Booklists

The Austin family find themselves endangered by the Alphabat gang's evil use of lasers.

When a fierce quake strikes the remote island of Bluehaven, and her father disappears, Jane Doe is thrown headfirst into an epic quest to bring him home. But this ain't no ordinary rescue mission. Her father is lost in a place between worlds; a dangerous labyrinth of shifting rooms, infernal booby traps and secret gateways. And Jane has to find him fast, because someone else is searching for him, too. A man who knows her father's secrets. A man who has an army. With a pyromaniac named Violet and the enigmatic Hickory by her side, Jane is about to discover that this adventure is even bigger on the inside than it looks ..

After the death of her mother, Marin was shuffled between families before she eventually landed in the care of her grandfather. Marin is soon to graduate from high school and faces separation from her best friend, Mabel, and Mabel's loving family. There is something missing from Marin's life, and with further tragedy comes even more questions about her connections with others and where she belongs in the world. Marin must come to understand the loneliness she has been living with before she loses those few closest to her. Usually read by students in years 9, 10 and above.

Elise's life takes a turn for the worse. She's bullied at school and now feels embarrassed by her best friend, Franklin, who's decidedly uncool, and she's struggling to cope with new arrivals in her home. Elise receives a mysterious key left for her by her father. A key that unlocks one of the eight doors upstairs in the barn. As Elise begins to unlock her past, she starts to realise that she can take control of her future.

After her father and younger sister die in a car accident, Aubrey's mother can't cope and abandons her. Aubrey goes to live with her grandmother in Vermont and finds solace in gran's love. When her mother reappears, Aubrey must decide whether to return home or stay. Highly emotive, requiring a mature reader. Usually read by students in Years 9, 10 and above.

Jamila has moved to Australia from her home in Iraq and has adapted well to life there and has made good friends. When she learns that her best friend, Mina, from Iraq will be coming to Australia, Jamila is very excited to introduce Mina to her Australian friends. However, when Mina arrives she is not quite ready to jump into the life Jamila has created. Jamila feels pressure to find a way to manage old friends and new friends and understand the sadness which Mina has taken with her from Iraq.

There are steps that must be done, and once done, another step awaits. The last step, after six years of minute planning by her grandmother, is a bus ride away. In A-ma-ri-lo her baby brother has to be waiting. In her imaginings, he is always waiting. Usually read by students in years 9, 10, or above.

It's been two years since Ha and her family arrived in Alabama as refugees from the Viet Nam War. They have worked hard to make a life for themselves in America, but it hasn't come easy. Ha has only just begun to feel settled when Mother decides that the family will move to Texas for a new job. Ha knows how hard starting over is and does not want to do it again. But sometimes even an unwanted change can bring opportunity, new friends and a place to call home.

Kiss the Dust is the compelling story of the flight of a Kurdish family fleeing Iraq. Twelve year old Tara tells the tale as her family rush into the mountains carrying everything they can. As refugees, they struggle through camps always wondering what will come next, where will they go and how they will settle as a family again. Tara's life is turned upside down as she struggles with the pressures of helping manage a myriad of problems.

when his family moves to Africa, Tom has mixed emotions until he spots a regal leopard outside his house. He quickly joins his new friends as they try to save the animal from being shot.

Karim and his seventeen year old brother, Jamal, live with their family in Ramallah, Palestine under Israeli military occupation. During the war, Karim meets Hopper, a teenager living in a refugee situation and, together, they fight to claim a little piece of ground for their sporting matches. Yet, even this is claimed by Israeli tanks and the boys experience a fight for their lives. Usually read by students in years 9, 10 and above.

Tikko knows that one day she'll be a rift-guide like her brothers and sisters - but does it have to be so soon? Lord Eustachio Doro is not even sure that he wants to explore other worlds, as his family has always done. Find out if these two intriguing characters win glory and do their families proud or fall headlong into disaster.

Ten fanciful short stories offer vibrant snapshots of life. Each story is unique, covering a range of time periods and places, with weird and wonderful characters.

Siki rises to the rare position of girl-warrior in an Apache tribe. She witnesses the horrors of the Indian wars against the Mexicans and the invading White Eyes. A sometimes violent and very honest story of courage, integrity, betrayal, love, hope and despair as Siki struggles to belong and learns the truth of her own story. Usually read by students in years 9, 10 and above.

As an Aztec maiden, Itacate is destined to a lifetime of submission and domestic drudgery until the Spanish invaders come and violently turn her world of savage blood sacrifices and cultural boundaries upside down. Her strength of character, great skill in her father's profession and her love for a young invader help her endure tragedy and hardship in a harsh adult world. Usually read by students in years 9, 10 and above.

In eighteenth century Devon, Caleb, travels with his father, living off the earnings from their Punch and Judy show. When his father is wrongly arrested for stealing and transported to the Colonies, Caleb is left alone. After a desperate journey in search of an aunt he's never met, he receives a strange, cold welcome. Then, a body washes up on the nearby beach and Caleb is caught up in a terrifying net of lies and intrigue. Soon, he and his new family are in mortal danger.

Though he's about to discover that being a skeleton doesn't stop you from being tortured, if the torturer is determined enough. And if there's anything Skulduggery hates, it's torture. Will evil win the day? Will Stephanie and Skulduggery stop bickering long enough to stop it? One thing's for sure: evil won't know what's hit it.

As the Skulduggery Pleasant series nears its end (again), relive the adventure in this lavishly illustrated compendium of all things Skulduggery. Featuring a unique run-down of the books so far, it also includes an invaluable reference tool for the dizzying cast of characters, as well as bonuses, surprises, and a dark story all of its own. The Grimoire is an essential book for any Skulduggery fan.

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

A brand new Skulduggery Pleasant novella for World Book Day: a hilarious and thrilling standalone story in the internationally bestselling series - perfect for new readers, and essential for Skulduggery fans! Three ancient gods are freed from their prison with only one desire: to destroy the planet and everyone on it. To save us all, Skulduggery Pleasant and Valkyrie Cain must go undercover in a Dublin school. Skulduggery has to blend in with the teaching staff, while Valkyrie has to pass for an ordinary schoolgirl. Above all else, no matter what happens, they both must act completely and utterly normal. We are so dead.

Smash the glass, climb through the window and enter the world of Skulduggery Pleasant with this complete story collection. After all, doors are for people without imagination.

On a desperate journey to recover her sister's lost soul, Valkyrie Cain goes up against the High Sanctuary itself, and there's nothing Skulduggery Pleasant can do to stop her. With Abyssinia's grand plan about to kick off in a night of magic, terror, and bloodshed, it falls to Omen Darkly to save the lives of thousands of innocent people. And as the madness unfolds around him, as hidden enemies step into the light, and as Valkyrie is sucked into a desperate, lawless quest of her own, he has no choice but to become the hero he never really wanted to be or die in the attempt.

Valkyrie Cain must undertake a dangerous rescue mission to retrieve Skulduggery from a hellish dimension, ruled by the Faceless Ones. There's no time for her to take a breather afterwards, though. There's the matter of the Desolation Engine, a bomb that could wipe out thousands, that has fallen into the wrong hands

Skulduggery, Valkyrie and Omen return in the 14th and penultimate novel in the internationally bestselling Skulduggery Pleasant series - and their most epic test yet - In a matter of days, the world will change. Billions of lives will be wiped away in a final, desperate search for the Child of the Faceless Ones - she who is destined to bring about the return of humankind's ancient overlords. To prevent this, Skulduggery Pleasant and Valkyrie Cain have one last terrible option: the assassination of Damocles Creed. With protests stirring in the magical city of Roarhaven, with riots and revolutions on the horizon, Valkyrie must decide who she wants to be: the hero who risks everything for a noble ideal, or the killer who sacrifices her own soul for the fate of humanity. The decision must be made, and time is running out.

The death bringer has risen. Skullduggery has seven days to uncover the necromancers' secret before it is too late. The clock is ticking.

The beginning for Skullduggery Pleasant, he is happily with his friends a group known as the Dead Men. The Dead Men have been engaged in war for 100 years. Skullduggery is planning his revenge on Serpine who created him. He's told not to carry out his revenge but then again does Skullduggery always do what he is told.

Infected by a rare strain of magic, normal people are developing unstable magic powers, endangering their own and other peoples' lives. Their only hope lies with the Sanctuary, which has its own problems. Skulduggery Pleasant and Valkyrie Cain must find out what's causing the infection and prevent the takeover of the Sanctuary by international sorcerers. And, normal teenager Kitana and her friends are infected and will tear the city apart unless they can be stopped.

War has finally come between Sanctuaries and Skulduggery must team up with Valkyrie and the rest of the dead men to stop it.

For years, Valkyrie Cain has struggled to keep her loved ones safe from harm, plunging into battle, time and time again, by Skulduggery Pleasant's side, and always emerging triumphant. But now the very thing that Valkyrie fights for is in danger, as a ruthless killer snatches her little sister in order to lure Valkyrie into a final confrontation. With Skulduggery racing to catch up and young sorcerer Omen scrambling along behind, Valkyrie only has twelve hours to find Alice before it is too late. The clock is ticking!

Skulduggery Pleasant is back and reunited with his original head. But, all is not well in the magical world. Foreign powers are conspiring to take over the Irish Sanctuary and, for another thing, Valkyrie has discovered she might be the sorceress set to destroy the world.

With Serpine dead, the world is safe once more. At least, that's what Valkyrie and Skulduggery think until the notorious Baron Vengeous makes a bloody escape from prison, and dead bodies and vampires start appearing all over Ireland. With just about everyone out to kill Valkyrie, the daring detective duo face their biggest challenge yet.

Valkyrie Cain has been out of action for years, recovering from the war against her alter-ego Darquesse. But bad people still want to do bad things, and Skulduggery Pleasant is still there to stop them. So when Skulduggery learns of a plot to resurrect a terrifying evil, he persuades Valkyrie to join him for just twenty-four hours. But they need someone else. Someone inconspicuous, someone who can go undercover. Enter Omen Darkly. Not a warrior. Not a detective. And definitely not the chosen one.

At the funeral of her gothic novelist uncle, fourteen year old Stephanie glimpses an overdressed, bespectacled figure hidden under a broad brimmed hat. When her uncle's will is read, she inherits a mansion and a fortune. She unites with the weird and witty skeleton, Skulduggery Pleasant, sighted at the funeral and joins forces with him to save the world from the Faceless Ones.

To avert catastrophe, Skulduggery and Valkyrie are sent on a secret mission that takes them away from everything they know, to a forsaken land of magic and grim, unrelenting terror.

Following the loss of Valkyrie Cain, Skulduggery Pleasant must use any and all means to track down and stop Darquesse before she turns the world into a charred, lifeless cinder. He draws together a team of soldiers, monster hunters, killers, criminals and Valkyrie's own murderous reflection.The war may be over, but the final battle is about to begin. And not everyone gets out of here alive.

A Skulduggery short story. Fifteen year old Ryan is running away from home, looking for escape and adventure. Ryan hasn't gone far before he is set upon by a bunch of scary, nihilistic punk-sorcerers who need him to set off a doomsday device that will destroy the planet and everyone on it. Skulduggery and Valkyrie only have a few hours to figure out what's going on, while saving Ryan and, incidentally, the whole world.

Third bone-breaking, belly-busting adventure in the series. If you've read the previous Skulduggery books then you know what the Faceless Ones are. You can probably take a wild guess that things in this book are going to get awfully sticky for our skeletal hero and his young sidekick.

Long ago, Tanith Low was good but a Remnant has taken over her soul and now she wants to join forces with a nasty bunch of villains. The fight scenes are brutal, the planning is meticulous and Tanith keeps her sense of humour in balance with her sense of dread. The art of the double-cross has never been more sinister but love lies in mysterious places too. A one-off novella in the Skulduggery Pleasant universe.

'A small town in the middle of Ireland, a string of unexplained deaths and a monster on the loose. Better call in the experts. When Skullduggery Pleasant and Valkyrie Cain drive into Termoncara, they discover a town with a drak past and a people haunted by darker secrets. There is a creature stalking the streets - a creature who delights in cruelty, who feeds off the little hatreds, who grows stronger with every drop of blood spilled. Usually read by students in years 9, 10, or above.

Butter is overweight and he knows it. He is unpopular at school and sits alone at lunch. Then he decides to eat himself to death live over the net. Suddenly he is the centre of attention with the coolest group at school - he knows it is only because of his site but he is no longer alone. Will he go through with his dare and will his new found 'friends' let him or make him. Contains mature themes. Usually read by students in Years 9, 10 or above.

Thirteen year old Wolf is escaping from the abbey which has been his home and prison for the last eight years. Scrambling up over the wild and haunted ridge known as Devil's Edge, he has a strange encounter and the creature he discovers will change his life for ever.

Written by one of Australia's most prominent Indigenous voices, Welcome to Country is essential reading for every young Australian. The chapters cover prehistory, post-colonial history, language, kinship, knowledge, art, performance, storytelling, native title, the Stolen Generations, making a rightful place for First Australians and looking to the future for Indigenous Australia. This book is for the new Australian generations and works towards rectifying the wrongs of this country's past. You will quickly appreciate how lucky we are to be the home of the world's oldest continuing civilisation -- which is both diverse and thriving in Australia today.

Brendan finds himself accompanied by a ghost who communicates through his computer, further complicating his adolescent life. Usually read by students in Years 9, 10 or above.

Declan seems to have it all, a loving family, friends he's known for years and a beautiful girlfriend. But, something in Declan's past just won't go away and he makes the only decision he thinks he has left. As the train approaches and Declan teeters at the edge of the platform, two versions of his life are revealed to him. One moment. One pause. One whole new life. A challenging, confronting read. Usually read by students in Years 9, 10 or above.

A funny story about Eric, who is a ""loser"" and has no luck with girlfriends.

Daughter of a fallen queen, young Princess Elizabeth lives a complicated and dangerous life. She fears her father's famous temper but loves him dearly, she loves her brother Edward, heir to the throne, but doesn't like her older sister Mary, who torments and conspires against her.

Jahanara, favorite daughter of Emperor Shah Jahan and the most beloved of his four wives, writes about family jealousies, court intrigues, and war strategies, as well as the extravagant lifestyle of her royal family.

Princess Kazunomiya is the half-sister of the Emperor of Japan. She relates, in her diary and in poems, the confusing events occurring in the Imperial Palace in 1858, including political and romantic intrigue.

The fictionalised diary of an adolescent Maria Antoinette beginning shortly before her arranged betrothal to Louis Auguste, the future and last king of France. Her diary includes descriptions of life at Versaille and an epilogue concludes the story.

Mary, the young Scottish Queen, is sent a diary from her mother in which she records her experiences living at the court of France's King Henry II as she awaits her marriage to Henry's son, Francis.

Born in Africa around 1753, Phillis Wheatley was kidnapped and shipped as a slave to America. Her family, her name and her language were taken from her. Phillis's first poem was published when she was fourteen years old.

Two young children from different racial and cultural backgrounds are asked to collaborate on a set of poems. They write about lots of different subjects showing their very different perspectives on issues such as religion, identity and friendship, finally coming to some kind of understanding of each other and the world they live in.

Valor is under arrest for the attempted murder of the crown prince. Her parents are outcasts from the royal court, her sister is banished for theft of a national treasure, and now Valor has been sentenced to life imprisonment at Demidova, a prison built from stone and ice. But that's exactly where she wants to be. For her sister was sent there too, and Valor embarks on an epic plan to break her out from the inside. No one has escaped from Demidova in over three hundred years, and if Valor is to succeed she will need all of her strength, courage and love. If the plan fails, she faces a chilling fate worse than any prison.

Sara Vanadi, AKA Freya, the Norse goddess of love, beauty, war and death, finds herself combating the evil corporation, Finemdi, who are trying to entice the ancient gods and goddesses, seduce them with new powers and then use their godly strengths to achieve greatness in a modern world. Sara dedicates herself to fighting the evil company but she has to learn the ways of the new world first. Usually read by students in Years 9, 10 & above.

When she is asked to get involved in a social issue of her own choice, as part of a school project, Bel chooses to write to an Australian boy who is a prisoner on death row in Thailand. When he writes back, she learns more about the controversial issue of capital punishment but her involvement puts her at odds with her politician father and everyone else who loves her. Usually read by students in Years 9, 10 or above.

What if you thought you had forever... To live your life. To tell your story. But what if forever was taken from you? When your tomorrows are counted, all you have is this moment. And this story you wish was never yours to tell. When Abby traded her life in the city for a wholesome new life on the coast, it was meant to be a fresh start for her family. Behind them was the sickness and sadness of the past. But sickness doesn't always play by the rules. And as Abby's past threatens to swallow her future, she is forced to decide what is most important. What she will fight for. And she will fight. For however many days she has left.

This inspirational story follows Scarlett who is burnt 40% of her body in a fire. It follows Scarlett's journey of self acceptance and self love and highlights. It is not always the end journey that is important it is how you get to the end that matters.

Ardavan is a young Parthian soldier whose mother was a Roman. After the disastrous Battle of Carrhae, many Roman soldiers lie dead on the battlefield and the survivors must serve Parthia as mercenaries. Able to communicate with both sides, Ardavan is raised to a special position where he and the beautiful Shara must survive in a world of intrigue and plots. Usually read by students in Years 9, 10 or above.

Sara, a strong and resourceful young woman, escapes with her father from Carthage by sea to face the hostile Roman navy and pirates. The naval tactics, medicine and international relations of the third century, and the insights into trades such as jewellery and sword-making, are an exciting backdrop to their perilous voyage and the political intrigue they encounter. Usually read by students in Years 9, 10 or above.

Alexa, the headstrong teenage daughter of a landowning family in 475 England, dreams of breeding fine horses. When she meets Artorius, a boy who dreams of victory, fighting the barbarians from horseback, Alexa finds allies to help extricate herself from her mother's plans. She finds herself in an uncertain, bloodthirsty world, where life has little value when measured against power and wealth. Usually read by students in Years 9, 10 or above.

Year Twelve is not off to a good start for Amelia. Art is her world, but her art teacher hates everything she does; her best friend has stopped talking to her; her mother and father may as well be living in separate houses; and her father is slowly forgetting everything. Even Amelia. Usually read by students in Years 9, 10 or above.

Henry Lawson, one of Australia's most famous writers, was known as the 'Poet of the People', Lawson's writing captures life in the Australian bush and the hardships and everyday lives of ordinary Australians in the 1800s. Lawson's stories and poems are full of the drama and often absurd humour that characterised life in the Australian outback in the early years of our nation.

CJ was one of the popular, cool kids at his old school. Now, everything has changed. He is known as Callum, banished to the country to live with grandparents he has never met and who don't seem to want him there. Things are no better at school but worse still is the secret that Callum carries with him night and day.

When Darcy Abbott is sent to live with her surly grandmother and her silent great-grandmother, she finds the silences and secrets at home, and the name calling and bullying at school, hard to endure. A school project sets her on a search for the truth about her great-grandfather, Darcy Charles Fletcher, one of hundreds of prisoners of war who died when the Montevideo Maru was sunk in World War II.

Fifteen year old Robbie knows bad things happen in Walgaree. But, it's nothing to do with him. The Aborigines have always been treated this way. In 1965, racial tensions are at boiling point and something is headed to Walgaree that will blow things apart. Robbie must take a stand. Nothing will ever be the same. Based on true events in Australia when university students drew attention to racism and segregation.

Pan Harris is brash, loud and damaged. Ordered into foster care, Pan is full of anger at her mother who abandoned her and her older sister who kept her from her father. Pan is certain that she knows the reality of her past until she meets Hunter, the boy who understands her story better than anyone else. He may be the key to unlocking the truth of Pan s memories but that would mean breaking her most important rule. Never. Trust. Anyone.

Alex Hudson is a good guy. He plays water polo, has a part-time job and does okay at school. Alex's life is made hell by his constantly baiting brother and awful father, with nobody to back him up, not even his own mother. Then the thing that anchors Alex is ripped away and his life seems pointless. 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.

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.

Ged, the archmage, now the greatest wizard of all Earthsea, has been warned that the world's magic is disappearing. Ged and his one companion, Arren, set out to close the hole in the world that is leeching out the light. They discover darkness, decay, decline and the loss of knowledge and power. Even the dead are mysteriously crossing over. They must rid the world of this insanity. Usually read by students in years 9, 10 and above.

Orrec discovers he has inherited a power that he cannot control. It is the gift of undoing. His best friend Gry has the gift of calling animals. This is a story of friendship and problem-solving in an exciting and imaginary land. Usually read by students in Years 9, 10 and above.

Earthsea is threatened by the return of the dragons and an invasion by the dead. But, it is Alder's desire to be reunited with his beloved dead wife that creates the greatest threat. Recognising this, Alder takes Sparrowhawk's advice and journeys to the Immanent Grove on Roke. His companions are Tenar, Tehanu, the young King Lebannen and the amber-eyed Irian, a dragon able to take the shape of a woman. Usually read by students in years 9, 10 and above.

The tales of this book explore and extend the world established by the Earthsea novels--yet each stands on its own. It contains the novella "The Finder," and the short stories "The Bones of the Earth," "Darkrose and Diamond," "On the High Marsh," and "Dragonfly." Concluding with with an account of Earthsea's history, people, languages, literature, and magic, this collection also features two new maps of Earthsea.

Years from when they escaped the sinister tombs of Atuan as a feisty high priestess and a powerful wizard, she is a simple, farmer's widow and he is a broken, old man mourning the powers that are lost to him. Now they must join forces again but this time to help a physically and emotionally scarred child whose destiny has not yet been revealed. Usually read by students in Years 9, 10 or above.

Tenar, chosen as the high priestess to the ancient and nameless powers of the earth, is now known as Arha, the Eaten One. It is her rightful duty to defend the labyrinth tombs of Atuan but when Ged Sparrowhawk comes to steal their greatest treasure, the ring of Erreth-Akbe, his tales of magic and a brighter world seduce Tenar into risking everything to escape. Usually read by students in Years 9, 10 or above.

Ged, a young wizard in the magical worlds of Earthsea, has to struggle against the forces of evil.

When a young boy visits his grandfather, their lack of a common language leads to confusion, frustration, and silence. But as they sit down to draw together, something magical happens-with a shared love of art and storytelling, the two form a bond that goes beyond words.

Thirteen year-old Leo hates his new house, his new school and his new step-brothers. He wants to be somewhere else, far away. When he uncovers an old music box and turns its key, he is finds himself in Prague, amid whispers and fears of a second world war. But that war ended decades ago. There Leo meets Ivan, a Czech boy, and the two become friends. But when the war does come, the boys are imprisoned and have to frantically search for an escape. The search sens them running. Running against time. Running for their lives.

This is a book for anyone who has loved a dog and known their love in return. It uses real life situations to show how a dog can improve our mental and physical health as well as our quality of life. With each story, it becomes more and more obvious how dogs can support us, comfort us and even save our lives. Drawing on science, research and in depth personal interviews, this book demonstrates that the dog-human bond is the most extraordinary cross-species friendship on the planet.

In the 1930s in Alabama, a black man is charged with the rape of a white girl. The explosion of racial hatred that follows is viewed through the young eyes of Scout and Jem Finch, whose father, Atticus, defends the man. The conscience of a town, steeped in prejudice, violence and hypocrisy, is pricked by Atticus' stamina as he struggles for justice. Some adult themes; usually read by students in Years 9, 10 or above.

In 1818 Geneva, men built with clockwork parts live hidden away from society, cared for only by illegal mechanics called Shadow Boys. Two years ago, Shadow Boy Alasdair Finch's life shattered to bits. His brother, Oliver - dead. His sweetheart, Mary - gone. His chance to break free of Geneva -lost. Heart-broken and desperate, Alasdair does the unthinkable: He brings Oliver back from the dead. But putting back together a broken life is more difficult than mending bones and adding clockwork pieces. Oliver returns more monster than man, and Alasdair's horror further damages the already troubled relationship. Then comes the publication of Frankenstein and the city intensifies its search for Shadow Boys, aiming to discover the real life doctor and his monster. Alasdair finds refuge with his idol, the brilliant Dr. Geisler, who may offer him a way to escape the dangerous present and his guilt-ridden past, but at a horrible price only Oliver can pay...

Arthur Pendragon frees the enchanted sword, Cliburn, from its rocky sheath and fights to save his kingdom from King Ulric. When Arthur marries Guinevere, Merlin the magician, agrees to help Arthur forget his true love, Vivianne, the Lady of the Lake. The legend of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table unfolds dramatically in this action-packed, graphic novel. Usually read by students in Years 9, 10 or above.

You may have heard of Joan of Arc. She had a short but inspirational life, fighting for freedom during the One Hundred Years War between France and England. She was a farm girl who became the leader of an army of men. Joan had an unflinching faith in God and in herself, and was prepared to risk everything for freedom and independence. She became the patron saint of France.

While a storm rages outside, a young girl ponders some of life's big questions.

Every family has its secrets, the summer Joan Chang-Hunt goes to stay with her gran in London, she learns hers is bigger than most. The Hunts are one of twelve families in London with terrifying hidden powers. Joan is half-monster. And what's more, her summer crush Nick isn't just a cute boy - he's hiding a secret as well; a secret that places Joan in terrible danger.

Jack must lead a mission to retrieve seven lost magical orbs, which, when combined together, can save their lives. The challenge: the orbs have been missing for a thousand years, lost among the ruins and relics of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. First stop: The Colossus of Rhodes, where they realise that there's way more at stake than just their lives.

The Curse of the King chronicles the adventures of Jack McKinley and his friends as they face their greatest challenge yet the long-lost Statue of Zeus. In their struggle to undo what's been done and unlock the secrets of this Wonder of the Ancient World, our heroes must confront gods, relive old battles, and face down their own destiny to save themselves and the world from destruction.

Thirteen-year-old Jack McKinley and his friends have fought shoulder-to-shoulder in an almost impossible mission to recover the lost Loculi hidden in the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. They have defeated the Colossus of Rhodes, visited Ancient Babylon, outfoxed legions of undead, and battled one of history's most powerful kings to recover four Loculi, but these successes have come at a price. Friends have been lost, ancient artifacts destroyed, and the very powers they've developed will soon overwhelm them. With a new threat to their mission developing, time is quickly running out to find the last of the lost Loculi.

After defeating the Colossus of Rhodes and capturing the first of the Loculi, their friend Marco has disappeared. With no leads, no clues, and no one else to turn to, the kids have no choice but to trust Professor Bhegad and the Karai Institute again as they head off to Babylon in search of the next orb.

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.

Two treasures have been found, with time running out. Marco betrayed his friends and ancient secrets are coming unravelled. The Select don't know who to trust or where to turn, but they must fight on. Jack, Aly and Cass race to the next stop on their quest, the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, where they have to face their own demons and engage in an epic battle with shadows of the dead.

Incredible but true tales of the high seas, from the first pirates at the time of the Greeks and the Romans, to the years when pirates truly ruled the seas. Contains stories of hardship and brutality, bringing to life the flamboyant characters of the most famous captains and the men who set out to capture them.

Steven's obsession with Avery leads him into what seems to be a childish game. It is, in fact, a very dangerous game. The players include Steven's unsuspecting friend, Tala, Connor, who is rumoured to have been in juvenile detention and may be a dealer, and his sister, Jade, a very hostile goth, and Avery. Their journey of self-realisation has unexpected outcomes. Mature themes and strong language in context. Usually read by students in Years 9, 10 and above.

When Kezi's mother's life is threatened, her father bargains with Admat, god of oaths, to spare her. He is unprepared for the consequences, that he must sacrifice Kezi, instead. Kezi finds hope in Olus, the Akkan god of the wind, who loves her and determines to save her. Together, they face seemingly insurmountable trials but, if both succeed, they will become immortal. Usually read by students in Years 9, 10 or above.

Aza must save the kingdom of Ayortha and hopefully, win the love of the handsome prince. Possessed with a beautiful singing voice and an unusual gift, but bereft of popular beauty, Aza has been hidden in the shadows until she is drawn into palace intrigue by a jealous, insecure queen. An important lesson in true beauty and self-acceptance with all the treachery of Snow White. Usually read by students in years 9, 10 and above.

When a blue-haired boy (Ryan) meets a pink-haired boy (Avery) at a dance - a queer prom - both feel an inexplicable but powerful connection. Follow them through their first ten dates as they bridge their initial shyness and fall in love - through snowstorms, groundings, meeting parents (Avery's) and not (Ryan's), cast parties, heartbreak, and every day and date in between. Usually read by students in years 9, 10, or above.

For as long as A can remember, life has meant waking up in a different person's body every day, forced to live as that person until the day ended. A always thought there wasn't anyone else who had a life like this. But A was wrong. There are others. A has already been wrestling with powerful feelings of love and loneliness. Now comes an understanding of the extremes that love and loneliness can lead to --and what it's like to discover that you are not alone in the world. In Someday, David Levithan takes readers further into the lives of A, Rhiannon, Nathan, and the person they may think they know as Reverend Poole, exploring more deeply the questions at the core of Every Day and Another Day: What is a soul? And what makes us human? Usually read by students in years 9, 10 and above.

This book will teach you everything you need to know to venture through all the landscapes on Earth as well as through the air, over the seas and under the waves. Soon you'll have no excuses - get out there and explore!

PSS 118 is just your typical school, except that it is a rickety old spaceship orbiting Ganymede, a moon of Jupiter. Jack's dad used to be the science teacher, until he got fired for tinkering with the ship. Now Jack wants to get through the last day of school without anything going wrong.. But when the school is mysteriously attacked, Jack discovers that his dad has built humanity's first light speed engine and given Jack control of it. Jack catapults it hundreds of light years away and right into the clutches of the first aliens humans have ever seen. School hasn't just got out, it has gone clear across the galaxy. Now it is up to Jack and his friends to get everyone home.

A small boat drifts on the sea. Far from home, the people inside have lost everything. But at their boat spins slowly on the rising sea, they share a song and a story. A song that keeps their hope alive in their hearts. A song of freedom and a story like the wind.

In Zambia, time is running out as Bul-Boo and Madillo try to work out a way to save their friend, Winifred, from a terrifying fate. In desperation, they ask the advice of Ifwafwa, the snake man, who promises to think about the problem. Ifwafwa is wise and has a gift with snakes, but he does not like to hurry and Bul-Boo becomes impatient. Some adult themes. Usually read by students in Years 9, 10 or above.

Beginning in rural Poland, Leon Leyson's family's horrendous journey was similar to thousands of others, but what set his fate apart was his father's chance employment in the factory of Oskar Schindler, who is credited with saving up to 1200 Jews. The youngest person on Schindler's list, Leon describes how, despite the deprivation of food, clothing and general living conditions, this provided a small flicker of hope.

A young girl who is going blind sets out on a journey determined to beat the loss of her sight. In her imagination she does amazing things and goes to fabulous places in her quest to gain what she has lost.

Shiori, the only princess of Kiata, does not want to marry an oafish lord from the North whom she has never met, just because her father wills it. Distraught on the morning of her betrothal ceremony she loses control and accidentally reveals the forbidden magic that coursing through her veins which catches the attention of her stepmother Raikama, a sorceress in her own right. Raikama banishes Shiori and turns her six brothers into cranes warning that she should speak of this to no-one; for every word that escapes her lips one of her brothers will die. Penniless, voiceless and alone, Shiori searches for her brothers and uncovers a dark plot to seize her father's throne.

Since her parents died, Sophie Teague's life has fallen apart. She's just enrolled at a new high school, hoping for a fresh start. But, Eve, a beautiful ghost, starts making terrifying nightly appearances, wanting Sophie to be her hands, eyes and go-to girl to tie up loose ends. Dealing with the dead might just involve the greatest sacrifice of all. Dark, thrilling and unrelentingly eerie. Usually read by students in Years 9, 10 or above.

Avicenna Crowe's mother, Joanne, is an astrologer with uncanny predictive powers and a history of being stalked. Now she is missing. The police are called, but they're not asking the right questions. Like why Joanne lied about her past, and what she saw in her stars that made her so afraid. But Avicenna has inherited her mother's gift. Finding an unlikely ally in the brooding Simon Thorn, she begins to piece together the mystery. And when she uncovers a link between Joanne's disappearance and a cold-case murder, Avicenna is led deep into the city's dark and seedy underbelly, unaware how far she is placing her own life in danger. Usually read by students in Years 9, 10 or above.

There's something very wrong with me. When I wake up, I could be anyone! An angel in exile, Mercy is doomed to return repeatedly to Earth, taking on a new human form each time she does. Now she "wakes" as unhappy teen Lela, a girl caring for a dying mother but never herself. As her shattered memory begins to return, Mercy remembers Ryan, the boy she fell in love with in another life, and Luc, the angel haunting her dreams. Will Mercy risk Lela's life to be reunited with her heart's true desire? Usually read by students in years 9, 10 and above.

Hell hath no fury like an angel scorned. Everything that has happened to Mercy over millennia has made her who she is. Now she and The Eight wage open war with Luc and his demons, and the earth is their battlefield. Ryan's love for Mercy is more powerful than ever, her guiding light in the hour of darkness. But the very love that sustains her, now places Ryan in mortal danger. Two worlds collide as Mercy approaches her ultimate breathtaking choice. Usually read by students in years 9, 10 and above.

Mercy wakes on a school bus bound for Paradise, a small town where everyone knows everyone else's business... Or thinks they do. But Mercy has a secret life. She is an angel, doomed to return repeatedly to Earth, taking on a new human form each time she does, in an effort to resolve a cataclysmic rift between heavenly beings. In Paradise, Mercy meets Ryan, an eighteen-year-old whose sister was kidnapped two years ago and is presumed dead. When another girl is also taken, Mercy knows she has to act quickly and use extraordinary powers to rescue her, even if it means exposing her true identity. Usually read by students in years 9, 10 and above.

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

Mercy is an angel, exiled from heaven, and when she wakes in the body of nineteen-year-old Irina, Mercy discovers that she is one of the world's most infamous supermodels on the verge of a very public breakdown. Against the glamorous background of Milan's opulent fashion world, Mercy continues her increasingly desperate search for Ryan Daley, the mortal boy she remembers falling for in a past life. But this time, Mercy's memories and powers are growing ever stronger - and she begins to doubt the pleas of her dream lover, Luc, as more of her mysterious past is revealed. Usually read by students in years 9, 10 and above.

Wen Zhou is told she's lucky. Lucky to be living in Australia. Wen doesn't feel lucky when her dad doesn't let her go to birthday parties and controls everything she and her mum do. Her salvation is her close friend Henry. However when tragedy strikes Henry's family, how will Wen find a way to support him, whilst still achieving her own dreams.

What if you were forced to set sail for a country that didn't want you, to meet a father you couldn't remember? Thirteen-year-old Fu, his younger sister, Pei, and their mother live in a small rural community in Southern China that is already enduring harsh conditions when it is collectivised as part of Mao Zedong's Great Leap Forward campaign that ultimately led to economic disaster, widespread famine and millions of deaths. After tragedy strikes, and threatened with separation, Fu and Pei set out on a perilous journey across countries and oceans to find their father, who left for Australia almost a decade ago. With nothing to guide them but a photograph and some documents in a language they cannot read, they must draw on all their courage and tenacity just to survive - and perhaps forge a better life for themselves.

It's been two years since Gia Basso witnessed archangels and demons waging war upon each other beneath the dome of the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele in Milan. Traumatised, Gia has been in self-imposed exile on the English coast.But the sudden reappearance of Mercy in her life, in a new and terrifying incarnation, draws Gia into a desperate struggle to locate Lucifer -- who holds Ryan Daley captive in order to keep him from Mercy, his beloved, forever. Tasked by the archangels to destroy Lucifer, and by Mercy to help her trace and free Ryan, Gia is pushed to the limits of human endurance as she traverses the earth -- with the help of friends old and new -- to do the impossible. Usually read by students in years 9, 10 and above.

Meet Me at the Intersection is an anthology of short fiction, memoir and poetry by authors who are First Nations, People of Colour, LGBTIQA+ or living with disability. The focus of the anthology is on Australian life as seen through each author's unique, and seldom heard, perspective. With works by Ellen van Neerven, Graham Akhurst, Kyle Lynch, Ezekiel Kwaymullina, Olivia Muscat, Mimi Lee, Jessica Walton, Kelly Gardiner, Rafeif Ismail, Yvette Walker, Amra Pajalic, Melanie Rodriga, Omar Sakr, Wendy Chen, Jordi Kerr, Rebecca Lim, Michelle Aung Thin and Alice Pung, this anthology is designed to challenge the dominant, homogenous story of privilege and power that rarely admits "outsider" voices. Usually read by students in years 9, 10 and above.

The Boons, a large, motherless family, are always on the move. Their father, a dreamer, takes risks that never pay off. When the family moves to an isolated house, Fing and her sisters sense the house and adjacent cemetery have a macabre past. They defy their strong-tongued grandmother to explore the cellar and a curious hole in the hedge. The house has its secrets and, somehow, they are linked to the family.

Just because she's blind, Parker Grant refuses to be treated differently or badly. They are the Rules and no second chances. Just ask Scott, who broke her heart. When he suddenly reappears in her life, Parker shuns him completely. She has enough on her mind, including dealing with her dad's recent death. But, avoiding her past proves impossible. As Parker learns what really happened, both with Scott and her dad, the more she questions if things are always as they seem. Usually read by students in Years 9, 10 or above.

Seren longs to have the sunshine on her skin. But, when you're floating through space at thousands of kilometres an hour, you have to accept there are things you cannot change. But, when Dom arrives in her life, he changes everything and, for a while, he becomes the Sun for her. Being with him flaunts every rule designed to keep their home in order but to lose him would be like losing herself. In the end, they must decide what is most important, loyalty to the only home they've ever known or to each other.

Thomas Morris thinks something mysterious is going on in Bunbury. The telegrams he delivers carry cryptic messages and strangers are acting in odd ways. Tom writes down his exciting adventures as he becomes part of a mysterious and amazing plot.

The world is changing for two girls in China is the 1970s. Da Qin and her sister live in the city of Wuhan with their parents. When their country's leader, Chairman Mao, dies, new opportunities begin to emerge. The sisters soon learn that their childhood will be much different than the upbringing their parents experienced. Eight short stories-based on the author's own life- give readers a unique look at what it was like to grow up in China during this important time in history.

Ten short stories about some of the worst fires in history, two with a strong environmental content. They include fires from the great fire in London in 1666 to the fire of the Chenobyl nuclear disaster in 1986.

Imagine that you're made a king at twelve. You have tons of gold, a network of spies and a million soldiers. You also have plenty of enemies. This is the incredible story of Zheng Ying, who in 221BC conquered all the states, unified them under one banner and declared himself the first Emperor. He was brilliant and brutal, and his legend has lived on for thousands of years. Includes cartoon style illustrations.

Joss, a mysterious boy with a tragic past, has only ever dreamed of being a Paladero. A cowboy knight of the Thunder Realm. Will he be able to complete his quest of crossing the savage lands to the doomed Ghost City of Vaal? With his fellow questors and his Raptor mount, Joss must complete this traditional rite of passage or die trying.

There are four friends, it is summer, they are on a private island, they have the freedom to come and go as they please... throw in true love and terrible lies and it's hard to distinguish fact from fiction. The truth will leave you cold, and when people ask you about it, make sure you lie. Usually read by students in years 9, 10, or above,

Will and Summer meet online and strike up a friendship based on a coincidence. Both are missing a parent and need a friend. Summer lives in Will's old hometown, a small community on Tasmania's coast. But, Summer isn't telling the whole truth about herself. She figures it doesn't matter, if they never see each other. But, when Will returns and they meet, Summer can no longer hide her secret.

Buck is a family pet and life is good in Santa Clara Valley, where he spends his days eating and sleeping in the golden sunshine. But, one day, a treacherous act of betrayal leads to his kidnap, and he is forced into a life of toil and danger as a sledge dog in the harsh and freezing cold Yukon, Buck must fight for his survival. This is a classic story of cruelty, kindness and survival in a harsh environment.

Jaime lives in Dalton's Bay with Aunty Dawn and Uncle Bobby. He spends his downtime hanging out with his mates, Dally and Lenny. Jamie's just an Aboriginal kid trying to find his way, but Mark Cassidy and the while lads take every opportunity they can to bully him and his friends. One night, Jamie, Dally and Lenny decide to retaliate...but things don't go as planned and the consequences are devastating. Usually read by students in years 9, 10, or above. Can Jaime mend his relationships with himself, his friends, his family, and his future?

It's a hot summer, and life's going all right for Jackson and his family on the Mish. It's almost Christmas, school's out, and he's hanging with his mates, teasing the visiting tourists, avoiding the racist boys in town. Just like every year, Jackson's Aunty and annoying little cousins visit from the city - but this time a mysterious boy with a troubled past comes with them. As their friendship evolves, Jackson must confront the changing shapes of his relationships with his friends, family and community. And he must face his darkest secret - a secret he thought he'd locked away for good. Usually read by students in years 9, 10 and above.

International antiquities fraud and Computer Crime come together in Sydney. Can Jazz and Phoenix save their friend's father and themselves from some very dangerous people?

Jazz always wanted to be a detective, and now she has no choice! Her best friend Anika has been kidnapped over a 20 year old mystery. Can the annoying school rebel help her link the clues, within the first 48 hours?

Shadow Island's volcano is erupting and Cal and Ryan are trapped on the island with the evil Damien Thoroughgood, who will stop at nothing to fulfil his deadly plan. After surviving in the jungle and outwitting his enemy for so long, Cal risks losing his brother and everything he's worked towards. Cal must make a difficult decision to save his brother's life and try to stop Damien from unleashing earth-shattering evil.

Cal is undercover and evading search parties, planning rescue missions and sneaking through a maze of hidden tunnels is an average day for Cal as he evades capture.

Cal agrees to work as an undercover agent to find his twin and on an island for troubled twins he faces his most heart-stopping challenges yet.

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

A high-speed chase gone wrong leaves Cal exposed to certain capture by Oriana's thugs. He knows if they succeed, any hope of seeing Gabbi alive again is remote. He has to get away but he can't just leave a man to drown.

Buried alive in a coffin, Cal's chances of survival are running out as fast as the air around him. Thanks to his unknown attackers, he's lost the Jewel and the Riddle, and now his life hangs in the balance. Six feet under. Boges and Winter are frantically trying to find him before it's too late.

It's December, the final month in the deadly 365 day countdown. Cal desperately needs to get to Ireland but, with airport security at an all-time high, escaping the country seems impossible. He must reach the Ormond Singularity before midnight. One thing's for sure, people will lose their lives in the fight to the end.

Callum has survived January, on the run from villains and criminals chasing the secret they believe he possesses, the key to vast fortune for his family. Callum's sister has been viciously attacked and the police believe Callum is responsible. The mystery is deepened by his suspicions of Winter.

Callum Ormond is jolted out of his ordinary school and family life by a series of events where at least one villain is after his life and his family secret. The problem is that Callum does not even know the secret himself. He only knows that his dad, who died in mysterious circumstances, has left him a puzzle to solve.

Breaking out of the fishing net is the least of Cal's worries. All kinds of perils await him on deck. He dodges the cops but becomes indebted to a boat captain. He must learn more about Piers Ormond's will but is stuck carting fish to earn back his freedom. Cal may have a chance if he can find his great-aunt.

With seconds to spare, Cal escapes from the burning wreck of the Orca. Helicopters search from the sky, while Oriana's thugs chase on foot. Cal must dodge the cops and crims, and return to his pursuit of the Ormond Jewel. Convinced Sligo has the Jewel, Cal embarks on a dangerous break-in mission to retrieve it.

Callum, Boges and Winter lived through the 365 days it took to solve the Ormond Singularity then barely escaped from a lunatic bent on revenge. Now a deadly secret from Winter's mysterious past has come to haunt them. The countdown begins again.

Trapped, with a train bearing down on him, Cal's chances of survival look grim. The cops and criminal gangs are unrelenting, they want him behind bars or dead. The stakes are getting higher but all the clues to the Ormond Singularity just lead to more puzzles, and more danger.

The sound of screaming fills the air. Cal's identity has been stripped from him and he's been locked up in an asylum where danger lurks on both sides of the bars. He has no idea who has put him there but the doctors are convinced that Cal is delusional, and have no intention of setting him free.

The deadline of the 31st of December is fast approaching and Cal's enemies are closing in on all sides. Even the notorious Toecutter Durham has emerged from the underworld to join the hunt. With so many answers finally imminent, it's crucial that Cal dodges danger and stays alive.

A gun shot rings out as Cal hides from his stalkers. The hostile desert seems determined to become Cal's final resting place. Back in the city, an impossible job looms. To break into Oriana's safe at Zurich Bank, Boges needs to make a perfect copy of her fingerprint, and they need her PIN identification.

After three hundred and sixty-five days on the run, Cal Ormond is finally back with family and friends, and life seems good. But, one night, Cal receives a mysterious message. He doesn't know if it's a real warning or a hoax.

Convinced Oriana was behind his little sister's kidnapping, Cal teams up with Boges to pull off a plan to extract vital information out of her. Together, they plant a listening bug in Oriana's house by firing it through her window with an air rifle, hoping his would-be killer will reveal the location of the precious Jewel and Riddle.

Powerful story of innocent, persecuted children, estranged from society. One special messianic child never gives up hope that they will be rescued. When mass conformity and degeneration replace hope and humanity, what would it take to overcome the absolute power of the oppressor? An allegory for the experiences of the Jewish people in Nazi Germany. Strong language used in context. Usually read by students in years 9, 10 and above.

Matthew sets off alone to find Aboriginal rock paintings that he knows are hidden in Goanna Gorge. When Matthew realises he is lost, the strange, wild country seems to mock him with its secrets until he meets the girl with no name.

Yinti travels from one outback place to another. He is a Desert Cowboy who experiences a series of firsts: learning the kartiya language (English), his first pay, seeing kartiyas (whitefellas), cars, cows and horses and trousers made from flour bags.

Spinifex, a dingo pup, is adopted by a family living in the traditional way, moving from waterhole to waterhole. Based on an incident in his childhood, the pup encountering station life shares the experience of Jimmy Pike's own people.

The haunting story centers on twelve-year-old Jonas, who lives in a seemingly ideal, if colorless, world of conformity and contentment. Not until he is given his life assignment as the Receiver of Memory does he begin to understand the dark, complex secrets behind his fragile community.

A story of the determination of the people of Denmark to protect their Jewish friends from the Nazis in World War II.

Based on the lives of soldiers at Pearl Harbor and civilians in Hiroshima, this verse novel contemplates humanity and war. Lois Lowry draws from her own memories as a child in Hawaii and Japan to look back at history through a personal lens. It contains poems about individual sailors who lost their lives on the USS Arizona and about the citizens of Hiroshima who experienced unfathomable horror.

Returning home from his lavish eighteenth birthday party, Bruce Wayne stops a criminal's getaway - disobeying the police and crashing his car during the chase. Sentenced to community service in Gotham City's Arkham Asylum, he encounters some of the the city's most dangerous and mentally disturbed criminals. Among these, Bruce meets the intriguing Madeleine who has ties to the Nightwalker gang that is terrorizing Gotham City. She's a mystery Bruce has to unravel but can he trust her? The Nightwalkers target the rich, and Bruce's name is next on their list.

Winter Young is a global pop sensation. Everybody wants tickets to see him. That's why a top-secret government organisation thinks he'll make the perfect spy. His target is infamous business tycoon and bad guy Eli Morrison. Because Morrison's daughter has just one birthday wish: a private concert with Winter Young. Winter must use his stardom to crack his target's inner circle and bring Morrison down. With him will be expert spy Sydney - and she is convinced Winter doesn't have what it takes. Usually read by students in years 9, 10, or above.

Witches only exist in stories. Everyone knows that. But when four friends are caught in the woods at dusk, their worst nightmare may just become their reality.

Sam could never have imagined how one good deed would change his world. Finny knows a lot more about changing worlds than she has let on. Together, these two strange friends will find their true calling in a land far from their own, one where danger and magic go hand-in-hand.

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