AustLit

''The best art gives a voice to the voiceless parts of our lives, and Small Things does so with heartfelt precision.' Shaun Tan..

'An ordinary boy in an ordinary world...With no words, only illustrations, Small Things tells the story of a boy who feels alone with his worries, but who learns that help is always close by...A universal story, told simply and with breathtaking beauty, about dealing with sadness, anxiety, depression, heartache or loss, and finding your way in the world.' (Publication summary)

'Mary is a quiet girl. Her family makes so much noise they hardly notice her – or anything else. Until Mary, in her own gentle way, shows them what they’ve been missing.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'An elephant?’ Arthur gasped. ‘In your house? But... is it real?’

'Olive leaned a little closer and lowered her voice. 

'‘Well, that's the thing...’

'Olive’s father has a sadness so big that she imagines it as a large grey elephant following him around. With the help of her cheery grandfather and her best friend, Arthur, Olive sets out to chase away her father’s elephant.

'Beautifully written, this novel from acclaimed author and illustrator Peter Carnavas will stay with you long after you finish.' (Publication summary)

'From the time she was a little girl, Nia has dreamed up adventures about the Javanese mythical princess, Dewi Kadita. Now fourteen, Nia would love nothing more than to continue her education and become a writer. But high school costs money her family doesn’t have; everything her father earns selling banana fritters at the train station goes to their meager existence in the Jakarta slums―assuming he doesn’t drink it all away first.

'But Nia―forced to grow up too soon to take care of her baby brother following their mother’s death during childbirth―is determined to find a way to earn her school fees. After she survives a minibus accident unharmed and the locals say she is blessed with ‘good luck magic,’ Nia exploits the notion for all its worth by charging double for her fried bananas. Selling superstitions can be dangerous, and when the tide turns and she discovers her father’s secret plan to marry her off to a much older admirer, It becomes clear that Nia’s future is being mapped without her consent.

'If Nia is to write a new story for herself, she must overcome more obstacles than she could ever have conceived of for her mythical princess, and summon courage she isn’t sure she has.' (Publication summary)

'The adventures of the Sunfish conclude as twins, Annalie and Will, discover the truth of what was behind their father's disappearance and face even more dangers on land than they did at sea. What awaits them beyond Sundia's Skeleton Coast—the greatest danger they have yet faced, or answers and journey's end at last? The thrilling finale to the Quest of the Sunfish series.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Once more, Annalie, Will, Essie and Pod set out on the Sunfish to look for Spinner - their only clue a coded list Spinner left behind, naming four scientists who were once his colleagues on a top-secret project...When a terrible storm separates the crew and almost wrecks the boat, Will and Essie must use all their courage and ingenuity to try and make their way back to the others. Meanwhile, Pod and Annalie, travelling in the crippled Sunfish, are captured by pirates, who agree to fix the Sunfish - at a price...Not all of Spinner's former colleagues can be trusted. Worse still, their old nemesis Beckett is still on their trail. Can they follow the clues, track down the scientists, and find Spinner before Beckett does?..The second breathtaking adventure in the Quest of the Sunfish series...' (Publication summary)

'When Will and Annalie's father disappears, they set out on a perilous sea voyage to find him. The motley crew of runaways put their faith in each other, and in a small sailing boat called the Sunfish. In a world transformed by a catastrophic Flood, they embark on an adventure that will test their ingenuity - and their friendship - to the limits...The crew face off against storms and pirates, but the biggest threat of all comes from the Admiralty, the all-powerful navy that rules the oceans of the world. The Admiralty are supposed to be the good guys, but the deeper the Sunfish voyages into the Moon Islands, the more they realise that nothing is what it seems.'

'I wonder if the first day of Learning is always like this - do the girls on the hill always feel the ground tremble under their feet?

'Leira is about to start her initiation as a priestess when her world is turned upside down. A violent earthquake leaves her home - and her family - in pieces. And the goddess hasn't finished with the island yet.

'With her family, Leira flees across the sea to Crete, expecting sanctuary. But a volcanic eruption throws the entire world into darkness. After the resulting tsunami, society descends into chaos; the status and privilege of being noble-born reduced to nothing. With her injured mother and elderly nurse, Leira has only the strength and resourcefulness within herself to find safety.

'A thrilling Bronze Age survival story from the acclaimed author of Dragonfly Song.' (Source: Publisher's blurb)

'Abandoned by the priestess of the island at birth, Aissa is an outcast, surviving by her wits - until she joins the acrobatic bull dancers who are sent away to compete on the island of the Bull King. A gripping and powerful adventure by acclaimed author Wendy Orr.

'There are two ways of looking at Aissa's story. She's the miracle girl who escaped the raiders. Or she's the cursed child who called the Bull King's ship to the island.

'The firstborn daughter of a priestess is cast out as a baby, and after raiders kill her adopted family, she is abandoned at the gates of the Great Hall, anonymous and mute. Called No-Name, the cursed child, she is raised a slave, and not until she is twelve does she learn her name is Aissa: the dragonfly.

'Now every year the Bull King takes a tribute from the island: two thirteen-year-old children to brave the bloody bull dances in his royal court. None have ever returned - but for Aissa it is the only escape.

'Aissa is resilient, resourceful, and fast - but to survive the bull ring, she will have to learn the mystery of her true nature.

'A riveting, mythic Bronze Age adventure from award-winning author Wendy Orr.' (Publication summary)

'"Hummingbirds and angels don't need two good feet. They have wings."

'That's what Alba's mother always says. Of course, Alba doesn't have wings or two good feet: she has Cleo. Cleo is the name Alba has given to her left foot, which was born twisted in the wrong direction. When she points this out, though, her mother just smiles like the world has some surprise in store she doesn't know about yet.

'Well, Alba has her own surprise planned. After many surgeries and one final cast, Cleo is almost ready to meet the world straight on—just in time to run in the sixth grade cross-country race.

'Unfortunately, Alba's best friend Levi thinks there's no way she can pull it off. And she thinks there's no way he's right about the school librarian hiding a wormhole in her office. Tempers flare. Sharp words fly faster than hummingbirds. And soon it looks like both friends will be stuck proving their theories on their own.' (Publication summary)