AustLit

'The story of the biggest air raid in Australia’s history – the bombing of Darwin February, 1942.

'All young Australians should know the story of how our own nation was at war in World War II. Dr Tom Lewis OAM brings to life the history of the hundreds of air attacks Australians endured at the hands of the Japanese forces. Following on from his success with previous forensic accounts for adults, Australia Remembers 4: The Bombing of Darwin 1942 brings young readers all the essential facts.

'Read how Zero fighters battled American Kittyhawks; Betty bombers rained destruction from the skies, and Allied defenders battled bravely to defend Australia.'

Source : publisher's blurb

'A remarkable and powerful story of indomitable human spirit, passion and courage. 

'In 1941 when Keith Watson, a teenage postal clerk from country Queensland, enlisted in the RAAF, he had absolutely no idea what he was getting himself into. The following four years were an adrenaline-filled ride of love, loss, mateship, ambition, courage and sacrifice, all recorded in an intimate 800-page diary.

'This is an account of how war tests character and puts the young on an accelerated path to maturity. From childhood and his first inspirational flight to his emergence as an elite Path Finder Force pilot, Keith’s story is compelling and tragic, yet uplifting. He confronts constant death and injury, challenges authority, learns to skipper a crew and finds his trademark humility running headlong into ego and ambition.

'Keith’s graphic accounts of Pathfinder missions bring a deepening sense of the relentless physical and psychological toll on the crews of Bomber Command. Counterbalancing these experiences are Keith’s relationships with wartime mates, the woman who loved him, and the UK families who sacrificed much on his behalf.

'Based on material never before released, Thinks He’s A Bird is a stunning account of service, sacrifice and two enduring and competing passions – flying and Norah, the love of Keith’s life.'

Source : publisher's blurb

'It’s July 1943 and the world has been at war for almost four long years. One morning, young widow Emmy Penry-Jones discovers two men washed up on the beach below her house on the west coast of Cornwall. Emmy is used to rescuing washed-up sailors, the deadly Battle of the Atlantic exacting a heavy toll on shipping. But these men are not like the shipwrecked sailors she has rescued before and Emmy is soon drawn into a web of intrigue that will test both her ingenuity and her patriotism. Rocked by accusations of war crimes against a man she knows to be innocent, Emmy launches a bid to defend him, all too aware that the accusers could turn on her. The trial marks a turning point and Emmy is drawn further into a deadly cycle of post-war retribution from which only one man can save her.'

Source : publisher's blurb

'Scarlett Von Scruff is a little girl who loves to collect weird stuff. Now she's discovered something fluffy, soft and a little bit smelly in Dad's belly button and she wants to find more. No belly is safe as Scarlett goes on a fun-filled, fluff-gathering adventure. So, kick off your shoes and lay on the couch, let’s have a look in your tummy pouch.'

Source : publisher's blurb

'The inspirational true story of an Allied POW appointed Kapellmeister to the Nazis in Auschwitz.

'When called up to fight in yet another World War, Drum Major Jackson promised his beloved wife Mabel that he would return to lead his band and play for her once more.
In May 1940, he was captured at Dunkirk and interned in several German forced labour camps throughout Poland. Two years later he was transferred to Auschwitz IV, part of the notorious concentration camp complex where it is not widely known held Allied POWs.

'When his captors appointed Jackson their ‘Kapellmeister’ (man in charge of music), he seized the opportunity to provide entertainment for his fellow prisoners at rehearsals, and cover for escapees during concerts. Finally liberated in May 1945, malnourished and gravely ill, Jackson carried his secret war diary—an incredible exposé on five years of life and death in Nazi concentration camps.

'The Music Maker of Auschwitz IV, based on Jackson’s diary, is written by his granddaughter. It is a thrilling testament to the resilience one man found in the darkest of times through his two greatest loves—music and the woman who waited for him.'

Source : publisher's blurb

'What would it be like to be trapped deep underground for six long years with no hope of rescue or escape? This is a profound question explored deeply in Entombed. And the key point here is that Entombed is inspired by an astonishing true story and real events.

'Six German soldiers led by Captain Hans von Roth are accidentally buried alive in a vast subterranean stores bunker at the port of Gdynia, Poland, in 1945. At first they believe they will soon be rescued, but as the weeks drag into years it becomes appallingly clear that the men will almost certainly face a terrifying death in the grim darkness that surrounds them.

'Meanwhile, in Berlin, Hans von Roth’s wife, Erika, is desperately attempting to survive the fall of the city and the Russian hordes destined shortly to occupy it. Facing starvation, massive aerial bombing, Soviet shelling and a host of other dangers, she is also attempting to discover what has become of her lost husband.

'In Entombed, the author has woven a tale of great love and a desperate struggle for survival like no other. The story literally pushes all the frontiers of human frailty and courage to their very edges.

'Inspired by a true story and actual events, Entombed is one of the most astonishing untold stories to emerge from the era of the Second World War.'

Source : publisher's blurb

'Kevin ‘Dasher’ Wheatley VC is one of the most extraordinary characters in Australian history. Dasher was a husband, father, champion footballer and one of the finest soldiers this country has ever produced. The story of his sacrifice is used by the ADF as a perfect example of valour and mateship to this day. Although he is one of the most famous Victoria Cross recipients of all time, his story has never been fully told. Until now.

'Dasher: The Kevin Wheatley VC Story was written with firsthand accounts from Dasher’s family and the men who served and fought alongside him. It tells not only the story of an unlikely lad from the mean streets of Sydney, but that of a soldier whose death devastated the ranks of three armies and changed the way Australia dealt with the overseas loss of service people forever.

'Everyone who met the man has a Dasher Wheatley story of larrikin behaviour, outstanding soldiering, stunning valour, or all three.'

Source : publisher's blurb

'HOW FAR WOULD YOU GO TO PROTECT YOUR COUNTRY?

'John Devereaux, an SAS Warrant Officer, is seconded to the Australian Secret Intelligence Service and handed a mission that will test him to his very core – both professionally and personally.

'The operationally deniable mission: infiltrate into Cambodia via parachute in the dead of night and assassinate two high-value targets, alone, and with two dozen enemy soldiers in his way.

'From the relentless jungles of Cambodia to the chaotic civilian-filled streets of Sydney and Bangkok, to the secretive dens of Moscow and the extravagant French Riviera, explosive SAS and ASIS action uncovers a shadowy and powerful organisation that brings us face to face with the Russian Mafia, and an assassin getting intimate.

'Unbeknown to Devereaux, the Director-General of the Secret Intelligence Service, Magnus Webb, is testing him for a far more important role – to head an off-the-books clandestine cell buried deep inside this secret organisation and known only as MANTRA-6.

'Devereaux’s mission has only just begun …'

Source : publisher's blurb

'Just when you thought the contents of your stomach were safe … out comes Book 4 in the Yucky Disgustingly Gross Icky Short Stories series – Brain Blast. In this hilarious series of short stories, Sam and Jared finally attempt to use their brains ... just not in the way they should!   They take on the big questions like:  Can you pick your nose with your toes? Why shouldn't you try and spin 360 times on a chair in under two minutes? Why is toe-jam named after a sugary spread? Get ready kids, this hilarious book is full of the most yucky, gross and totally, disgusting twisted tales ever!  You'll be left gagging and laughing for more.' (Publication summary)

'1938, as the world spirals towards war, Klara Koch is employed as Hitler's personal cook. While Germany reveres the image of the Fuhrer, Klara and the household staff are privy to the real Hitler – his secrets, his ailments and his addictions. As Klara observes those circling the Fuhrer, she realises that not all of them are his admirers. Hitler is right to be paranoid.

'This thoroughly researched and compelling story takes readers right up close and personal with Hitler as he spirals increasingly out of control in pursuit of his drug-fueled quest for world domination. This novel – the second volume in Steve Matthews’ gripping Nazi trilogy – takes you on a journey through World War II in Nazi Germany as seen through Klara’s eyes. It is a uniquely clever re-imagining of Hitler, his inner circle, and the absurdities and contradictions of his daily life.' (Publication summary)

'Four people, figuring out sex, love, and how to ‘adult.’ Sydney – one of those places that just consumes you. A private school boy, a tortured drug dealer, a starving artist and a gay outcast, try to do their best as they navigate through the unspoken rules which govern the fast paced, status obsessed harbour city.

'Benji: desperate to stand on his own, and be perceived as separate to his overachieving family.

'Francesca: plotting her remarkable and glamorous future.

'Leo: the confident gay-sian, but despite the pretence, lacks a sense of identity and self-worth.

'Hamish: fell into drugs to distinguish himself.

'Four stories interlaced together. Anxiety masked as confidence. Ambitions as arrogance. Insecurities which fester … until the cracks appear in the perfect façade.'

Source : publisher's blurb

(Publication summary)

'This is the true story of a young Australian soldier whose life of opportunity was challenged by trauma and salvaged by strength. 

'Nelson Ferguson, from Ballarat, was a stretcher-bearer on the Western Front in France in World War I. He survived the dangers of stretcher-bearing in some of Australia’s most horrific battles: the Somme, Bullecourt, Ypres and Villers-Bretonneux. In April 1918, at Villers-Bretonneux, he was severely gassed. His eyes were traumatised, his lungs damaged. Upon his return home, he met and married Madeline, the love of his life, started a family, and resumed his career teaching art. But eventually the effects of the mustard gas claimed his eyesight, ending his career. Courageously enduring this consequence of war, he continued contributing to society by assisting his son and son-in-law in their stained-glass window business. Advances in medicine finally restored his sight in 1968, allowing him to yet again appreciate the beauty around him, before his death in 1976.

'The story of this Anzac will stir your soul. It is a story of war and bravery, pain and strength, hope and miracles.' (Publication summary)