AustLit

'Poet Omar Sakr’s debut novel is a fierce and fantastic force that illuminates the bonds that bind families together as well as what can break them.

'An estranged father. An abused and abusive mother. An army of relatives. A tapestry of violence, woven across generations and geographies, from Turkey to Lebanon to Western Sydney. This is the legacy left to Jamal Smith, a young queer Muslim trying to escape a past in which memory and rumour trace ugly shapes in the dark. When every thread in life constricts instead of connects, how do you find a way to breathe? Torn between faith and fear, gossip and gospel, family and friendship, Jamal must find and test the limits of love.

'In this extraordinary work, Omar Sakr deftly weaves a multifaceted tale brimming with angels and djinn, racist kangaroos and adoring bats, examining with a poet’s eye the destructive impetus of repressed desire and the complexities that make us human.' (Publication summary)

'At times in this big universe
you can feel rather small.
But there are worlds of every size to see,
worlds for each and all.

'Step into the forest and explore the many worlds that exist beneath the treetops, from birds that make their nests up high to neighbourhoods of bugs who are working hard underground. Wander through the big worlds and tiny worlds of the forest, get lost in the quiet magic of the towering trees, and delight in the busy lives of all who live above, below and within.

'From one of the brightest Australian author-illustrators comes a stunning ode to natural treasures and the interconnectedness of our worlds.' (Publication summary)

'It’s time for The Great Aussie Animal Easter Egg Hunt!

'Willow the Wombat doesn’t want to come last again, but this year she learns that winning is a treat best shared.

'With fun rhyme, adorable illustrations and a message that is sweeter than chocolate, this is the perfect book for little ones at Easter.' 

'While many Australian teenagers have dreamed of joining a travelling circus, Norma Brophy wanted to run away from it. As a born and bred ‘show person’, she adored her early years on the road, running wild in town after town with her fellow little ‘showies’. But growing up backstage of a famed travelling show wasn’t all fun and games. At 15, Norma fled the circus and her father’s violent ways, only to be drawn back by another formidable force – love.

'In this vibrant, uproarious and poignant memoir, multi-talented showbiz matriarch Norma Brophy comes out of retirement to reveal a world of interest to many but understood by few. From a time before cars to the hardscrabble Depression years, in and out of war time and across the golden era of Hollywood-tinged showmanship, right up to today, Norma paints a vivid picture of Australian show culture. With authority and candour, Norma plays ringmaster to a cavalcade of characters and places that have helped form not only the story of her own record-breaking, death-defying family, but also that of countless other travelling show people, circus and rodeo folk whose exploits and ingenuity will leave you agog.' (Publication summary)

'Hard Knocks is a collection of interviews by Fiona Scott-Norman with famous and successful Australians who had a tough time at school – either being bullied, not fitting in, or facing other adversities.

'The concept for the book is simple: many of the most popular Australians today were outsiders when they were at school. Not only did they ‘get through’ those difficult times, their school experiences helped shape them into the strong, resilient individuals they are today. The book is truly inspiring, sending the message that school is only a small part of your life and a bright future is still possible, no matter what the circumstances you have to deal with when young. As such, it will provide comfort and perspective to the one-in-four students in Australia affected by bullying, as well as their parents.

'Featuring contributions from: Missy Higgins (musician), Tiffiny Hall (TV), Eddie Perfect (actor), Megan Washington (musician), Brendan Cowell (actor), Mo’Ju (musician), Adam Goodes (AFL), Charlie Pickering (TV), Kate Miller-Heidke (musician), Penny Wong (politician), Benjamin Law (writer), Judith Lucy (comedian), Paul Capsis (musician), Holden Sheppard (writer), Mo’Ju (musician) and Carly Findlay (writer).' (Publication summary)

'Footy legend Kevin Sheedy crosses codes to celebrate the most iconic Australian sportspeople of his time, paying tribute to the 28 men and women whose feats have most inspired him during a life in sport. 

'From Jack Brabham and Evonne Goolagong Cawley to Ash Barty and Cadel Evans, this pantheon of Aussie greats also includes illuminating interviews with John Bertrand, Michelle Payne and Jessica Watson. 

'An old footy rival gets a guernsey too – with Sheedy honouring Denis Pagan, the former player and coach who reinvented himself as a horse trainer and won the Australian Derby at his first attempt.' (Publication summary)

'There’s Dusty the kangaroo who thinks he’s a dog, and Louie the emu who thinks she’s a cow. There’s Bazz the dog who likes beekeeping, and Pebble the joey who loves reality TV.

'From an opera-loving seal to the happiest marsupial of them all, take a look at the weird, wild and adorable world of Australia’s animals, as supplied by animal lovers the length and breadth of Australia.' (Publication summary)

'Tim and Rod grew up a few suburbs from each other in Newcastle, NSW. They were gay but their worlds were not. Before they found each other they were alone and miserable, marooned in a sea of impossible expectations. Rod was shackled by a conservative Christian upbringing, while Tim felt unmanly and inferior beside his macho, sport-obsessed older brothers. After enduring their own private versions of hell, Tim and Rod crossed paths on a dating app. They swiped for Mr Right, and suddenly everything clicked. 

'Since then they have taken on the world, including winning The Amazing Race in 2019 as the first married same-sex couple on an Australian TV series. That brought its own heat, with the charismatic pair still copping homophobic hate for their public displays of affection. But as their book shows, when you’ve been to hell and back, you don’t let anything get in the way of The Greatest Feeling in the World.'

Source : publisher's blurb

'In the summer of 1989, a local teen goes missing from the idyllic Australian suburb of Camp Hill. As rumours of Satanic rituals swirl, schoolteacher Tom Witter becomes convinced he holds the key to the disappearance. When the police won’t listen, he takes matters into his own hands with the help of the missing girl’s father and a local neighbourhood watch group.

'But as dark secrets are revealed and consequences to past actions are faced, Tom learns that the only way out of the darkness is to walk deeper into it. Wild Place peels back the layers of suburbia, exposing what’s hidden underneath – guilt, desperation, violence – and attempts to answer the question: why do good people do bad things?'

Source : publisher's blurb

'Everyone's favourite cockroach is back, and this time he's going to school! From show-and-tell to arts and crafts, this little stowaway can't wait to try it at all ... and maybe even become the teacher's pet!

(Publication summary)

'When single mother Alex flees her abusive relationship and moves with her teenage son and baby girl to a rural ecovillage, she thinks she’s made the best decision of her life. Pine Ridge is idyllic: the off-grid lifestyle and remote location are perfect, and the community is welcoming – mostly. Charmed by its magnetic founder, Kit, and the natural beauty of the former farmland, Alex settles easily into her new home.

'But her arrival at Pine Ridge disturbs barely submerged secrets, and she’s shaken by a series of eerily familiar events that seem to be connected to the abandoned farmhouse on the hill. Alex realises that, in escaping her own shadowy past, she may have stumbled into someone else’s. And this time, there may be nowhere to run.' (Publication summary)

'Paul Kennedy's Funkytown is the vivid true story of a year in the life of a teenager leaping into manhood.

'It is 1993: a serial killer is loose on the streets of Frankston, Victoria. The community is paralysed by fear and a state's police force and national media come to find a killer. Meanwhile, seventeen-year-old Paul Kennedy is searching for something else entirely. He is focused on finishing school, getting drafted into the AFL and falling in love. So much can change in a year.

'The rites of passage for many Australian teenage boys - blackout drinking, simmering violence and emotional suppression - take their toll, and the year that starts with so much promise ends with Kennedy expelled, arrested and undrafted. But one teacher sees Kennedy self-destructing, and becomes determined to set him on another path.

'Told with poignancy, humour and evoking the brilliant, dusty haze of late Australian summer, Funkytown is a love letter to adolescence, football, family, and outer suburbia.' (Publication summary)

'Ferdinand fell out of the sky on the hottest day of the year, while Celeste and Esmerelda Barden were on the front porch eating ice-cream.

'Celeste is having the worst summer ever. Her parents are off on an adventure and she's stuck at Gran's house with her annoying little sister, Esme, and strict instructions to be responsible. Or, as Esme says, boring. So when their eccentric cousin Ferd crash-lands a flying bus in the yard, what choice does Celeste have but to follow Ferd back home to Seven Wherewithal Way?

'Wherewithal - Ferd's house, and the gateway to the many Realms unreachable from Earth - is bursting with magic and mystery and otherworldly creatures. It's Celeste's favourite place in any world. But when something tries to break in through the portal in the pantry - the door to the mystical Realm of Forests - Celeste learns that both Wherewithal and her beloved cousin are under threat. If Celeste wants to save her cousin, their home, its inhabitants and possibly even all the Realms, she is going to have to find her adventurous side. Fast.

'Full of heart-in-your-mouth action, unforgettable characters and folklore-inspired magic that feels both fresh and familiar, Seven Wherewithal Way is the unputdownable first book in an epic portal fantasy series.' (Publication summary)

'Are you in a hurry to wonder and worry

'That new things you try won t go right?

'When they simply don t work, don t go all berserk!

'Mistakes can grow wings and take flight.

'Where would we be without big blunders? From Play Doh to penicillin, the Slinky to the Granny Smith apple, some of the best inventions started out as gigantic slip-ups.

'From exciting new talent Maddy Mara comes a blooper reel with amazing consequences and a reminder to all kids scared of trying something new: even the greatest mistakes can go right.' (Publication summary)

'Marcus absolutely positively LOVES footy. But there's something he loves even more than footy ... his Nanna Nancy!

'Nanna is always there for Marcus. So when Marcus accidentally kicks his football into Nanna Nancy's favourite garden gnome, he panics! Owning up to his mistake might land him in trouble. But lying to his Nanna doesn't feel so good, either ...

'From Western Bulldogs' captain and three-time team Best & Fairest winner Marcus Bontempelli comes a heartwarming story about honesty, family .... and of course, a little bit of footy.' (Publication summary)

'In a world that teaches girls to become Yes Women, learning to say ‘no’ is a radical feat.

'For most of her life, Australian journalist Grace Jennings-Edquist had been keen to please. From school to career, in her appearance, friendships, and even everyday interactions, she was always anxious not to disappoint. Becoming a mother finally tipped her over the edge, and she wound up in a mental health unit. Her attempts to be everything to everyone – and to do it all perfectly – had taken their toll.

'Grace could no longer avoid the truth: she was chronically addicted to saying yes. And she was not alone.

'Grace discovered that, in a phenomenon that crosses class, culture and sexuality, Yes Women are everywhere, and there’s a bit of Yes Woman in just about everyone. Interviewing scores of people in Australia and overseas, both ordinary women and experts, Grace gained a deeper understanding of the patriarchal origins of the Yes Woman, and developed a plan to seize control of her own life.

'The Yes Woman is a practical guide to recognising your own Yes Woman tendencies, measuring their cost on your health, and resisting that need to please. It won’t be easy, but it’ll be worth it.' (Publication summary)

'Echidna puggles drumming,

'Cockatoo chicks eating cake,

'Green tree froglets tap dancing...

'What else might you see on a trip to the billabong? From the fabulous picture-book partnership behind By the Billabong comes this energetic and playful journey through the day in the Australian landscape. But wait - what happens when it gets dark?!' (Publication summary)

'When Lucy has a hard time making friends, she's joined by someone new: Sad.

'But Sad isn't the company Lucy had hoped for. It feels like Sad will never leave, even when Lucy tries hiding, distraction and fast-running! But with the help of some flowers, cookies, a bedtime story and a big hug, Lucy can say goodbye for now to Sad and hello to someone new...' (Publication summary)

'When Max has a hard time starting his maths work, he's joined by someone new: Worry.

'But Worry doesn't give Max the help he needs. It feels like Worry will never leave, even when Max does what Worry tells him to! But with the help of some deep breaths and a vow to just try his best, Max can say goodbye for now to Worry, and hello to someone new...' (Publication summary)