty-James. Usually read by students in Years 9, 10 or above.

Maybelline Chen isn't the Chinese Taiwanese American daughter her mother expects her to be. Her brother Danny, on the other hand, has just been admitted to Princeton University, but secretly struggles with depression, and when he dies by suicide, May's world is shattered. In the aftermath, racist accusations are hurled forcing May to challenge the ugly stereotypes. Who gets to tell our stories and who gets silenced? There are always consequences. Usually read by students in Years 9, 10 or above.

Robert Hoge was born with a giant tumor on his forehead, severly distorted facial features, and legs that were twisted and useless. His mother was so horrified she initially refused to look at her son, let alone bring him home. But home he went, to a life that was, against all odds, filled with joy, optimism, and general boyhood naughtiness. Ugly is Robert's account of his life, from his birth to the arrival of his own daughter. It's a story of an extraordinary person living an ordinary life, which given the incredible hardships he had to overcome, is possibly his greatest achievement of all. Usually read by students in year 9, 10 and above.

Henni and Leo unravel a mystery around the holiday house Henni so enjoyed staying in at Cauldron Bay. Henni finds herself in great danger as she tries to discover what happened to the Schmidt family. Usually read by students in years 9, 10 and above.

Sixteen-year-old Quinn Hardwick's having a rough summer. Her beloved grandmother has been put into a home, her dad's gambling addiction has flared back up and now her worst enemy is back in town: Wesley James, former childhood friend - until he ruined her life, that is. So when Wesley is hired to work with her at Tudor Tymes, a medieval England themed restaurant, the last thing Quinn's going to do is forgive and forget. She's determined to remove him from her life and even the score all at once - by getting him fired. Usually read by students in Years 9, 10 or above.

Velvet is an orphan who does scalding, back-breaking work in a Victorian steam laundry. She is desperate for a better life. When she is noticed by Madame Savoya, a famed medium, Velvet begins to work for her and is dazzled by the beautiful dresses and jewels. But, she soon realises that Madame is not all that she says she is, and Velvet's life is in danger. Some adult themes. Usually read by students in Years 9, 10 or above.

Ariel has only a few small memories of her mother, who ran away years ago. Now aged, 17, she has lived in more towns than she can remember as her dad moves her across the country with alarming frequency. Finally settled with two friends, Monica and Gabe, Ariel wants to stay in one place. She is struggling with her feelings towards both her friends and aims to work out who she really is. On the other side of the country, Maya keeps a diary about her life, having run away from her own abusive mother and into the arms of a much older man, she is pregnant and practically alone. When both these worlds meet, both Maya and Ariel try to make sense of their lives. Usually ready by students in Years 9, 10 & above.

Anna is afraid she must be unlovable until she meets Flynn. Together, the girls swim, eat banana cake, laugh and love. Some days, Flynn is unreachable. On other days, she's at Anna's door. When Anna discovers Flynn's secret, she wonders if she knows her at all. Includes mature themes. Usually read by students in Years 9, 10 or above.

Five gatekeepers stand between humanity and supernatural chaos. Fourteen year old Matt has inner powers that are still beyond his control when he discovers another gatekeeper, Pedro. They face gun battles and kidnapping while experiencing the uglier side of Peru. Only when all the gatekeepers have found each other will they stop the black magic and unimaginable evil of the Old Ones. Usually read by students in Years 9, 10 or above.

Fourteen year old twins, Scott and Jamie, have extraordinary powers. When Jamie, framed for murder, tries to rescue the kidnapped Scott, he is catapulted thousands of years into the past to fight a horrifying and violent battle. As one of the five Gatekeepers, he joins in a seemingly doomed stand against the massed forces of evil and black magic. Not for the faint-hearted. Usually read by students in Years 9, 10 or above.

Matt thinks he has trouble when the police catch him for a not so petty crime but that is nothing compared to when he is rescued by a supposedly do-gooding guardian. The darkest, black magic is unleashed and Matt begins to understand that he is not only different, but that it is up to him, alone, to escape the torture of these cruel, violent, supernatural forces and to stop them. Usually read by students in Years 9, 10 or above.

Fourteen year old twins, Scott and Jamie, possess extraordinary powers. When Scott is kidnapped and Jamie is framed for murder, they must use the powers to survive. But, when Jamie is catapulted into the past, to face the horror of the Old Ones, he learns that he is one of the five Gatekeepers, standing in the way of eternal chaos. The brothers must fight the evil and win. Usually read by students in Years 9, 10 or above.

It began with Raven's Gate. But, it's not over, the enemy is stirring again. After defeating the Old Ones at Raven's Gate, Matt Freeman thought he could get on with his life. But, far away in Peru, a second gate is about to open. Only Matt has the power to stop the forces of darkness breaking through but, now, they know all about him. This time, they're going to destroy him first. Usually read by students in Years 9, 10 or above.

Sent to Yorkshire on a rehabilitation programme, Matt finds himself in the midst of a conspiracy of witchcraft and murder, and that he, alone, stands between the forces of evil and the annihilation of humanity. Featuring striking, high-contrast black-and-white art, this distinctive graphic novel captures the requisite brooding atmosphere. Usually read by students in Years 9, 10 and above.