AustLit

'A beautiful, illustrated adventure story with a classic feel, about a quiet boy and a talking crow on an extraordinary hot-air balloon ride to the Arctic.

'Matthew stood on the snowy peak and stared out at the world spread before him. Every picture in his books had been limited by the size of the page, contained within frames. Here, there was no frame. Here, the picture didn't end. Beyond those icy plains, the sea, and beyond the sea, a land that floated on the ice, drifting northwards. Matthew put the binoculars to his eyes and saw valleys and cliffs and rivers all made of snow. Everywhere was white.

'Matthew has dreamed and read and thought about the North Pole for as long as he can remember. And he has done it secretly. It is a place that cannot be tarnished by the world in which he lives - a world in which he struggles to find answers and make friends, while everything seems to come easily to other children.

'But one day, a crow called Lewis Carmichael lands at Matthew's window - a crow who believes in Matthew in the most simple and ordinary ways. Soon, the unexpected voyage of a lifetime begins, and it will change everything…

'An unforgettable adventure story from award-winning children's book author Sofie Laguna, with enchanting illustrations by Marc McBride.' (Publication summary)

'Lone Annie sees dragons in your future. She sees giants. She sees fire and water. She sees death. Finn's life in the village of Wichant is hard. Only his drawings of the wild coastline, with its dragon-shaped clouds and headlands that look like giants, make him happy. Then the strange housekeeper from a mysterious clifftop mansion sees his talent and buys him for a handful of gold and then reveals to him seven extraordinary paintings. Finn thinks the paintings must be pure fantasy — such amazing scenes and creatures can't be real! He's wrong. Soon he is going to slip through the veil between worlds and plunge into the wonders and perils of The Glimme.' (Publication summary)

'Across the Creek is a fantasy for 9-12 year olds set in the old Kapunda mine. Based on Cornish folklore.'

'Children in Aidan's town have mysteriously disappeared for years. When his friend Jenice disappears, Aidan goes in search of her. He crosses a forbidden creek, and with the help of a piskey named Raff, ventures into an abandoned mine. Here he discovers a strange world populated by mythical creatures who came to Australia with the first Cornish miners over 160 years earlier. Has he uncovered the secret of the missing children? And can he and Jenice escape the horrible spriggans and their fearsome dragaroo, or will they be trapped in the mines forever?' (Publication Summary)

'Trust Me Too comprises work from over 50 of Australia's leading children's authors and illustrators. Separated into genres such as crime, adventure, romance, science fiction and fantasy, it truly covers all aspects of the classical anthology. It contains fiction, illustrations, poetry and graphics.

Contributors include a prequel to Obernewtyn by Isobelle Carmody, stories from many other writers including Jack Heath, Oliver Phommavanh, James Roy, Gary Crew, Margaret Clark, Phil Kettle, Michael Gerard Bauer, poems from writers such as Lorraine Marwood, Sofie Laguna and Michael Wagner, and illustrations from artists such as Shaun Tan, Leigh Hobbs, Mark Wilson and Marc McBride.' Source: Ford Street Publishing.

'Fantasy novel for older children in the Takeaways series. When Cassandra receives an ugly necklace for her birthday from her long-lost mother, she is reluctant to try it on, but when she does she finds herself in a startling new world. She is transported to Morphea, a place where the myths and legends of our world are true, and she must decide between the mysterious pull of her mother, and rescuing her father. ' (Publication summary)

'Two children encounter a shadowy beast that lives in the depths of the sea. Christopher is blind, though through no physiological reason, and Antonia is a cynic, blind to the possibilities of her brother's information. Christopher defeats the Kraken, the beast of doubt, through his faith and determination that he will see.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.