AustLit

'Anyone can write stories. You can too!

'Writing stories is like having an adventure.

'This book will lead you on your own story adventure.

'Imagination is your passport. It can take you anywhere.

'Start with an idea...choose your characters...decide where they live and when their story takes place...think about what could happen to them.

'Follow the simple instructions in this book and write your own story to share.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Jake can't believe his luck when he finds a strange object at the beach. It is shaped like a banana, gleams like a copper coin, crackles and pops and is getting hotter by the minute. The story about a flying saucer crashing in Pelican Bay must be true and this is an alien object. There is only one thing for four cousins to do - take home The Find and study it in secret. Strange things begin to happen to Jake and the cousins have to figure out how to return him to normal before the grownups find out. But just when they think their problems are over, The Find's owner turns up and wants it back. It might have been best to leave the strange object where they found it...

'An alien encounter story for young readers.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'It’s the 1980s but feminism has passed Stella by and her sole focus is being the best wife and mother she can be. Her husband Daniel’s shock announcement that their marriage is over casts her adrift.

'Stella has to rethink everything she believed about herself and their life. The future she imagined of growing old together is not to be and she has no idea what will replace it.

'Meeting a stranger at the seashore where she goes to seek solace takes her in an unexpected direction. Free spirit Chris introduces her to a different perspective on life – and the possibility their friendship can become something deeper.

'As Stella's life opens up, Daniel’s choice doesn’t deliver the freedom he expected.

'Will she find it in her heart to offer compassion and support to the father of her children? She can choose to stay mired in yesterday’s regrets - or do what she can to create a brighter tomorrow for them all.'

'Who do you trust when those you love most let you down? Kate should have hung up the minute the caller said he was her father. She already has a dad, and now it turns out her life with him, Mum and younger brother Ben was a happy family fantasy. Her mum has been keeping secrets. Now the father she never knew she had is coming to Perth. He wants to take Kate back to Brisbane with him because his mother has cancer and wants to get to know her only granddaughter before it's too late. Kate is on an emotional roller coaster. Everything she believed about herself and her life has been based on a lie. Her wonderful dad is not her father. Even her beloved Nana Hannah is not her "real" grandmother. Kate has to find out who she is and where she belongs. Only then can she find out if her friendship with newcomer Joshua Perrin can become something more.' (Publication summary)

'Orphan Dan has never had a place to belong. He bounces from one home to another like a ball no one can catch. He’s okay with that. Families can be too much trouble. His shadow is all the company he needs. Or is it? Perhaps what he really wants is a forever home.'

'A story about hope, love and belonging.'

(Source: bookseller's abstract). 

'A cancelled wedding. A besotted ex-fiance. An undeserved hate campaign. The best thing Christa can do is leave town and try to reclaim her life far from home where no one knows her. Enigmatic taxi driver Reece appoints himself Christa's protector and within days she's left Australia and is planning a new future on the other side of the world in bustling Glasgow. Reece's sudden arrival at the same hotel sets off alarm bells. Has she swapped the unwanted attention of one love-struck man for another? Or was her true destination a forever love? Only Christa's heart knows the answer...'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Trouble comes to Tea Tree Bend...

'In cowboy movies the sheriff forms a posse to round up all
the bad guys. Cam and Ellie from Daisy Cottage and their friends Billy and
Louisa have formed a different posse. Their mission is to find and fix all
the signs in Tea Tree Bend with missing apostrophes. The summer holidays are
almost over so they have just nine days to complete their task.

'How can trying to do the right thing go so wrong?' (Publication summary)

 '"Don't go, Daddy!" It's the plea that tugs at the heart of every loving father whose child no longer shares his everyday life due to a relationship breakdown. For a young child, accepting how things have changed once parents live apart can be difficult. When 'Daddy time' is occasional instead of constant, saying goodbye for now can be the hardest part of spending time together. In this gentle story about the special bond between a little girl and her father, the fun of sharing a day imagining everyday activities into extraordinary adventures turns to sadness when it is time for him to leave. Tears turn to acceptance with the promise that Daddy will soon return - and there is a special way to know when that will be.' (Publication summary)

'There is magic, mystery, adventure and fun in this collection of short stories for young readers.

'Meet a monster with a toothache, a princess who doesn't behave like one and a fairy who can't fly. Find out what happens when Cinderella's slipper is the wrong fit, the answer to a Dads' Day dilemma and how to find a little brother lost in another time. Often funny, sometimes serious, the 15 stories are an entertaining mix of humour and whimsy, fantasy and reality.

'The Fifty Per Cent Princess & Other Goodnight Reads is certain to become a family favourite for bedtime sharing or reading alone.'   (Publication summary)

'This gentle story is a conversation about God between a mother and child. Told from the child's perspective, the series of questions and answers in rhyme introduces young children to the idea of a higher being that can see, hear and speak without eyes, ears or tongue, and does not live in a house with roof, walls and locking doors.

'"For God's house is this world we share and God is in it everywhere."'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'All Dani wants is to see her sister married without losing her own sanity or sinking into despair over her miserable love life. But an encounter with a testosterone tornado as she enters Serendipity Bridal Boutique is not a good omen.

'LUKE McAlister's dad has lost his temper once too often.

'A crazy plan to sell him for $500 works, Dad is taken away in a van and Luke's troubles are over - until Mum finds out. Luke turns super sleuth to try to get Dad back and learns the frightening truth behind the mysterious disappearance of an increasing number of townsfolk and their pets.

'It's up to him to save not just Dad, but his whole family, their friends and a host of other people. He doesn't have the brawn to defeat his deadly opponent...does he have the brains? Their lives depend on it...'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Joshua Jones has no one in the world except for a fruit loop of a gran and they live in a tiny city flat so he can't even have a pet. When a spectacular creature on a seven-day visit from Jupiter offers to be his houseguest during its Earth stay, Josh thinks his luck has changed. His nothing life is about to become awesome. His celestial visitor eats frozen peas and crossword puzzles, answers questions with questions and is invisible to everyone except him. That should have warned Josh to expect the unexpected. But soon Traveller will be gone and Josh's life will be back the way it was ... or will it?'

Source: Publilsher's blurb.

'Join Koala and a delightful menagerie of Australian creatures to celebrate the many ways in which friends brighten up our days. Playing the clown to turns frowns into smiles ... caring and sharing ... sticking around in sunshine and storms. Life wouldn't be the same without friends.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'"Hi Jodie, it’s Mum. I just called to let you know I’m coming to see you. Missing you heaps. Can’t wait to be together again."

'The simple phone message has Jodie spooked. She’d give anything to see her mother again but that’s impossible. Dead people only return for visits from beyond the grave in books and movies. They can’t pick up a phone and call the living to have a chat.

'Someone must be playing a sick joke.

'But when the phone calls stop, the other weird communications start and Jodie has to find out the truth. Are the messages from her mum?

Should she expect a ghostly visitor?' (Publication summary)

'Ben has been called Bumblefoot for as long as he can remember. It’s not a name he plans to keep. His dearest wish is to become one of the brave knight protectors of Castle Crag, which stands high on a cliff in the land of Faraway. When Princess Moonglow is diagnosed with the contagious fox splots as the royal party is about to set out for the Tenth All-Kingdom Games, Ben spots his chance to prove himself. Can he save the kingdom and his best friend, or will it be just another bumblefoot disaster?

'This laugh-out-loud funny novel is filled with hilarious antics and good -natured cheer. Kids will love Ben and his clumsy attempts at saving the kingdom and his best friend.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Elinor Andersen is an ultra conservative bank officer looking for a lifetime commitment. Fisherman Africa Brown is a womaniser keen to add another notch to the bedpost. When Elinor loses her job and agrees to help out at the historic local hotel where he lives in between fishing trips, their common cause to save the building from a developer reveals another side to the obnoxious ruffian. To Elinor's dismay she falls in love with this Mr Very Wrong. Dare she heed her misbehaving heart and take a chance - or listen to her head and settle for the security her ex-fiance is offering?' (Publication Summary)