Booklists

The ancient world of magic is no more. Its heroes are dead, its halls are in ruins and its great battles between Light and Dark are forgotten. Only the Stewards remember. For centuries they have kept vigil, sworn to protect humanity if the Dark King ever returns. Sixteen-year-old dock boy Will is on the run in London, pursued by the men who killed his mother. When an old servant urges him to seek out the Stewards, Will is ushered into a secret world, where he must train to fight for the Light in the oncoming war. Usually read by students in years 9, 10 and above.

The Dark King has risen. Only a handful of heroes remain. The Hall of the Stewards is in ruins. Pursued by dark forces, Will and his allies must travel to the heart of the ancient world, forging new and dangerous ties, and revealing the shocking secrets of the past. But Will is carrying a dark secret of his own - his true identity. As the ancient world threatens to return, can Will and his friends fight their fate? Or will the truths they learn tear their world apart? Usually read by students in years 9, 10, or above.

I didn't ask for any of this. I didn't ask to be some kind of hero. But when your whole life gets swept up by a tornado - taking you with it - you have no choice but to go along, you know? Sure, I've read the books. I've seen the movies. I know the song about the rainbow and the happy little bluebirds. But I never expected Oz to look like this. To be a place where Good Witches can't be trusted, Wicked Witches may just be the good guys, and winged monkeys can be executed for acts of rebellion. There's still a yellow brick road - but even that's crumbling. What happened? Dorothy. They say she found a way to come back to Oz. They say she seized power and the power went to her head. And now no one is safe. My name is Amy Gumm - and I'm the other girl from Kansas. I've been recruited by the Revolutionary Order of the Wicked. I've been trained to fight. 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.

My name is Amy Gumm, and I'm the other girl from Kansas. After a tornado swept through my trailer park, I ended up in Oz. But it wasn't like the Oz I knew from books and movies. Dorothy had returned, but she was now a ruthless dictator. Glinda could no longer be called the Good Witch. And the Wicked Witches who were left? They'd joined forces as the Revolutionary Order of the Wicked, and they wanted to recruit me. My mission? Kill Dorothy. Except my job as assassin didn't work out as planned. Dorothy is still alive. The Order has vanished. And the home I couldn't wait to leave behind might be in danger. Somehow, across a twisted and divided land, I have to find the Order, protect the true ruler of Oz, take Dorothy and her henchmen down, and try to figure out what I'm really doing here. Usually read by students in years 9, 10 and above.

My name is Amy Gumm. Tornadoes must have a thing about girls from Kansas, because-just like Dorothy-I got swept away on one too. I landed in Oz, where Good is Wicked, Wicked is Good, and the Wicked Witches clued me in to my true calling: Assassin. The way to stop Dorothy from destroying Oz-and Kansas-is to kill her. And I'm the only one who can do it. But I failed. Others died for my mistakes. Because of me, the portal between the worlds has been opened. And if I don't find a way to close it Dorothy will make sure I never get to go home again. Now it's up to me to: join the Witches, fight for Oz, save Kansas, and stop Dorothy once and for all. Usually read by students in years 9, 10 and above.

This biography traces five generations of an Australian Italian family. Usually read by students in Years 9, 10 or above.

What is the colour of love or loss? After an unimaginable tragedy turns her life upside-down, Leigh embarks on a quest that is partly physical, partly magical, and entirely transformative. An artist by calling, Leigh's story is illuminated in colours of all shades and meaning. As she journeys into her family's past and discovers a cultural identity she never knew, she finds the answers she was looking for, and even answers she didn't know she needed. This book deals with issues of grief, suicide and healing. Usually read by students in Years 9, 10 or above.

Louise is overshadowed by her talented twin, Caroline, and she has to struggle with her own identity throughout her life. Usually read by students in Years 9, 10 or above.

Charley Goddard goes to fight in the American Civil War. Usually read by students in Years 9, 10 or above.

An historical, political thriller set in Melbourne during the Depression in the 1930s. Usually read by students in Years 9, 10 or above.

Set in the seventies, Jan Packard is a Melbourne thirteen year old growing up in changing times. She discovers the sexual revolution, politics, the anti-Vietnam moratorium, the impact of war service, boys and that parents are fallible and human. Usually read by students in Years 9, 10 or above.

The controversial marriage of Otello, black football star, and Desmerelda, socialite and white pop icon, attracts jealousy and betrayal. The poor, street kids like Bush fight just as desperately for their family to survive. Realistic street language and drug references. Usually read by students in Years 9, 10 and above.

El Gato, one of the world's greatest football players, tells the story of his life growing up in the forest in South America and of the ghostly keeper who taught him how to play soccer. Some adult themes. Usually read by students in Years 9, 10 or above.

As the city of San Juan pulses to summer's sluggish beat, its teenage football prodigy El Brujito, the Little Magician, vanishes without trace. Paul Faustino, South America's top sports journalist, is reluctantly drawn into the mystery. As a story of corruption and murder unfolds, he is forced to confront a bitter history of slavery, and the power of the occult. Includes some adult themes. Usually read by students in Years 9, 10 or above.

Based on the adventures of the Bronte sisters, Charlotte and Emily, and their brother, Branwell. Cooped up inside the bleak parsonage in winter, they write adventures for the heroes of their secret worlds. One day, Emily escapes to the moor and finds a mysterious outcast, Heslington, whose story of lost love intrigues her. She resolves to help him. Usually read by students in years 9, 10 and above.

In Cairo, fifteen year old Aaron makes a living gathering garbage. But, Aaron has dreams of a better life, which includes Rachel who looks after the ponies that pull the stinking garbage carts. Aaron's skill at sorting glass is the only thing that keeps him alive. His mother is dead and his stepfather and stepbrother bully him. Aaron makes a choice that changes his life. Usually read by students in Years 9,10 or above.

Fifteen year old Khalid isn't too excited about visiting his family in Pakistan but his Mum and Dad want him to go with them. For Khalid, a living nightmare begins. He is kidnapped and forced to go to a place no teenager should ever see, a place where torture and terror are considered normal. Usually read by students in Years 9, 10 or above.

From the lessons of a high-performance athlete's career to appreciating the small things in life - this inspiring illustrated book, for fans of Ellyse Perry, features stories and reflections from her childhood and career on the themes of dreaming, belief, work, resilience, acceptance, opportunity, balance and perseverance - and their importance in everything we do.Usually read by students in years 9, 10 and above.

An anthology that identifies the many issues of older adolescents' angst. Usually read by students in Years 9, 10 or above.

Two very different girls, the punk and the goody-goody, are forced together in a peer-counselling situation at their school. Surprisingly, they find they have some things in common. Usually read by students in Years 9, 10 or above.

Daja, a smith-mage, and her teacher spend the winter in Kugisko. A series of fires suggest the work of an arsonist and Daja is impressed by the heroic efforts of the firefighter, Bennet; but Daja's world is about to be turned upside-down. Usually read by students in Years 9, 10 or above.

Because of her wild magic, which gives her a strong affinity with animals and the ability to heal them, Daine is part of a delegation sent to work out a peace treaty with a barbarous emperor whose beloved captive birds are deathly ill. Usually read by students in Years 9, 10 or above.

Fourteen year old Sandry, a weaving mage, discovers that a young boy has magical powers and begins training him. Together they fight the terror of assassins using 'unmagic' and are drawn into a world of murder and violence. Usually read by students in Years 9, 10 or above.

Daine and her mentor are about to be killed when Daine's parents, who are gods, sweep the pair up into their domain. They are saved, but both Daine and Numair want to return to mortal regions to help their country fight against the deadly foes. Usually read by students in Years 9, 10 or above.

Kethlun Warder is a journeyman glass-blower mage with rare and uncontrolled lightning magic powers. Several mage combine their powers to try to solve a murder in this mystery fantasy. Usually read by students in Years 9, 10 or above.

Briar, a plant mage, accompanies his teacher to a barren land to help the farmers. While there he discovers the magical potential of a street urchin. Together, they fight rival street gangs and a wicked, noble woman. 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.

Daine loses her entire family to a bandit attack. Her grief sees her rely on her heightened animal instincts and run with a wild wolf pack. On her return to the human world, she begins the long process of harnessing her magic power. Usually read by students in Years 9, 10 or above.

Orphaned Daine, now fourteen, has always been able to mind-speak with animals, but now she is also learning to heal their wounds magically, to enter their minds and see with their eyes, and to change temporarily into animal form. Usually read by students in Years 9, 10 or above.

Emmy Award-winning ABC News chief national correspondent and Nightline co-anchor, Byron Pitts shares the heartbreaking and inspiring stories of six young people who overcame impossible circumstances with extraordinary perseverance. This book is usually read by students in years 9, 10 and above.

A friendship between a young adolescent girl called Possum and Olga, a Dutch World War II refugee, reveals past and present histories, connections and relationships. Grief and loss are sensitively handled and resolved. Usually read by students in years 9, 10 and above.

Life for Kit Lovell has not been easy. She never knew her father, a renowned sea captain who drowned after his ship sank. Kit's grandmother dies and she and her mother are evicted from their home in England. When Kit's mother agrees to marry a man she has never met, they embark on a treacherous and monotonous journey to the far flung colony of South Australia. Usually read by students in Years 9, 10 or above.

Mileva's family tree includes resistance fighters and patriots, and she was raised on the values of brotherhood and unity. Marko was born into a family where love is earned, not given, and was branded early on as a troublemaker and a lost cause. Despite their differences, the two grow to become best friends. Yet as the 1990s approach, Yugoslavia begins to crumble and ethnic tensions arise. No longer inseparable, their different cultural backgrounds force Mileva and Marko apart. Through tragic events Mileva struggles to make sense of her identity as she attempts to salvage all that is left of the life and love she once had. Usually read by students in years 9, 10 and above.

Heartstream: The app that allows you to feel everything. Amy Becker is a star. She's used Heartstream to broadcast every moment of her mother's illness. It's the realest, rawest reality TV imaginable, and it's everywhere. On the day of her mother's funeral, she goes home to find a fan of hers in the kitchen. The woman has rigged the house, and herself with explosives - and she's been waiting to talk to Amy for a very long time. Amy is about to discover just how far true obsession can go. Usually read by students in years 9, 10 and above.

The Kosa empire roils in tension, on the verge of being torn apart by a proletarian revolution between magic-endowed elites and the superstitious lower class, but seventeen-year-old Toma lives blissfully disconnected from the conflict in the empire with her adoptive family of benevolent undead. When she meets Vanya, a charming commoner branded as a witch by his own neighbors, and the dethroned Tsar Mikhail himself, the unlikely trio bonds over trying to restore Mikhail's magic and protect the empire from the revolutionary leader, Koschei, whose forces have stolen the castle. Vanya has his magic, and Mikhail has his title, but if Toma can't dig deep and find her power in time, all of their lives will be at Koschei's mercy. Usually read by students in Years 9, 10 or above.

Raxter's School for Girls was meant to be the perfect place for young woman to receive an outstanding education. But when the Tox hits, leaving most of their teachers dead and their peers' bodies mutated, Raxter's becomes a living nightmare for Hetty, Reese and Byatt. Left to fend for themselves by the authorities, the surviving students of Raxters adhere to the strict quarantine designed to protect them from the wild and mutated beasts that roam the forest. When Byatt goes missing, Hetty is determined to do everything to bring her back - even if it means breaking quarantine and facing the horrors beyond Raxter's fence. Once outside though, she uncovers much more to the Tox and life at Raxter than she ever thought possible. Usually read by students in Years 9, 10, and above

Mau is the sole survivor of a primitive tribe, wiped out by a terrible natural disaster. He is young but brave and visionary, in this upside-down and dangerous world. He gathers around him, and defends, a strange group, including a feisty young girl and a foul-mouthed parrot. Strong language used in context. Usually read by students in Years 9, 10 and above.

According to The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch (the world's only completely accurate book of prophecies, written in 1655, before she exploded), the world will end on a Saturday. Next Saturday, in fact. Just before dinner. So the armies of Good and Evil are amassing, Atlantis is rising, frogs are falling, tempers are flaring. Everything appears to be going according to Divine Plan. Except a somewhat fussy angel and a fast-living demon - both of whom have lived amongst Earth's mortals since The Beginning and have grown rather fond of the lifestyle - are not actually looking forward to the coming Rapture. Usually read by students in years 9, 10 and above.

In the Dominions, the dead linger, violent and unpredictable, unless a bonesmith severs the ghost from its remains. For bonesmith Wren, becoming a a ghost-fighting warrior is a chance to solidify her place in the noble House of Bone and impress her frequently absent father. But when sabotage causes Wren to fail her qualifying trial, she is banished to the Border Wall, the last line of defense against a wasteland called the Breach where the vicious dead roam unchecked. Determined to reclaim her family's respect, Wren gets her chance when a House of Gold prince is kidnapped and taken beyond the Wall. To prove she has what it takes to be a valkyr, Wren vows to cross the Breach and rescue the prince. But to do so, she's forced into an uneasy alliance with one of the kidnappers - a fierce ironsmith called Julian from the exiled House of Iron, the very people who caused the Breach in the first place -and the House of Bone's sworn enemy. Usually read by students in years 9, 10, or above.

Lucas' grandfather has died and his mother decides they should stick with their plan to spend summer in his home, even though he is no longer there to enjoy their visit. A chance encounter with Caitlin from next door, a girl he only vaguely remembers from his childhood summer visits, reveals the stark truth that his grandfather's past is a mystery he may wish he hadn't revealed. And when he and Caitlin are faced with a life or death situation, Lucas finds himself being compared to his grandfather for all the wrong reasons. Usually read by students in Years 9, 10 and above.

An intense, electromagnetic pulse strikes earth, grinding the world to a halt. Holly wakes in the wreckage of a smashed car, next to her unconscious older brother. She sets out on a dangerous and violent quest to bring order to a world gone mad. Usually read by students in Years 9, 10 or above.

A simply written, moving account of Australian and New Zealand soldiers' dramatic experiences at Gallipoli, which includes extracts from their letters and diaries, along with graphic photographs. Usually read by students in years 9, 10 and above.

Malcolm Polstead's life in the pub beside the Thames is safe and happy enough, if uneventful. But during a winter of unceasing rain the forces of science, religion and politics begin to clash, and as the weather rises to a pitch of ferocity, all of Malcolm's certainties are torn asunder. Finding himself linked to a baby by the name of Lyra, Malcolm is forced to undertake the challenge of his life and to make a dangerous journey that will change his and Lyra forever. Usually read by students in Years 9, 10 or above.