Cirrus@Austlit

'Embark on a poetic adventure through the diverse landscapes of Australia with this captivating collection of Australian Poems. From heartfelt ballads to whimsical haikus, this book offers a delightful variety of poetic forms, perfects for students grades 3- 6.'  (Publication summary)

'Sass and Traz find themselves stuck in a library with a muddle headed knight, a fire breathing dragon and a magical box full of cards. They thought that puzzling pirates, speaking with a genius and rescuing a damsel in distress was difficult, but this time the future of the whole world is at stake. This time, they need to help Ms Burns understand the magic of the library and uncover her real destiny.' (Publication summary)

'A boy washes up on a beach alone.

'He doesn't know where he is or how to speak this new language.

'But with kindness, the boy learns to heal from the past ,discovering love, family and new beginnings is always possible.

'The Boy From The Sea celebrates and empowers children to understand the magic of connection and acceptance of difference.' (Publication summary) 

'Frankie loved his fantabulous football.

'It gave him confidence.

'But what happens when his fantabulous football is taken away?

'Come on Frankie's magical journey of self-belief. ' (Publication summary)

'Sassafraz and Alcatraz are twins who couldn't be more different, except the fact that they love their local librarian, Ms Burns. When she goes missing, they must do everything in their power to save her, even travelling back in time.' (Publication summary)

'8 empowered women

'8 inspirational stories from around the globe from women who are creating change and doing it their way.

'As women we are rewriting the rules and challenging the status quo - breaking down barriers.

'Each woman presented throughout this book has done just that. They have risen, they have created their own lives, broken glass ceilings, and have built their own stages in life to perform on.

'Each woman has shown up for themselves, for each other - in support, in connection, in community and in celebration of who they are.

'This book is for every woman who has a vision and who is willing to give herself permission to shine, who understands she has more, can be more and IS more, totally unapologetically.' (Publication summary)

'Mouse loves to dance.

'She tries her best but flops instead of flips and trips instead of twirls.

'With a little help from music box ballerina, Mouse learns that dancing is about more than moving...

'It comes from the heart.' (Publication summary)

'Ah, Prague - The City of a Hundred Spires. The home of the medieval Astronomical Clock, Charles Bridge and colourful baroque buildings ... and, fascinating doors. So, who goes to Prague to hide away?

'Gillian travels to the Czech Republic intent on surviving her grief in her own way. She ignores the beauty and history of Prague, wallowing in sadness. On her daily wanderings, she photographs dozens of doors: elaborate doors, ugly doors, old doors, broken doors ...

'People come from behind some of these doors and, over time, befriend her.

'The adage of - One door closing, another opening - becomes significant to Gillian as her new friends ease her into finding a way forward.

'The sadness is balanced with love in many forms, a little humour and a touch of romance.

'Most of all, Doors of Prague is about hope and healing.' (Publication summary)

'Sassafras and Alcatraz are twins who couldn't be more different, except for the fact that they love their local library and their mother is best friends with the librarian. They sit in the library while their mother coaches their older brothers football team. The librarian, Ms Burns, tells them the Mayor is going to demolish the library to make way for a car park and there is nothing she can do about it. When Sass goes down to the basement for the packing boxes, she puts her hands on the old library files that hold the Dewey Decimal Cards and something magical happens. She calls the characters of the books to life. The library is helping them to find a way to fight. Can they find the right combination of characters, including the knights, pirates and scientists, to stop the council and save the library?' (Publication summary)

'War ends, yet its dark shadow remains, a family is forced to flee their home. As they journey through hunger, long cold nights and homelessness, a heart locket whispers words of hope. And a country that's faraway calls for those that are no longer wanted. It offers new beginnings and a precious place, once more to call home.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Baby bird is coming. Mouse wants to help. Can she get used to the responsibility of babysitting before Mama Bird comes back?

'A story of kindness and friendship and learning responsibility for small children.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Could the drive to solve a century old mystery lead to an untimely death?

'Little Creek Librarian, LILY KEEGAN discovers a dragon-shaped, jewelled pendant with a ruby centre hidden in a 12th century book. Against Head librarian, Carmen's advice, she wears the pendant which could prove to be the biggest mistake of her life when it sets in motion a string of life-threatening near misses. Fireman and Thor look alike, BRAYDEN FLETCHER makes split-second decisions every day of his life. Struggling to recover from a traumatic event; a death in a house fire he couldn't prevent, Brayden seeks solace with his mother's dear friend, Carmen on the other side of the country. As far away from his mistakes as possible.

'Believing the pendant is the century old Cursed Dragon, Lily's every effort to avoid disaster is failing. When her best friend is kidnapped and held at ransom for the ruby, Brayden is the only one she can trust. Using Lily's historical knowledge to their advantage, Lily and Brayden must race against time to expose the truth and prevent a tragedy.' (Publication summary)

'Constance has been entrusted with the family's most precious stone.

'She carried it everywhere. Until, one day, she couldnt find it.

'Was the precious family stone lost forever? Will Constance find it?

'Come on an adventure with Constance and her friends as they search for this precious heirloom.' (Publication summary)

'Neala Moran knew that moving to Ireland would change her life...but she never imagined this.

'From the moment she arrives, strange things start to happen - things she cannot explain.

'Why did her unusual birthmark - the pale one in the shape of a leaf - start hurting the moment she touched that tree? How is a gigantic horse with glowing yellow eyes materialising from the ocean? And who is the mysterious visitor who speaks to her in her dreams calling her 'Neala Stormbringer?'

'Neala also discovers a long held family secret - she is a Bard. Part-human, part-Faerie - ancient magic flows in her blood and she now must learn to control her elemental powers to discover the meaning behind her affinity with thunderstorms.

'Because danger is coming...a threat that no one is prepared for. The Otherworld - home of the Fae and other magical creatures - has been sealed off for centuries by a magical barrier known as 'The Gate.' But it will not hold forever...

'The Guardians are being summoned.

'Their purpose is to protect.

'Will Neala risk everything to save the ones she loves? Or will she turn her back on her destiny?'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Sometimes a perfect life is not enough.

'Belinda has what many women would envy: a stable relationship, grown up children who no longer need her the way they did, financial security and a stunning home. What more can she ask of life? She should be satisfied. But as one routine day follows another, Belinda knows she wants to do more than dust shelves and rearrange flowers. A solo getaway while her husband is on one of his regular business trips should be just the thing to sort out what she does want.

'Instead, it offers an unexpected opportunity to help out by looking after a shop in a small country town for a week. Belinda’s stay at Trinkets & Treasures turns out to be more than a diversion. She returns home with renewed confidence and the realisation that change is a choice.

'Whatever direction she chooses to take, is up to her...'

(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.'

'Velvet, Valentine, and Vanilla Bean, heard a rustling of leaves and the scraping of branches. Huddling together in their treehouse sleep-out and listening hard, Velvet whisper-shouts - 'Fox claws.'

'What can the bunnies do to protect themselves? How can they work together to scare fox away?

'With wonderfully bright illustrations by Naomi Greaves, Go Away, Foxy Foxy is a beautifully told tale of how, when confronted with a situation, working together can solve a problem.'

(Source: publisher's blurb)

'More than a fleeting moment is shared when we pass by a stranger. They are living a life as vivid and complex as our own yet in that snapshot of shared outer reality it is so easy to form an opinion. Would you be kinder if you knew what lies beneath is shared by us all? Would you feel less alone?

'Pieces of Humanity is a collection of multi-genre works that capture poignant human moments like a series of snapshots taken through a multitude of lenses in changing light.

'Stripped back, raw, thought provoking pieces, take the reader on a journey to explore dark, gritty and closely guarded topics such as life, death, loneliness, trauma, addiction, renewal and the polarisation between our internal and external selves to discover three things:

'1. hope

'2. the living of life requires great compassion and acceptance, and

'3. we all have a singular internal reality - but we are not alone.'

(Source: publisher's blurb)