AustLit's Necessary Conversations are curated lists of picture books, children's fiction, and young-adult novels that are designed to spark important conversations for social learning.
Issues such as homelessness, domestic violence, anxiety and depression; environmental concerns such as climate change, bushfires, and floods; and awareness of the richness and diversity of Australian communities and cultures are all topics covered in this section.
The Necessary Conversations are publicly available lists that we hope will begin these conversations from the earliest age, and help teachers and parents make use of Australian stories to build social confidence and empathy in young readers.
The Necessary Conversations are listed from newest to oldest. Scroll through the list below, or select an option from the left-hand menu.
When somebody is missing.
For most, our childhood is shaped around the relationships we have with our primary caregivers. What happens, though, when these vital figures are absent? Whether due to death, illness, mental health challenges, immigration and refugee experiences, substance abuse, incarceration, family breakdown and separation, or entry into foster care, the absence of a caregiver can profoundly affect a child’s sense of security, and identity. This Necessary Conversations reading guide has been created to offer support, understanding, and hope to children and young adults navigating such experiences. The hope is that this guide will serve as a valuable resource for children and young adults, families, and educators alike, offering not only tools for navigating challenging circumstances, but also a reminder of the power of connection, compassion, and shared stories in making sense of this wide, big world.
In essence, the aim of this Necessary Conversations guide is to show young adults and children that they are not alone. Through carefully chosen Australian stories, young readers can discover characters who share their struggles, helping them make sense of their emotions, and find the words to talk about what they’re going through. For other children and teens, these stories can be windows into the lives of their peers, hopefully nurturing empathy, understanding, and kindness.
This guide is divided into three categories—picture books, children’s fiction, and resources for young adults—ensuring that there is something suitable for readers of all ages and abilities. It showcases Australian literature which reflects the diversity of Australian communities and our individual experiences. Each resource in this guide has been selected for its potential to inspire connection, open dialogue, build resilience, and provide a foundation for young readers to foster their own empathy and social awareness. By engaging with these titles, parents, carers, and educators can help children and young adults to process complex feelings, develop social confidence, and build understanding with those around them.
This Necessary Conversations guide was created by Penelope Panther.
Penelope is a career nanny, the owner of an online pre-loved bookshop for young children and adults called By The Pen, and is in her final year at Charles Sturt University where she is undertaking a Bachelor of Information Studies with a specialisation in Children’s Librarianship.
With supervision from Dr Catriona Mills and Associate Professor Maggie Nolan, Penelope completed her professional placement with AustLit in November 2024, and created this guide to help children and young adults to navigate the experience of missing a primary caregiver.
Penelope recognises that families come in all shapes and sizes, and purposely included books where the primary caregiver was somebody other than a biological Mum or Dad. Penelope is passionate about ensuring that young people feel understood, and often that begins with representation. Additionally, Penelope has done her utmost to include resources by authors and illustrators from communities which have historically been underrepresented in the publishing industry and resources which are available in a range of formats; however, it must be acknowledged that children’s literature both in Australia and abroad still has a long way to go when it comes to diversity and accessibility.
The colours of these tiles are chosen for their association with awareness raising and recovery support: teal is associated with PTSD awareness, green with mental health awareness, and turquoise with addiction recovery.
'Willa had
one dad
one mum
one home
and a bird.
And that was enough.'
So, when Willa's parents split up, she's pretty sad. But at least they are still all hers. Until Dad meets Kevin and Willa's family starts to grow... and keeps on growing. When will enough be enough? Or is there always room for more love? (Publisher's blurb)
Enough Love? explores the impact of family separation and changing family dynamics on a child. It sensitively addresses the fear of losing love and stability, while reassuring younger readers that love can adapt and grow in different family situations.
No teaching resources; however, there is a printable activity pack available.
Hardback available.
Age recommendation: 4-7 years
Bear is all alone and lonely until he finds the greenest, most beguiling leaf. A leaf called Greaf. Bear holds Greaf tight throughout the days and nights that follow. Bear can barely remember a time before Greaf. It is as if things have always been this way. Until one day, they aren’t. Greaf changes with the seasons, and so does Bear. As Greaf leaves him, Bear feels a lightness and warmth that he had almost forgotten. Greaf has gone, but Bear knows its memory will hold a special place in his heart forever. (Publisher's blurb)
A Leaf Called Greaf by Kelly Canby follows Bear as he copes with the loss of his family, finding comfort and renewal through his care for a single leaf, Greaf. The story gently introduces themes of grief, resilience, and the ability to find beauty and hope after loss.
Teaching notes and teaching activities available.
Hardback available.
Age recommendation: 3-5 years
Patrick is sad. He feels empty and alone. But then an acorn drops at his feet... and then he finds another... and another. The more acorns he collects, the less empty he feels. But as the house fills with acorns, things start to get out of control. Can Patrick and his Dad find a way to move past the acorn chaos and cope with their grief together? An uplifting story of love, hope, resilience and growth, perfect for anyone who's ever felt overwhelmed by loss or emotional upheaval. (Publisher's blurb)
The story uses metaphor to address the overwhelming nature of grief, and the importance of finding healthy ways to process emotions. It links to the theme by illustrating how children and families can navigate emotional upheaval together, through resilience and connection in the face of loss.
Teaching notes available.
Hardback available.
Age recommendation: 4-8 years
Grace lives next door to old Mr Milligan and his goat Charlie. They are the best of friends. But when Mr Milligan’s beloved goat dies, everything changes. Will Grace be able to help her friend overcome his sadness? Grace and Mr Milligan is a heart-warming story of grief, love and the healing power of friendship. (Publisher's blurb)
Grace and Mr Milligan addresses the emotional impact of separation and change, demonstrating the power of kindness and empathy in navigating grief and transformation. This book shows children that it is possible to heal and rediscover joy after loss.
Teaching notes available.
Hardback and paperback available.
Age recommendation: 3-5 years
One morning Milo tossed pancakes high in the air. Lily, Lena, and Gwendolyn jumped up and down trying to catch them.
'Breakfast is ready,' called Milo. But upstairs all was quiet.
Dada Henry doesn't feel like pancakes this morning, and Milo and the twins aren't sure why. They persist making more and more elaborate concoctions, Maple Come Back for More, Little Puddings Supreme, and Brussel Sprouts Forget Me Never, but nothing will lure Henry out of bed.
Saturday is Pancake Day explores themes of family, caregiving, and mental health through this light-hearted story of the Fox family's efforts to cheer up Dada Henry, who doesn’t feel like getting out of bed one morning. The book subtly addresses parental mental health while celebrating family togetherness and love. It also features inclusive representation of LGBTQIA+ families in an organic way, offering both relatability and empathy-building for young readers.
Hardback and paperback available.
Age recommendation: 4-8 years
A heartwarming story from award-winning author and illustrator Gus Gordon about hope, possibility and finding a friend.
Alice wishes she had someone her own size to talk to. Then one day her wish comes true. Through hope and chance, love and loss, two little ones who need each other find each other. A heartwarming story from award-winning author and illustrator Gus Gordon about loneliness, saying goodbye and the value of life-affirming friendships. (Publisher's blurb)
This story addresses the themes of both loss and connection through the story of Alice, who is grieving her grandmother when she forms an unexpected friendship with François. Finding François shows children that new connections can help to heal the pain of loss and absence. The book offers hope and comfort to children dealing with grief and loneliness.
Teaching notes available.
Hardback and eBook available.
Age recommendation: 4-8 years
When Max's parents tell him they are divorcing it feels like an earthquake. There are so many changes to deal with and a lot of big feelings. Follow Max as he begins to move and live between his two homes, learns about his emotions and adjusts to life after the 'divorce earthquake'. (Publisher's blurb)
This story uses the metaphor of an earthquake to represent the upheaval and changes to the life of Max, whose parents are divorcing. It addresses themes of confusion, resilience, and adjustment, helping children understand and navigate complex family dynamics by offering reassurance that stability and love can persist despite change.
Teaching notes currently unavailable. Included in the back of the book are tips from psychologist and author Rachel Brace, about how parents and carers can help to emotionally support their children during parental separation and divorce.
Paperback available.
Age recommendation: 4-7 years
Today is a see you later and great to see you kind of day.
Milly’s mum and stepdad call such days changeovers.
Her teacher calls them transitions.
Milly smiled. She prefers to think of days like today as an airport day.
Milly’s parents are divorced and she lives across two homes. Frequent changeovers are necessary and unavoidable. Milly likens her experiences of changeovers to being at an airport - a parent airport. Although Milly mostly experiences a smooth ride, each flight has the potential to involve a few jumps and shakes. After all frequent change can be hard! (Publisher's blurb)
Milly's Parent Airport focusses on the emotional complexities of transition days, emphasising the significance of routine, understanding, and emotional expression to help children cope with the changes and stresses of living in two homes. Themes of adjustment and resilience are explored, and the book provides a relatable and reassuring narrative for children (and families) experiencing similar circumstances. This will ideally foster empathy and understanding.
Teaching resources notes unavailable. Included in the back of the book are tips from psychologist and author Rachel Brace, about how parents and carers can help to emotionally support their children during parental separation and divorce.
Paperback available.
Age recommendation: 3-8 years
'I'm not brave enough today. Maybe next time.'
'You're hurting my feelings right now.'
'Want to join in?'
A warm and whimsical guide to negotiating life’s little moments and big emotions with empathy, kindness and words from the heart. (Publisher's blurb)
This book ties more loosely into the theme, but is a wonderful resource nonetheless. What to Say When You Don’t Know What to Say helps children to navigate challenging moments when they feel unsure of what to say or how to respond, such as when dealing with loss, separation, or other emotionally difficult experiences. By offering simple phrases and illustrations, it empowers children to express themselves and connect with others. The book equips children with tools to communicate emotions, and cope with change.
Teaching notes available.
Hardback and eBook available.
Age recommendation: 2-6 years
'So many families,
some big and some small.
Each one is different,
let’s look at them all!'
In this warm and humorous exploration of families, much-loved Australian children’s author Jane Godwin has teamed with internationally acclaimed Argentinian creator Yael Frankel. Together, they weave a colourful celebration of all the differences that make every family unique. You’ll be sure to recognise a family just like yours! (Publisher's blurb)
Again, this book fits more loosely with the theme, but the beauty of Families is that it helps children to feel less alone, as they will no doubt see their own family represented in its pages. Other children will see that families come in all shapes and sizes, and so this book helps to normalise family units that diverge from the once-traditional version, which consisted of a mum, a dad, and children.
Hardback available.
Age recommendation: 2-5 years
'Tarah missed her Dad and she asked her Mum where he had gone...'
Tarah's dad has gone away, and she doesn't know where. She imagines he is doing all the things he loves, but when she asks her mum, everything changes.
This heartfelt, honest and sensitively told story explores the challenges a child faces when a parent is incarcerated. My Dad's Gone Away sheds light on an unspoken issue and gently encourages children and families to talk about how they feel and what their future may look like. This age-appropriate story will help to encourage safe conversations around a difficult topic and promote empathy in children with different life experiences. My Dad's Gone Away is written through a child's perspective and is illustrated with care and complemented by soft warm tones. Paul Seden's evocative and timeless imagery underpin a powerful story and captures the heartache of dealing with missing a parent. (Publisher's blurb)
My Dad's Gone Away connects to the theme of primary caregivers missing from children’s lives as its focus is on a young child dealing with the absence of her father who is incarcerated. Written by Andrew Krakouer, who himself has been imprisoned and whose own father was incarcerated when Krakouer was just a child, this book gives an authentic voice to the feelings and challenges children can face when a parent is in prison. The story gently explores themes of loneliness, confusion, and the complex emotions that can arise from this absence, while also fostering understanding around why a parent may not be present.
Teaching notes available.
Hardback, ePub, ePDF available.
Age recommendation: 6-12 years
A gentle, heartfelt and comforting guide to help children navigate the wonders of existence, from the joyful beginnings to the peaceful endings.
Have you ever wondered why a butterfly lives for only a few weeks? Or why a tree lives for hundreds of years?
You may have been sad when someone in your family, or a favourite pet became sick and died.
There is a beginning and an ending to everything that is alive. In between is a lifetime.
Dying is a much a part of living as being born. (Publisher's blurb)
Beginnings and Endings with Lifetimes in Between helps children to understand the natural cycle of life and death in a comforting and accessible way. The book addresses the loss of loved ones, and encourages resilience, empathy, and openness when discussing the inevitable transitions of life.
Hardback and paperback available over several editions.
Age recommendation: 3-12 years
A powerful and moving illustrated novel about loss, grief and finding your place in the world.
Pearl feels as though she is an island of one. At home, Pearl's world of safety is crumbling. Her grandmother is slowly fading, and so are Mum and Pearl. As Pearl comes to terms with losing her granny, she also begins to find her place in the world and discovers that perhaps she never really was a group of one after all. (Publisher's blurb)
Pearl Verses the World explores themes of grief and family change through the perspective of Pearl, a young girl dealing with the illness and eventual loss of her grandmother, a central figure in her close-knit family of three. The story follows Pearl as she navigates isolation and emotional upheaval, while she also finds her voice, and place in the world. This beautifully written verse novel highlights the impact of loss on family dynamics, and offers children a relatable way to understand and express their emotions during times of change.
Teaching notes available.
Paperback, hardback available.
Age recommendation: 7-12 years
This coming-of-age story by multiple-award-winner Meg McKinlay is about loss and grief, dealing with change and fighting to hold on to what you can, while letting go of what you can’t.
It’s 1979 and the sky is falling. Skylab, that is. Somewhere high above Frankie Avery, one of the world’s first space stations is tumbling to Earth. And rushing back with it are old memories. Things twelve-year-old Frankie thought she’d forgotten. Things her mum won’t talk about, and which her little brother Newt never knew. Only... did he? Does he? Because as Skylab circles closer, Newt starts acting strangely. And while the world watches the sky, Frankie keeps her own eyes on Newt. Because if anyone’s going to keep him safe, it’s her. It always has been. But maybe this is something bigger than splinters and spiders and sleepwalking. Maybe a space station isn’t the only thing heading straight for calamity. (Publisher's blurb)
Catch a Falling Star considers family dynamics, grief, and emotional resilience. This story follows Frankie, a young girl navigating the loss of her father while trying to care for her younger brother, and also support her mother. This poignant narrative explores the lasting impact of losing a loved one, and highlights how children cope with profound emotional challenges.
Teaching notes available.
Paperback, eBook available.
Age recommendation: 9-12 years
A sister and brother face the hardest year of their lives and discover the healing power of nature in this moving story of family, loss and love from master storyteller Paul Jennings.
Emily loves the bush and the native animals on her family's reforested property, particularly the beautiful rainbow lorikeets that nest in one of the tallest trees. But then her father is diagnosed with a terminal illness, and Emily's world enters a tailspin.
Her twin brother, Alex, refuses to accept the truth. His coping mechanism is to build elaborate additions to his treehouse in the superstitious belief that it will avert disaster - leaving Emily to deal with harsh reality on her own.
When Alex secretly adopts a feral kitten, going against everything that's important to Emily, the siblings' emotions reach boiling point - with potentially dangerous consequences for them all. (Publisher's blurb)
This book explores loss, grief, and resilience. Emily and Alex’s Mum died when they were 6, and now their Dad has been diagnosed with a terminal illness. The Lorikeet Tree sensitively addresses the difficult themes, and highlights the way that people (especially young people) can react in different ways to fear and loss.
Teaching resource available.
Paperback, eBook available.
Age recommendation: 11-14 years
Hero doesn’t feel like a hero, but sometimes it feels like the universe is asking her to be one.
When Aria, a mysterious boy who never EVER speaks, arrives at her school and is immediately picked on by the Bully-in-Chief – His Royal Thug-ness Doofus (Rufus) – Hero and her bestie Jaz feel compelled to step in and help … Except they’re far too chicken to actually do anything helpful or heroic. So, instead they befriend Aria and try to uncover the truth about this boy with no words…
What happened to his voice?
Where did he come from?
And what are those three dents on his middle finger?
Based on the author’s own experiences of fleeing persecution, this is the story of 12-year-old Aria, an Iranian refugee who is trying to establish a new life in Australia, grapple with his past and most importantly find his voice… ’Cos boy does he have a story to tell. (Publisher's blurb)
No Words by Maryam Master demonstrates the power of connection, empathy, hope, and healing in navigating personal and family struggles. Through the character of Aria, who experiences selective mutism, this story explores trauma, death of a parent, parental mental health, family, responsibility, bullying, anxiety, and refugeeism.
Teaching notes available.
Paperback, eBook, audiobook available.
Age recommendation: 9-14 years
When parents split up there can be a range of conflicting emotions for the children, especially when a new parent comes on the scene.
When You Left helps children explore these emotions and acknowledge that it is OK to be confused. The book ultimately has a message of hope - things may be different, but they will be OK. (Publisher's blurb)
When You Left explores the mixed and complex feelings children may experience when going through significant family changes and separation; including sadness, resistance, and eventual acceptance. This book tells the story of a child navigating the emotional upheaval caused by their parents’ separation, and the arrival of a new parental figure. It shows that hope and love can emerge in times of change.
Classroom activities guide available.
Paperback, eBook available.
Age recommendation: 5-9 years
In this hilarious story from the best-selling first-reader series, Milly learns that speaking up will save the day!
'When Milly’s left out of the monsters’ big day,
they all work together to find a new way!'
When Milly's school hosts a party for Mother's Day, Milly feels left out. But families come in all shapes and sizes – and soon Milly realises she's got a lot to celebrate! (Publisher's blurb)
Milly's Family Fun addresses inclusivity and resilience, and aims to help children understand diverse family structures. The story highlights that families come in many forms, teaching children that different family dynamics can all provide love, and are deserving of celebration. It explores how children navigate feelings of exclusion, and adapt to changes in family relationships.
Teaching notes available.
Paperback, eBook, audiobook available.
Age recommendation: 4-7 years
Frankie discovers that beautiful things can be made from broken pieces, in this sensitive and hopeful picture book about family separation. Inspired by the author's conversations with her own children, The Mosaic is a uniquely personal story that aims to help children navigate the overwhelming emotions brought about by big changes such as their parents separating. A celebration of art and resilience, this is a beautifully illustrated book to be cherished by anyone looking for comfort and joy. (Publisher's blurb)
The Mosaic explores family separation and the emotional journey of piecing life back together after change. It shows children that even in the face of brokenness, beautiful and meaningful things can emerge.
Teaching notes available.
Hardback available.
Age recommendation: 3-8 years
A boy. A girl. Two families. One great divide.
When Michael meets Mina, they are at a rally for refugees - standing on opposite sides.
Mina fled Afghanistan with her mother via a refugee camp, a leaky boat and a detention centre.
Michael's parents have founded a new political party called Aussie Values.
They want to stop the boats.
Mina wants to stop the hate.
When Mina wins a scholarship to Michael's private school, their lives crash together blindingly.
A novel for anyone who wants to fight for love, and against injustice. (Publisher's blurb)
When Michael Met Mina highlights the emotional and social upheaval experienced by people, especially children and young adults, who are separated from family and their homeland due to forced migration. This book explores the impact of missing culture and family supports on personal growth and relationships, while emphasising the challenge of bridging the divide in both belief, and understanding.
Teaching notes available.
Paperback and eBook available.
Age recommendation: 14+ years
Seventeen-year-old Phoebe's life is turned upside down when she moves from the city to the country to live with her dad in this powerful and uplifting story about family breakdowns, facing truths and finding balance.
'I mean, Mum didn't drink that much. All of my friends' parents loved their champagne or whatever. Everyone drank in The Village, too. I'd only been there for about a month and there'd already been five wine and food festivals. Mum's drinking wasn't a big deal. Right?'
Phoebe's non-Indigenous mother, a busy event manager, and her father, an Aboriginal man and uni lecturer, have split up and she's moved to sleepy old Willunga with him and his new health-obsessed girlfriend. It's only a few kilometres from Phoebe's old friends and the city, but it feels like another world.
Her new school is full of hippies, but some of the kids are cool and the local basketball team is tight, and before long Phoebe's fitting in. But as her mum becomes increasingly unreliable, Phoebe's grades begin to suffer, her place on the basketball team is under threat and her worries spiral out of control.
Phoebe can't tell her friends and is worried her dad will get angry, but pretending everything is fine is breaking her heart. How can she help her mum without tearing her family apart? (Publisher's blurb)
This story delves into the emotional impact of parental absence and instability, highlighting themes of resilience, self-discovery, and the importance of supportive relationships. It addresses how children and young adults can cope with family separation, and the complexities of loving someone who is dealing with their own challenges, and may be emotionally absent.
Teaching notes available.
Paperback, eBook available.
Age recommendation: 13-18 years
Anna Chiu has her hands pretty full looking after her brother and sister and helping out at her dad’s restaurant, all while her mum stays in bed. Dad’s new delivery boy, Rory, is a welcome distraction and even though she knows that things aren’t right at home, she’s starting to feel like she could just be a normal teen.
But when Mum finally gets out of bed, things go from bad to worse. And as Mum’s condition worsens, Anna and her family question everything they understand about themselves and each other.
A nourishing tale about the crevices of culture, mental wellness and family, and the surprising power of a good dumpling. (Publisher's blurb)
This book explores what it is like to live with, love, and care for a parent who is largely absent due to mental ill-health. Anna discovers that while there may not be a magic cure for Ma’s illness, love, patience, kindness, and understanding go a long way. Not only is Anna’s mother absent due to her condition, but Anna’s father also is essentially absent as he throws himself into work, whilst pretending that his wife’s condition isn’t serious. The Surprising Power of a Good Dumpling highlights how Anna grapples with missing the support of fully present parents, whilst also showing younger readers that strength can be found in hope, community, and connections with friends and family.
Teaching notes available.
Hardback, paperback, eBook, audiobook available.
Age recommendation: 12-18 years
'I didn’t always live here. Not so long ago I was living in a thriving metropolis with more than one coffee shop on each block and four full bars of reception. I went to Heathmont High School, home to one thousand students, two best friends, a deeply average orchestra, and one cursed statue. Well, allegedly.'
Reece still isn’t used to living in the small beachside town of Hamilton: she misses her old school, her old friends and her old life. She can’t go back and she can’t move forward: nothing feels right anymore. Not that she’s trying very hard—she hasn’t even unpacked yet, and the only new friend she’s made is a middle-aged barista.
But when Reece inherits a strange artefact that belonged to her beloved grandmother, she begins to unravel a mystery that might change the way she feels about everything around her, including her charismatic classmate Gideon…
A lively, witty novel about letting go of the past and finding your place in the world. (Publisher's blurb)
Draper’s novel covers grief, death, change, and how to cope. In The Museum of Broken Things, Reece navigates loss and the uncertainties of her new life, and rediscovers her own resilience. This story beautifully portrays the complexities of growing up amidst emotional upheaval, and emphasises the power of human connections in healing, and finding one’s purpose. It sensitively explores the loss of Reece’s beloved Nana, and will help young readers to feel less alone in their grief and traumatic experiences.
Teaching notes available.
Paperback, eBook available.
Age recommendation: 14+ years
David’s family think he’s come home for the anniversary of his Dad’s death. But he’s got another reason to return home – he’s working to broker a deal with a mining company to dig up his own sacred land and hopefully get them all out of poverty forever.
To complicate matters, the whole family are being visited by a persistent ghost who has something to settle before it can move on.
Kangaroo Stew is a lively and controversial contribution to the modern Aboriginal theatre movement that gives insight into the life of a modern Aboriginal family living with the mining economy. There will be love, punch-ups, singing, and of course, the spirits of ancestors past. (Publisher's blurb)
The play Kangaroo Stew explores grief, loss, intergenerational connection, and familial and cultural responsibility. James illustrates how these dynamics shape individuals and their relationships with community and family. Kangaroo Stew highlights how family dynamics are influenced by grief and loss, and addresses the emotional and cultural impact of the death of a patriarch on a First Nations family.
Paperback available.
Age recommendation: 12+ years
An unspeakable event changes everything for Sophie. No more Mum, school or bed of her own. She’s made a ward of the state and grows up in a volatile world where kids make their own rules, adults don’t count and the only constant is change.
Until one day she meets Gwen, Matty and Spiral. Spiral is the most furious, beautiful boy Sophie has ever known. And as their bond tightens she finally begins to confront what happened in her past.
'I’m at the police station. There’s blood splattered across my face and clothes. In this tiny room with walls the colour of winter sky I hug a black backpack full of treasures. Only one thing is certain… no one can ever forgive me for what I’ve done.' (Publisher's blurb)
This book explores grief, loss, homelessness, poverty, profound change, adaptability, resilience; and shows what can happen to young people when they live a life with minimal adult guidance, and must navigate the trajectory of their own lives under challenging circumstances. Eleni Hale draws on her own experiences as a young ward of the state to show how things can go wrong for some young people, and why society shouldn’t give up on them. Stone Girl will encourage empathy and understanding, and it gives voice to a largely voiceless cohort—children in foster care, who are typically either feared or pitied. This is a book about hope, belonging, and empowerment.
Teaching notes available.
Paperback, eBook available.
Age recommendation: 14+ years
'Is it possible for two very different teenagers to fall in love despite high barbed-wire fences and a political wilderness between them?'
Anahita is passionate, curious and determined. She is also an Iranian asylum seeker who is only allowed out of detention to attend school. On weekdays, during school hours, she can be a ‘regular Australian girl’.
Jono needs the distraction of an infatuation. In the past year his mum has walked out, he’s been dumped and his sister has moved away. Lost and depressed, Jono feels as if he’s been left behind with his Vietnamese single father, Kenny.
Kenny is struggling to work out the rules in his new job; he recently started work as a guard at the Wickham Point Detention Centre. He tells Anahita to look out for Jono at school, but quickly comes to regret this, spiralling into suspicion and mistrust. Who is this girl, really? What is her story? Is she a genuine refugee or a ‘queue jumper’? As Jono and Anahita grow closer, Kenny starts snooping behind the scenes… (Publisher's blurb)
Between Us touches on abandonment, loss, grief, family separation, immigration and detention. Jono’s Mum has left, his sister has moved away, and he feels lost and alone. Anahita has had to flee her life and her family in Iran and then has been separated from her father, who remains on Manus Island while Anahita, her brother, and her pregnant Mum have been moved to the mainland temporarily due to Anahita’s mother’s preeclampsia.
Teaching notes available.
Paperback, eBook, audiobook available.
Age recommendation: 14+ years
A heartbreaking, hopeful, and timely novel about holding too tight to family secrets, healing from trauma, and falling in love.
George’s life is loud. On the water, though, with everything hushed above and below, she is steady, silent. Then her estranged dad says he needs to talk, and George’s past begins to wake up, looping around her ankles, trying to drag her under.
But there’s no time to sink. George’s best friend, Tess, is about to become, officially, a teen mum, her friend Laz is in despair about the climate crisis, her gramps would literally misplace his teeth if not for her, and her mums fill the house with fuss and chatter. Before long, heat and smoke join the noise as distant wildfires begin to burn.
George tries to stay steady. When her father tells her his news and the memories roar back to life, George turns to Calliope, the girl who has just cartwheeled into her world and shot it through with colours. And it’s here George would stay—quiet and safe—if she could. But then Tess has her baby, and the earth burns hotter, and the past just will not stay put.
A novel about the contours of friendship, family, forgiveness, trauma, and love, and about our hopeless, hopeful world, Helena Fox’s gorgeous follow-up to How It Feels to Float explores the stories we suppress and the stories we speak—and the healing that comes when we voice the things we’ve kept quiet for so long. (Publisher's blurb)
This book focusses on George, and her strained relationship with her estranged, terminally ill, alcoholic father. It explores abandonment, forgiveness, friendship, love, trauma, mental ill-health, addiction, domestic abuse, and the complexities of family relationships. The Quiet and The Loud is also brilliant for representation; it discusses unhealthy relationships and lying/gaslighting, and it covers topics like racism and environmental issues—with the book taking place during the terrible 2019 bushfire season.
Teaching notes available.
Paperback, hardback, eBook, audiobook available.
Age recommendation: 14+ years
'I’ve heard of Noah the way you hear about car accidents. A series of whispers, theories and rumours…'
Kenna’s mother Ava was killed in a bushfire not long ago. Now Kenna’s living with her uncle and his young family in the small town where Ava grew up, and she feels like an intruder.
Noah’s mother has a mental illness that makes him both carer and jailer—constantly watchful, keeping things on an even keel.
One night Kenna sees the general store on fire, and a boy standing watching as it burns. It takes her a while to notice he’s holding a petrol can, but then things move fast. She’s tackled him and run off with his bag before she even knows what’s happened.
The bag belongs to Noah, and he really wants it back. Kenna wants something too. To make someone else burn the way her mum did. And there’s something she doesn’t know: how Noah can help her find out the truth about her family. (Publisher's blurb)
Growing Up in Flames explores grief, resilience, identity, trauma, mental ill-health, and environmental issues. It highlights the complexity of personal and intergenerational trauma, and the importance of support from family, friends, and community in coping with that trauma. Both main characters in this story have absent caregivers. Kenna’s mother died in a bushfire, while Noah’s father abandoned Noah and his mentally ill mother. Noah’s Mum’s illness means that she is absent in her caregiving role, too. Jones seeks to portray healthy and unhealthy mechanisms for dealing with loss and abandonment, and highlights how individuals can both confront and grow from the challenges they face. Most importantly, this novel emphasises healing and understanding after loss.
Teaching notes available.
Paperback, eBook available.
Age recommendation: 14+ years
UNESCO's International Day of Women and Girls in Science was established by the General Assembly on 22 December 2015, and is marked on 11 February each year. The day serves as an opportunity to 'promote full and equal access to and participation in science for women and girls' (UNESCO).
UNESCO notes that only 35% of students in STEM-related fields of study are women, and women still occupy a smaller number of high-level positions. Only 22 women have been awarded a Nobel Prize in a scientific discipline, according to UNESCO; conversely, the Nobel Prize calculates that between 1901 and 2023, there have been 646 laureates in physics, chemistry, and medicine combined.
Stories are one way through which to begin exploring the possibilities and passions of women in science.
These books are designed to offer an entry point to science in Australian fiction, not a comprehensive list. They cover a breadth of scientific activities (including and starting with First Nations science), but focus on showing girls as active, engaged, practising scientists or as displaying scientific curiosity.
It becomes noticeably more difficult to find books with strong science themes for young-adult readers, and the themes are often more disguised than they are in books for younger readers: for example, Kat Colmer's Can't Beat the Chemistry has a science-loving protagonist, but isn't included in this list because the narrative focuses more strongly on other concerns.
The colours of these tiles are sourced from a NASA image of Caroline's Cluster (Caldwell 58), discovered by Caroline Herschel in 1783.
Sources
International Day of Women and Girls in Science, UNESCO (https://www.unesco.org/en/days/women-girls-science) (Sighted: 5/2/2024)
'Nobel Prize Facts' (https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/facts/nobel-prize-facts/). (Sighted: 5/2/2024)
AustLit's note: beautifully illustrated by Blak Douglas, this illustrated science book covers astronomy, engineering, forensic science, chemistry, land management and ecology among First Nations people. Author Corey Tutt made a conscious decision to highlight women within the book.
Publisher's blurb:
Have you ever wondered what the stars can tell us? Did you know the seasons can be predicted just by looking at subtle changes in nature? Maybe you have wondered about the origins of glue or if forensic science is possible without a crime scene investigation. Australia's First peoples have the longest continuing culture on Earth and their innovation will amaze you as you leaf through the pages of this book, learning fascinating facts and discovering the answers to life's questions.
In consultation with communities, Corey tells us of many deadly feats – from bush medicine to bush trackers – that are today considered 'science', and introduces us to many amazing scientists, both past and present. The breadth of ‘sciences’ is incredible with six main chapters covering astronomy, engineering, forensic science, chemistry, land management and ecology. The first scientists passed on the lessons of the land, sea and sky to the future scientists of today through stories, song and dance, and many of these lessons are now shared in this book.
AustLit's note: the young female protagonist of this book loves mathematics, and sees its patterns throughout her everyday life.
Publisher's blurb:
A STEM-themed picture book celebrating the love of learning, the magic of mathematics and the joy of finding a kindred spirit, from two award-winning creators.
From the parallel lines of moonlight pouring through her bedroom blinds, to counting daisy petals in the garden, Maddie adores maths. If only she had a friend who marvelled at it as she does. Then Dad takes Maddie, along with her new classmate Priya, to the observatory where the unfathomable numbers of stars take their breath away.
AustLit's note: This book focuses on female scientists from around the world, from the position that each one was 'once a little kid with a huge dream'.
Teaching notes available.
Publisher's blurb:
Boss ladies conquer in this celebration of inspiring and empowered female scientists from around the world. At the top of their fields of astronomy, quantum physics, neuroscience, vaccinology, primatology and more, boss ladies, including Mae Jemison, Merritt Moore and Kiara Nirghin, answer big questions and invent grand solutions.
'Every boss lady was once a little kid with a huge dream. Let their trials and triumphs inspire you to work hard at what you love, and to believe in yourself, no matter whether you fail or succeed.
AustLit's note: The scientists covered in this book are largely male (e.g., Sir Isaac Newton), but the protagonist is female, and the book positions her as an active participant in science.
Teaching notes available.
Publisher's blurb:
A funny story about gravity that explains why apples fall from trees, from an exciting new partnership in picture books.
Isaac Newton was sitting under an apple tree when he got hit on the head by an apple. People might tell you this is the moment gravity was first discovered, but the truth is people had been discovering gravity long before Isaac. You might have even discovered it yourself ... Ouch!
Have you ever wondered how gravity works? Or what life would be like without gravity? Find out in this fun introduction to the idea that what goes up must come down!
AustLit's note: Although not all the people covered in this text are scientists, many are, and the text as a whole encourages understanding and appreciation of the earth sciences, in particular.
Publisher's blurb:
Explore our planet, meet the Earth Shakers.
Our world is WONDERFUL - and it's worth protecting.
This book takes you on a breathtaking tour of our planet - from towering mountaintops, through grasslands, jungles, rivers, deserts, polar wildernesses and into the blue ocean - to discover the incredible variety of life that calls it home. Along the way, read the stories of 35 inspiring Earth Shakers - children and adults, from tree-planters to scientists, from all around the world - who have taken action to protect it.
Plus, find lots of practical tips and handy resources inside that give you the tools to make a positive change today.
AustLit's note: not only does this book centre a young female inventor, it also shows her challenging those in power who doubt her abilities.
Teaching notes available.
Publisher's blurb:
'My invention is ready!' exclaimed Nell. 'I need to show it to the people in the Big City, and Uncle said he could take me there tomorrow.' 'It won't work,' scoffed Little Brother, with his mouth full of fish.
Little Nell has worked hard to make an invention that will help clean up the pollution in the Big City. But she soon discovers that it can be hard for a girl to get the attention of the people in charge. A wonderful picture book about a little girl with a determined spirit who just needs a bit of help to make the world a better place for everyone.
AustLit's note: this book centres on a young girl who actively seeks answers to scientific questions. Notably, the adults in her life are active in responding and supporting her curiosity.
Publisher's blurb:
Abigail is a curious little girl. She likes to discover the answers to really BIG questions. One night, she thinks of a question that's SO BIG she can't sleep until she knows the answer.
'Daddy,' she asks as he tucks her into bed, 'where did the sun and all the planets come from?'
To find out the answer, Daddy invites Abigail on a magical journey through time and space. Together they explore the birth of all living things.
By the next morning, Abigail has thought of another big question ...
AustLit's note: this book features a protagonist whose mother is a scientist, but who has noticed that all the scientists in books and films are 'mad', and who seeks to challenge that trope.
Publisher's blurb:
'My mummy is a scientist... but I'm afraid she might be mad.'
'My mummy has a really cool job. She's a scientist and does all kinds of amazing experiments! But scientists in all the stories I read and watch are mad... does that mean my mummy is mad too?
AustLit's note: the young female protagonist of this book, by Biripi author Adam Duncan, has to use her knowledge of Country and the bush to find her missing brother.
Publisher's blurb:
On a starless night Little Brother leaves the safety of the campfire and is captured by the fearsome bunyip. Big Sister will need everything she has learnt about the bush and her Country to rescue Little Brother and escape the bunyip.
Part Sky Country creation story, part exciting adventure tale, The Bunyip and the Stars is the first in a series of five picture books featuring stories from Australia inspired by the National Museum of Australia's new immersive play space for children - the Tim and Gina Fairfax Discovery Centre.
AustLit's note: both the cover illustration and internal illustrations throughout this book show girl characters engaging in engineering.
Publisher's blurb:
'Young children love engineering; they enjoy creating and building their worlds. Young Engineers explores the natural links between play and engineering to facilitate early engineering engagement. Through familiar play-based scenarios it introduces children to the work of engineers and things that engineers make. The colourful illustrations and rhyming text give engineering context and meaning and bring the worlds of young and older engineers closer together.'
AustLit's note: the female protagonist of this novel dreams of winning a Nobel Prize, and actively engages in science experiments.
Publisher's blurb:
A time-travel adventure for young budding scientists
Ten-year-old Mary has always wanted to win a Nobel Prize. She loves running her own science experiments at home. But how can she become a real scientist and win the greatest prize of all?
One day Mary stumbles on a secret meeting of Nobel Prize winners. Swearing her to secrecy, Dr Barry Marshall agrees to be her guide as she travels around the world and through time to learn the secrets behind some of the most fascinating and important scientific discoveries. They talk space and time with Albert Einstein, radiation with Marie Curie, DNA with Crick, Watson and Wilkins – and much more.
How to Win a Nobel Prize is a funny, fascinating adventure story for ages 9 to 12, and includes experiments that young scientists can do themselves at school or at home.
AustLit's note: the emotional centre of this story is the protagonist's love for (and methodical search for) trees grown from seeds taken to the moon.
Teaching notes available.
Publisher's blurb:
A tender Australian story about searching for the impossible in the places where magic and science meet.
For Carina Sugden, there is nothing more special than a moon tree - a tree grown from the seeds taken on the 1971 Apollo mission into space. Her father taught her everything she knows about them. But he passed away before they found one together.
When Mum relocates the family to a small town in the Otway Ranges, Carina becomes determined to find a moon tree on her own. Like a scientist, she methodically searches the forest behind her new house. But after a mysterious encounter with a black cockatoo, Carina realises there's magic in this forest. And if magic really exists, anything is possible, like seeing her dad one last time...
Meet Me at the Moon Tree is a heart-healing book about believing in magic, in science, and in the power of love.
AustLit's note: the Wednesday Weeks books challenge the 'science vs. magic' tope to show a girl protagonist who wants to study science but must also deal with magic.
Teaching notes available.
Publisher's blurb:
In a world of magic, can science save the day?
Wednesday Weeks never wanted to be a sorcerer’s apprentice. She’d rather study science than magic. But when her cloak-wearing, staff-wielding grandpa is captured by a power-hungry goblin king, Wednesday must find a way to embrace her magical heritage and rescue him from the dreaded Tower of Shadows.
Luckily, she’s not alone. Her best friend Alfie is a prime-number fan and robotics expert who’s all-in on Wednesday’s epic plan involving parallel universes, swords of power, and a wise-cracking talking skull.
But it’s going to take more than science, magic, and the world’s cutest robot to take down this bad guy. Because the goblin king is playing for the ultimate prize – and Wednesday and Alfie just walked into his trap…
AustLit's note: the first in the series Edie's Experiments, this book features a science-loving girl who approaches all problems as experiments.
Publisher's blurb:
A new school, a classroom full of potential new friends and a science kit. What could possibly go wrong?
I’m Edie and I love science. So I when I started at a new school, I decided it could be one giant experiment.
Can I give you some advice? Avoid sliming your entire classroom. You could end up in trouble with your teacher, your new classmates and the principal.
Between the great slime fiasco, the apology cookie surprise and the wrinkle cream mix-up, I’ve discovered making friends isn’t an exact science!
AustLit's notes: three science geniuses are accepted to a mysterious academy, where they need to use their intelligence to survive.
Teaching notes available.
Publisher's blurb:
Junior science geniuses Augustine, Celeste and Oscar can't believe their luck when they're accepted into an elite and mysterious science academy summer camp run by the elusive Inventor Quark.
From the moment they step inside the gates of Quark's Academy at the end of Molecule Drive, they know they're in for a week they'll never forget. But things at the academy are not quite what they seem, and the three quickly realise that they'll need to put their squabbles aside and their heads together if they're ever to get out of there alive...
AustLit's note: the first in the Curiosity Club, this book features a young girl who starts from the perspective that STEM is not 'cool', but slowly comes to explore her curiosity.
Publisher's blurb:
'Where do you run when your former best friend tips their lunch straight into your lap?'
When Alice Chang starts out at her new school, everything isn't quite as rosy as she'd dreamed. First, she falls out with previous best friend, Gigi, and then she learns that the only after-school club still available is GAS (Girls Achieving at STEM) which Alice considers extremely uncool. However, with the help of an inspirational teacher and two new best friends, Alice discovers that being cool isn't always what it looks like in teen magazines and that being yourself and being smart can be the coolest thing of all.
AustLit's note: this series of short biographies includes scientists such as Fiona Wood, Georgia Ward-Fear, Gisela Kaplan, Michelle Simmons, Emma Johnston, Veena Sahajwalla, Suzy Urbaniak, and Maddy McAllister.
Publisher's blurb:
An inspiring and unique series for children aged 9-13 years that celebrates Australia’s leaders in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. The Aussie STEM Stars series tell the inspirational stories of our (often unsung, even unknown!) STEM heroes quietly making a huge contribution to humans and the planet.
AustLit's note: this graphic novel stars a young female science genius who is on a mission to save her school.
Publisher's blurb:
Violet is a science genius.
Izzy believes in aliens.
Leonardo da Pinch is a talking crab.
Together, they’re on a mission to save their school, only, today’s the sort of day when ANYTHING could happen (including an outer space invasion and explosions!) It’s time to get DOWN TO BUSINESS with some wacky science in a GRAPHIC NOVEL that will leave you sitting on the edge of your (toilet) seat!
AustLit's note: this book, set in a high school on a rusting ocean liner, shows the female protagonist dealing with an intersection of magic and science.
Teaching notes available.
Publisher's blurb:
A rusting ocean liner.
Thirty students learning to resurrect the dead.
A murderous monster on the loose . . .
Just a typical day at PROMETHEUS HIGH.
Athena Strange's first semester at Prometheus High starts with a bang. But when her lessons in reanimation, robotics and skulkers move too slowly and she has trouble making friends, Athena decides to take matters into her own hands.
But on a ship where science and magic collide, and the monster under your bed is probably very real . . . will Athena be able to hold her head above water?
AustLit's note: this novel is told through a series of letters written by a science-loving teenager girl to American theoretical physicist Richard Feynman (1918-1988), who jointly won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1965 for his work in the development of quantum electrodynamics.
Teaching notes available.
Publisher's blurb:
Richard Feynman was a Nobel prize-winning physicist. Catherine is a science-loving 15-year-old. Richard helped build the atom bomb. Catherine's just trying to survive school.
When your life is falling apart around you, is talking to a dead physicist normal?
Catherine thinks so, but it isn't until her life begins unravelling that she learns who she can really trust.
AustLit's note: this novel features an adolescent girl pursuing science in a drought-stricken small town.
Teaching resources available.
Publisher's blurb:
Times are tough in the small town of Yallaroo where Ally Simpson has lived her whole life. The whole area is in drought and people are going broke or moving away. So when Ally hears about a competition to win the trip of a lifetime to visit the Smithsonian Museum in the USA, she knows she’s got to do everything she can to try and win.
'Ally enlists her best friends Harmony and Ping to help her plan the most impressive experiment she can imagine: to send a video camera to the edge of space, and prove once and for all that the earth is round. At first, Ally is pretty sure she’s got the whole competition stitched up. But then, as one disaster after another derails her plans, she begins to learn the importance of staying grounded even while she’s aiming for the sky…
AustLit's note: although this series is steampunk fantasy set in nienteenth-century Melbourne, it does position its teenage protagonist (the daughter of a professor) as a keen inventor.
The series includes four novellas.
AustLit's note: the key protagonist of this novel, teenage Stacey, is focused on her studies, particularly science, but must also come to terms with 'things that science may never explain'.
Teaching notes available.
Publisher's blurb:
'Remember daughter, the world is a lot bigger than anyone knows. There are things that science may never explain. Maybe some things that shouldn’t be explained.
'Stacey and Laney are twins – mirror images of each other – and yet they’re as different as the sun and the moon. Stacey works hard at school, determined to get out of their small town. Laney skips school and sneaks out of the house to meet her boyfriend. But when Laney disappears one night, Stacey can’t believe she’s just run off without telling her.
'As the days pass and Laney doesn’t return, Stacey starts dreaming of her twin. The dreams are dark and terrifying, difficult to understand and hard to shake, but at least they tell Stacey one key thing – Laney is alive. It’s hard for Stacey to know what’s real and what’s imagined and even harder to know who to trust. All she knows for sure is that Laney needs her help.
'Stacey is the only one who can find her sister. Will she find her in time?'
AustLit's note: set in a small town, this novel follows protagonist Hester through her school life, with a focus on her studies in science (and clashes with a fundamentalist classmate) and mathematics.
Teaching notes available.
Publisher's blurb:
I'd grown up being told that if I found myself tempted to behave in an unkind way, I just had to ask myself, "What would Jesus do?" And then do that. Something hard pinged off the back of my seat and bounced down the aisle. So the question was, what would Jesus do if the Jameson sisters started chucking Jaffas at his head?
It is 1984 and fifteen-year-old Hester Jones is not having a good year. Her best friend has moved away and, even though Natalie and Lynda are allowing her to hang out with them, Hester's struggling to keep up with her cool new friends. Plus, she has the most embarrassing dad in the world, who's never, ever going to let her go to the birthday bash Natalie's planning. Worst of all, her Science teacher's making her work on a project about evolution with that weird Joshua Mason...
When everything goes wrong and the world stops making sense, Hester has to decide: is it better to be a sheep, or a goat?
AustLit's note: this novel shows the developing relationship between a teenage boy with a fondness for magic tricks and a teenage girl with a passion for science. Each chapter is headed with a science-themed title (e.g., 'the eccentric orbits of binary stars').
Teaching notes available.
Publisher's blurb:
Joshua is good at magic tricks, ignoring his homework, and not thinking about life after year twelve. He's not so good at talking to Sophia, the genius in his class who he's had a crush on for years. But with their time together in high school running out, he has to do something about it, soon - because if he's learned one thing, it's that timing is everything, Sophia is smart enough to know that geniuses like her can end up as socially inept recluses.
'In fact, maybe she's halfway there already, what with the panic attacks and her best (and only) friend Elsie drifting away. All Sophia can do is seek refuge in what she understands best: maths, science, logic. But there's no logical explanation for the odd, almost magical things happening around her. And there are some things no amount of study can prepare you for...
This Necessary Conversations series was created by Chloe Lethbridge Salt.
Chloe is a writer, editor, and recent graduate from The University of Queensland with a Bachelors of Communication and Arts (Digital Media and Writing). Under the supervision of Dr Catriona Mills and Associate Professor Maggie Nolan, she completed a student internship with AustLit in which she researched body image messaging in children's and young adult works.
The topic of body image is under-recognised and under-researched in Australian culture. While related topics such as consent and eating disorders are commonly understood, body image issues can often go unnoticed. This Necessary Conversations series provides important resources for young Australians of all ages to learn helpful strategies to gain a positive body image.
The common view on body image is that it includes how a person thinks and feels about their body; however, body image concerns can include a person’s physical feeling in their body, obsessive thoughts including comparison or 'checking' a perceived flaw, feeling the need to hide their body, refraining from activities because of their body, and even body dysmorphic disorder (BDD).
Children as young as three have been found to struggle with body image, and in 2023, 90% of Australian teenagers were reported to have some level of body dissatisfaction, with female, gender-diverse and LGBTQIA+ youth reporting the highest levels of body-image concerns (Butterfly, 2023). This highlights the important need for positive body-image education for all Australian young adults, no matter their age.
As there are myriad factors included in a person’s perception of their body, this Necessary Conversations series aims to speak to as many lived experiences as possible and provide helpful tools for young Australians to understand their worth beyond their physical appearance.
Source: 'More than 90% of Young People in Australia Have Some Concern about Their Body Image.' Butterfly Foundation, 24 July 2023. https://butterfly.org.au/news/more-than-90-of-young-people-in-australia-have-some-concern-about-their-body-image/.
The Very Blue Thingamajig hatches from an egg one day, but compared with the other thingamajigs, he is very plain. Then one morning he wakes up with a twisty, twirly tail, and every morning after that he wakes up with a new feature.
Recommended for ages 3-5.
Based on the #1 hit children's song, this picture book encourages everyone to love who they are, inside and out.
Taryn Brumfitt is the fiercely passionate thought leader behind the Body Image Movement and director of Embrace the documentary. She is determined to inspire everyBODY to celebrate their body, regardless of size, colour, ethnicity, gender or ability.
Recommended for ages 3-7.
You're not the boss of many things because you're still little and still learning. You're not the boss of anyone else, you've got to let them be themselves.
But you ARE the boss of one thing...
Recommended for ages 3-7.
I love hands!
Hands that are white and hands that are brown,
Freckles mean sunshine has sent kisses down.
Short fingers, long fingers, bendy or straight,
Hands to clap, or high-five your mate.
Bold and beautiful, loud and proud, All Bodies are Good Bodies is an uplifting book about different body features and types. Through playful rhyme, it promotes the development of body acceptance and celebrates inclusivity and individuality.
Recommended for ages 3-7.
Macca the Alpaca desperately wants to be cool, just like his friends. Will a new hair-do cut it? Maybe a trip to the gym will work out? Or perhaps he needs the latest accessories? Macca’s makeover shows him what it is that makes him truly special.
Recommended for ages 3-7.
My body is strong.
My body can do amazing things.
My body is my own.
Freedom is loving your body with all its "imperfections" and being the perfectly imperfect you! Love Your Body encourages young girls to admire and celebrate their bodies for all the amazing things they can do, and help girls see that they are so much more than their bodies.
Recommended for ages 6-8+.
All boys think that they have the best mum in the world. But I’m lucky, because I know it. That’s not because everyone else’s mum isn’t good, I’m sure they are wonderful. But my mum is as soft as a pillow and that has to be the most special thing in the whole wide world.
My Mum’s a Pillow encourages everyone to feel that they are beautiful just the way they are. The things that make us different are what make us wonderful.
Recommended for ages 3-7.
Little Miss Jessica doesn't look like other kids.
Starting school can be daunting, especially if you don't look like everyone else. Being different can sometimes make us feel sad or alone, but learning to accept our differences can be a wonderful experience, not just for us, but also our friends and family. Come on an adventure with Little Miss Jessica as she learns what it's like to be different. You can follow Jessica and her friends on their first day at school and discover a world where being different is actually a great thing! Little Miss Jessica and her new school friends realise that their differences are the exact thing that bring them together.
Recommended for ages 6-8+.
At first upset about having to wear glasses and an eye patch to correct her lazy eye, five-year-old Becca soon discovers that her new accessories allow her to take on such roles as a ballerina-pirate and a private eye.
Recommended for ages 5-8+.
Emma has thousands of freckles, but sometimes she wishes she didn't. Grandma has a special story from long ago to share with Emma. A story about a beautiful island with a mist that dances off the ocean and stars that speak to you from faraway places. Emma is amazed to learn that freckles can be more special than she could ever imagine. A magical story of self-acceptance based on the Gaelic myth of how people got their freckles.
Recommended for ages 4-8.
Some kids are good at footy, or handball, or tennis. Not Matt, though. Matt is an expert at tuckshop. In the dog-eat-pie world of the playground, someone like Matt can go a long way. But, of course, being the best at anything does have its problems.
Recommended for ages 8-12.
The other kids playing were bigger you see, 'Why is there no one the same size as me?' Without all the kids he'd played with and known, Alfie felt small, not to mention alone. Another endearing book by David Hardy (author of Alfie's Search for Destiny), Alfie's Big Wish tells the story of a little boy who is determined to find a friend who truly knows and understands him. Despite his best efforts, Alfie spends a whole day playing alone. Exhausted and dispirited, he falls asleep only to find, in the morning, that wishes made on stars sometimes really do come true.
Recommended for ages 5-8.
Talented ten-year-olds Emily, Bella, Chloe and Grace are sick of adults trying to turn them into helpless princesses.
'When maths whiz Emily Martin's mother enters her in the local beauty pageant, it's the last straw - the four friends form the Anti-Princess Club, with the motto WE DON'T NEED RESCUING. Can they use their awesome skills to show the world that girls want to be valued for more than what they see in the mirror?
Recommended for ages 8-12.
Ruby Who? is about wishing for things, wishing you were someone else, but then realising it's better to be content with what you have and more importantly, who you are. Teachers, schools and parents find that it's very difficult to discuss body image with children and how to be happy with who they are. Ruby Who? is a story that tackles these issues. Ruby Who? reinforces the message that having more, and being like others doesn't make you happy!
Recommended for ages 8-12.
My Private Pectus is a serious yet comical portrayal of teenager Jack McDermott's struggle to discover who he is, what he's meant to look like, and how much he should care about what other people think. Jack's chest deformity is symbolic of the body image issues young men face daily in schools today.
Recommended for ages 13-18.
Uglies is set in a world in which everyone has an operation when they turn sixteen, making them supermodel beautiful. Big eyes, full lips, no one fat or skinny. You might think this is a good thing, but it’s not. Especially if you’re one of the Smokies, a bunch of radical teens who’ve decided they want to keep their own faces. (How anti-social of them.)
Recommended for ages 13-18.
You know all those movies where teenagers have, like, THE SUMMER OF THEIR LIVES? This summer is probably not going to be that.
The last thing sixteen-year-old Maisie Martin thought she’d be doing this summer is entering a beauty pageant. Not when she’s spent most of her life hiding her body from everyone. Not when her Dad is AWOL for Christmas and her gorgeous older sister has returned to rock Maisie’s shaky confidence. And her best friend starts going out with the boy she’s always loved.
But Maisie’s got something to prove. As she writes down all the ways this summer is going from bad to worse in her school-assignment journal, what starts as a homework torture-device might just end up being an account of how Maisie didn’t let anything, or anyone, hold her back…
Recommended for ages 13-18.
Web is nine parts flesh, one part sulphur. And she's on a mission to save Aurora. But Aurora, the incredible shrinking girl, is already Death's best friend, and slips through Web's fingers like water. It's a bizarre love triangle, where there really are monsters under the bed. And not only can imaginary things hurt you, they can kill you.
Volatile, original and blackly funny - Killing Aurora asks the question: does violence ever get you anywhere? The answer: well, sometimes ...
Recommended for ages 15-18.
Katherine was severely burnt in an accident when she was two years old. Now 17, she lives with her mother and 22-year-old sister. Their father left the family when they were very young. This is a moving and well-written tale of emotional and physical damage and Katherine's need to overcome her fears.
Recommended for ages 14-18.
Kate, a quiet boarder, making some risky choices to pursue the experimental music she loves.
Clem, shrugging off her old swim-team persona, exploring her first sexual relationship, and trying to keep her annoying twin, Iris, at arm's length.
Ady, grappling with a chaotic family, and wondering who her real friends are; she's not the confident A-lister she appears to be.
When St Hilda's establishes a Year 10 Wellness Program in response to the era of cyber-bullying, the three girls are thrown together and an unlikely friendship is sparked. One thing they have in common: each is targeted by PSST, a site devoted to gossip and slander that must have a source within St Hilda's.
Who can you trust when rumour is the new truth?
Recommended for ages 13-18.
Welcome to my world. I'm Amal Abdel-Hakim, a seventeen year-old Australian-Palestinian-Muslim still trying to come to grips with my various identity hyphens. It's hard enough being cool as a teenager when being one issue behind in the latest Cosmo is enough to disqualify you from the in-group.
Try wearing a veil on your head and practising the bum's up position at lunchtime and you know you're in for a tough time at school. Luckily my friends support me, although they've got a few troubles of their own. Simone is blonde and gorgeous but has serious image issues and Leila's really intelligent but her parents are more interested in her getting a marriage certificate that her high school certificate! And I thought I had problems...
Recommended for ages 13-18.
Tara Moss has worn many labels in her time, including 'author', 'model', 'gold-digger', 'commentator', 'inspiration', 'dumb blonde', 'feminist' and 'mother', among many others.
Now, in her first work of non-fiction, she blends memoir and social analysis to examine the common fictions about women. She traces key moments in her life - from small-town tomboy in Canada, to international fashion model in the 90s, to bestselling author taking a polygraph test in 2002 to prove she writes her own work - and weaves her own experiences into a broader look at everyday sexism and issues surrounding the under-representation of women, modern motherhood, body image and the portrayal of women in politics, entertainment, advertising and the media.
Deeply personal and revealing, this is more than just Tara Moss's own story. At once insightful, challenging and entertaining, she asks how we can change the old fictions, one woman at a time.
Recommended for ages 14-18.
Young women’s bodies are relentlessly scrutinised and judged, so for most, the appearance of facial hair is a traumatic experience – unnatural, unfeminine, unwanted. But what happens when a female-assigned person decides to embrace their facial hair? In How to Be Between, Bastian Fox Phelan explores how something as seemingly trivial as facial hair can act as a catalyst for a never-ending series of questions about the self. What happens when we accept our bodies as they are? What freedoms are gained by deciding to pursue an authentic sense of self, and what are the costs? As Bastian navigates adolescence and young adulthood, they meet many people who ask, ‘Who, or what, are you?’
Recommended for ages 14-18.
This Necessary Conversations series was created by Carly Watson.
Carly is a writer, researcher, and has a Bachelor of Arts and Social Science from the University of Queensland (Extended Literature and Development). Under the supervision of Dr Catriona Mills, she has been exploring the conversations we have around homelessness, its various forms, and how to communicate this topic to young readers.
Homelessness is rising around the world, with Australia being no exception (Parsell). On the night of the 2021 Census over 122,000 people in Australia were experiencing homelessness (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare). Homelessness is a complicated issue due to the diversity of both the people who experience it and what those experiences look like, but it is not one that is without solutions. Researcher Skye Constantine (researcher with the School of Social Science and a PhD candidate for the ARC Centre of Excellence for Children and Families over the Life Course at The University of Queensland) explains that
homelessness is possible because of the decisions made to not make it impossible.
Between the pandemic and the positioning of housing as a commodity rather than a human right, homelessness is an important topic that 'speaks to the way we function as a society'.
The texts in this Necessary Conversation explore the various forms that homelessness can take, but also our conceptualisation of home. Moving beyond home as a physical place, as a structure that shelters, within these texts home becomes about sense of belonging and feelings of safety, connection, and hope. 'Creativity, resilience, and agency' form the foundation of 'home making without a home', so it is no surprise that the characters in these texts turn to creative outlets to not only share their experiences but also for survival.
Listening to and engaging with stories about homelessness is a vital part of this conversation. Some of these texts have been written by people who have experienced homelessness themselves, while others are based on the true experiences of others. This list is by no means exhaustive or conclusive in its expression of homelessness, but hopefully this resource will provide a starting point for conversations around homelessness.
Some of these texts are harder to find but they have been included in this curation because they cover a variety of lived experiences that are so important to the conversation around homelessness. They have been marked accordingly.
If you or someone you know is struggling with any manifestation of homelessness, AskIzzy can help you find support that suits your needs. For tailored support visit: https://askizzy.org.au/
Works Cited
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. Homelessness and homelessness services. Australian Government, 2023, https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/australias-welfare/homelessness-and-homelessness-services.
Constantine, Skye. Personal interview. 23 October 2023.
Parsell, Cameron. 'Growing Wealth, Increasing Homelessness, and More Opportunities to Exercise Our Care to the Homeless.' European Journal of Homelessness, vol. 13, no. 2, 2019, pp. 13-26.
Carly's Top Title
This picture book highlights the things that children see that adults do not. Unlike everyone around them, the young protagonist notices Pete, a homeless man on the street, and wants to engage with him. This book explores the sense of community that can exist when people help each other. This book is perfect for introducing the topic of homelessness with young children and exploring how you can help someone who doesn’t have a home.
This story explores how children interact with homelessness through the eyes of a young child.
Age recommendation: 3-8 y/o
A story that champions the need for belonging and finding our own perfect place, Ted is a great introduction into the concept of home as a construct; somewhere we feel safe and acknowledged. Ted, who has been ignored at the pet shop for too long, decides to take matters into his own hands and goes off in search of his perfect home. This picture book teaches the importance of a home filled with care and acceptance.
This story explores homelessness and the desire to belong through the eyes of a dog named Ted.
Age recommendation: 3-6 y/o
Mutt Dog explores the experience of homelessness, sleeping on the streets and staying at a half way house, from the perspective of a stray dog. Mutt the Dog belongs to no one, but he longs for a place to belong. This story explores the feeling of homelessness; the exhaustion, hunger, and loneliness that comes with life on the streets; and the importance of finding a place to belong.
This story explores homelessness and sleeping rough through the perspective of Mutt Dog.
Age recommendation: 3-6 y/o
This picture book explores our sensory connections to home and how we adapt to change when we have fond memories of a previous home. Luna, a homeless cat, has washed up on a strange shore after leaving a dangerous home. But she soon finds unexpected friends, safety, and a new home. This story is perfect for discussions around precarious housing, displacement, or moving and can inspire conversations around how we adapt to change.
This story explores homelessness, displacement, and how we adapt to change through the perspective of Luna the cat.
Age recommendation: 5-10 y/o
A slightly different conceptualisation of homelessness, Amira's Magpie tells the story of a young girl who has had to flee her home. Amira is currently living in a compound where she has befriended a magpie. She imagines that the magpie is flying back and forth between her and her old home where her beloved grandfather still lives, bringing news and a sense of connection.
This story explores the displacement and sense of homelessness that comes with the experience of seeking asylum in a far away country through the eyes of Amira, a young girl who misses her home and her grandfather.
Age recommendation: 5-12 y/o
A dystopian black and white visual masterpiece that explores the greed and wealth disparity between the 'faceless few' of Block City and Ruben, a young boy who survives on his own. Ruben meets Koji, a young girl like him. They share what little they have and reveal their own maps of the city and their homes within it. This story highlights the way we each interpret place and create safety in a world that feels vast and hostile.
This story explores homelessness, greed, and oppression through the perspective of Ruben and Koji, two homeless children.
Age recommendation: 8-12 y/o
This picture book explores feelings of loss and displacement in accessible language for young children. Hello Twigs, How Are You Feeling? examines the feelings of Stump who is suddenly homeless. Stump tries to return to the tree, but his twiggy friends have a different idea to help their friend.
This story explores the feelings associated with homelessness from the perspective of a stump.
Age recommendation: 3-6 y/o
This is a touching story of a homeless pup taken in by a family and his subsequent adventures. This picture book is based on a true story of a dingo-dog hybrid named Hooch who established his reputation as a 'cheeky dog' and is set in an Indigenous Community.
This story explores homelessness through a puppy who is adopted.
Age recommendation: 3-6 y/o
Note: hard to find.
A black and white picture book that centres on Granny O'Grady who lives with her grey tabby cat, Albert, in a tiny terrace. The council tell Granny O'Grady she has to leave her inner city home because they want to bulldoze her house for a carpark. But Granny O'Grady refuses to leave without a fight. Granny Stayput is based on a true story of a woman who refused to budge from her house when a carpark was planned.
This story explores the impacts of gentrification and the housing precarity of older women through Granny O'Grady.
Age recommendation: 5-10 y/o
Note: hard to find.
This picture book paints a portrait of an urban homeless community. Space Travellers features a mother and son who have been socially displaced. Mandy and Zac sleep at night in a rocket-shaped sculpture in the city park. The reality of their daily lives is is placed in contrast to Zac's daydreams as he imagines that this structure is a real space ship and that he and his mum are space travellers.
This story explores homelessness, sleeping rough, and the stories we create to keep us going from the perspective of Zac, a young homeless boy with an active imagination.
Age recommendation: 3-8 y/o
Note: hard to find.
Carly's Top Title
'It takes me a few beats to realise that homelessness comes in lots of shades'.
As Queenie and her mum navigate precarious housing during COVID, moving between seven different forms of home, Queenie learns that homelessness is a broad spectrum of living conditions and is caused by multiple factors that are often outside the control of the individual. Throughout this novel, Queenie starts to build her understanding and literacy surrounding homelessness. She also utilises song writing as a means to process her emotions surrounding her experiences of losing her home.
This novel explores precarious housing and homelessness literacy during a post-COVID era from the first person perspective of Queenie, a twelve-year-old girl in Brisbane.
Age recommendation: 8-12 y/o
A Cardboard Palace explores the homeless camps in Paris and the exploitation of young children as thieves. Jorge is proud of the ‘cardboard palace’ he has created for himself in the shanty town he calls home. With his shanty town due to be bulldozed and the growing pressure of making more money, Jorge struggles to navigate life on the streets. Webster’s novel explores the cycles of poverty, child trafficking, abuse and the power of kindness as Jorge tries to save his home and his friends.
This novel explores sleeping rough, child trafficking, and stealing through the first person perspective of Jorge, an eleven-year-old boy in Paris.
Age recommendation: 8-14 y/o
'Ludo helps other people. It's how he was brought up. When Dad is elected to Federal Parliament, Ludo grabs the chance to make Australia an even better place. But he soon discovers it's not the homeless of the national capital who most need his help - it's the rich and powerful.' (Publisher's blurb)
This story explores activism and politics around homelessness from the perspective of Ludo, a young boy.
Age recommendation: 8-12 y/o
Jackie French’s Somewhere Around the Corner opens a portal to another time, exploring the connections between homelessness in 1994 Sydney and The Great Depression. For young Barbara, who has escaped the foster system and is newly homeless, the shift in time teaches her that home is about safety, support, and connection - not material belongings. Barbara’s trip to the past teaches her that she belongs in her time, not the past, and the power of chosen family.
This novel explores foster care, homelessness, and chosen family through the third person view of Barbara, a young girl from Sydney.
Age recommendation: 8-14 y/o
Daisy All Alone is the perfect introduction to precarious housing and the way this can affect children. Set in Australia during the Depression, this novel is aimed at younger readers and explores Daisy’s journey through various housing situations.
This novel explores precarious housing and orphanages through the third-person perspective of Daisy, a young girl in Sydney.
Age recommendation: 6-9 y/o
'Fifteen-year-old Peter Sinclair's father is a paranoid schizophrenic, afraid of helicopters, police, and life itself. When Peter's mother leaves home one day and doesn't return, Pete and his father soon find themselves living hand-to-mouth, estranged from family, and teetering on the brink of homelessness. Based on a real experience, this is a haunting and ultimately redemptive story of illness, love, and a boy's indomitable spirit to survive.
Pete's dad is being pursued by a secret organisation and both their lives are in danger. That's why they never stay in the same place long, and always stay out of sight. Pete knows he leads an unusual life for a twelve year old boy, but he's never dared to ask questions before. Now he needs some answers. He's clever, he starts to piece the scraps of information together, but he isn't prepared for the truth.' (Publisher's blurb)
This novel explores precarious housing, relationship breakdown, and mental illness.
Age recommendation: 9-11 y/o
Barnfield, a foster home that oversees homeless children, is to be torn down to make room for a freeway. Four children, the last residents and hence the 'left overs' set out to find a place where they can be together by writing an advertisement for a real home with a proper family.
This novel explores foster care, gentrification, and the consequences of pushing people to the outskirts of society.
Age recommendation: 9-11 y/o
Note: hard to find.
Carly's Top Title
'Tiny is an eighteen-year-old girl living on the streets in Sydney, running from her small-town past. She finds short-term accommodation at Hope Lane – a shelter for the homeless – where she meets Nola, a high school student on volunteer placement. Both girls share their love of words through the Hope Lane writing group. Can they share their secrets, too?' (Publisher's blurb)
This novel explores teenage homelessness, sleeping rough, homeless shelters, drug addiction, and teenage pregnancy through the alternating third person perspective of two teenagers, Tiny and Nola, with vastly different lived experiences in Sydney.
Age recommendation: 14+
'Sam is only fifteen but he and his autistic older brother, Avery, have been abandoned by every relative he’s ever known. Now Sam’s trying to build a new life for them. He survives by breaking into empty houses when their owners are away, until one day he’s caught out when a family returns home. To his amazement this large, chaotic family takes him under their wing – each teenager assuming Sam is a friend of another sibling. Sam finds himself inextricably caught up in their life, and falling for the beautiful Moxie. But Sam has a secret, and his past is about to catch up with him.' (Publisher's blurb)
This novel explores teenage homelessness, precarious housing, breaking and entering, and estranged family relationships through the third-person perspective of Sam, a teenager in Sydney.
Age recommendation: 14+
Written as an interview between our protagonist and an author who is helping her tell her story, this dialogic novel explores the link between abuse and homelessness and is based on a true story.
'The shadow girl never imagined she'd live on the streets. After her parents disappear, life with her aunt and uncle takes a sinister turn. Terrified that the authorities will believe her uncle over her, she flees. She tricks her way into a new school and pretends to have a loving family. No one knows she sleeps in rail yards, sand dunes and abandoned houses. At school she meets the author she will call on years later. Together they piece together the story of how she survived, who helped her, and the friend she wishes she could have saved.' (Publisher's blurb)
This novel explores teenage homelessness, sleeping rough, and escaping abuse through the perspective of the shadow girl and the author who is helping her tell her story.
Age recommendation: 13-18 y/o
'Weary of his life with his alcoholic, abusive father, sixteen-year-old Billy packs a few belongings and hits the road, hoping for something better than what he left behind. He finds a home in an abandoned freight train outside a small town, where he falls in love with rich, restless Caitlin and befriends a fellow train resident, "Old Bill," who slowly reveals a tragic past. When Billy is given a gift that changes everything, he learns not only to how forge his own path in life, but the real meaning of family.’ (Publisher's blurb - Simon & Schuster ed.)
Written in free verse, this book explores escaping abuse and sleeping rough through the interchanging first-person perspectives of Billy, a sixteen-year-old who is newly homeless, Caitlin, a teenager from a wealthy family, and Old Bill, an older homeless man.
Age recommendation: 12-17 y/o
'With the intensity of The Handmaid's Tale, the drama of Divergent and the political intrigue of The Darkest Minds series, this is a captivating, fast-paced thriller set in a dystopian world not so different from our own.
Sixteen-year-old Ally is one of 400 homeless young people who have been promised new and better lives in exchange for their votes. The once homeless children and teenagers are now warm and fed. But they are forced to work for the new administration – and their new home is really a prison. When Ally's boyfriend Bon vanishes into thin air, her search for him leads her to discovering that the homeless kids are really lab rats intended for scientific testing. And as Ally delves deeper into her search for Bon, she learns the frightening truth behind his disappearance.' (Publisher's blurb)
This novel explores teenage homelessness and the relationship between government and homelessness through a dystopian lens from the first person perspective of Ally, a sixteen-year-old who is homeless.
Age recommendation: 14+
'All three teens are looking for something…they just aren’t sure what that something is. When the unlikely trio go on a road-trip with only their love of late post-punk guitar legend Rowland S. Howard in common, something happens. They leave on Friday as strangers, but return home Monday forever changed…and maybe even a little in love. But what if the one you’re falling for is in love with another? The trio are about to discover that love is a strange, fluid thing that comes in many shapes and forms…and most importantly, it does not discriminate'. (Publisher's blurb)
This novel explores the impact homelessness has on friendships, connection, and our sense of community.
Age recommendation: 13-18 y/o'Ah, the teenage years. Angst, zits, too tight jeans and sweat. So much sweat. Suffocation from deodorant, bruises from bullies and the sense that one day you're going to be someone who changes the world. Until you end up homeless in a red station wagon, sleeping by your mother's side atop boxes of your belongs. Yes, nothing quite like those fledgling years into adulthood.
In this collection of poetry nobody asked for are hilarious failures, overly sentimental musings, sweaty palms and stuttering debates. Written by a teen, for teens, filled with teenage thoughts. In other words it's probably hot garbage but the kind you enjoy. Like your favourite soap drama. Will it survive the shower? Can it really clean those stains? Was it scented? Sometimes we need a good soap drama in short, written form. Something to remind us we're all human, not a perfect walking super brand advertisement. Fallible, stumbling, not always logical, sacks of hormones with a vertebrae – that's us.' (Publisher's blurb)
This is a book of poetry that explores the intersection between being a teenager and recently homeless with a heady dose of humour and angst.
Age recommendation: 13-18 y/o
Note: hard to find.
This Necessary Conversations series was created by Darby Jones.
Darby is a writer and intern editor currently undertaking a summer research scholarship at the Life Course Centre. Under the supervision of Dr Alice Campbell, he is researching potential interventions for disrupting cycles of domestic and family violence that impact the lives of women and children. To find out more about the Life Course Centre and the important work that they do, visit https://lifecoursecentre.org.au
Research suggests that childhood experiences of domestic and family violence (DFV) tend to compound across the victim’s life course, increasing the risk of revictimisation later in life (Campbell et al. 2022). In fact, individuals who experience DFV during childhood are twice as likely to experience physical assault and three times as likely to experience intimate partner violence and/or sexual violence throughout the course of their lives (Campbell et al. 2022). Because of this, early intervention is crucial in order to attempt to break the cycle.
This Necessary Conversations collection gathers works of fiction that address themes of DFV for children and young adults. Our hope is that it will enable educators to engage in conversations with their students about where to turn if they or anyone they know is unfortunate enough to find themselves eclipsed by the shadow of DFV.
Presumably due to the difficult nature of the subject, there is a much smaller selection of texts available for younger readers (ages five to twelve). We recommend that writers and publishers take this into consideration in their future endeavours, as addressing this gap would ultimately benefit educators, parents, and children alike.
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic or family violence, please contact the following 24-hour services:
DV Assist: (www.dvassist.org.au)
The National Domestic Family and Sexual Violence Counselling Service: 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732)
Women’s Domestic Violence Helpline: 1800 007 339
Work Cited
Campbell, A., Baxter, J., Kuskoff, E., Forder, P., & Loxton, D. (2022). Cumulative Violence and Young Women's Unfreedom. Life Course Centre Working Paper, (2022-09). https://lifecoursecentre.org.au/working-papers/cumulative-violence-and-young-womens-unfreedom/
Darby's top title: This UQP publication sophisticatedly demonstrates how DFV and poverty/homelessness can mutually reinforce one another, thus creating cycles of violence and disadvantage. It is also accompanied by a comprehensive set of teaching resources.
'Isaac is running from his old life when he steps off the bus in a small town. He doesn’t plan on sticking around and has nowhere to stay, but a local café owner's kindness offers him a chance to change his story. Then Isaac meets Sophie and learns he’s not the only one wanting to repaint his life.' (Publisher's blurb)
'Nate’s had it tough. An abusive father. His mother dead. He’s done things he regrets. But he’s never met anyone like Gem. She’s a tiny piece of wonderful and she’ll change everything he knows about himself. Is this the beginning of happiness? Or is there more hardship around the corner?' (Publisher's blurb
'A story of survival, resurgence, and what it means to be bigger than where you come from. With themes of friendship, coming-of-age, family abuse, survival, creativity, courage and diversity, Can the Real JR Stand Up, Please? is a warm-hearted hopeful story about being true to yourself and learning to be brave.' (Publisher's blurb)
'Sixteen-year-old Nate McKee is doing his best to be invisible. He’s worried about a lot of things—how his dad treats Nance and his twin half-brothers; the hydro crop in his bedroom; his reckless friend, Merrick. Nate hangs out at the local youth centre and fills his notebooks with things he can’t say. But when some of his pages are stolen, and his words are graffitied at the centre, Nate realises he has allies. He might be able to make a difference, change his life, and claim his future. Or can he?' (Publisher's blurb)
'Beck hates his life. He hates his violent mother. He hates his home. Most of all, he hates the piano that his mother forces him to play hour after hour, day after day. He will never play as she did before illness ended her career and left her bitter and broken. But Beck is too scared to stand up to his mother, and tell her his true passion, which is composing his own music - because the least suggestion of rebellion on his part ends in violence. When Beck meets August, a girl full of life, energy and laughter, love begins to awaken within him and he glimpses a way to escape his painful existence. But dare he reach for it?' (Publisher's blurb)
'Fifteen-year-old Matthew Cassidy is an up-and-coming rugby star. The talent scouts are circling him, his school team has reached the finals for the first time ever, and he's determined to one day play professionally. Despite everything, Matt really only wants one thing in life—a Dad. However, when Matt receives an anonymous card on his 15th birthday, he tracks down the mysterious writer and discovers his Dad is alive and in jail. Meanwhile, Matt is facing another dilemma: a crush on blue-eyed Kelly Sinclair. The only problem is her boyfriend. Captain of an opposing team and Matt's mortal enemy, he regularly hurts Kelly. Matt tries to rescue her from a cycle of domestic abuse, but this is not as simple as it seems, as he tries to fight his own feelings for Kelly and the violent nature of her boyfriend.' (Publisher's blurb)
'Seventeen-year-old Iliad Piper is named after war and angry at the world. Growing up with a violent father and abused mother, she doesn’t know how to do relationships, family or friends. A love-hate friendship with Max turns into a prank war, and she nearly destroys her first true friendship with misfit Mia. Ily takes off her armour for nobody, until she meets Jared, someone who's as complicated as she is.' (Publisher's blurb)
'Tess is trapped in a desperate situation - her violent partner now threatening not just Tess, but their daughter as well. A chance meeting offers a way out, and a road trip back to the heart of Tess's past, and the family she's left behind. But can she ever trust again?' (Publisher's blurb)
Darby's top title: This book explores a difficult yet all to prevalent family dynamic; namely, one in which a child is subjected to domestic and family violence at the hands of a parent's new partner. Peony witnesses or is subjected to DFV on multiple occasions throughout the book but, with the help of a trusted friend, overcomes the adversity she faces.
'Peony lives with her sister and grandfather on a fruit farm outside the city. In a world where real bees are extinct, the quickest, bravest kids climb the fruit trees and pollinate the flowers by hand. All Peony really wants is to be a bee. Life on the farm is a scrabble, but there is enough to eat and a place to sleep, and there is love. Then Peony's mother arrives to take her away from everything she has ever known, and all Peony's grit and quick thinking might not be enough to keep her safe.' (Publisher's blurb)
'Wen Zhou is the daughter and only child of Chinese immigrants whose move to the lucky country has proven to be not so lucky. Wen and her friend, Henry Xiao - whose mum and dad are also poor immigrants - both dream of escape from their unhappy circumstances, and they form a plan to sit an entrance exam to a selective high school far from home. But when tragedy strikes, it will take all of Wen's resilience and resourcefulness to get herself and Henry through the storm that follows.' (Publisher's blurb)
'When eleven-year-old Ebony meets enigmatic Teena, they instantly become much more than the 'default' friends Ebony has grown used to having. Only when the girls come to trust one another fully do they unlock each other's troubling secrets, enabling their friendship to deepen. Running from the Tiger is a tale of trust, friendship and the power that can be found once we stop running.' (Publisher's blurb)
Darby's top title: Through the use of metaphor, this book conveys the importance of confiding in trusted adults during times of storm and stress. It simultaneously enables educators to address DFV in a sensitive manner and establishes them as trusted individuals who children experiencing DFV can turn to.
'Flick is just like any other youngster. She loves to chase butterflies and jump in autumn leaves. But life at the end of Holyrood Lane is often violent and unpredictable due to the constant storms that plague her home, causing her to cringe with dread and flee whenever they strike. Visually arresting, emotionally incisive, and ultimately uplifting, this beautifully crafted picture book provides a sensitive glimpse into one aspect of domestic violence and how it can affect young lives.' (Publisher's blurb)
'This book aims to help children voice their concerns and their fears, and to express these with an adult or adults they trust such as a family member, teacher, caregiver or the police. Too often children in these environments blame themselves for the violence in their homes and take on the burden of shame and guilt. This book aims to reassure children that family violence is never ever their fault and that there is also hope that things might change.' (Publisher's blurb)
This special-guest Necessary Conversation is curated by The Right Pen Collective.
Three Muslim Australian writers’ friends—Aksen Ilhan, Annie McCann, and Ozge Sevindik Alkan—co-founded The Right Pen Collective, whose mission is to make books by Muslim Australian writers as common as Vegemite.
In the last five years, there has been an exciting growth of books being published by Muslim Australian writers and they've captured some of the best ones for children and young adults in these lists.
Follow The Right Pen Collective across social media to get the news of the latest works of Muslim Australian Writers: https://linktr.ee/therightpencollective
The colours of the tiles below are chosen to harmonise with The Right Pen Collective's logo, visible on the left.
The Rainbow Hijab follows the tale of a young girl who upon losing her favourite hijab uncovers the value it holds. Will things ever be the same without her colourful companion?
Young Charlie is a true-blue young Aussie, and so is his friend Khaled. They spend time together on their scooters, as well as chatting about the things that they share, and the things that make them different. My Muslim Mate, written by exciting new author Amal Abou-Eid, is the story of how, through talking and learning about each other's cultures, friendships can flourish and lives can work together harmoniously.
Tayta’s life changed a lot when she immigrated from Lebanon. She learnt to speak a new language, got a job in a factory and learnt to drive a car. But one thing that never changed, was the food she cooked for her family.
'On Sundays, Tayta prepares a traditional breakfast for her family. As she cooks and prepares the food, the things she sees, the sounds she hears and the food she eats remind her of her childhood and her old life in Lebanon.
Night Lights recounts the childhood memories of cousins exploring their grandparents’ home deep in the Malaysian countryside. In a time without the glare and distraction of modern technology, they discover the brilliance of nature by moon and candlelight.
Like a turtle, Salih carries his home on his back. He must cross a raging sea in search of a safe home. Salih paints his happiest memories and sends them as messages in bottles.
Will someone find them and understand? Will Salih find a new home?
11-year-old Ali and 8-year-old Asiya are excited to welcome Ramadan this year with beautiful decorations at home. But then something unexpected happens which makes them return their store-bought decorations even before they get to use them. How will they welcome Ramadan now?
A warm, child-centred exploration of family, history and connectedness.
Six-year-old Asiya loves to go to Nanu's house. Best among all of Nanu's treasures is the big old chest filled with quilts that tell the stories of the women in Asyia's family.
A beautifully woven tale about the bonds of love, culture and memory.
Maryam and Sarah are two sisters who love Allah. Together with their mummy and their daddy, whom they love dearly, they will take you on an adventure; one filled with joy and endless laughter!
Discover the beauty of their home country. And uncover the values, beautiful and powerful, as taught by the Most Merciful.
This beautifully illustrated book is a great source of learning for young children exploring all about Islam and being a Muslim. With the use of child friendly language and captivating visuals, your little ones will enjoy learning all about Islam from A to Z. This alphabet book is a great way to engage children from all ages to discover and learn about Islam and Muslims.
Noura Saves the Planet is about a young girl who, while bored on her school holidays, is encouraged by her mum to go on an adventure in search of ways to better shape her world. Noura's understanding of "saving the planet" is challenged by the fact that she knows she can't venture too far from home, so she comes across good deeds that she can do locally.
Hawa and the Birdwatching Adventure is a heartwarming story about friendship and learning sabr, (patience).
Join Hawa and her Lil Muslim friends as they go on an adventure in search of the rare Golden Winged Grosbeak bird. Will Hawa get a chance to spot the bird she’s been praying to see?
Lara Zany is Potts Court Primary School's offcial Friendship Matchmaker. She is certain her Friendship Rules work. She can take the Loneliest Loser (LL) and help them make a best friend. Until Emily Wong shows up and breaks all the Rules. Now Emily has challenged Lara to a competition and Lara's rules are about to be tested...
Layla's mind goes a million miles a minute, so does her mouth – unfortunately her better judgement can take a while to catch up! Although she believes she was justified for doing what she did, a suspension certainly isn't the way she would have wished to begin her time at her fancy new high school. Despite the setback, Layla's determined to show everyone that she does deserve her scholarship and sets her sights on winning a big invention competition. But where to begin?
Melek always finds answers, some are under her super hijab. For others she needs the help of newcomer Tien who draws fantastic worlds as an escape, or the dress-ups-guru Lily, and sometimes even soccer-mad Zac who NEVER agrees with her. Melek solves all problems, even rescuing Zac in the pool. And luckily her fashionista mother designs club colour-coded hijabs for footy fans. When it's the Book Character Parade, Melek can't find a book with a girl character in a hijab. With the help of her school friends, Melek makes one. Then Melek's next challenge is to arrange an Aussie Rules Girls' football match.
It's moving day! The chaos of moving to a new house and adapting to change can be daunting. But how can anyone focus on that when the new house has such a beautiful garden? And this is not just any garden. No. This garden has a secret - the mystery of the oak tree!
Eight year old Ibrahim and friends win a Quran competition, where the prize sees them scoring tickets to watch an exciting football game after their class is paid a visit by Hakeem Mohammed, a star football player from the California Spartans.
Read about the heroes during the Islamic Golden Age who made outstanding contributions to Science, Arts and Education. Learn about inspirational women who never backed down and left their mark in this world. Be inspired by people who were curious about the world until the day they died.
When their parents have to travel to Beirut unexpectedly, twelve-year-old Akeal and his six siblings are horrified to be left behind in Melbourne with the dreaded Aunt Amel as their babysitter. Things do not go well, and Akeal's naughty little sister, Huda, hatches a bold plan to escape. After stealing Aunt Amel's credit card to buy plane tickets to Lebanon, Huda persuades her reluctant favourite brother to come with her. So begins Huda and Akeal's hair-raising and action-packed journey to reunite with their parents half a world away, in a city they've grown up dreaming about but have never seen.
Ayesha and her friends Sara and Jess jump at the chance of accompanying Ayesha's uncle on a trip from Australia to Istanbul. But when Ayesha discovers a mysterious note as a result of visiting an old bookshop, their relaxing holiday starts to get a whole lot more complicated! Ayesha finds herself trying to uncover a hundred-year-old Ibn Arabi mystery, while trying to avoid creepy villains, and still making sure that she gets to eat the best doner kebab Istanbul has to offer. It's all in a day's sleuthing when you're Ayesha Dean. Lucky she can count on her best friends to always have her back!
(Note: This is book one in a series.)
Maryam Musa loves using her devices. A lot! Until one day her dad takes them all away and replaces them with this diary. Phone GONE! iPad GONE! Laptop GONE! Something weird is happening because suddenly EVERYONE from school stops communicating completely! Social media is totally DEAD!!
These summer holidays are full of drama and chaos and life without devices is proving to be more interesting than Maryam or her twin brother David could've ever imagined.
(Note: This is book one in a series.)
Welcome to my world. I'm Amal Abdel-Hakim, a seventeen year-old Australian-Palestinian-Muslim still trying to come to grips with my various identity hyphens. It's hard enough being cool as a teenager when being one issue behind in the latest Cosmo is enough to disqualify you from the in-group. Try wearing a veil on your head and practising the bum's up position at lunchtime and you know you're in for a tough time at school. Luckily my friends support me, although they've got a few troubles of their own. Simone is blonde and gorgeous but has serious image issues and Leila's really intelligent but her parents are more interested in her getting a marriage certificate that her high school certificate! And I thought I had problems ...
When Michael meets Mina, they are at a rally for refugees - standing on opposite sides. Mina fled Afghanistan with her mother via a refugee camp, a leaky boat and a detention centre. Michael's parents have founded a new political party called Aussie Values. They want to stop the boats. Mina wants to stop the hate. When Mina wins a scholarship to Michael's private school, their lives crash together blindingly. A novel for anyone who wants to fight for love, and against injustice.
(Teaching resources available.)
Meet Tariq Nader, leader of ‘The Wolf Pack’ at Punchbowl High, who has been commanded by the new principal to join a football competition with his mates in order to rehabilitate the public image of their school. When the team is formed, Tariq learns there’s a major catch – half of the team is made up of white boys from Cronulla, aka enemy territory – and he must compete with their strongest player for captaincy of the team.
Tara wears hijab even though her parents hate it, and in a swipe right world she’s looking for the ‘will go to the ends of the earth for you’ type of love. Or, she would be, if she hadn’t sworn off boys to focus on getting into med. Besides, what’s wrong with just crushing on the assassins, mages and thieves in the fantasy books she reads?
'When a bomb threat on her first day of university throws her together with totally annoying party king and oh-so-entitled politician’s son Alex, things get complicated. Tara needs to decide if she’s happy reading about heroes, or if she’s ready to step up and be one herself.
Teenage sleuth Ayesha Dean is in Portugal, the land of delicious custard tarts, gorgeous sunsets, and piri-piri chicken. But a bungled good deed abruptly lands her on the wrong side of the law. If she tells all, she risks gaol. If she delves further into a mysterious death, she risks her life. If only this Australian could simply eat her way out of trouble. But no such luck.
This time Ayesha Dean is in WAY over her head!
Fifteen-year-old Sabiha has a lot to deal with: her mother's mental health issues, her interfering aunt, her mother's new boyfriend, her live-in grandfather and his chess buddy, not to mention her arrogant cousin Adnan. They all want to marry her off, have her become a strict Muslim and speak Bosnian. And Sabiha's friends are not always friendly. She gets bullied by girlfriends and is anxious about boyfriends, when she just wants to fit in. But two boys, Brian and Jesse, become the allies of this fierce and funny girl.
A hilarious and heartwarming memoir of growing up and becoming oneself in an Egyptian Muslim family.
Soos’ family is muddy. Their skin is brown – kids say Soos is mud-coloured. Their culture and religion are puzzling to those around them. In their white majority neighbourhood, Soos, Mohamed and Aisha are bullied by racists. Their parents are discriminated against at work.
Soos, the baby of the family – her name means ‘little tooth’ – is working out how to balance her parents’ strict rules with having friendships, crushes and a normal teenage life.
'One minute you're a 15-year old girl who loves Netflix and music and the next minute you're looked at as maybe ISIS.
The generation born at the time of the 9/11 attacks are turning 18. What has our changed world meant for them?
We now have a generation – Muslim and non-Muslim – who have grown up only knowing a world at war on terror. These young people have been socialised in a climate of widespread Islamophobia, surveillance and suspicion. An unparalleled security apparatus around terrorism has grown alongside fears over young people's radicalisation and the introduction into schools and minority communities of various government-led initiatives to counter violent extremism.
Muslim people in Australia come from over seventy countries and represent a wide variety of cultural backgrounds and experiences. Yet we are constantly bombarded by media stories feeding one negative stereotype. What is it really like to grow up Muslim in Australia? In this book, famous and not-so-famous Muslim-Australians tell their stories in their own voices.
(Teaching resources available.)
Living through a pandemic is stressful. Scientists are still assessing the extent to which COVID-19 and the accompanying lockdowns and isolation have affected mental health. (One study, a summary of which was published in The Lancet, estimated an increase of 27.6% in depression [an additional 53.2 million cases] and a 25.6% increase in anxiety disorders [an additional 76.2 million cases] worldwide.) Hypervigilance, excessive busyness, difficulty in regulating emotional reactions: they are all common reactions to the unusual pressure of life in a pandemic.
Although Australia is reaching vaccination targets, re-opening theatres, and shucking masks, the anxiety and depression that has been triggered during two years of pandemic life won't go away immediately. And for children and young adults, who are returning to school after long periods of remote learning or perhaps even for the first time, these can be difficult emotional states to manage even at the best of times.
This Necessary Conversation gathers together books relating to anxiety and depression, not specifically within the COVID-19 pandemic, for pre-school, primary school, and high-school readers.
The colours of the tiles below are chosen from the 'Lowered Anxiety' colour scheme created by SchemeColour user Vanessa (available here).
'Mr. Huff is a story about the clouds and the sunshine in each of our lives.
'Bill is having a bad day. Mr Huff is following him around and making everything seem difficult. Bill tries to get rid of him, but Mr Huff just gets bigger and bigger!
'Then they both stop, and a surprising thing happens . . .'
Teaching resources available.
'Piper wants to try lots of new things, but something always stops her – her monkey! Some monkeys are playful. Some monkeys are fun. Some monkeys are even helpful.
'Not Piper’s monkey. It’s very, VERY naughty! Everyone else can tame their monkeys. So why can’t Piper?
'Monkey Mind is a gentle story for children and adults about the worrying thoughts that cause anxiety.'
'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...'
'If kids with anxiety could see their strengths, they would feel so much bigger than their anxiety. They would feel bigger than everything - as though a tiny, tip-toed stretch could have them touching the top of the world from where they are.
'This book is a reminder for all kids that everything they need to be brave, strong and brilliant is already in them.'
'Loppy the Lac has learned its whole life to look out for danger. Looking out for what can go wrong is all it knows - until Loppy meets Curly Calmster. Curly teaches Loppy that it doesn't have to look out for the everyday worst-case scenarios all the time.'
Teaching resources available.
'Under the Love Umbrella is a celebration of the enduring love that surrounds our children, wherever they are in the world. Inspired by the rhythm of the New York subway's L-train, the gentle rhyming text - accompanied by beautiful, vintage inspired illustrations - draws out the small things that can loom large in a little person's life, from big dogs to lost teeth, and from forgotten hats to friends who won't share.'
Teaching resources available.
'Arthur is a dog with a secret. More than anything in the world he loves to play his violin, but he’s too scared to do it in public because, well, what if he’s bad? What if people laugh? What if he makes a fool of himself?! WHAT IF?
'But the song in his head and the dream in his heart just won’t stay quiet. So, when he’s invited to take part in a jam session, he creates the ultimate disguise – a post box costume! And when it falls apart, Arthur doesn’t.'
Max is looking forward to his first sleepover at Grandpa's house. Snuggled in bed with his Old Ted and his torch, Max is woken by a terrifying noise.
'Follow Max and Old Ted as they hunt around the house, and come face to face with a most surprising monster ...'
'Glitch spends his life searching through mountains of mouldy mess at the dump. He wants to make the fastest billycart ever. This year, he will be competing in the Big Race!
'But will his twitch stop him from winning?'
Teaching resources available.
'Girl on Wire is a simple yet brilliantly uplifting allegory of a young girl struggling to build her self-esteem and overcome the anxiety that many children feel as they grow – she walks the tightrope, afraid she will fall, but with the support of those she loves, her toes grip the wire and she walks forward, on her own, with a new confidence.'
Teaching resources available.
'Juliet's a worrywart, and no wonder! Her little sister, Oaf, follows her around taking notes and singing 'The Irritating Song' all day long. Her parents are always arguing about Dad's junk. Nana's so tired of craft lessons that she starts barbecuing things in the middle of the night. And Juliet's friends, Lindsay and Gemma, are competing to see which of them is Juliet's best friend. Juliet can't fit in any more worries!
'But then she makes a remarkable discovery. Behind the wallpaper in her new bedroom, Juliet uncovers an old painting of a very special tree. Nana remembers it well. It's The Worry Tree, and with the help of a duck called Delia and the other Worry Tree animals, Juliet just might be able to solve some of life's big problems.'
'An ordinary boy in an ordinary world...With no words, only illustrations, Small Things tells the story of a boy who feels alone with his worries, but who learns that help is always close by...A universal story, told simply and with breathtaking beauty, about dealing with sadness, anxiety, depression, heartache or loss, and finding your way in the world.'
'Eleven-year-old Jack suffers terrible headaches as he worries that his grandmother will soon die, his mother's boyfriend will move in—or leave—and especially that the school bully will get revenge for Jack's ill-timed joke at his expense.’
(This is book one of a series of four, all following the main character Jack.)
'Blue was no ordinary girl. For starters, her name was Blue. But what was truly extraordinary about Blue was the fact that she hadn't laughed for 712 days. Not a hee hee, a ho ho or even a tiny tee hee.
'According to Dr Boogaloo, music can cure anything. (Of course, you need the right dose of the right music. No point listening to a jive if you're in need of some boogie-woogie, and you can't just substitute a toot for a blow!) But no laughter was definitely a case for alarm.
'Can Dr Boogaloo compose a cure before Blue loses her laughter forever?'
Teaching resources available.
'Griffin Silk is an uncommon sort of boy, from an uncommon sort of family. The warm, loving home he shares with his father, grandmother and five big sisters (The Rainbow Girls) is marked by the aching absence of his mother and baby sister. Where have they gone and will they be coming home again?'
'Twelve-year-old Sarah makes lists. It helps her remain in control when her life is on hold. But what sort of life does she want when the choice is between eccentric elderly aunts and her sophisticated glamorous stepmother? A wonderful portrayal of families with all their idiosyncrasies.'
'I’ve been making lists ever since I could write. It relaxes me. By writing my worries down, I feel as if I’m removing them from my mind and leaving them on the paper. My secret worry list is the big boss of lists. Right now, there are 23 worries on it.
'New school. New town. 23 worries. Can Michaela Mason handle it?'
This is followed by Michaela Mason's Big List of Camp Worries.
'Trailing her orange suitcase, and a heart full of worry, thirteen-year-old Agatha is about to go home. She has been in and out of foster care for years now, but her latest new life lived with naval precision with Katherine, Lawson and their dog, Chief, has proved to be the salvation that Agatha needed. She has new friends, a sense of place, and space to breathe.
'But when the social worker says it's time to return to her parents, her world comes crashing down. Home has always made her anxious and ashamed and she can't understand why now she is being forced to go back. Is it possible to find a way to love her parents without having to live with them?'
'Welcome to Moopertown! In Moopertown, everyone is special – in their own special way!
'This fun, funny and affirming series will entertain children of all ages. In each book we are introduced to a new Mooper – Musical Markus, Nervous Nellie, Dramatic Dom and Giggling Gertie. At first they seem to have a really silly trait – Markus loves to sing…all the time, Nellie is always nervous, Dom is overly dramatic and Gertie just can’t stop giggling – but it’s these very traits that eventually transform these Moopers to superhero status!'
'Growing up by the beach in Newcastle in 1989 means footy, sandcastle competitions and school. Michael’s dad’s a journalist and his small world gets bigger as he starts to pay attention to the news. His interest turns into anxiety and obsession as Michael begins to see the world as a dangerous place that is fast collapsing around him. When the Berlin Wall comes down, most see it as a sign of change and freedom but Michael isn’t convinced. But when an earthquake hits his home town, Michael discovers that the worst that can happen is not always as bad as your fears.'
'Ever since Esther Solar’s grandfather was cursed by Death, everyone in her family has been doomed to suffer one great fear in their lifetime. Esther’s father is agoraphobic and hasn’t left the basement in six years, her twin brother can’t be in the dark without a light on, and her mother is terrified of bad luck. The Solars are consumed by their fears and, according to the legend of the curse, destined to die from them.
'Esther doesn’t know what her great fear is yet (nor does she want to), a feat achieved by avoiding pretty much everything. Elevators, small spaces and crowds are all off-limits. So are haircuts, spiders, dolls, mirrors and three dozen other phobias she keeps a record of in her semi-definitive list of worst nightmares.'
Teaching resources available.
'I have questions I’ve never asked. Worries I’ve never shared. Thoughts that circle and collide and die screaming because they never make it outside my head. Stuff like that, if you let it go—it’s a survival risk.
'Sixteen-year-old Nate McKee is doing his best to be invisible. He’s worried about a lot of things—how his dad treats Nance and his twin half-brothers; the hydro crop in his bedroom; his reckless friend, Merrick.
'Nate hangs out at the local youth centre and fills his notebooks with things he can’t say. But when some of his pages are stolen, and his words are graffitied at the centre, Nate realises he has allies. He might be able to make a difference, change his life, and claim his future. Or can he?'
'Ben and Grace Walker are twins. Growing up in a sleepy coastal town it was inevitable they'd surf. Always close, they hung out more than most brothers and sisters, surfing together for hours as the sun melted into the sea. At seventeen, Ben is a rising surf star, the golden son and the boy all the girls fall in love with. Beside him, Grace feels like she is a mere reflection of his light. In their last year of school, the world beckons, full of possibility. For Grace, finishing exams and kissing Harley Matthews is just the beginning.
'Then, one day, the unthinkable. The sun sets at noon and suddenly everything that was safe and predictable is lost. And everything unravels.'
'Introducing Rob Fitzgerald: thirteen years old and determined to impress the new girl at school, but it's a difficult task for a super-shy kid who is prone to panic attacks that include vomit, and genuine terror that can last all day. An anonymous texter is sending Rob challenges and they might just help. Or not.
'Beautifully moving and full of heart and humour, A Song Only I Can Hear is a delightful novel about dreaming big, being brave and marching to the beat of your own drum.'
Teaching resources available.
'Grace is questioning everything she thought about herself, and has opted not to join her clique of judgemental friends for schoolies, instead tagging along with her brother Casper and his friends. Casper, an artist, is trying to create the perfect artwork for his uni application folio. Overachieving, anxiety-ridden Noah is reeling from a catastrophe that might have ruined his ATAR result. And Elsie is just trying to figure out how to hold their friendship group together.
'On the first night of the trip, they meet Sierra, a mysterious girl with silver-grey hair and a magnetic personality. All of them are drawn to her for different reasons, and she persuades them to abandon the cliched schoolies experience in favour of camping with her on a remote, uninhabited island. On that island, each of them will find answers to their questions. But what does Sierra want from them?'
'Since Ava lost Kelly, things haven’t been going so well. Even before she gets thrown out of school for shouting at the principal, there’s the simmering rage and all the weird destructive choices. The only thing going right for Ava is her job at Magic Kebab.
'Which is where she meets Gideon. Skinny, shy, anxious Gideon. A mad poet and collector of vinyl records with an aversion to social media. He lives in his head. She lives in her grief. The only people who can help them move on with their lives are each other.'
Teaching resources available.
'On his fifteenth birthday, Monty is at rock bottom. Ignored by his parents, bullied at school, and with a brain that's prone to going walkabout, he's all by himself. Until he meets the black dog for the first time.
'It's just like any other dog, except that only Monty can see it. And it talks. And Monty's not sure whether it's a friend - or a foe. But the black dog gets him talking to pretty, popular Eliza Robertson for the first time. It takes him to places he's never been. And eventually it will take him, and the people around him, to the very edge.
'The Hounded is a book about depression and working out who you really are, from one of Australia's most prolific children's television writers.'
'If Michael Sweet thought his early teens were difficult he's in for a shock now he's eighteen and ready to start uni. The pressures of study making new friends and moving into a co-ed college are only the beginning. When Michael sets out to woo the girl of his dreams he gets more than he bargained for. It makes dealing with his drop-kick father and the antics of his madcap surfer mate Angus seem a breeze. But life is about to dish up some surprises that help Michael meet the challenges head on.'
'Tillie Bassett is sad, and she doesn’t understand why. Her parents and friends suggest very different, allegedly helpful, remedies. But it is the suggestion of her counsellor, Gilbert the Goldfish, that the answer may lie in finding the nature of happiness.
'As Tillie embarks upon her project she discovers that, when it comes to family and friends, nothing is quite as it seems. Secrets are uncovered, old tensions resurface, relationships tangle and untangle, and Tillie realises that everyone struggles balancing sadness and happiness, and living truthfully.'
'When Amy’s mum dies, the last thing she expects is to be kicked off her dad’s music tour all the way to her Aunt Lou in a depressing hole of a seaside town. But it’s okay — Amy learned how to cope with the best, and soon finds a hard-drinking, party-loving crowd to help ease the pain.
'The only solace is her music class, but even there she can’t seem to keep it together, sabotaging her grade and her one chance at a meaningful relationship. It takes a hard truth from her only friend before Amy realises that she has to come to terms with her past, before she destroys her future.'
LGBTQIA+ and queer are umbrella terms for those who identify with sexualities beyond hetero- (attraction for the opposite sex or gender) or gender identities beyond cisgender (gender identity matches their sex assigned at birth). This exhibition focuses on both fiction and non-fiction that explores and/or features those within the LGBTQIA+ community, as well as creators themselves within the community.
The works listed within this exhibition contain expressions of non-heterosexual sexualities and non-cisgender identities, and creators that identify as such. Hence, some subjects often associated with the queer community have been excluded, such as drag queens and gender roles. We encourage you to search the database for other works on the topics of gender and sexuality.
You may also be interested in exploring AustLit’s Diversity in Australian Speculative Fiction: Sexual or Gender Diversity.
This exhibition was written and researched by Masters of Information Studies student Rebecca Lilley. Rebecca is passionate about diversity within literature and the publication of diverse authors. She runs the website bec&books which discusses these topics and reviews literature with diverse representation.
Gus LOVES wrestling. There's only one thing he loves more than wrestling and that's Mardi Gras when he and his sister get to dress up and parade through the streets with their mums while everyone claps. So when his mums ban him from wrestling because it's too violent, he ingeniously works out a way to combine his two loves and win over his mums again.
A funny book about growing up in a family with two mums inspired by Gus Skattebol-James' story in the award-winning documentary, Gayby Baby. Teaching resources available.
Charlotte Mars & Maya Newell worked together to produce the queer documentary film, Gayby Baby. Maya grew up with two mums.
Phoebe wants to know why her Mummy and Mumma aren’t married. She’s mighty confused when Mumma tells her that the Prime Minister won’t let them – but she’s not going to let that stop her. Phoebe gets busy organising a surprise wedding and everyone is invited, even the PM! But will he make it to the party on time?
Authors and same-sex partners Natalie Winter and Roz Hopkins were inspired to create this book for their young daughter, as well addressing a gap within Australian youth literature.
‘Elvi, which one is your mum?’
‘They’re both my mums.’
‘But which one’s your real mum?’
When Nicholas wants to know which of Elvi’s two mums is her real mum, she gives him lots of clues. Her real mum is a circus performer, and a pirate, and she even teaches spiders the art of web. But Nicholas still can’t work it out! Luckily, Elvi knows just how to explain it to her friend.
Shortlisted for CBCA in 2021 Book of the Year Awards - Notable Book in 2021
Longlisted for International Awards - World Illustration Awards in 2020
Bernadette Green wrote Who’s Your Real Mum? after being asked the same question by her children, about their same-sex parents.
The Gender Fairy is a simple story about two children who find relief in finally being heard. It is a tale of two children who are taking their first joyful steps toward living as their true selves. It is an educational resource for all children and adults to understand what it might feel like to be a transgender child.
One sunny day, Errol finds that Thomas the Teddy is sad, and Errol can't figure out why. Then Thomas the Teddy finally tells Errol what Teddy has been afraid to say: 'In my heart, I've always known that I'm a girl Teddy, not a boy Teddy. I wish my name was Tilly.' And Errol says, 'I don't care if you're a girl teddy or a boy teddy! What matters is that you are my friend.'
A sweet and gentle story about being true to yourself and being a good friend, Introducing Teddy can also help children understand gender identity.
Nominated for the Kate Greenaway Medal in 2017
Who’s in your family? Frizzle and Me is the gently humorous story of a growing rainbow family. It’s a big deal when your family changes, but with plenty of love to go around, even the biggest changes can be wonderful! Teaching resources available.
My family doesn’t look like your family. We are unique in our own way. We can share our differences and count the ways we are the same. My family doesn’t look like your family is an Australian children’s book celebrating diverse families.
Written by Tenielle Stoltenkamp and illustrated by Go Suga, the book was created to reflect the different shapes and forms of families in our community.
This fun, inclusive board book celebrates the one thing that makes every family a family… LOVE. In its beautiful pages, many different families are shown enjoying happy, everyday activities. Whether a child has two moms, two dads, one parent, or one of each, this simple preschool read-aloud demonstrates that what’s most important in each family’s life is the love the family members share.
Longlisted for Australian Book Industry Awards (ABIA) - Children’s Picture Book of the Year in 2019
Growing up sounds terrible. No one has time to do anything fun, or play outside, or use their imagination. Everything is suddenly so serious. People are more interested in their looks and what others think about them than having fun adventures. Who wants that? Not Lora.
After watching her circle of friends seemingly fade away, Lora is determined to still have fun on her own. A tea party with a twist leaves Lora to re-discovering Alexa, the ghost that haunts her house — and Lora’s old imaginary friend! Lora and Alexa are thrilled to meet kindred spirits and they become best friends. But unfortunately not everything can last forever.
Winter's Tale is an illustrated book about a child called Winter, who has never had a proper home. A child who is looking for parents and a family, and a sense of belonging. A child who sees magic in graffiti and a blue hare in the moon. Who meets a girl with a skateboard and learns to fly; who finds a home, with the most curious of families. Winter's Tale is a story about finding your true self and your true home; about family and belonging; about art, magic and freedom.
Winner of Norma K. Hemming Award - Short Form in 2020
When a fierce quake strikes the remote island of Bluehaven, and her father disappears, Jane Doe is thrown headfirst into an epic quest to bring him home. Her father is lost in a place between worlds; a dangerous labyrinth of shifting rooms, infernal booby traps and secret gateways. With a pyromaniac named Violet and a trickster named Hickory by her side, lesbian heroine Jane is about to discover that this adventure is even bigger on the inside than it looks. Teaching resources available.
Winner of Australian Book Industry Awards (ABIA) - Australian Book of the Year for Older Children in 2019
Longlisted for Indie Awards - Children’s in 2019
Openly gay author, Jeremy Lachlan, wanted to show that queer kids exist and normalise the LGBTQIA+ experience beyond the ever-important coming-out stories. The Jane Doe sequel was also shortlisted for an ABIA award in 2021.
It's Hannah Bradford's first year of high school. As a 12-year-old transgender girl, Hannah has to navigate the challenges that come with starting a new school, and find the courage to live as her most authentic self.
Nominated for the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Awards - Best Children’s Television Series in 2020
Zoom class finally gets interesting for 13-year-old Kiki when she discovers that her computer screen doubles as a portal into her crush's bedroom. A reflection on young queer love, the fantasies we create in our heads, and the lengths we go to to feel connected during isolation, this 6-minute kids' comedy short is sure to put a smile on your face.
Seventeen-year-old Jackson is living with his family on the Mish (former Aboriginal mission), hanging out with his mates, having problems with his girlfriend, teasing the tourists, and avoiding the racist boys in town. Jackson’s Aunty and cousins are visiting from the city for the summer holidays again. And this time Tomas, a mysterious boy, has come with them. While his mum and Aunty try to finish artwork, Jackson and Tomas grow close. As their friendship evolves, Jackson struggles with the changing shape of their relationship, self-acceptance and identity, and whether he’ll still be accepted by friends, family, and his Aboriginal community.
Shortlisted for The Readings Young Adult Book Prize in 2021
Gary J. Lonesborough has discussed how he drew from his own coming-of-age story, as an Indigenous teenager discovering his own sexual identity, when developing The Boy From the Mish. The book has been celebrated as an Own Voices story.
What does it mean to be queer? What does it mean to be human? In this powerful #LoveOzYA collection, twelve of Australia’s finest writers from the LGBTQIA+ community explore the stories of family, friends, lovers and strangers – the connections that form us. This inclusive and intersectional #OwnVoices anthology for teen readers features work from writers of diverse genders, sexualities and identities, including writers who identify as First Nations, people of colour or disabled. Teaching resources available
Longlisted for Australian Book Industry Awards (ABIA) - Australian Book of the Year for Older Children in 2020
Shortlisted for Aurealis Awards for Excellence in Australian Speculative Fiction - Anthology Division in 2019
This anthology features many authors who openly express non-heterosexual identities and are recognised for their publications exploring sexual identity.
Peta Lyre is far from typical. The world she lives in isn't designed for the way her mind works, but when she follows her therapist's rules for 'normal' behaviour, she can almost fit in without attracting attention. When a new girl, Sam, starts at school, Peta's carefully structured routines start to crack. But on the school ski trip, with romance blooming and a newfound confidence, she starts to wonder if maybe she can have a normal life after all. When things fall apart, Peta must decide whether all the old rules still matter. Does she want a life less ordinary, or should she keep her rating normal? A moving and joyful Own Voices debut. Teaching resources available.
Shortlisted in CBCA Book of the Year Awards - Book of the Year: Older Readers in 2021
CBCA Book of the Year Awards - Notable Book - Book of the Year: Older Readers in 2021
Anna Whateley is an openly queer author who proudly writes Own Voices fiction.
A bisexual girl who gives anonymous love advice to her school friends is hired by the hot new kid to help him get his ex back. Her advice, spot on. Her love life, way off. When Brougham catches Darcy in the act of collecting letters from locker 89 - out of which she's been running her questionably legal, anonymous relationship advice service - that's exactly what happens.
In exchange for keeping her secret, Darcy begrudgingly agrees to become his personal dating coach. The goal? To help him win his ex-girlfriend back.
Harriet Price has the perfect life: she’s a prefect at Rosemead Grammar, she lives in a mansion, and her gorgeous girlfriend is a future prime minister. So when she decides to risk it all by helping bad-girl Will Everhart expose the school’s many ongoing issues, Harriet tells herself it’s because she too is seeking justice. And definitely not because she finds Will oddly fascinating. As tensions burn throughout the school, how far will they go to keep Amelia Westlake – and their feelings for each other – a secret? Teacher resources available.
Shortlisted for the Australian Book Industry Awads (ABIA) - Australian Book of the Year for Older Children in 2019
Shortlisted for the Inky Awards - Gold Inky in 2019
Winner of NSW Premier’s Literary Awards - Ethel Turner Prize for Young People’s Literature in 2019
Henry is neurotic and insecure: academically gifted, but directionless. School captain, but largely unpopular, he navigates the social mires of the private school scene with difficulty and hilarity by hiding behind his enigmatic best friend, Lennon Cane. A photographer and football star, Lennon lives with his father. He is brilliant at most things, but highly emotionally guarded. After it becomes apparent that Len has always had feelings for Henry, the two fall in love, with both beautiful and disastrous consequences.
Dealing with key themes of friendship, LGBTQI+ rights, first love, and belonging, this is a coming-of-age, coming out story with a twist.
A gripping, dark enemies-to-lovers LGBTQ+ YA fantasy about two girls who must choose between saving themselves, each other, or their sinking island home.
With the tide rising higher than ever before and the islanders whispering that Eva's magic is failing, she's willing to sacrifice anyone if it means saving herself and her city. When Thomas is chosen as sacrifice, Lina takes his place and the two girls are forced to spend time together as they wait for the full moon. But Lina is not at all what Eva expected, and the queen is nothing like Lina envisioned. Against their will, the two girls find themselves falling for each other. They must choose who to save: themselves, each other, or the island city relying on them both.
Invisible Boys is a raw, confronting YA novel, tackling homosexuality, masculinity, anger and suicide with a nuanced and unique perspective. Set in regional Western Australia, the novel follows three sixteen-year-old boys in the throes of coming to terms with their homosexuality in a town where it is invisible – and so are they. Invisible Boys depicts the complexities and trauma of rural gay identity with painful honesty, devastating consequence and, ultimately, hope. Teaching resources available.
Shortlisted for the Readings Young Adult Book Prize in 2020
CBCA Book of the Year Awards - Notable Book in 2020
Winner of the Western Australian Premier’s Book Awards - Premier’s Prize for an Emerging Writer in 2019
Ever since the witch cursed Babs, she turns invisible sometimes. She has her mum and her dog, but teachers and classmates barely notice her. Then, one day, Iris can see her. The two of them have a lot in common: they speak to dryads and faeries, and they’re connected to the magic that’s all around them. There’s a new boy at school, a boy who’s like them and who hasn’t yet found his real name. Soon the three of them are hanging out and trying spellwork together.
Anyone who loves the work of Francesca Lia Block and delights in Studio Ghibli films will be entranced by this gorgeous and gentle young adult novel about three queer friends who come into their power
What do you do when everybody says you're someone you're not? Alex wants change. Massive change. More radical than you could imagine. Her mother is not happy, in fact she's imploding. Her dad walked out. Alex has turned vegetarian, ditched one school, enrolled in another, thrown out her clothes. And created a new identity. An identity that changes her world. And Alex—the other Alex—has a lot to say about it.
Alex As Well is a confronting and heartfelt story of adolescent experience—of questioning identity, discovering sexuality, navigating friendships and finding a place to belong. Alex is a strong, vulnerable, confident, shy and determined character, one you will never forget. Teaching resources available.
Winner of Western Australian Premier’s Book Awards - Young Adults in 2014
Shortlisted for Adelaide Festival Awards for Literature - Young Adults Fiction in 2014
In this award-winning work of fiction, Ellen van Neerven takes her readers on a journey that is mythical, mystical and still achingly real. Over three parts, she takes traditional storytelling and gives it a unique, contemporary twist. In ‘Heat’, we meet several generations of the Kresinger family and the legacy left by the mysterious Pearl. In ‘Water’, a futuristic world is imagined and the fate of a people threatened. In ‘Light’, familial ties are challenged and characters are caught between a desire for freedom and a sense of belonging.
Writer and editor, Ellen van Neerven is a descendant of the Mununjali (Yugambeh) people from Beaudesert; their father was Dutch. Neerven uses they/them pronouns and identifies as non-binary. They have created numerous works exploring sexuality and gender identity, including short stories in both Kindred : 12 Queer #LoveOzYA Stories and Meet Me at the Intersection anthologies.
Who will you rely on in the zombie apocalypse? Bodies on the TV, explosions, barriers, and people fleeing. No access to social media. And a dad who'll suddenly bite your head off - literally. These teens have to learn a new resilience. Members of a band wield weapons instead of instruments. A pair of siblings find there's only so much you can joke about, when the menace is this strong. And a couple find depth among the chaos. Highway Bodies is a unique zombie apocalypse story featuring a range of queer and gender non-conforming teens who have lost their families and friends and can only rely upon each other.
Alison Evans is an award-winning author of queer young adult fiction. Evans uses they/them pronouns. They have received numerous accolades and awards for their publications, including winning the 2018 Victorian Premier’s Literary Awards - Prize for Young Adult Fiction for their novel Ida and being shortlisted for The Readings Young Adult Book Prize in 2019 for Highway Bodies.
Seventeen-year-old Bex is thrilled when she gets an internship on her favorite tv show, Silver Falls. Unfortunately, the internship isn't quite what she expected... instead of sitting in a crowded writer's room volleying ideas back and forth, Production Interns are stuck picking up the coffee. Determined to prove her worth as a writer, Bex drafts her own script and shares it with the head writer—who promptly reworks it and passes it off as his own! Bex is understandably furious, yet...maybe this is just how the industry works? But when they rewrite her proudly lesbian character as straight, that's the last straw! It's time for Bex and her crush to fight back.
Jen Wilde is a best-selling queer & disabled young adult author. Wilde’s books are often widely praised for their inclusivity and wide range of LGBTQIA+ protagonist, alongside other diversity such as mental health and disability. Wilde uses she/they pronouns.
Nicholas, the illegitimate son of a retired fencing champion, is a scrappy fencing wunderkind, and dreams of getting the chance and the training to actually compete. After getting accepted to the prodigious Kings Row private school, Nicholas is thrust into a cut-throat world, and finds himself facing not only his golden-boy half-brother, but the unbeatable, mysterious Seiji Katayama.
Melbourne-based writer C. S. Pacat identifies as queer and genderqueer and uses she/her or he/him pronouns. Pacat has received a number of accolades for her publications, which largely center around queer characters. Most recently Fence : Volume Three was shortlisted in the 2020 Ledger Awards.
A family favour their son over their daughter. Shan attends university before making his fortune in Australia while Yannie must find menial employment and care for her ageing parents. After her mother’s death, Yannie travels to Sydney to become enmeshed in her psychopathic brother’s new life, which she seeks to undermine from within. This is a novel that rages against capitalism, hetero-supremacy, mothers, fathers, families – the whole damn thing. It’s about what happens when you want to make art but are born in the wrong time and place. It will not be easily forgotten.
S. L. Lim has been quoted hating “compulsory heterosexuality” and identifies as a female-presenting queer. Lim became the first non-binary author nominated for the Stella Prize in 2021, after a decision in 2019 change the rules opening the award to non-binary authors. Lim uses they/she/he pronouns.
This brilliant collection of short fiction explores the shifting spaces of desire, loss and longing. Though it ranges across themes and locations – from small-town Australia to Hokkaido to rural England. Whether recounting the confusion of a child trying to decipher their father and stepmother’s new relationship, the surrealness of an after-hours tour of Auschwitz, or a journey to wintry Japan to reconnect with a former lover, Permafrost unsettles, transports and impresses in equal measure.
S.J. Norman is a proud Indigenous Australian of both Wiradjuri and European heritage. A cross-disciplinary artist and writer, Norman has received several accolades for their work, including a commendation for the Peter Blazey Fellowship for their piece Blood from a Stone in 2020. Norman identifies as a non-binary transgender person and use they/them pronouns.
Everything Danny has ever done, every sacrifice his family has ever made, has been in pursuit of this dream - but what happens when the talent that makes you special fails you? When the goal that you’ve been pursuing for as long as you can remember ends in humiliation and loss? Twenty years later, Dan is in Scotland, terrified to tell his partner about his past, afraid that revealing what he has done will make him unlovable. Haunted by shame, Dan relives the intervening years he spent in prison, where the optimism of his childhood was completely foreign.
Christos Tsiolkas, the son of Greek migrants, is an openly gay author. Themes of sexuality can be found in many of his publications, including Barracuda and Loaded. Tsoilkas’ latest novel, Damascus, has been present in a large number of literature awards, winning the Victorian Premier’s Literary Awards - Fiction in 2020. Tsiolkas uses the pronouns he/him.
When Saffron Coulter stumbles through a hole in reality, she finds herself trapped in Kena, a magical realm on the brink of civil war. There, her fate becomes intertwined with that of three very different women: Zech, the fast-thinking acolyte of a cunning, powerful exile; Viya, the spoiled, runaway consort of the empire-building ruler, Vex Leoden; and Gwen, an Earth-born worldwalker whose greatest regret is putting Leoden on the throne. Can one girl – an accidental worldwalker – really be the key to saving Kena? Or will she just die trying?
Foz Meadows is a genderqueer fantasy author, essayist and poet. Meadows was a finalist in the 2018 Norma K. Hemming Award - Long Work for An Accident of Stars and was a winner for the 2018 Norma K. Hemming Award - Short Fiction with Coral Bones. She has recently made a book deal for a queer fantasy romance, A Strange and Stubborn Endurance, to be published in 2022. Meadows uses she/her pronouns.
There is nothing more important than love and refuge. Egypt, 1941: Only hours after disembarking in Alexandria, William Marsh, an Australian corporal at twenty-one, is face down in the sand, caught in a stoush with the Italian enemy. He is saved by James Kelly, a childhood friend from Sydney and the last person he expected to see. William is sent to supervise an army depot in the Western Desert, with a private directive to find an AWOL soldier: James Kelly. Soon William and James are thrust headlong into territory more dangerous than either could have imagined.
Nigel Featherstone is a widely published author, writing adult fiction, creative journalism and short stories. He has been both longlisted (HNSA Historical Novel Prize 2020) and shortlisted (Queensland Literary Awards - Fiction Book Award 2019) for his queer war novel, Bodies of Men. Featherstone calls himself a “lifelong queer” and uses the pronouns he/him.
Benjamin Law considers himself pretty lucky to live in Australia: he can hold his boyfriend's hand in public and lobby his politicians to recognise same-sex marriage. But as the child of migrants, he's also curious about how different life might have been had he grown up in Asia. So he sets off to meet his fellow Gaysians.
The characters he meets - from Tokyo's celebrity drag queens to HIV-positive Burmese sex workers, from Malaysian ex-gay Christian fundamentalists to Chinese gays and lesbians who marry each other to please their parents - all teach him something new about being queer in Asia.
Benjamin Law is an author, essayist, screenwriter and broadcaster. Well-recognised for his writing exploring queer and cultural themes, his essays and columns have appeared in countless popular publications. He has also appeared as a panellist on the ABC television program Q&A. Law uses he/him pronouns.
In this extraordinary memoir, Magda describes her journey of self-discovery from a suburban childhood. Haunted by the demons of her father's espionage activities in wartime Poland and by her secret awareness of her sexuality, to the complex dramas of adulthood and her need to find out the truth about herself and her family. She addresses her own frailties and fears, and asks the big questions about life, about the shadows we inherit and the gifts we pass on. Teaching resources available.
Magda Szubanski is a nationally recognised performer, actor and comedian, who has also authored children’s books and essays. An avid LGBTQIA+ activist, Szubanski was the recipient for the 2019 Order of Australia - Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) for distinguished service to the performing arts as an actor, comedian and writer, and as a campaigner for marriage equality. Szubanski is openly gay and uses she/her pronouns.
Visceral and energetic, Sakr’s poetry confronts the complicated notion of “belonging” when one’s family, culture, and country are at odds with one’s personal identity. Braiding together sexuality and divinity, conflict and redemption, The Lost Arabs is a fierce, urgent collection from a distinct new voice.
Omar Sakr is an award-winning Arab-Australian poet and writer, born to Lebanese and Turkish Muslim migrants. His poetry has been widely published in Australia and overseas. Sakr’s writing has been featured in numerous anthologies and his non-fiction and critical work has appeared in countless other publications. Sakr identifies as bisexual and uses he/him pronouns.
Meet Nevo: girl, boy, he, she, him, her, they, them, daughter, son, teacher, student, friend, gay, bi, lesbian, trans, homo, Jew, dyke, masculine, feminine, androgynous, queer. Nevo was not born in the wrong body. Nevo just wants everyone to catch up with all that Nevo is. Personal, political and passionate, Finding Nevo is an autobiography about gender and everything that comes with it.
Nevo Zisin is a Melbourne-based queer, non-binary, Jewish writer and activist. They run school and professional development training workshops around transgender identities and is one of the only transgender marriage celebrants in Australia. Their autobiography, Finding Nevo : How I Confused Everyone, was a winner of the Australian Family Therapists’ Award for Children’s Literature - Older Readers in 2018. Zisin uses they/them pronouns.
Rallying was written alongside Quinn Eades’s first book, All the Beginnings : A Queer Autobiography of the Body, and before he began transitioning from female to male. A collection very much concerned with the body, and the ways in which we create and write under, around, without, and with children, this collection will resonate deeply with anyone who has tried to make creative work from underneath the weight of love.
Quinn Eades is a researcher, writer, and award-winning poet whose work lies at the nexus of feminist and queer theories of the body, autobiography, and philosophy. In 2018, he was working on a collection of fragments written from the transitioning body, titled Transpoetics : Dialogically Writing the Queer and Trans Body in Fragments and was a Tracey Banivanua Mar Research Fellow. His book Rallying won the Mary Gilmore Award for best debut poetry. Eades uses he/him pronouns.
“I marked the day in my adolescent diary with a single blank page.
The mantle of “queer migrant” compelled me to keep going – to go further.
I never “came out” to my parents. I felt I owed them no explanation.
All I heard from the pulpit were grim hints.
I became acutely aware of the parts of myself that were unpalatable to queers who grew up in the city.”
Compiled by celebrated author and journalist Benjamin Law, Growing Up Queer in Australia assembles voices from across the spectrum of LGBTIQA+ identity. Spanning diverse places, eras, genders, ethnicities and experiences, these are the stories of growing up queer in Australia. Teaching resources available.
Twenty-two First Nations people reveal their inner reflections and outlooks on family and culture, identity and respect, homophobia, transphobia, racism and decolonisation, activism, art, performance and more, through life stories and essays. The contributors to this ground-breaking book not only record the continuing relevance of traditional culture and practices, they also explain the emergence of homonormativity within the context of contemporary settler colonialism.
There's more to being queer than coming out and getting married. This exciting and contemporary collection contains stories that are as diverse as the LGBTQIA+ community from which they're drawn. From hilarious anecdotes of an awkward adolescence, to heartwarming stories of family acceptance and self-discovery, the LGBTQIA+ community has been sharing stories for centuries, creating their own histories, disrupting and reinventing conventional ideas about narrative, family, love and community.
Curated from the hugely popular Queerstories storytelling event.
Two young queer Chinese men who have feelings for each other connect over the phone just as one of them is preparing to be married to a woman.
As the screening of the film at the Rhode Island International Film Festival noted, there is an estimated gay population of more than 30 million in China, 'many of whom marry unknowing people of the opposite sex due to family and societal pressure. These marriages inevitably end up in tragedy. This film aims to support for and to foster a critical understanding of gay marriage. It discusses how the tradition's principles and virtues need to be reinterpreted, reassessed and transformed to reflect perspectives in all sexualities.'
Grieving the death of her mother, Beth wakes one night to find a portal to the past in the forest surrounding her family home. Swept away by visions of her idyllic upbringing with her three siblings and two loving Mums, Beth becomes mesmerised by the past, unable to see the dangers that lie ahead.
Artist Emma (aka Cloudy) and musician River have a relationship built on openness, freedom and fluidity, but the challenges of loving more than one person are put to the test when they move in together. When Emma is commissioned to exhibit at the gallery of her other lover, Zara, she chooses to focus the show on her relationship with River, exploring the timeless bond they share, the messy situations they find themselves in, the joy and the pain of their boundary pushing relationship.
Cloudy River asks whether you can truly be there for each other in an open relationship whilst pursuing the individual freedoms the relationship is founded on.
Set sometime in the not-too-distant future, after the worldwide crisis of 2020, Mandy is a 17-year-old Filipino Australian. In her final year of high school and dealing with her parents impending divorce, she navigates a world driven by a new normal of isolation and fear. Added to this she has a crush on her tutor Serena. Meanwhile, a young girl from the backstreets of Manila tells her story.
Sexual discovery is on-demand for 16-year-old Sequin, whose hook-up app obsession sends him down a dangerous path in this highly-accomplished queer coming-of-age tale.
High schooler Sequin is part of the always logged-on, but never-engaged, hook-up generation. He ghosts ex-partners and remains emotionally unavailable. That's until he finds his way to an anonymous sex party, where a whole new dizzyingly alluring world unfolds before him. Sequin in a Blue Room is a breath of fresh air from the independent Australian queer film scene.
A bride's perfect wedding turns deadly after one of her bridesmaids unknowingly invites a malevolent stranger into their lives, triggering a deadly chain reaction that blows open a hidden world of secrets. As the thriller series unfolds, the power of female friendship could be the difference between life and death. Adapted from Elizabeth Coleman's play.
Jared, the son of a Baptist preacher, discovers that he is homosexual and forcibly outed to his parents. His father sends him to a conversion therapy camp where he is introduced to some questionable philosophy and methods.
In 1978, when the push to decriminalize homosexuality has stalled, a group of activists decide they must make one final attempt to celebrate who they are. Led by former union boss, Lance Gowland, they get a police permit and spread the word.
On a freezing winter’s night, they cloak themselves in fancy dress, join hands and parade down Oxford Street. But they have no idea that angry police lie in wait, and the courage they find that night will finally mobilize the nation.
Communities can be big or small. From our family members to our friends; from the classroom to the entire school; from the street where we live to the city we live in. Some communities we choose to be a part of, while others are thrust upon us. They can play an important and influential role in our lives – welcome to the big book of Community! (Teaching resources available).
Shortlisted for the Educational Publishing Awards Australia — Primary in 2019.
Heartfelt and poignant, Visiting You follows a young child’s experiences as they journey with their mother to visit a loved one. The world we live in is full of varied, diverse communities, and along the way they interact with many different people – a father living apart from his daughter, a bereaved husband, a granddaughter forgotten by her grandfather. Through reaching out to these strangers, the child discovers that, despite differences in appearance, age or culture, they all share one thing in common: love. This tale teaches that appearances are sometimes deceiving and that, no matter our differences, it’s our similarities that matter most. (Teaching resources available).
A celebration of families of every kind: Meet Anna, Chiara, Henry, Izzy and Jack. Their families might not look like your family, but that's okay ... they're perfect, just the way they are! (Teaching resources available).
A visually stunning picture book for children aged 4+ with themes of friendship, diversity and the environment, from the author of Zoom. Fern lives in a colourless, lifeless city and has only ever seen trees as pictures in her books. Fern is told that the bandits who come in the middle of the night to steal from the city dwellers are bad guys, but when she follows them back to their home she discovers a land of colour, life, friendship and a future she believes in. BANDITS is the second picture book from Sydney-based artist Sha'an d'Anthes, whose career has seen her travel, show and sell her work all over the world.
Shortlisted for The Wilderness Society Environment Award for Children's Literature (Picture Book) 2021.
Difference is everywhere, just look and see. This whole-wide-big-world is wondrous-unique. A gorgeous picture book about our diverse and wonderful world. (Teaching resources available).
All my friends are different. But that's okay. Because we all LOVE the same thing!
Jane and her best friend have nearly everything in common — except their ethnicities. In Sisters, their friendship is put to the test over questions of race and immigration. Can their friendship survive?
Whether you have two mums, two dads, one parent, or one of each, there's one thing that makes a family a family... and that's love. A book for EVERY family by dazzling illustrator Sophie Beer.
Longlisted for the Australian Book Industry Awards (ABIA) — Children's Picture Book of the Year, 2019.
'I love hands! Hands that are white and hands that are brown,
Freckles mean sunshine has sent kisses down.
Short fingers, long fingers, bendy or straight,
Hands to clap, or high-five your mate.'
Bold and beautiful, loud and proud, All Bodies are Good Bodies is an uplifting book about different body features and types. Through playful rhyme, it promotes the development of body acceptance and celebrates inclusivity and individuality.
An inclusive picture book for grandparents everywhere.
'In every country around the world are grandpas short and tall.'
'Though they go by different names, we love them one and all.'
From brilliant new talents Ashleigh Barton and Martina Heiduczek, comes a charming and heart-warming book that celebrates the many different ways we say grandpa. What Do You Call Your Grandpa? is a love letter to grandfathers and families from every corner of the globe.
CBCA Book of the Year Awards — Notable Book, 2021.
A story about how the events surrounding the historic 1967 Referendum played out in the everyday lives of two young girls.
'Once there were two little girls who were best friends. They did everything together. As they got older they weren't allowed to do the same things anymore. Because they looked different. Because of the law...'
This is a story about the two women who came together to change the law ... and how the Australian people said YES. (Teaching resources available).
Shortlisted for the 2017 Speech Pathology Australia Book of the Year Awards — Best Book for Language Development (Indigenous Children).
With a poem written by young Tamzyne Richardson as its centerpiece, My Home Broome captures the heart and soul of the multicultural town of Broome in Australia’s north west. Developed as a community project, artist and illustrator Bronwyn Houston worked with twelve talented students from Broome primary schools to illustrate Tamzyne’s poem. The result is a breathtaking array of artistic expression by Bronwyn and the students that celebrates the uniqueness of their town and its people. (Teaching resource available).
Inspired by the true story of Muslims who saved the lives of Jewish children in the Second World War. In 1942, in the Grand Mosque in Paris, 11-year-old Ruben is hiding from the Nazis. Already thousands of Jewish children have disappeared, and Ruben's parents are desperately trying to find his sister. Ruben must learn how to pass himself off as a Muslim, while he waits for the infamous Fox to help him get to Spain to be reunited with his family. One hint of Ruben's true identity and he'll be killed. So will the people trying to save him. But when the mosque is raided and the Fox doesn't come, Ruben is forced to flee. Finding himself in the south of France, he discovers that he must adjust to a new reality, and to the startling revelation of the Fox's true identity.
2021 CBCA Book of the Year Awards — Notable Book (Younger Readers).
Hugely readable historical fiction in the classic style of Little House on the Prairie – this warm and engaging story offers a glimpse into a life rich with tradition, celebration and love.
Meet the Rabinowitzes: mischievous Yakov, bubbly Nomi, rebellious Miriam, solemn Shlomo, and seven more! Papa is a rabbi and their days are full of intriguing rituals and adventures. But the biggest adventure of all is when big sister Adina is told she is to be married at the age of fifteen – to someone she has never met.
Based on the author’s real family, the Rabinowitzes dance, laugh and cook their way through an extraordinary life in 1920s Poland. In the classic tradition, this story is fascinating, amusing, and as warm as freshly baked bread. (Teaching resources available).
2017 CBCA Book of the Year Awards — Notable Book.
Nomi - the little girl from The Family with Two Front Doors - is now Nana Nomi, standing in her kitchen in Melbourne, a long way from Poland, a long time after losing much of her family in the holocaust. Her granddaughter Anna gets into all sorts of scrapes - like glueing her baby sister's foot to a plank of wood (then worrying she'll have to live like that forever). Anna and her family celebrate Passover, and birthdays and trips to the zoo, they also deal with prejudice, and other more serious sides of life. And through it all, Anna is on the hunt for the most beautiful doll she has ever seen... (Teaching resources available).
Longlisted: Book Links Award for Historical Fiction (2021) and APA Book Design Awards (2020).
Huong and her friends are not the most popular girls in school. They don't have boyfriends, they aren't blonde, they don't play sport. Plus Huong has a family secret that she's not allowed to tell anyone about. Huong thinks that there is no one like her at school. But one day someone shows her that there is...
This work is affiliated with the AustLit subset Asian-Australian Children's Literature and Publishing.
Nic is left in the care of her grandfather at the remote family property that was once her mother’s childhood home; a place with thirty rooms, three dogs and no mobile reception. Left to her own devices, she searches for clues about her mother – who died the day Nic was born. But when Nic learns how to slip through time, she discovers more than she could have imagined. The past holds a dark and shocking secret that haunts the land and the people who live there. (Teaching resources available).
Subhi's imagination is as big as the ocean and wise as the sky, but his world is much smaller: he's spent his whole life in an immigration detention centre. The Bone Sparrow is a powerful, heartbreaking, sometimes funny and ultimately uplifting hymn to freedom and love.
'Sometimes, at night, the dirt outside turns into a beautiful ocean. As red as the sun and as deep as the sky. I lie in my bed, Queeny's feet pushing against my cheek, and listen to the waves lapping at the tent.'
As Subhi grows, his imagination gets bigger too... The Night Sea brings him gifts, the faraway whales sing to him, and the birds tell their stories. The most vivid story of all, however, is the one that arrives one night in the form of Jimmie, a scruffy, impatient girl who appears from the other side of the wires... (Teaching resources available).
2018 shortlisted for the Sakura Medal (Japan); 2018 IBBY Honour Diploma (Winner); 2017 shortlisted Prime Minister's Literary Awards — Young Adults' Fiction; 2017 shortlisted Queensland Literary Awards — Young Adult Book Award; 2017 The Readings Young Adult Book Prize (Winner).
Mina wants her own bedroom more than anything else in the whole wide world. And it’s almost ready! Just one more lick of sunny yellow paint and it’s hers... But when Mina's parents take in an unexpected guest, they give her room away. At first, Mina is too upset to speak. She doesn’t care that this new kid, Azzami, needs a place to stay. At school, the other kids call Azzami names, and Mina wishes he’d stand up for himself. Then she sees his drawings, and for the first time really thinks about the life of the quiet boy in front of her. Told in candid verse, here is a story about finding friendship where you least expect it and making room for everyone across this big wide world.
This is my favourite T-shirt. I brought it to Australia from my old home. My family came here after a long journey. It was hard at first, but now I love my new home... (Teaching resources available)
2021 shortlisted for The Readings Children’s Book Prize.
Layla's mind goes a million miles a minute, so does her mouth – unfortunately her better judgement can take a while to catch up! Although she believes she was justified for doing what she did, a suspension certainly isn't the way she would have wished to begin her time at her fancy new high school. Despite the setback, Layla's determined to show everyone that she does deserve her scholarship and sets her sights on winning a big invention competition. But where to begin?
Looking outside and in, Layla will need to come to terms with who she is and who she wants to be if she has any chance of succeeding. Jam-packed with heart and humour You Must Be Layla by Yassmin Abdel-Magied reveals a powerful new voice in children’s writing. Touching on the migrant experience and exploring thought-provoking themes relevant to all teens, this book shows the strength required to be a Queen with a capital ‘Q’. (Teaching resources available).
Thirteen-year-old Hayaat is on a mission. She believes a handful of soil from her grandmother's ancestral home in Jerusalem will save her beloved Sitti Zeynab's life. The only problem is the impenetrable wall that divides the West Bank, as well as the check points, the curfews, the permit system and Hayaat's best friend Samy, who is mainly interested in football and the latest elimination on X-Factor, but always manages to attract trouble. But luck is on their side. Hayaat and Samy have a curfew-free day to travel to Jerusalem. However, while their journey may only be a few kilometres long, it may take a lifetime to complete... (Teaching resources available).
This work is affiliated with the AustLit subset Asian-Australian Children's Literature and Publishing.
2009 Inky Awards — Gold Inky (Winner).
Wen Zhou is determined to create a future for herself that is more satisfying than the life her parents expect her to lead. She is the daughter and only child of Chinese immigrants whose move to the lucky country has proven to be not so lucky.
Wen and her friend, Henry Xiao - whose mum and dad are also poor immigrants - both dream of escape from their unhappy circumstances, and they form a plan to sit an entrance exam to a selective high school far from home. But when tragedy strikes, it will take all of Wen's resilience and resourcefulness to get herself and Henry through the storm that follows.
Equal parts heartbreaking and hopeful, Tiger Daughter is a wonderfully compelling and authentic Own Voices novel about growing up Asian in Australia. (Teaching resources available).
A boy. A girl. Two families. One great divide.
When Michael meets Mina, they are at a rally for refugees - standing on opposite sides. Mina fled Afghanistan with her mother via a refugee camp, a leaky boat and a detention centre. Michael's parents have founded a new political party called Aussie Values. They want to stop the boats. Mina wants to stop the hate. When Mina wins a scholarship to Michael's private school, their lives crash together blindingly. A novel for anyone who wants to fight for love, and against injustice. (Teaching resources available).
2017 winner Victorian Premier's Literary Awards — People's Choice Award
2017 winner Victorian Premier's Literary Awards — Prize for Young Adult Fiction.
This modern love story with a hijabi twist explores Islamophobia through bookish fantasy-nerd Tara, who pushes herself to take a stand after a student calls in a bomb threat on her first day of university after she leaves a bag in a lecture theatre.
2018 longlisted for The Richell Prize for Emerging Writers.
Learning to kick a football in a suburban schoolyard. Finding your feet as a young black dancer. Discovering your grandfather’s poetry. Meeting Nelson Mandela at your local church. Facing racism from those who should protect you. Dreading a visit to the hairdresser. House-hopping across the suburbs. Being too black. Not being black enough. Singing to find your soul, and then losing yourself...
Welcome to African Australia. Compiled by award-winning author Maxine Beneba Clarke, with curatorial assistance from writers Ahmed Yussuf and Magan Magan, this anthology brings together the regions of Africa, and the African diaspora, from the Caribbean to the Americas. Told with passion, power, and poise, these are the stories of African-diaspora Australians: diverse, engaging, hopeful and heartfelt. (Teaching resources available).
2020 shortlisted New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards — Multicultural.
Fifteen-year-old Sabiha has a lot to deal with: her mother's mental health issues, her interfering aunt, her mother's new boyfriend, her live-in grandfather and his chess buddy, not to mention her arrogant cousin Adnan. They all want to marry her off, have her become a strict Muslim and speak Bosnian. And Sabiha's friends are not always friendly. She gets bullied by girlfriends and is anxious about boyfriends, when she just wants to fit in. But two boys, Brian and Jesse, become the allies of this fierce and funny girl. (Teaching resources available).
2009 Melbourne Prize — Civic Choice Award (Winner).
Ubby is a smart, young Aboriginal girl who is twice as tough as the streets she lives on. She is the leader of a rag-tag group of youth known as the 'Underdogs'. When Ubby meets Sai Fong, a Chinese girl who has arrived fresh off the boat from Beijing, street life in Broome takes on a multitude of new dimensions. From the moment the two girls meet, they find themselves immersed in a series of bizarre adventures influenced by Aboriginal and Chinese myths and legend, and secrets never before exposed.
This is a heroic tale that measures the limits of courage and friendship. Amidst a backdrop of fictionalised Aboriginal and Chinese mythology in the unique multicultural town of Broome, Brenton's first graphic novel leaves you gasping for air and in anticipation of things to come. (Teaching resources available).
2011 nominated for Deadly Sounds — Outstanding Achievement in Literature.
Willow Tree and Olive tracks the journey of an Australian girl of Greek extraction, called Olive, in her final year of school. Like any adolescent, Olive is trying to deal with friends, teachers and family, while also trying to reconcile her Greek heritage with contemporary Australian culture. The usual tumultuous complexities of a multicultural adolescence are further complicated for Olive when a long suppressed trauma leads to a major life crisis.
2002 joint winner The Sydney Morning Herald Best Young Novelist of the Year.
Is it possible for two very different teenagers to fall in love despite high barbed-wire fences and a political wilderness between them? Anahita is passionate, curious and determined. She is also an Iranian asylum seeker who is only allowed out of detention to attend school. On weekdays, during school hours, she can be a ‘regular Australian girl’. Jono needs the distraction of an infatuation. In the past year his mum has walked out, he’s been dumped and his sister has moved away. Lost and depressed, Jono feels as if he’s been left behind with his Vietnamese single father, Kenny. As Jono and Anahita grow closer, Kenny starts snooping behind the scenes… (Teaching resources available).
2019 winner CBCA Book of the Year Awards — Book of the Year: Older Readers.
Jamila is happy in her new home in Australia, though she still misses her old life in Iraq. She and her new best friend Eva sing side-by-side in the choir at school and have picnics together on the weekends.One day, Jamila gets some exciting news: Mina, her oldest friend from Iraq, is coming to Australia. Jamila can’t wait to see her and introduce her to Eva. But when Mina arrives, things do not go as planned. Jamila feels torn between her two friends, and sad that Mina isn’t the same person she remembers. Can Jamila be a true friend to Mina, and help her feel safe and happy in her new home?
2021 longlisted APA Book Design Awards — Best Designed Children’s Fiction Book.
When my dad dropped us off at the front gate, the first things I saw were the rose garden spreading out on either side of the main driveway and the enormous sign in iron cursive letters spelling out LAURINDA. No 'Ladies College' after it, of course; the name was meant to speak for itself.
Laurinda is an exclusive school for girls. At its secret core is the Cabinet, a trio of girls who wield power over their classmates - and some of their teachers. Entering this world of wealth and secrets is Lucy Lam, a scholarship girl with sharp eyes and a shaky sense of self. As she watches the Cabinet at work, and is courted by them, Lucy finds herself in a battle for her identity and integrity.
Funny, feisty and moving, Laurinda explores Lucy's struggle to stay true to herself as she finds her way in a new world of privilege and opportunity. (Teaching Resources available).
2017 winner US Author's Circle — Young Adult Book of the Year
2016 winner NSW Premier's Literary Awards — Ethel Turner Prize for Young People's Literature.
Kate, a quiet boarder, making some risky choices to pursue the experimental music she loves. Clem, shrugging off her old swim-team persona, exploring her first sexual relationship, and trying to keep her annoying twin, Iris, at arm's length. Ady, grappling with a chaotic family, and wondering who her real friends are; she's not the confident A-lister she appears to be.
When St Hilda's establishes a Year 10 Wellness Program in response to the era of cyber-bullying, the three girls are thrown together and an unlikely friendship is sparked. One thing they have in common: each is targeted by PSST, a site devoted to gossip and slander that must have a source within St Hilda's.
Who can you trust when rumour is the new truth? (Teaching resources available).
2018 winner CBCA Book of the Year Awards — Book of the Year: Older Readers / Notable Book.The term ‘neurodiversity' was first used widely by people on the autism spectrum, and then came to be applied to other neurodevelopmental conditions, including ADHD, dyslexia / dyscalculia / dyspraxia / dysnomia, and Tourette syndrome. It has also been applied to what otherwise are called mental health conditions, including bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and obsessive-compulsive disorders.
These lists focus on the earlier application of the term to describe people on the autism spectrum, living with ADHD, and with dyslexia et. al.
It starts from the premise that neurodiversity (conditions like Autism, ADHD, Dyslexia and the like) is a normal, essential part of human biodiversity – without it we don’t get Picasso, Einstein or Greta Thunberg! Yes, neurodiverse kids sometimes require a bit of extra help and patience, but they should never be viewed as disordered. Some Brains encourages us all look for our strengths and to understand that brains are like fingerprints – uniquely, wonderfully ours.
Sam Squirrel can't seem to do anything right ... he keeps getting in trouble at home, school and with his friends. But when Sam and his parents finally meet with Dr Kasey, they discover another reason behind Sam's troubles.
'Blu-eyed Madi has a difficult gift. At first sight she looks just like most other kids her age, but she is different - she has autism. This book tells about Madi's early years and how hard it was to discover what was going on inside her precious mind and heart.'
'Indigo was diagnosed with dyslexia when she was five. Dyslexia is a condition in which the part of the brain responsible for processing symbols into words misfires. After being teased at school, Indigo enrolled in an intensive literacy program that improved her reading skills, self-esteem and happiness. Now Indigo is helping other kids like her.
Read a review of this picture book at Association for the Wellbeing of Children in Healthcare.
This is a book that explores notions of diversity and difference through a story suitable for 3 to 7 year olds. The central character is a young boy who has an obsessive interest which dominates his life and that of his family. This is a trait often present in children who have an Autism Spectrum Disorder. The story is narrated by Hugo’s older sibling, who grapples with acceptance of her brother’s eccentricity. Hugo’s obsession and consequent skill with numbers brings rewards for him and his sister, so that the story ends positively, celebrating Hugo’s unique abilities. Note: Teaching resources available.
Read a review of this book on Buzz Words.
Just because you can’t spell doesn’t mean you can’t write! A young boy has a mind full of wonderful stories but when he writes them down, day after day, they come back covered in red pen after his teachers have corrected his spelling. It seems his dyslexia will always hold him back from sharing his creativity the way he longs to. Then a new teacher arrives at school! My Storee is an engaging and creatively designed picture book that provides inspiration and support for reluctant writers and dyslexics, and shows the importance and power of good teachers. Note: Teaching resources available.
Read a review of this picture book on Buzz Words.
This is a story about Jay, and what it is like for him to visit his family. Jay lives with Autism and the world can feel very different to him. This story is written using English and Noongar, the language of the traditional owners of the Whadjuk/Ballardong regions of Western Australia. Written for and by the Noongar Community in association with Rocky Bay Disability Service.
Note: Full-text available.
"My brother Quentin has autism, which means he sees the world a little differently to me. Mum says lots of people have autism, but everyone is unique. Quentin always lets his quirkiness shine, and when I'm around him I'm never afraid to be myself. If you ask me, our quirks are what makes us who we are!"
Read a news article and interview with the author in Tulpa magazine.
Meet Gus! Gus might be the only asparagus in his family, but he is happy. However, when he goes to school he starts to realise that he doesn't always 'fit in'. Gus is here to help kids understand that it's okay to be different. He will soon be a favourite with anyone who has ever felt a bit out of place, kids and adults alike.
Read a review of this picture book on Buzz Words.
All Dogs Have ADHD takes an inspiring and affectionate look at Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), using images and ideas from the canine world to explore a variety of traits that will be instantly recognisable to those who are familiar with ADHD.
Miro sees the world differently from everyone else, thanks to the Curiosities - strange little creatures that nestle on his shoulder, whisper in his ear, and show him a different way of seeing the world. Most of the time, no one else notices. But sometimes, the Curiosities make him stand out, in ways that can be good but are occasionally confusing and scary. Miro learns to live with and control his Curiosities, and gradually starts to see that they are a kind of gift. Note: Publication date is July 2021.
Mika is a girl growing out of her clothes and approaching womanhood with the expectations of her mother weighing firmly upon her shoulders and a love of music that transcends the strict classical lessons imposed on her. With a brother and sister who have ganged up on her, she is looking for a way to escape and find her own voice. Mika and Max form a strong bond that is inspirational and heartwarming. A story about a girl who meets a boy who changes everything... Note: Teaching resources available.
Read a review of this children's book on Reading Time.
Everything is changing for 11-year-old Alex and, as an autistic person, change can be terrifying. With the first day of high school only a couple of months away, Alex is sure that having a friend by his side will help. So, he’s devised a plan – impress the kids at school by winning a trophy at the PAWS Dog Show with his trusty sidekick, Kevin. This should be a walk in the park . . . right?
Full of mystery and intrigue, this graphic novel version of Kathy Hoopmann's best-selling adventure follows Ben, a boy with Asperger syndrome (AS). When Ben and his friend Andy discover an old blue bottle in the school yard, little do they know of the mysterious forces they are about to unleash...
Eleven year old Tilly dreams of becoming a marine scientist. But she lives in a drought stricken town with her mum and younger brother Oliver, who is autistic. Oliver's meltdowns are making life unbearable. He can't cope with even the smallest of changes to his routine. On top of that, he needs so many different kinds of therapy that there's never any time or money left over for swimming lessons. When her Mum loses her job and decides to move the family to the Queensland coast, Tilly is excited and terrified all at once. Is this her chance to finally learn to swim? Note: Teaching resources available.
Ali Stanford just wants to have a normal life. But it's not that easy. Her brother, Max, is not like everybody else. Max is autistic. He has special needs and takes up a lot of his family's time and energy. Sometimes Ali feels left out. As Ali learns to understand Max, she wants everybody else to understand too.
New six-part series about Jack McCool, a young boy whose troubles at home and school soon become minor when he discovers he has a magical connection to an ancient Celtic hero. Catapulted back in time, Jack discovers a golden amulet missing six magical gemstones. They hold the key to breaking a witch's wicked curse - and Jack's the one who has to find them.
Read article about the author and inspiration for the series in The Daily Telegraph.
Set in a modern-day small town among the remnants of a Japanese POW camp, this is the story of Charlie. Charlie has synaesthesia and hence sees and hears differently: people have auras; days of the week are coloured; numbers and letters have attitudes. But when Charlie meets Japanese exchange student Kenichi, her senses intensify and she experiences flashbacks, nausea, and hears unfamiliar voices in her head pulling her back to the town’s violent past. This is heartfelt contemporary storytelling at its best. Note: Teaching resources available.
Peta Lyre is far from typical. The world she lives in isn't designed for the way her mind works, but when she follows her therapist's rules for 'normal' behaviour, she can almost fit in without attracting attention. When a new girl, Sam, starts at school, Peta's carefully structured routines start to crack. But on the school ski trip, with romance blooming and a newfound confidence, she starts to wonder if maybe she can have a normal life after all. When things fall apart, Peta must decide whether all the old rules still matter. Does she want a life less ordinary, or should she keep her rating normal? A moving and joyful Own Voices debut.
Note: Teaching resources available. Anna Whateley suggests her essay in Growing Up Disabled in Australia is a good companion text to Peta Lyre.
Erin is looking forward to schoolies, but her plans are going awry. She’s lost her job at Surf Shack after an incident that clearly was not her fault. Her licence test went badly, which was also not her fault: she followed the instructor’s directions perfectly. And she’s missing her brother, Rudy, who left almost a year ago. But now that she’s writing letters to him, some things are beginning to make sense... 'Kay Kerr’s Please Don’t Hug Me depicts life on the cusp of adulthood—and on the autism spectrum—and the complexities of finding out and accepting who you are and what’s important to you.' Note: Teaching resources available.
Sam is only fifteen but he and his autistic older brother, Avery, have been abandoned by every relative they've ever known. Now Sam’s trying to build a new life for them. He survives by breaking into empty houses when their owners are away, until one day he’s caught out when a family returns home. To his amazement this large, chaotic family takes him under their wing. Sam finds himself inextricably caught up in their life, and falling for the beautiful Moxie. But Sam has a secret, and his past is about to catch up with him...
Charlie likes to stand out. She’s a vlogger promoting her first movie at SupaCon, and this is her chance to show fans she’s over her public breakup with co-star Reese Ryan. When internet-famous cool-girl actress Alyssa Huntington arrives as a surprise guest, it seems Charlie’s long-time crush on her isn’t as one-sided as she thought... Taylor likes to blend in. Her brain is wired differently, making her fear change. But when she hears about a fan contest for her favorite fandom, she starts to rethink her rules on playing it safe.
Twins Justine and Perry are about to embark on the road trip of a lifetime in the Pacific Northwest. It's been a year since their dad lose his battle with cancer. Now, at 19, Justine is the sole carer for her disabled brother. But their reliance on each other is set to shift. For Perry, the trip is a glorious celebration of his favourite things: mythical sea monsters, Jackie Chan and the study of earthquakes. For Justine, it's a chance to reconcile the decision to ‘free' her twin, to see who she is without her boyfriend, Marc – and to offer their mother the chance to atone for past wrongs. But the instability that has shaped their lives will not subside, and the seismic event that Perry forewarned threatens to reduce their worlds to rubble... Note: Teaching resources available.
One in five Australians have a disability. And disability presents itself in many ways. Yet disabled people are still underrepresented in the media and in literature. Growing Up Disabled in Australia is the fifth book in the highly acclaimed, bestselling Growing Up series. It includes interviews with prominent Australians such as Senator Jordon Steele-John and Paralympian Isis Holt, poetry and graphic art, as well as more than 40 original pieces by writers with a disability or chronic illness. Note: Teaching resources available.
Princess Eloise Hydra Gumball III is all about peace, love, and being a little OCD. As the meticulous Future Ruler and Heir with an almost-useless magical gift, she’s totally over the toxic pressure of her impending rise to the throne. But when a prophecy points to her royal twin’s peril, a simple quest with her chattering chipmunk champion becomes a complicated journey that could send her to her doom.
17 year old Kai lives on the streets. The night his 12 year old autistic brother, Rod, comes looking for him, the two steal and crash a car and die. Searching for Rod, Kai finds himself in Hades. As their adventures continue, these youngsters are magically transformed to what they were before Kai became a street-boy. In their efforts to find Rod, the youngsters come across some of the mythical characters as described by Kai’s Greek grandmother before she died: a multi-headed dog, a blind prophet, twin whirlpools, three goddesses, a dangerous sea-nymph and the powerful sea-god and his evil one- eyed son. Note: A novel in verse form.
Zoe has just finished school and started an internship at a local newspaper. Her first assignment is to write about romance, but where to begin? Zoe hasn’t been in love. She doesn’t think anyone has ever even liked her. So when her article is published and she’s contacted by a number of young men who had been interested in her in their schooldays, Zoe realises that somehow she had missed the social cues. Social Queue is a funny-serious own-voices story about being a young autistic woman navigating the dating scene and sorting out complex and often confusing feelings on the road to finding love. Note: Publication date is September 2021.
Penny's mum has died of cancer, and she doesn't know what to do with her father. It's like his face is only interested in where it's going if he's heading towards a bottle of wine. Then 15-year-old Penny sees an old man in a church, spaced-out about worms. It's too much, but it's the spunkiest guy in the school who listens to her. And their first kiss is like poetry. Trouble is, this gorgeous guy can't spell, and can hardly even read. Through her hilarious ups and downs with her father and her almost-boyfriend, Penny learns about death, spelling, friendship, and how to dye your hair red - everything a teenager needs to know.
Note: We couldn’t find much on "dyslexia" for this age group, so we've decided to give an honourable mention to Jocelyn Harewood’s Worms in the Night, although we suspect it would be difficult to get your hands on a copy since it hasn’t been republished since the 1990s.
Some further reading on Neurodiversity:
Madeleine Ryan, ‘Dear Parents: Your Child With Autism Is Perfect’. New York Times 2 July 2020.
Madeleine Ryan, ‘Three Things People Don’t Know about Autistic Girls and Women', SBS, 28 Feb 2020.
Madeleine Ryan, ‘On Learning of My Autism While Trying to Finish a Novel’, Lit Hub, 5 October 2020.
Elly Duncan, ‘Calls for a Greater, More Diverse Representation of Autism in Everyday Literature and Pop Culture’ [interview with Kay Kerr], The Drum, 17 June 2020.
[Note: Madeleine Ryan’s A Room Called Earth is not listed in this Necessary Conversations series because it is intended for adult readers.]
From school climate strikes to the ongoing Black Lives Matter movement, Necessary Conversations: Activism features picture books, Children's and Young Adult fiction that cover environmental protests, land rights, suffragettes, disability rights, and anti-war protests. If you're looking to inspire and inform the next generation in the classroom or simply want a bedtime story with substance, you're in the right place! This series ties in, and in some cases overlaps, with our previous Necessary Conversations: The Environment. You might also be interested in checking out our 'Climate Activism' section within our Climate Change in Australian Narratives project or explore all works on Activism published as a picture book, Children's or YA fiction.
'Swedish schoolgirl, Greta Thunberg has captured the world’s attention as she campaigns to raise awareness of climate change and calls world leaders to account. All children can follow Greta’s lead. Claire Malone is the hero of Claire Malone Changes the World, a feisty character with boundless energy to change her world for the better armed with her typewriter and the determination to make a difference.
Jack in England writes to his Australian penpal Nicole, who describes the ancient tropical rainforest near her home in Millaa Millaa, Queensland. Includes factual information about Australian, and the importance of rainforest protection. Did you know? This picture book was originally published in Korean and forms part of AustLit's Children's Literature and the Environment exhibition.
Little one, when we say Black Lives Matter, we're saying black people are wonderful-strong. That we deserve to be treated with basic respect, and that history's done us wrong... From birth to the end of school, in joy and in sorrow, on the trumpet and the djembe, at home and in the community, a black child's parents remind him why Black Lives Matter. 'A gorgeous and essential picture book for children of all ages from bestselling and award-winning author Maxine Beneba Clarke.' Teaching Resources available.
Celebrate the 2017 and 2018 Women’s Marches with this charming and empowering picture book about a pink hat and the budding feminist who finds it. Teaching Resources available.
Celebrate young climate change activists in this story about an empowered girl who shows up, listens up, and ultimately, speaks up to inspire her community to take action against climate change. After attending a climate march, a young activist is motivated to make an effort and do her part to help the planet... by organizing volunteers to work to make green changes in their community. Here is an uplifting picture book that is an important reminder that no change is too small, and no person too young, to make a difference.
A celebration of inspirational women from all over the world and throughout history, told in Marcia Williams' much-loved comic-strip style. Celebrate incredible women from around the world and throughout history. From writers to warriors and astronauts to activists, discover their awesome stories and be amazed by their achievements. Featuring Cleopatra, Boudicca, Joan of Arc, Elizabeth I, Jane Austen, Florence Nightingale, Marie Curie, Eleanor Roosevelt, Amelia Earhart, Frida Kahlo, Wangari Maathai, Mae C. Jemison, Cathy Freeman and Malala.
In 1965, a young man named Charles Perkins exposed the treatment of Indigenous Australians as second class citizens. Travelling on a bus, he led a group of university students on a 'freedom ride' through New south Wales and Queensland. Their protests against racism were met by outraged locals, but the students kept fighting for justice. They made headlines around the world, helping to change attitudes and, eventually, Australian laws. This is a story of the Freedom Ride, and how it changed Australia forever.
This is a pivotal story in Australia's history with a highly visual presentation that will engage students. Graphic-style re-enactments are employed alongside conventional presentation to convey details that text alone cannot, and to show different viewpoints simultaneously Part of a fascinating series for middle-upper primary that tells the stories of some momentous times in our history, the author's approach promotes critical thinking and analysis with an emphasis on causes and effects, key personalities, and the long-term outcomes for Australian society.
From Little Things Big Things Grow presents the lyrics of the Kev Carmody and Paul Kelly song of the same title, alongside the history of the Gurindji people's plight for their traditional land. The story recounts when Vincent Lingiari and other Gurindji workers walked off Wave Hill cattle station in 1966. What began as a strike over wages and conditions became an eight-year struggle for the return of traditional lands. It ended in 1975 when Prime Minister Gough Whitlam symbolically poured sand into old Lingiari's hand. The book is illustrated Queensland artist Peter Hudson and the kids from Gurindji country. Teaching Resources available.
Violet Mackerel loves Clover Park. She especially loves to collect acorns from under the big old oak tree. But the oak tree is going to be cut down... Violet does NOT think this is a good idea! The oak tree is important. It is worth trying to SAVE. And Violet hopes her POCKET PROTEST will be just the thing to save it!
Green Peas is our name and pranking's our game! A symphony of alarm clocks at assembly? Yep, that was us. A plague of fluffy guinea pigs? It's next on our agenda. But for me, Cookie and Zeke, it's about more than just fun. We're determined to make a difference. And when the adults won't listen, us kids will find a way to be heard - as long as we can stay out of detention! No activist is too small, no prank too big... and things are about to get personal.
Will Thompson has problems. It's hard to feel normal when words and letters are swimming around in your head like alphabet soup. What makes it even harder is when your family is completely over the top! Will and two desperado friends devise a plan to stop the most powerful man in the state closing down the Boongara Learning Centre - it's a long shot, but some things are worth fighting for.
You're 14. You want to put a stop to the killing of whales around the world, but there are powerful forces against you - business and political leaders, even whole countries. If you could just get 40, 000 people to sign a petition. If you could just go to Alaska and address the International Whaling Commission. If you could just address the Democratic Party in Japan and set up an international organisation called Teens Against Whaling... Eco-Warrior is the story of a how a young Indigenous Australian girl, Skye Bortoli, wouldn't take no for an answer, when she knew the cause was right.
When Maxi the Lifeguard and his friends discover that someone has been dumping rubbish into the ocean near Bondi, they are furious. Who would do such a thing, and why won’t anyone take them seriously when they report it? Luckily, Maxi has a plan – but exposing the polluter will hurt someone he cares about. Can Maxi find a way out of this messy situation?
Wildlife activists, Owl and Echidna, feel sad that so many friends and family members are hurt and killed on the roads. They want humans to make their roads safer for wildlife so they form a group with like-minded friends to tackle the problem. They hatch a plan that involves planting a special seed in a special place. This proves to be a tricky task so they ask human wildlife activist, Fergus Fleegelbaum, to help. Fergus is fearless and determined, but will he succeed in carrying out his part of their clever plan to make roads safer for wildlife?
Ordinary kids doing extraordinary things. When the future looks dark, courageous kids bring light and hope into the world. From outback Australia to Auschwitz, Kids Who Did is packed with true stories about inspiring children who have changed history, defied expectations, and fought to survive war and oppression. 'Here are stories of fearless, Olympic champions, human rights crusaders and climate change activists. From the distant past to the present moment, Kids Who Did shows kids making their mark on history and set to change the world.
Twelve incredible Australian women who helped shape our country, from politics and the arts to Indigenous culture, science and more. Some of them are world famous, like Annette Kellerman and Nellie Melba. Some of them are famous in Australia, like Mary Reibey and Edith Cowan. All of them deserve to be admired. These women are the warriors who paved the way for the artists, business owners, scientists, singers, politicians, actors, sports champions, adventurers, activists and innovators of Australia today. Teaching Resources available.
It's 1900 and Rose lives with her family in a big house in Melbourne. She wants to play cricket and have adventures but Rose's ultra-conservative mother won't let her. Then young Aunt Alice, a feisty suffragette, moves in with them and everything changes. In 1900, life was very restrictive for women. In most parts of Australia, women weren't allowed to vote, and few got the chance to go to university. Girls like Rose and women like Alice had to fight for the rights they felt entitled to. Rose's story shows how rebelliousness and courage brought about change, making it possible for Australian girls today to have so many choices. Teaching resources available.
Following on from the success of Limelight, this new collection of poetry illuminates the social interests of Solli's generation in a thought-provoking style, including a mix of traditional poems and brand-new performance poems. It covers topics from connection to bullying and pinpoints climate change as a key concern. Solli shares his experiences, ideas and advice on how the reader can create a sustainable future and discover ways to help create change. 'Everyone can be proactive in shaping the future so let's stand in solidarity.'
Why Black Lives Matter Resonates With Black People All Over The World (An Open Letter to Australians) is a comic created by Claudia Chinyere Akole, originally published digitally on Going Down Swinging in August 2020. The comic is an exploration of global Black Solidarity that compares ongoing Bla(c)k Civil Rights movements in the USA and Australia.
Robbie knows bad things happen in Walgaree. But it's nothing to do with him. That's just the way the Aborigines have always been treated. In the summer of 1965 racial tensions in the town are at boiling point, and something headed Walgaree's way will blow things apart. It's time for Robbie to take a stand. Nothing will ever be the same... Teaching Resources available.
1472: Jeanne’s father arranges her marriage to a French lieutenant against her wishes. As armed forces threaten her beloved home, Jeanne risks all to rally the city’s women in the fight of their lives. 1797: Unbeknownst to their father, feisty and brave Betsy, her brother and their best friend secretly join the rebel army, hoping to liberate Ireland from the tyrannical yoke of English rule. 1960s Australia: Country-girl Fiona desperately wants to fit in at university and joins the anti-Vietnam protest movement, despite her family’s objections. Teaching Resources available.
Set within the explosive cultural shifts of the 1960s and 1980s, Becoming Kirrali Lewis chronicles the journey of a young Aboriginal teenager as she leaves her home town in rural Victoria to take on a law degree in Melbourne. Adopted at birth, Kirrali doesn't question her cultural roots until a series of life-changing events force her to face up to her true identity. Teaching Resources available.
The sixties are in full swing and going to a war is the last thing on Kathy's mind. For sixteen-year-old Kathy, it's all about miniskirts, the Beatles, discos and her fab new boots! The world is rapidly changing, her brother is fighting in the Vietnam War and her best friend is protesting against it. Kathy simply wants to live life and experience a world beyond her suburban existence. So when the chance comes for her to dance with an entertainment troupe in Vietnam, she slips on her boots, walks away from her convent school and heads off to war. But Kathy soon finds the reality of war is no song and dance... Teaching Resources available.
Tess used to believe her father would always be there. But that was before he got caught up with his rising political career. Tess is now different, too: living between two homes and two mothers, she's dropped out of championship swimming and almost out of school as well. The only thing that interests her is leading a group of young environmental activists, the 'Green Guerillas'. And even though Tess never goes near the water now, she still has nightmares about drowning...
A magnificent celebration of Kunmanara Williams' life and art and the land rights movement in the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (APY) lands of Central Australia. 'I want my book to be in schools and read by politicians and young people everywhere, so that they can learn about Tjukurpa Law, and realise how crucially important Tjukurpa is to Anangu Aboriginal people. Our Tjukurpa Law is all-encompassing. It was always intended to be eternal, but we know it is at risk. I am hoping to start a movement of new awareness.' Written in Pitjantjatjara and English, this book showcases the enduring legacy of senior Mimili Maku artist Mumu Mike Williams' extraordinary life and art. Teaching Resouces available.
Sixteen-year-old Sofie is a dreamer, and an artist. So when she goes on exchange to Paris, she is expecting magnificent adventures of the heart and mind. Yet France isn't what she imagined. It's cold and grey, and speaking another language is exhausting. Sofie's more homesick than lovesick. But then her host sister, Delphine, and fellow artist Olivier show her a different side of Paris, and Sofie starts to question her ideas of art, beauty and meaning. Of everything. There's truth in what her best friend, Crow, has been saying all along — the world is in crisis and people need to take notice. And when a catastrophe strikes close to home, Sofie realises she needs to act. But what can one girl do?
After her mother's death, Sky leaves her city life to move in with her aunt and uncle in a small Australian town. But the city isn't all that she leaves behind. Trying to fit in with her new friends means doing things she never dreamt she'd do. Just as she thinks everything is starting to feel normal, Sky stumbles on a case of animal cruelty that forces her to make some tough decisions. Will Sky risk everything to stand up for what she believes in? Teaching Resources available.
When Astrid meets Hiro at the shopping centre where he's wrangling trolleys, he doesn't recognise her because she's in disguise - as a lobster. Astrid wants to change the world, Hiro wants to survive it. But ultimately both believe that the world needs to be saved from itself. Can they find enough in common to right all the wrongs between them? A romantic comedy about life and love and trying to make the planet a better place, with a little heartbreak, and a whole lot of hilarity.
Children’s and young adult literature about the environment provide creative and imaginative scenarios and solutions that may stimulate young people to consider their own relationship with the environment. Children’s environmental texts often “thematize contemporary ecological issues [and] reflect shifting global agendas and predict future possibilities” (Massey and Bradford 2011, p.109). They can also offer insights into ecocatastrophe, global warming, anthropocentrism, sustainability, and other important issues; or simply celebrate the environment.
For more information and reading recommendations, visit AustLit's ‘Children’s Literature and the Environment’ Exhibition, which aims to identify such literature across different forms and genres in Australia where discussions of environmental waste, climate change, species endangerment, ecocitizenship, and the effects of globalisation on the environment are major concerns.
Digital resource available: Download the infographic poster series on Climate Change Fiction (PDF8.62MB) based on a PR campaign brief and designed by COMU7301 Strategic Communication students for AustLit. Print and display in your classroom or library!
'One tall tree on the mountain once marked Grandfather’s farm. Now there is a busy city and Grandfather lives with us in our apartment. Once he told stories but now he stays silent. Until one day, in the city market, I find something precious . . . something that brings Grandfather’s memories alive again.' Reading Australia Teaching Resources available.
'A giant stands on the shore, watching the sea. She never moves, never speaks, until the day she turns to a little girl and says, 'The sea is rising.' The brave girl takes the message to the town. But when the people refuse to listen, the giant must find another way to save them...'
Reading Australia Teaching Resources available.
In the North Pacific Ocean lives a monster made of trash,
A hungry, greedy meanie with a handlebar moustache.
And though his name is Garbage Guts, he’s often called Big G.
He blobs about destroying all the oceans and the seas.
'Garbage Guts is determined to have the ocean all for himself, and will do just about anything to get his way. How on Earth will this beast be stopped?
'Rocky, an ornate dragon, lives on the granite rocks in the southwest of Australia. His ancestors have lived in this hot environment for around 10 million years, and for more than 60,000 years, they have lived alongside Indigenous Australians. Rocky's habitat is under threat, and his desert relatives in the north are facing challenges due to rising temperatures.' Teaching Resources available.
'Teaote decides to build a sea wall to protect her village from huge waves. Her neighbours build their walls too but she is very proud of hers and thinks it is the best. One day the waves are very, very high and her wall is damaged. So she and Kairo, her friend, help each other to build up their walls to protect both their houses. This is a book about hope, determination and the people that need a global solution. Let's talk big waves and hot suns. Let's talk about a country that so many people don't even know exists...'
'Jet the corroboree frog is happily taking care of the tadpole ponds when the water starts to dry up and his family's eggs are threatened. He goes to visit Grandmother Frog to find out why and she tells him all about the summers that are getting hotter every year and the careless humans who are leaving their rubbish around. When a boy and his father arrive to go fishing in the nearby river, Jet seizes the opportunity to show them how humans are threatening the very existence of his species.' Reading Australia Teaching Resources available.
'With her home under threat from a warming ocean, Zobi, a brave rhizobia bacterium, teams up with a family of slow but steady Zoox (zooxanthellae). The coral becomes gravely ill and bacteria around them begin to starve. Can Zobi and the Zoox work together to save the day?' This book is about a symbiotic relationship. It tells the story of the microscopic friends living in a tiny coral polyp. Teaching Resources available.
'Claire Malone is the hero of Claire Malone Changes the World, a feisty character with boundless energy to change her world for the better. Armed with her typewriter and the determination to make a difference, Claire is an ordinary kid with an extraordinary desire to change things for the better. Writing letter after letter, Claire advocates for change. One day she notices that her local park needs upgrading and she commits wholeheartedly to the cause.'
'Celebrate young climate change activists in this charming story about an empowered girl who shows up, listens up, and ultimately, speaks up to inspire her community to take action against climate change. After attending a climate march, a young activist is motivated to make an effort and do her part to help the planet... by organizing volunteers to work to make green changes in their community, from cleaning a lake, to planting trees, to making composting bins, to hosting a clothing swap and more! Here is an uplifting picture book that is an important reminder that no change is too small--and no person is too young--to make a difference.'
The rabbits came many grandparents ago.
They built houses, made roads, had children.
They cut down trees. A whole continent of rabbits...
An allegorical story using rabbits, an introduced species, to represent the arrival of Europeans in Australia and the subsequent widespread environmental destruction.
'The Earth’s climate is changing. It’s getting hotter. In Australia over the past 50 years, maximum temperatures have been creeping higher. There have been record droughts, floods and bushfires. Why is this happening and what can we do to stop it getting worse?'
'There aren't many dugongs left in the world now. But what if humans freed the sea from nets? What if we cleared it of rubbish so that seagrass could flourish again and dugongs could feed?'
'A beautiful and thought-provoking picture book about dugongs and the perils these gentle and endangered creatures face, inspiring young readers to care for and protect our natural world.' Teaching Resources available.
'What happens when a jellyfish falls in love with a plastic bag she mistakes for a jelly-boy? Jelly-Boy is different. He is big and strong. And not as wobbly as the other Jelly-boys. By the time Jelly-Girl discovers the dangerous truth about her new friend, it may already be too late...' This is an inventive approach to tackling a conservation issue that is plaguing our world. Teaching Resources available.
'When the animals work as a team to come up with ways to look after the bush, they decide to ask the humans to REDUCE, RECYCLE and use RUBBISH BINS. But it is Benny Bungarra who has the bright idea of a BIG BUSH CLEAN-UP so the animals can also help look after the bush.'
An environmental tale for Early Childhood and Lower Primary readers that shows how animals are affected by rubbish left in their habitat by humans. Ambelin Kwaymullina’s illustrations are an explosion of colour and cleverly show the perils faced by our native animals. Reading Australia Teaching Resources available.
'Dingo's Tree is a tale of friendship and sharing, it tells of the struggle to survive in a land that is devastated by mining. It is a powerful children's cautionary tale on the destruction and havoc that mining causes to land and to community.' Teaching Resources available.
'Meet 11-year-old Bindi. She’s not really into maths but LOVES art class and playing hockey. Her absolute FAVOURITE thing is adventuring outside with friends or her horse, Nell. A new year starts like normal—school, family, hockey, dancing. But this year hasn’t gone to plan! There’s a big art assignment, a drought, a broken wrist AND the biggest bushfires her town has ever seen!
Bindi is a verse novel for mid-upper primary students. Written ‘for those who plant trees’, Bindi explores climate, bushfires, and healing on Gundungurra Country.'
'James can fly, though his landings need some work. However, that’s the least of his problems when he crash lands into a city in the clouds. Soon James is drawn into a race against time to find the SAFFIRE, a new technology designed to save the city from the effects of climate change. Finding his way home seems impossible but with the help of Aureole, a young girl determined to save her city, James just might be able to fly away and help save the city in the process. Teaching Resources available.
'Neoma and Jag and their small community are 'living gentle lives' on high ground surrounded by the risen sea that has caused widespread devastation. When strangers from the Valley of the Sun arrive unannounced, the friends find themselves drawn into a web of secrecy and lies that endangers the way of life of their entire community. Soon daring, loyal Neoma must set off on a solo mission across the risen sea, determined to rescue her best friend and find the truth that will save her village.' Teaching Resources available.
'Ella and her brother Emery are alone in a city that's starving to death. If they are going to survive, they must get away, upcountry, to find Emery's mum. But how can two kids travel such big distances across a dry, barren and dangerous landscape? Well, when you've got a few big doggos, the answer is you go mushing. When Emery is injured, Ella finds herself suddenly responsible for safely navigating the wheeled dog-sled through rough terrain, and even rougher encounters with desperate people.' Teaching Resources available.
'Peony lives with her sister and grandfather on a fruit farm outside the city. In a world where real bees are extinct, the quickest, bravest kids climb the fruit trees and pollinate the flowers by hand. All Peony really wants is to be a bee. Life on the farm is a scrabble, but there is enough to eat and a place to sleep, and there is love. Then Peony's mother arrives to take her away from everything she has ever known, and all Peony's grit and quick thinking might not be enough to keep her safe.' Teaching Resources available.
'The Mother of the Seas is sick of humans using the oceans as a junkyard, so she decides to give the land dwellers a taste of their own medicine. Prepare for an unbelievable underwater menace that threatens to destroy the entire world!' Teaching Resources available.
'When Will and Annalie's father disappears, they set out on a perilous sea voyage to find him. The motley crew of runaways put their faith in each other, and in a small sailing boat called the Sunfish. In a world transformed by a catastrophic Flood, they embark on an adventure that will test their ingenuity - and their friendship - to the limits.'
'Heather Feather is a baby emperor penguin from Antarctica. She sets off in this environmentally-concerned information story, all the way around Australia. Join her and learn about the coastal cities and animals she sees, as well as the degradation of her habitat, and pollution.'
'City boy Flynn is taken to Mission Beach by his dad to ready his Grandad Barney's banana farm for sale. The last thing he wants to do is to be stuck in the middle of woop-woop with his dad who thinks he is too young to be trusted with anything! When Flynn meets local girl Abby and two lost baby cassowaries, things become interesting. What does Abby know about Grandad's mysterious death? And why does Dad refuse to talk about it and seem so scared of the cassowaries? Can Flynn convince Dad to tell him the truth before it is too late for the cassowaries?' Teaching Resources available.
'When Rose and Gran save a baby koala from a pack of hungry dogs, they call him Smooch, because he loves to cuddle. With the help of a wildlife carer, Rose looks after Smooch until he is old enough to make the trees on their farm his home. Rose is happy - looking after her bush babies is her dream come true! But things change for the worse when Gran gets a disturbing letter from the bank. Then one terrible day, Uncle Malcolm mentions bulldozers and Rose realises it’s not just her home that’s at stake. She has to do something, and fast! Teaching Resources available.
'Greta Thunberg meets Homer Simpson* in this hilarious, illustrated and environmentally-friendly adventure. Single-use Plastic Brendan may have an evil plan to destroy all the world's turtles, but there is something even more evil going on... The EnviroTeens will do anything to stop this impending disaster. But to really fix the planet, will they have to rid the world of all the adults who started it all? A graphic novel about a group of fast-talking and fast-thinking climate activists who are determined to clean the planet and clear the air.
*They don't really meet. This is just a saying.
She has to escape...But who else is out there? And can anyone survive days like this? 'I want to go back to the days when life made sense. The days before our parents became strange; before the warming ate away at all the living things in the world; before The Committee and their Blacktroopers. Before the Wall.'
Lily is a prisoner in her own home. Forced to stay inside by The Committee and guarded by their increasingly distant parents, Lily and her brother Daniel are beginning to ask why. Then, when Daniel disappears just before his seventeenth birthday, Lily knows she is next.
'Heat. Drought. Dust storms. More people missing every day. The city turning into a ghost town. These are not the only dangers for George and his little brother, Beeper. There's also Emily, a girl who moves like a shadow, slides through locked doors, and seems determined to push two stranded boys ever closer to disaster.' Teaching Resources available.
'From the internationally bestselling author of The Books of Pellinor comes a powerful story about the exploitation of indigenous people by the First World. In Simbala's village they have two treasures: the River, which is their road and their god; and the Book, which is their history, their oracle and their soul. Simbala is a Keeper of the Book, the latest in a long line of women who can use it to find answers to the villagers' questions. As developers begin to poison the River on which the villagers rely, the Book predicts change. But this does not come in the form that they expect; it is the sympathetic Westerner that comes to the village who inflicts the greatest damage of all.' Teaching Resources available.
'Identical twin sisters Summer and Winter live alone on a remote island, sheltered from a destroyed world. They survive on rations stockpiled by their father and spend their days deep in their mother’s collection of classic literature—until a mysterious stranger upends their carefully constructed reality. At first, Edward is a welcome distraction. But who is he really, and why has he come? As love blooms and the world stops spinning, the secrets of the girls’ past begin to unravel and escape is the only option.' A sumptuously written novel of love and grief; of sisterly affection and the ultimate sacrifice; of technological progress and climate catastrophe. Teaching Resources available.
'The world as we know it has been ravaged by violence and environmental disaster. Society has been split into exclusive zones to protect what little is left. Divided by Air, Water, Soil and Fire, each zone trades what they can to survive. Certainly life is difficult, particularly as a fifth zone, the Prestige Zone, regularly takes what they like to ensure their privileged life continues to thrive. But when 16 year old Lawlie Pearce's mother is killed, it becomes clear that the tenuous peace between the zones is on the verge of unravelling. With a thirst for vengeance, Lawlie leaves AirZone to discover the truth and seek justice for her mother - even if she has to bring down the biggest enemy of all, Sceptre, the leader of the Prestige Zone that dominates the world that is Virozone.'
'Piper's mum wants her to be 'normal', to pass as hearing and get a good job. But when peak oil hits and Melbourne lurches towards environmental catastrophe, Piper has more important things to worry about... such as how to get food. When she meets Marley, a CODA (child of Deaf adult), a door opens into a new world - where Deafness is something to celebrate rather than hide, and where resilience is created through growing your own food. As she dives into learning Auslan, sign language that is exquisitely beautiful and expressive, Piper finds herself falling hard for Marley. But Marley, who has grown up in the Deaf community yet is not Deaf, is struggling to find his place in the hearing world. How can they be together?' Teaching Resources available.
Five hundred years into the future, the world is a different place. The Melt has sunk most of the coastal cities and Newperth is divided into the haves, the “Centrals”; the have-nots, the “Bankers”; and the fringe dwellers, the “Ferals”.
'Saria is the last of her kind, the final child to be born in the Darklands, a quarantined expanse of outback desert, contaminated generations earlier by the remote and mysterious Nightpeople. Spirited away at her birth before the Nightpeople could remove her from the genetic pool, Saria, now in her early teens, is called before the Council of Dreamers to be used as a bargaining chip. There she discovers the truth about her own past and that of her people.' Teaching Resources available.
'This novel is set in an apocalyptic world many years into the future of Australia. Young Nat journeys along the vast reaches of the Darling River to search for his uncle, and is plunged into a grim and frightening world...'
'A dystopian series set in a futuristic Australia. It follows the journey of Ashala Wolf, the leader of The Tribe. Ashala, along with Ember Crow, Georgie Spider, is also an Illegal, a person with special abilities who are threatened with capture and detainment.' Teaching Resources available.
'Martin lives in the city with his mum. He’s come to walk the boundaries of the farm that’s been in his family for generations. It sounds easy: Martin’s great-grandfather, Ted, doesn’t even want him to walk around the farm’s fences, just up the gorge and along the hills. But up in the gorge Martin meets Meg from almost a century ago and Wullamudulla from thousands of years in the past. Despite their differences they discover that they’re all on the same journey… and that walking the boundaries means more than following lines on a map.'
As the work of the Indigenous Literacy Foundation and First Nations’ publishers such as Magabala Books demonstrate in all they do, Australia benefits from what Professor Anita Heiss calls ‘culturally rich, socially relevant and visually beautiful children’s books authored and illustrated by BlackWords creators’:
"These books explore aspects of Australian history and society not regularly covered in other areas of Australian children’s book publishing or in the education system. Complex issues about Aboriginal identity written by young Aboriginal authors, books that provide young readers with moral lessons, and stories that not only entertain and engage young readers but also carry the cultural role of documenting language, are increasingly highlighting the difference between Aboriginal and mainstream children’s books. This list is a starting place for conversations about these issues, about Aboriginal identity, relationship to country and culture, about language, voice, and being. These books belong in every primary school during story time."
For further information, visit Aboriginal Children’s Literature, a BlackWords project coordinated by Professor Anita Heiss.
Further information and links:
Once there were two little girls who were best friends. They did everything together. As they got older they weren't allowed to do the same things anymore. Because they looked different. Because of the law. This is a story about the landmark 1967 Referendum, the two women who came together to change the law ... and how the Australian people said YES.
Shortlisted Speech Pathology Australia Book of the Year Awards: Best Book for Language Development – Indigenous Children.
From pizza shop to bora ground, here is a joyous celebration of food, dance and cultural understanding. When three young boys go to a pizza parlour and meet an Aboriginal chef who can speak Italian and make a deadly pizza, they're in for a surprise!
Voted CBCA Book of the Year: Picture Book of the Year — Notable book.
"He emerged from the cave of bats with the name given to him by his people. He was Jandamarra - a man of power who could appear and disappear like a ghost". Set in the Kimberley region in north-west Australia, this is the story of a young warrior born to lead. (This is a) story of conflict and divided loyalties - giving a unique insight into an extraordinary man and a tragic but important part of Australia's frontier history.
Shortlisted CBCA Book of the Year Awards — Eve Pownall Award for Information Books.
This is the story of Mary, a young Aboriginal girl who lives on a red and dusty cattle station. Shunned by the other girls because of her fair skin, Old Ned, one of the community Elders, finally speaks up. With words of wisdom, he teaches the girls that Aboriginal identity transcends skin colour and that family, community, country, culture and spirituality is what being Aboriginal is really about.
Shortlisted Speech Pathology Australia Book of the Year Awards: Best Book for Language Development – Indigenous Children.
"The book was inspired by my Nana and Gran, who passed on their love of country to me. When I wrote the book I imagined what it would have been like for them as little girls, playing in their country without a care in the world. At the same time, I wanted to encourage self esteem in Indigenous youth as I feel Australia is in need of more Indigenous heroes. Because all heroes begin as children with a dream, hopefully books like this one bring them closer to that dream." — Ezekiel Kwaymullina
2012 CBCA Book of the Year Awards — Notable Book
"A beautiful story of acknowledging the past and working together for a brighter future. When Simon unwraps a beautiful boomerang wrapped in an old newspaper, he learns of the national apology to the Stolen Generations. Who were the Stolen Generations and how can saying 'sorry' help? Through a new friendship and a magnificent collection of stories, Simon gains a deep appreciation of the past and a positive vision for the future."
2015 shortlisted Speech Pathology Australia Book of the Year Awards (Years 5-8).
The story of the nameless fictional character in Stolen Girl, carefully and cautiously points out through text and images, the differences between life in the home she removed to (dorm life, routines, no family) to the family life she misses and dreams about (storytelling around the campfire, mornings with her mother on their verandah, fishing and swimming in the river).' Source: Heiss, Anita.
2011 shortlisted Speech Pathology Australia Book of the Year Awards: Best Book for Language Development – Indigenous Children.
In the stark desert mining town of Coober Pedy when the government people came to take the fair-skinned Aboriginal children away they didn't always find them. They were down the hole up the tree across the sandhills . . . running from the State and Daisy Bates. This beautifully illustrated children's picture book is a true story. Includes informative historical and cultural supplementary material.
2011 shortlisted Speech Pathology Australia Book of the Year Awards: Best Book for Language Development – Indigenous Children
"Took the Children Away, is a moving indictment of the treatment of indigenous children from the 'Stolen Generation' and a song which 'struck a chord' not only among the wider Aboriginal community, but also nationally. The song was awarded two ARIA Awards, as well as an international Human Rights Achievement Award. From the lyrics of this iconic song a very special book for children of all ages has been created. Featuring the heart wrenching lyrics of Archie Roach and the classic artwork of his late wife and soul-mate Ruby Hunter, this book is destined to become a masterpiece."
"In a time long ago and not so long ago children were taken from their parents, their sorrow echoing across the land. As the Prime Minister’s speech unfolds Maggie is reunited with her mother. But the faces and memories of the stolen generation are all around them. Maggie holds tight to her mother as they await the long anticipated apology to show a willingness to reconcile the past for future generations. In the excitement of the crowd Maggie loses touch of her mother’s hand as is lost. Two stories entwine in this captivating retelling of the momentous day when the then Prime Minister of Australia, Kevin Rudd, acknowledged the sorrows of past and said ‘Sorry’ to the generation of children who were taken from their homes."
2019 winner CBCA Book of the Year Awards — Eve Pownall Award for Information Books.
Award-winning author of Dark Emu, Bruce Pascoe has brought together the research and compelling first person accounts in a book for younger readers. Using the accounts of early European explorers, colonists and farmers, Bruce Pascoe compellingly argues for a reconsideration of the hunter-gatherer label for pre-colonial Aboriginal Australians. He allows the reader to see Australia as it was before Europeans arrived – a land of cultivated farming areas, productive fisheries, permanent homes, and an understanding of the environment and its natural resources that supported thriving villages across the continent. Young Dark Emu - A Truer History asks young readers to consider a different version of Australia’s history pre-European colonisation.
2020 winner Booksellers Choice Award — Children's Book of the Year.
2020 shortlisted CBCA Book of the Year Awards — Eve Pownall Award for Information Books.
Mary was taken to Bomaderry Aboriginal Children's Home when she was only five years old. Now she's ten years old and living with a white family in Sydney. She doesn't fit in and starts to question why. We live Mary's emotional, psychological and physical journey through her twelve months of diary entries, explaining the collective story of the those members of the Stolen Generation removed under policies of Protection in NSW. The diary format helps to transport readers back through time to 1938 and the lead up to the Sesquintennary and the Day of Mourning Conference and protest in Sydney. Source: Author's website.
Professor Anita Heiss is a member of the Wiradjuri nation of central New South Wales and is one of Australia’s most prolific and well-known authors of Aboriginal literature. Anita is a tireless advocate for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander writing and has been involved in AustLit's BlackWords project since its inception in 2007.
Alive with humour, this is the vivid story of a boy growing up between two worlds. With Girragundji, the little green tree frog, he finds the courage to face the Hairyman, the bullies at school, and also learns the lessons of manhood that his father teaches him.' Source: Libraries Australia. 1999 winner CBCA Book of the Year Awards — Book of the Year: Younger Readers
Boori Monty Pryor is a descendant of the Kungganji and Birri-Gubba people of North Queensland. Boori has worked in the film, theatre and television industry. He is best-known as a storyteller, travelling widely to introduce his culture to young Australians. In collaboration with Meme McDonald, he has published a series of books based on his life and the stories of his family.
On Country: The Stories of Nyrlotte is a beautiful collection of childhood memories brimming with adventure, family relationships and customs set on Cape York. Teaching the inquisitive Nyrlotte about her culture and traditions, Nyrlotte's journey is one of discovery, a little naughtiness and a lot of love. Author's note: This series of Nyrlotte's adventures is based on genuine events and practices done by Alngith and Liningithi people of the Western Cape region, and also neighbouring tribes of the area. The storyline has also been derived from a recollection of memories based on the author' childhood. Source: UQP.
Fiona Doyle, daughter of a Mbaiwum woman and a father of Austrian origin, was raised by her grandparents and grew up between the two communities of Napranum (Weipa South) and Aurukun, on the west coast of Cape York Peninsula. Fiona graduated from James Cook University in 2002, and has worked as a freelance performer and choreographer.
In this beautiful photographic book for young children, Bob Randall explains, in a simple but effective way, the Anangu people's relationship to all that is around them, and why we must learn to care for the earth, its plants and its creatures. Based on the award-winning documentary, Kanyini.
Singer, songwriter, teacher and activist, Bob Randall was born at Middleton Pond on Tempe Station in the Central Desert region of the Northern Territory. He is a traditional owner of the Uluru lands and a former Indigenous Person of the Year. Randall's story was recorded by the National Library of Australia for the Bringing Them Home oral history project
Three women go looking for bush tucker, one taking her baby along. A 'bad' woman sneaks up to the baby when the women are focused on digging for honey ants and takes it away.' This book is dedicated to all those children of Central Australia who love to listen to their old people's stories. These stories are written for you so that you can read them back to the old people and to your families.Source: Honey Ant.
Trudy Inkamala is an Elder belonging to the Western Arrernte people. Through the Honey Ant Readers, Trudy has shared some of her stories, allowing them to be passed on and be used by children learning to read.
Suspended from school for arguing about Australian history with his teacher, Tyrone works on a building site with his dad and learns that there's more than one way to be a hero for his people.' Source: Publisher's website.
Bruce Pascoe, a Bunurong man, is a member of the Wathaurong Aboriginal Co-operative of southern Victoria, and an award-winning Australian writer, editor, and anthologist. His works have been published nationally and internationally, and have won several national literary competitions. His book exploring the history of Aboriginal agriculture Dark Emu has attracted considerable attention for its discussion of land management practices in Australia prior to colonisation.
This stunning children's song book, Butcher Paper, Texta, Black Board and Chalk is beautifully illustrated and accompanied with a music CD and informative DVD. Many of the songs were written by children in the Cape York, Penisula region, through song writing and music workshops held by Ruby and Archie. Through the perspective of Aboriginal children and songwriters, the songs reflect the beliefs, pride, aspirations and issues of clan groups and Aboriginal communities from the coastal savannahs of Kowanjama to the rainforest of Lockhart River. Source: ABC Bookshop.
This is the product of 15 years work of Aboriginal singer-songwriter Ruby Hunter with support from her partner, Archie Roach.
Black Cockatoo is a vignette that follows Mia, a young Aboriginal girl as she explores the fragile connections of family and culture. Mia is a 13-year-old girl from a remote community in the Kimberley. She is saddened by the loss of her brother as he distances himself from the family. She feels powerless to change the things she sees around her, until one day she rescues her totem animal, the dirran black cockatoo, and soon discovers her own inner strength. A wonderful small tale on the power of standing up for yourself, culture and ever-present family ties. Source: Publisher.
Carl Merrison is a Djaru / Jaru and Kija writer. His first book was published with Magabala Books in 2018. In 2020, he received a black&write! Fellowship for the manuscript 'Backyard Sports', a children's series set in the Kimberley.
Samuel is the only ordinary human boy in a world full of magic. Adopted by goblins, he dreams of being just like them: with their wicked sense of humour, love of farts and fighting, and amazing inventions. He is determined to get into the Goblin Academy and prove just how goblin he is. But things don't go according to plan. Instead, Samuel finds himself recruited by a band of pirates on a mission to save the Goblin Empire from a dangerous spy. Source: Publisher.
Ezekiel Kwaymullina is a Palkyu person whose family comes from Western Australia. He is the son of Sally Morgan and the brother of Ambelin Kwaymullina and Blaze Kwaymullina . Ezekiel's work is inspired by his love of fantasy novels, anime, video games and films.
A contemporary story about a young girl who has grown up in the city and who is to return to Badu Island to stay with her aka (grandmother). It is time for Wandihnu to learn about the customs and culture of her people who come from the Torres Strait. Source: Publisher.
Based on a Torres Strait Islander creation story: Bakir (rock) and Mar (storm bird) live on a remote island called Egur with their two young children. While fishing on the beach Bakir comes across a very special pelican named Bi. A famine occurs, and life on the island is no longer harmonious. One day Bakir and Bi disappear ... and so begins the adventure. There are supernatural themes, totemic connections and kinship relationships. Source: Publisher.
2013 finalist Deadly Sounds Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Entertainment and Community Awards — Published Book Of The Year.
Tori-Jay Mordey's graphic illustrations bring the city to life in all its colourful glory. Mordey's bold art style celebrates the pace of the cityscape, whether it be her built environment or her moving panoramas. In the City I See is also a gentle snapshot of how our Indigenous culture is reflected in our cities. It will become a valuable and loved addition to family book collections and libraries in rural, regional and urban areas. A delightful Early Childhood board book, Source: Publisher.
2018 shortlisted Speech Pathology Australia Book of the Year — 0-3 Years.
Part of the Uupababa series of young children's books, this title is a beautifully illustrated exploration of how a young girl perceives the natural world. It is suitable for ages 5+.' Source: Publisher.
'Nothing's been the same for Beth Teller since she died. Her dad, a detective, is the only one who can see and hear her—and he's drowning in grief. But now they have a mystery to solve together. As it unravels, Beth finds a shocking story lurking beneath the surface of a small town, and a friendship that lasts beyond one life and into another. Told in two unforgettable voices, this gripping novel weaves together themes of grief, colonial history, violence, love and family.' Source: Publisher's blurb.
Ambelin Kwaymullina is the daughter of Sally Morgan and the sister of Blaze Kwaymullina and Ezekiel Kwaymullina. Her heritage is the Palyku people of the Pilbara region of Western Australia.
Set within the explosive cultural shifts of the 1960s and 1980s, Becoming Kirrali Lewis chronicles the journey of a young Aboriginal teenager as she leaves her home town in rural Victoria to take on a law degree in Melbourne in 1985. Adopted at birth by a white family, Kirrali doesn't question her cultural roots until a series of life-changing events force her to face up to her true identity. Source: Publisher's blurb.
A descendant of the Muruwari people (Bourke and Brewarrina area), Jane Harrison is a playwright, critic, and novelist. Harrison made her debut as a novelist in 2015 with Becoming Kirrali Lewis (which, in manuscript form, won a Kuril Dhagun Indigenous Writing Fellowship).
Central Australia 1960s: Ruby lives on a cattle station and goes to the 'silver bullet' school, where she comes across Mr Duncan, her teacher. Ruby begins to question his unusual ways, and in doing so, awakens to her past and the differences between the two cultures and why they are at odds.
David Spillman has conducted Indigenous Leadership Development programs for the Northern Territory Government and worked for Imagine Consulting Group International. Lisa Wilyuka is a Luritja woman from Titjikala, a small community south of Alice Springs where she has lived all her life.
Angry young Koori Darcy Mango is on parole, and looking for his mob in Northern New South Wales. Befriending the Menzies family wasn't at all what he had in mind, but then neither was the old house hidden in the bush near Desperation Creek. Why does the camera from the house take pictures of the past? It's Darcy's fate to find out. Source: UQP.
Melissa Lucashenko is an award-winning novelist who lives between Brisbane and the Bundjalung nation. She was born and grew up in Brisbane and is of Bundjalung; Yugambeh / Yugumbir descent.
'"Bring problems to us before they're too big to handle " the principal advises Zo when she arrives at her new school. But good advice isn't much help to Zo. Her mum's still a workaholic and her best friend is still a thousand miles away back home. Zo soon teams up with fifteen-year-old Missy who is cheeky, smart, a mean soccer player and believes in magic. She's all muscles and attitude like a cattle dog on the warpath. A showdown can't be far away when Zo's and Missy's worlds collide.' Source: Publisher's blurb.
Calypso Summer is a story told by Calypso, a young Nukunu man, fresh out of high school in Rastafarian guise. After failing to secure employment in his dream occupation, Calypso finds work at a health food shop where his boss pressures him to gather Aboriginal plants for natural remedies. This leads him to his Nukunu family in Port Augusta and the discovery of a world steeped in cultural knowledge. The support of a sassy, smart, young Ngadjuri girl helps Calypso to reconsider his Rastafarian façade and understand how to take charge of his future.' Source: publisher's blurb.
Jared Thomas is an Indigenous author, playwright, poet, and academic. He grew up in Port Augusta on Nukunu country, and his mother's Aboriginal (Ngadjuri) family came from Winton, Queensland. His first novel Sweet Guy was shorted listed for the Victorian Premier's Literary Awards and was awarded the Kuril Dhagun Indigenous Writing Fellowship in 2013.
If Michael Sweet thought his early teens were difficult he's in for a shock now he's eighteen and ready to start uni. The pressures of study making new friends and moving into a co-ed college are only the beginning. When Michael sets out to woo the girl of his dreams he gets more than he bargained for. It makes dealing with his drop-kick father and the antics of his madcap surfer mate Angus seem a breeze. But life is about to dish up some surprises that help Michael meet the challenges head on.' Source: Publishers blurb.
A warmly rendered story of life in a small town that interweaves the mundane with the profound and the spiritual. Told through the eyes of teenager, Fuzzy Mac, awkward episodes of teen rivalry and romance sit alongside the mystery of Nan’s visions and a ghostly encounter. Against a backdrop of quirky characters, including the holocaust survivor who went to school with Einstein and the little priest always rushing off to bury someone before the heat gets to them, Grace Beside Me is full of humour and timely wisdom. (Source: Magabala Books)
Visual artist and author Sue McPherson was born in Sydney to an Aboriginal mother from Wiradjuri country and a Torres Strait Islander father. She entered her first manuscript in the Black& Write! Fellowship and was a joint winner in 2011. In 2013 it was shortlisted in the Prime Minister’s Literary Awards (Young Adult).
A dystopian series set in a futuristic Australia. It follows the journey of Ashala Wolf, the leader of The Tribe. Ashala, along with Ember Crow, Georgie Spider, is also an Illegal, a person with special abilities who are threatened with capture and detainment.
Ambelin Kwaymullina is the daughter of Sally Morgan and the sister of Blaze Kwaymullina and Ezekiel Kwaymullina. Her heritage is the Palyku people of the Pilbara region of Western Australia.
Martin lives in the city with his mum. He’s come to walk the boundaries of the farm that’s been in his family for generations. It sounds easy, especially as he’ll own the land when he gets back. But up in the gorge Martin meets Meg from almost a century ago and Wullamudulla from thousands of years in the past. Despite their differences they discover that they’re all on the same journey… and that walking the boundaries means more than following lines on a map.' Source: Publisher.
Bronwyn Bancroft is an Aboriginal artist and designer from the Bundjalung/Djanbun clan whose artworks have been collected and shown throughout Australia and the world.
Digger is keeping a diary about the things that matter to him: piffing yonnies at the meatworks, fishing with his cousins, and brawling with the school bully. But it's 1967, and bigger things keep getting in the way. Digger is finding out who he is, what he believes, and what's worth fighting for. Source: Goodreads.
Richard Frankland (of the Kilkurt Gilga; Gunditjmara people) is one of Australia's most experienced Indigenous singer/songwriters and filmmakers. In 2007, his work was nominated in the Deadly Sounds Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Music, Sport, Entertainment and Community Awards — Outstanding Achievement in Literature Outstanding Achievement in Literature.
The powerful story of an Aboriginal teenage boy who is caught between the attractions of city life and the ways of his people. After a terrifying encounter with the Binna Binna man he knows what he must do in order to be true to himself.' Source: Libraries Australia.
Boori Pryor is a descendant of the Kungganji and Birri-Gubba people of North Queensland. Boori has worked in the film and television industry and also theatre-in-education. He is best-known as a storyteller, travelling widely to introduce his culture to young Australians.
Albert Cutts is a tree feller. Fog is a fox cub raised by a dingo. He’s called a dox because people are suspicious of foxes and Albert Cutts owns the dingo and now the dox. Albert is a bushman and lives a remote life surrounded by animals and birds. All goes well until Albert has an accident. This is a story of courage, acceptance and respect. With a gentle storytelling style and finely crafted dialogue, Indigenous cultural knowledge and awareness. Source: Publisher's blurb.
Bruce Pascoe, a Bunurong man, is a member of the Wathaurong Aboriginal Co-operative of southern Victoria, and an award-winning Australian writer, editor, and anthologist. His works have been published nationally and internationally, and have won several national literary competitions. His book exploring the history of Aboriginal agriculture Dark Emu has attracted considerable attention for its discussion of land management practices in Australia prior to colonisation.
Urgent was a collaborative work of fiction by more than twenty other young Indigenous and non-Indigenous people encouraged to contribute personal accounts of their lives as well as poetry, artwork and photography and was a project of the Wathaurong Aboriginal Cooperative. With contributions from young Indigenous and non-Indigenous people, and based on true experiences, Urgent is an account of identity, forgiveness and understanding.
Joleen Ryan studied for a Bachelor of Social Work at Deakin University. She was a member of the first National Indigenous Leadership Group from 2001 - 2002, was the youth representative on the Victorian Indigenous Family Violence Taskforce from 2001 - 2003 and the first Aboriginal person to be elected President of the Deakin University Student Association.
Big-hearted, moving and richly rewarding, That Deadman Dance is set in the first decades of the 19th century in the area around what is now Albany, Western Australia. In playful, musical prose, the book explores the early contact between the Aboriginal Noongar people and the first European settlers. (Source: publisher's website.)
Kim Scott is a multi-award winning Indigenous (Noongar) author from Western Australia. He grew up near Albany, in southern Western Australia, then on leaving school completed a Bachelor of Arts Degree and a Graduate Diploma in Education at Murdoch University, in Perth. He initially worked as a secondary school teacher and later turned to writing full-time. Since completing a PhD in Creative Writing at the University of Western Australia in 2009, Scott has been involved with the Curtin Health Innovation Research Institute and also the Wirlomin Noongar Language and Story Project.
In this brilliant debut novel, Alexis Wright evokes city and outback, deepening our understanding of human ambition and failure, and making the timeless heart and soul of this country pulsate on the page. Black and white cultures collide in a thousand ways as Aboriginal spirituality clashes with the complex brutality of colonisation... (Source: Publisher's blurb)
Alexis Wright , activist and award-winning writer, is from the Waanji people from the highlands of the southern Gulf of Carpentaria. After her father, a white cattleman, died when she was five, she grew up with her mother and grandmother in Cloncurry, Queensland. She has worked extensively in government departments and Aboriginal agencies across four Australian states and territories as a professional manager, educator, researcher, and writer.
The destinies of two families, black and white, are fatally interwoven... in this frontier novel. Racial brutality and the tragic account of the Myall Creek massacre underscore the story of Ginny and Wollumbuy, Kamilaroi people of Warrumbungle Range. Mysterious killings follow the arrival Karl and Gundrun Maresch, a German couple who establish a Lutheran mission near the young settlement of Coonabarabran.' (Source: Publisher's blurb)
Philip McLaren was born in Redfern, although his family comes from the Warrumbungle Mountain area, New South Wales and he is a descendant of the Kamilaroi people. McLaren has worked as a television producer, a director, designer, illustrator, architect, sculptor, lifeguard and copywriter. He has been a creative director in television, advertising and film production companies both in Australia and overseas.
A story of homecoming, this absorbing novel opens with a young, city-based lawyer setting out on her first visit to ancestral country. Candice arrives at "the place where the rivers meet", the camp of the Eualeyai where in 1918 her grandmother Garibooli was abducted. As Garibooli takes up the story of Candice's Aboriginal family, the twentieth century falls away. Home is a novel from an author who understands both the capacity of language to suppress and the restorative potency of stories that bridge past and present.' (Source: Publisher's blurb)
Academic, lawyer and writer, Larissa Behrendt graduated from Harvard Law School with a doctorate in 1998. Her thesis was later published as the book Achieving Social Justice : Indigenous Rights and Australia's Future (2003). She is admitted to the Supreme Court of NSW and the ACT as a barrister. In 2009 she was named NAIDOC person of the year and in March 2011 became the first Chair of Indigenous Research at the University of Technology, Sydney.
The Day of the Dog tells the tragic story of Doug's few days of freedom. Set in urban Aboriginal Australia, the novel is a fast paced as it is gripping. Scenes of sudden, devastating brutality give way to peaceful, even lyrical interludes as Doug, his family and those close to him find temporary relief in friendship, love, alcohol or escape to the bush. But they are always drawn back into the ever-narrowing circle of crime, violence, and the inevitable destruction.' (Source: Publisher's website)
Archie Weller grew up on a farm called Woonenup in the south-west of Western Australia. His grandfather's influence and encouragement were important in Weller's desire to write. He worked in a variety of mostly labouring jobs before writing his first novel, The Day of the Dog. It was written 'within a period of six weeks in a spirit of anger after his release from Broome jail for what he regarded as a wrongful conviction.' Ten years later, the novel was made into the AFI award winning film Blackfellas and the novel republished to coincide with the opening of the film. Weller has also published poems and short stories in numerous anthologies and has had plays produced.
A verse novel that centres around the impact of colonisation in mid-north South Australia around 1880. Ruby, refugee of a massacre, shelters in the woods where she befriends an Irishman trapper. The poems convey how fear of discovery is overcome by the need for human contact, which, in a tense unravelling of events, is forcibly challenged by an Aboriginal lawman. The natural world is richly observed and Ruby’s courtship is measured by the turning of the seasons, (Source: Magabala Books).
Poet and writer, Ali Cobby Eckermann was born on Kaurna Country, and grew up on Ngadjuri country in South Australia. She travelled extensively and lived most of her adult life on Arrernte country, Jawoyn country, and Larrakia country in the Northern Territory. When she was 34, Eckermann met her birth mother Audrey, and learnt that her mob was Yankunytjatjara from north-west South Australia. Her verse novel, Ruby Moonlight, won the black&write! Indigenous Editing and Writing Project, was published in 2012 by Magabala Books, won the Kenneth Slessor Prize for Poetry, and was awarded Book of the Year at the NSW Premier’s Literary Awards in 2013. Since then, she has published her autobiography Too Afraid to Cry (2013) and the collection of poetry Inside My Mother (2015).
The story of Australia's resistance hero, Pemulwuy, who kept British settlement around Sydney restricted for 12 years 1790-1802.
Eric Willmot is a leading Aboriginal scholar, engineer, administrator and author. During his primary school years he moved from school to school in Queensland and the Northern Territory. After leaving primary school he began working as a drover and horse breaker and returned to complete his education after a rodeo accident at eighteen which left him unable to work in that field. Willmot graduated from the University of Newcastle in 1968 with a science degree and worked as a maths teacher before gaining a Master's degree in educational planning. During his academic career Willmot published in the areas of education and anthropology and gained awards for his inventions.
Sue Wilson, young and Aboriginal, escapes her "too-large, too-poor family in a too-small" north Queensland town for Logan City's frontier sprawl. Entering "the mythic world of Work" she discovers that the view from behind the bar is less than glamorous, but pays the rent. When she meets Roger the good times begin to roll until she finds herself starring in a feature with medium level violence. Melissa Lucashenko's first novel makes no apologies. With direct and gutsy language, her characters live their lives in the shadows cast by indifferent affluence.' (Source: UQP website).
Melissa Lucashenko is an award-winning novelist who lives between Brisbane and the Bundjalung nation. She was born and grew up in Brisbane. After working as a barmaid, delivery driver and karate instructor, Melissa received an honours degree in public policy from Griffith University, graduating in 1990. Her writing explores the stories and passions of ordinary Australians with particular reference to Aboriginal people and others living around the margins of the first world. A versatile and prolific author, she has published (and won prizes for) young adult novels, contemporary literary fiction, and non-fiction.
Jesse has sworn to protect his sister, Rachel, no matter what. It's a promise that cannot be broken. A promise made in blood. But, when it comes down to life or death, how can he find the courage to keep it? Set on the back roads of Australia, Blood is a boy's odyssey through a broken-down adult world. (Source: Publisher's website).
Tony Birch was born in inner-city Melbourne, into a large family of Aboriginal, West Indian and Irish descent. Birch has been publishing short stories and poetry regularly since the 1980s. Hs first collection, Shadow Boxing, appeared in 2006. Since this, he has published four more collections of short stories and poetry as well as three novels (Blood [2011], Ghost River [2015] and The White Girl [2019]).'
Tarena Shaw has just finished her Law degree but isn't sure if she wants to be a lawyer after all. What place does a black lawyer have in a white system? Does everyone in Sydney feel like a turtle without a shell? Drawn to Thursday Island, the home of her grandparents, Tarena is persuaded by her family to take on her first case. Part of the evidence is a man with a guitar and a very special song... Butterfly Song moves from the pearling days in the Torres Strait to the ebb and flow of big city life, with a warm and funny modern heroine whose story reaches across cultures, (Source: Author's website).
Terri Janke is a Wuthathi and Meriam woman and an internationally recognised authority on Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property (ICIP), known for innovating pathways between the law and the cultural rights of Indigenous peoples and communities. As the owner and Solicitor Director of Terri Janke and Company, a Sydney based law firm, she is dedicated to empowering Indigenous peoples to assert their ICIP rights and prosper in their business and creative endeavours.
At just twelve years of age Molly’s eldest son Danny is the true man of the house, determined to see his mother and siblings safe – from raging floodwaters, hunger and intruders, man and reptile. Danny is mature beyond his years, but there are some things no child should see. He knows more than most just what it takes to be a drover’s wife. One night under the moon’s watch, Molly has a visitor of a different kind – a black ‘story keeper’, Yadaka. He’s on the run from authorities in the nearby town, and exchanges kindness for shelter. Both know that justice in this nation caught between two worlds can be as brutal as its landscape. But in their short time together, Yadaka shows Molly a secret truth, and the strength to imagine a different path, (Source: Publisher's blurb).
Leah Purcell is an award-winning actor, singer and writer. Her professional acting career began in 1992 and she came to prominence in 1993 with a role in Jimmy Chi's Bran Nue Dae. Purcell received a Matilda Award for theatre in 1994 for her performance in 'Low'. In 2016, Purcell wrote an adaptation of The Drover's Wife, which won 11 awards, and has since been published as a novel, and adapted into film.
In the near future Australia is about to experience colonisation once more. What have we learned from our past? A daring debut novel from the winner of the 2016 black&write! writing fellowship. 'This is not Australia as we know it. This is not the Australia of our history. This TERRA NULLIUS is something new, but all too familiar, (Source: Publisher's blurb).
Claire G. Coleman is a Noongar woman whose family have belonged to the south coast of Western Australia since long before history started being recorded. She writes fiction, essays and poetry while (mostly) traveling around the continent now called Australia in a ragged caravan towed by an ancient troopy (the car has earned 'vintage' status). Born in Perth, away from her ancestral country she has lived most of her life in Victoria and most of that in and around Melbourne.
After a decade in Europe August Gondiwindi returns to Australia for the funeral of her much-loved grandfather, Albert, at Prosperous House, her only real home and also a place of great grief and devastation. Leading up to his death Poppy Gondiwindi has been compiling a dictionary of the language he was forbidden from speaking after being sent to Prosperous House as a child. Poppy was the family storyteller and August is desperate to find the precious book that he had spent his last energies compiling. The Yield, in exquisite prose, carefully and delicately wrestles with questions of environmental degradation, pre-white contact agriculture, theft of language and culture, water, religion and consumption within the realm of a family mourning the death of a beloved man, (Source: Publisher's blurb).
Tara June Winch was born in Wollongong in 1983. She is of Wiradjuri, Afghan, and English heritage. She studied for a Bachelor of Arts at the University of Wollongong. The manuscript for her first book won the David Unaipon Award in 2004, and was published the following year by UQP. Winch's first work Swallow the Air (2003), a collection of interconnected short stories, has been on the HSC curriculum for Standard and Advanced English since 2009. She is now based in France.
When they open the door for their wayward daughter, Rosa's parents are not prepared for who else turns up at the Ambrosio family vineyard...
'....the spirit of a poet, nurses who crochet magical rugs, a beautiful bearded lady, elephants from the dreamscape, a médecin sans medicine and his dancing python, a jealous stable-hand, acrobatic pirates of the dark web, a sleeping beauty with a secret or two, and a young girl who longs for a new sister....'
Not everyone is pleased to see Rosa return - peril lurks in dark places. Fear not: with a sprinkling of cosmic dust, a cloud of sawdust and a touch of magic, a new dawn will bloom - now that Rosa has come home.' (Source: Goodreads)
Aboriginal Mardu/Martu writer and basket weaver Karen Wyld lives on the Fleurieu Peninsula, South Australia. After many years of writing, she started to share her stories in 2013.
On a Barbarous Coast is an alternative retelling of Captain James Cook's story co-written by Craig Cormick and Harold Ludwick in the tradition of imagined histories. 'On a night of raging winds and rain, Captain Cook's Endeavour lies splintered on a coral reef off the coast of far north Australia. A small disparate band of survivors, fracturing already, huddle on the shore of this strange land - their pitiful salvage scant protection from the dangers of the unknown creatures and natives that live here. Watching these mysterious white beings, the Guugu Yimidhirr people cannot decide if they are ancestor spirits to be welcomed - or hostile spirits to be speared. One headstrong young boy, Garrgiil, determines to do more than watch and to be the one to find out what exactly they are.'
Harold Ludwick comes from the Cooktown/Guugu Yimidhirr area and works as a guide and cultural historian, and is the recipient of a prestigious Encounters Fellowship with the National Museum of Australia.
Blackie and Rips are fresh out of prison when they set off on a road trip back to Wiradjuri country with their mate Carlos. Blackie is out for revenge against the cop who put him in prison on false grounds. He is also craving to reconnect with his grandmother’s country. Driven by his hunger for drugs and payback, Blackie reaches dark places of both mystery and beauty as he searches for peace. He is willing to pay for that peace with his own life. Part road-movie, part ‘Koori-noir’, Dancing Home announces an original and darkly funny new voice. (Source: Publisher's blurb).
For much of his life, Paul Collis has been a writer and an activist, and also a cultural teacher and mentor, including as an Aboriginal arts officer, medical education worker, teacher in juvenile detention centres and adult prisons; and was a manager of a homeless Aboriginal boys' hostel. Collis had also been widely involved in Aboriginal youth services, the arts and sports, and as an Activist for Indigenous justice. Paul was the first Aboriginal student to achieve honours at the University of Canberra and the first to win the Herbert Burton Medal, the University's most prestigious award.
For perhaps the first time in novel form, Benevolence presents an important era in Australia’s history from an Aboriginal perspective. Told from the perspective of Darug woman, Muraging (Mary James), the novel spans the years 1816-35 and is set around the Hawkesbury River area, the home of the Darug people, Parramatta and Sydney. This was one of the earliest Darug generations to experience the impact of British colonisation. At an early age Muraging is given over to the Parramatta Native School by her Darug father. From here she embarks on a journey of discovery and a search for a safe place to make her home. Janson interweaves historical events and characters - she shatters stereotypes and puts a human face to this Aboriginal perspective. (Source: Publisher's blurb.)
Julie Janson began writing plays with the Australian Aboriginal community while living in Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory. Her plays often have an Indigenous and an inter-cultural focus. In 2001, she was awarded an Asialink Literature Residency in Indonesia. During her residency in Indonesia, she workshopped 'The Crocodile Hotel', set in the Northern Territory in the 1970s and Sulawesi in 1920. She also visited theatres and arts organisations across Java, Sumatra and Bali and was hosted by Petra University in Surabaya
Aboriginal people were once prohibited from entering Brisbane's city limits at night, and Meston Park stood on the boundary. Hours after rejecting the Corrowa People's native title claim on Brisbane's Meston Park, Justice Bruce Brosnan is brutally murdered in his home. Days later, lawyers against the claim are also found dead. The Corrowa's matriarch, Ethel Cobb, is convinced the murders are the work of an ancient assassin who has returned to destroy the boundary, but Aboriginal lawyer Miranda Eversely isn't so sure. When the Premier is kidnapped, the pressure to find the killer intensifies ... While the investigation forces Detective Sergeant Jason Matthews to confront his buried heritage, Miranda battles a sense of personal failure at the Corrowa's defeat. How far will it take her to the edge of self-destruction?
Nicole Watson is a member of the Birri-Gubba People and the Yugambeh language group. She holds a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Queensland, a Master of Laws from the Queensland University of Technology and was enrolled in the PhD program at the Centre for Aboriginal Economic Policy Research, ANU. Watson was admitted as a solicitor of the Supreme Court of Queensland in 1999. Watson has published one novel, The Boundary. An earlier novel, Return of the Clever Man, was shortlisted for the David Unaipon Award
Living on Stolen Land is a prose-styled look at our colonial-settler 'present'. This book is the first of its kind to address and educate a broad audience about the colonial contextual history of Australia, in a highly original way. It pulls apart the myths at the heart of our nationhood, and challenges Australia to come to terms with its own past and its place within and on 'Indigenous Countries'. This title speaks to many First Nations' truths - stolen lands, sovereignties, time, decolonisation, First Nations perspectives, systemic bias and other constructs that inform our present discussions and ever-expanding understanding. This title is a timely, thought-provoking and accessible read. (Publication summary)
Ambelin Kwaymullina has published a wide range of YA and children's books, both independently and in collaboration with family members. She is the daughter of Sally Morgan and the sister of Blaze Kwaymullina and Ezekiel Kwaymullina. Her heritage is the Palyku people of the Pilbara region of Western Australia.
Forthcoming in September 2020: Darnmoor is the home of the Billymil family, three generations who have lived in this 'gateway town'. Race relations between Indigenous and settler families are fraught, though the rigid status quo is upheld through threats and soft power rather than the overt violence of yesteryear. As progress marches inexorably onward, Darnmoor and its surrounds undergo rapid social and environmental changes, but as some things change, some stay exactly the same.
A founding member of the musical group the Stiff Gins, Nardi Simpson was joint winner of the 2018 black&write! Fellowship for her manuscript The Song of the Crocodile, 'which explores three generations of a fictional Aboriginal family in a rural township.'
Forthcoming in September 2020: 'This novel is about a young Wiradjuri woman who travels home to Country along the rivers of her ancestral people in search of lost family.' (Books + Publishing)
Anita Heiss is a member of the Wiradjuri nation of central New South Wales and is one of Australia’s most prolific and well-known authors of Aboriginal literature.
'What is it like to grow up Aboriginal in Australia? This anthology, compiled by award-winning author Anita Heiss, attempts to showcase as many diverse voices, experiences and stories as possible in order to answer that question. Each account reveals, to some degree, the impacts of invasion and colonisation – on language, on country, on ways of life, and on how people are treated daily in the community, the education system, the workplace and friendship groups. This groundbreaking anthology aims to enlighten, inspire and educate about the lives of Aboriginal people in Australia today. (Publication Summary)
Dr Anita Heiss is a member of the Wiradjuri nation of central New South Wales and is one of Australia’s most prolific and well-known authors of Aboriginal literature.
This is a book for all Australians. Since the Uluru Statement from the Heart was formed in 2017, Thomas Mayor has travelled around the country to promote its vision of a better future for Indigenous Australians. Through the story of his own journey and interviews with 20 key people, Thomas taps into a deep sense of our shared humanity. The voices within these chapters make clear what the Uluru Statement is and why it is so important. And Thomas hopes you will be moved to join them, along with the growing movement of Australians who want to see substantive constitutional change. (Source: Publisher's blurb).
Thomas Mayor is a Torres Strait Islander activist. He was raised on Larrakia land in Darwin. He as been the secretary of the Northern Territory branch of the Maritime Union of Australia.
The Little Red Yellow Black Book is an accessible and highly illustrated pocket-sized guide. It's an invaluable introduction to Australia's rich Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and culture. It takes a non-chronological approach and is written from an Indigenous viewpoint. The themes that emerge are the importance of identity, and adaptation and continuity. If you want to read stories the media don't tell you, mini-essays on famous as well as everyday individuals and organisations will provide insights into a range of Australian Indigenous experiences. (Publisher's blurb)
Bruce Pascoe , a Bunurong man, is a member of the Wathaurong Aboriginal Co-operative of southern Victoria, and an award-winning Australian writer, editor, and anthologist. His works have been published nationally and internationally, and have won several national literary competitions.
Pascoe puts forward a compelling argument for a reconsideration of the hunter-gatherer label for pre-colonial Aboriginal Australians. The evidence insists that Aboriginal people right across the continent were using domesticated plants, sowing, harvesting, irrigating and storing - behaviours inconsistent with the hunter-gatherer tag. Dark Emu argues for a reconsideration of the 'hunter-gatherer' tag for pre-colonial Aboriginal Australians and attempts to rebut the colonial myths that have worked to justify dispossession. Accomplished author Bruce Pascoe provides compelling evidence from the diaries of early explorers that suggests that systems of food production and land management have been blatantly understated in modern retellings of early Aboriginal history, and that a new look at Australia’s past is required, (Source: Publisher's website).
In this important and beautifully written book, Aileen Moreton-Robinson gives us a compelling analysis of white Australian feminism seen through Indigenous Australian women's eyes. She unpacks the unspoken normative subject of feminism as white middle-class woman, where whitemess marks their position of power and privilege vis-a-vis Indigenous women, and where silence about whitemess sustains the exercise of that power. And she examines the consequences of practices for Indigenous women and White women.' (Source: Preface, Talkin' Up to the White Women, 2000)
Aileen Moreton-Robinson is a Geonpul woman from Minjerribah (Stradbroke Island), Quandamooka First Nation (Moreton Bay) in Queensland. Moreton-Robinson has published widely in the area of native title, whiteness, race and feminism in anthologies and journals in Australia and abroad.
An authoritative survey of Australian Aboriginal writing over two centuries, across a wide range of fiction and non-fiction genres. Including some of the most distinctive writing produced in Australia, it offers rich insights into Aboriginal culture and experience. The anthology includes journalism, petitions and political letters from both the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, as well as major works that reflect the blossoming of Aboriginal poetry, prose and drama from the mid-twentieth century onwards. Literature has been used as a powerful political tool by Aboriginal people in a political system which renders them largely voiceless. These works chronicle the ongoing suffering of dispossession, but also the resilience of Aboriginal people across the country, and the hope and joy in their lives. (Publisher's blurb)
Dr Anita Heiss is a member of the Wiradjuri nation of central New South Wales and is one of Australia’s most prolific and well-known authors of Aboriginal literature.
Peter Minter is a leading Australian poet, editor and scholar, and is a Senior Lecturer at the University of Sydney. He shares English, Scottish and Aboriginal heritage.
This is the first collection to span the diverse range of Black Australian writings. Thirty-six Aboriginal and Islander authors have contributed, including David Unaipon, Oodgeroo Noonuccal, Gerry Bostock, Ruby Langford, Robert Bropho, Jack Davis, Hyllus Maris, William Ferguson, Sally Morgan, Mudrooroo Narogin and Archie Weller. Many more are represented through community writings such as petitions and letters. Collected over six years from all the states and territories of Australia, Paperbark ranges widely across time and genre from the 1840s to the present, from transcriptions of oral literature to rock opera. Prose, poetry, song, drama and polemic are accompanied by the selected artworks of Jimmy Pike, and an extensive, up-to-date bibliography.The voices of Black Australia speak with passion and power in this challenging and important anthology.' (Source: Publisher's blurb).
Jack Davis AM (1917-2000) was an Aboriginal (Noongar) writer whose career spanned the genres of drama, poetry, short fiction, autobiography and critical material, and reflects a lifelong commitment to Aboriginal activism. His work explores such issues as the identity problems faced by Aboriginal youth in contemporary society, the wider sense of loss experienced in Aboriginal cultures. Davis also made a significant contribution to Aboriginal literary life as a cultural activist and administrator. In the 1980s, he co-founded the Aboriginal Writers, Oral Literature and Dramatists' Association, was a member of the council of the Australian Institute of Aboriginal Studies and the Aboriginal Arts Board. Davis was named a Living Treasure in 1998.
Talking to My Country is that rare and special book that talks to every Australian about their country - what it is, and what it could be. It is not just about race, or about indigenous people but all of us, our shared identity. Direct, honest and forthright, Stan is talking to us all. He might not have all the answers but he wants us to keep on asking the question: 'how can we be better?' An extraordinarily powerful and personal meditation on race, culture and national identity. (Source: Publisher's website)
Stan Grant's father was a Wiradjuri man and his mother was a Kamilaroi woman. Grant attended the University of New South Wales where he studied politics and sociology. As a well-known journalist, Grant travelled widely, reporting from the Middle East, Europe, Africa, and Asia. He has served as political correspondent with the ABC, and has written for various newspapers and been featured widely on radio. In 2015, Grant published Talking to My Country; in the same year, his coverage of Indigenous affairs was recognised with a Walkley Award.
This work discusses the history of defining Aboriginality in Australia and the experience of being Aboriginal. Both these factors have impacted on the production of Aboriginal writing within the wider context of Indigenous writing. The author also focuses on Indigenous publishing in other countries and how best to market and publish Aboriginal literature.
Dr Anita Heiss is a member of the Wiradjuri nation of central New South Wales and is one of Australia’s most prolific and well-known authors of Aboriginal literature.
What does it mean to be Aboriginal? Why is Australia so obsessed with notions of identity? Anita Heiss , successful author and passionate campaigner for Aboriginal literacy, was born a member of the Wiradjuri nation of central New South Wales, but was raised in the suburbs of Sydney and educated at the local Catholic school. She is Aboriginal - however, this does not mean she likes to go barefoot and, please, don't ask her to camp in the desert. After years of stereotyping Aboriginal Australians as either settlement dwellers or rioters in Redfern, the Australian media have discovered a new crime to charge them with: being too "fair-skinned" to be an Australian Aboriginal. Such accusations led to Anita's involvement in one of the most important and sensational Australian legal decisions of the 21st-century... (Source: Publisher's blurb).
The author 'explores the complexities surrounding Aboriginal identity today. Drawing on a range of historical and research literature, interviews and surveys, The politics of identity explores Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal understandings of Aboriginality and the way these are produced and reproduced across a range of sites and contexts.Emphasising Indigenous debates and claims about Aboriginality, The politics of identity explores both the community and external tensions around appropriate measures of identity and the pressures and effects of identification. An analysis of online Indigenous communities on social media that have emerged as sites of contestation adds to the growing knowledge in this area, both nationally and globally. (Source: Publisher's website)
Bronwyn Carlson is an Aboriginal woman who was born on and lives on D’harawal Country in NSW Australia. In 2013 she was awarded the prestigious Stanner Award by the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies for her doctoral research on the politics of identity. She is the first Indigenous Australian at the University of Wollongong to be granted an Australian Research Council, Discovery Indigenous award in 2014 for her research on Aboriginal identity and community on social media. She has been an Associate Professor in Indigenous Studies at the University of Wollongong.
This collection of essays has been produced for teachers, students, researchers, and readers in order to highlight AustLit’s BlackWords project, the most comprehensive resource of Indigenous Australian writing available. The essays aim to assist readers to better understand the impact of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander writing and publishing on Australia’s literary landscape. The essays showcase recent trends in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander writing and highlight the diversity of voices, the range of themes, the genres authors are publishing in, and the ongoing importance of storytelling in contemporary Indigenous society. Common themes emerge in the concerns of Indigenous writers: identity; connection to country; urban life; language maintenance and reclamation. While Indigenous authored books to assist with literacy at a community level is a growing aspect of publishing.
A collection of conversations and essays by Elders, Indigenous and non-Indigenous scholars addresses a range of contemporary issues including the politics of space sharing derived from a colonial history of non-sharing, the relationship between the stories Australians tell themselves about their place as a nation. (Libraries Australia)
Prof. Lester-Irabinna Rigney from the Narungga, Kaurna and Ngarrindjeri nations is a prominent Indigenous educationalist and commentator.
This Book offers my learnings over my lifetime with a focus on a universal Aboriginal cultural value of sharing. I want to share this with you. I want to empower the relationships between Aboriginal Communities and those responsible for achieving positive outcomes for Aboriginal people. I want Aboriginal Communities to be understood, respected and supported. (Source: Aboriginal Insights).
Jolleen Hicks is the Founder & Lead Cultural Development Consultant at Aboriginal Insights (founded in 2016), an Australian company which offers Australians and international visitors access to the Aboriginal cultural world, which in turn leads to stronger partnerships, stronger relationships, respect, understanding, and appreciation of Aboriginal peoples’ and their cultures. Graduating with a Bachelor of Laws from UWA in 2006, she was admitted as a Legal Practitioner to the Supreme Courts of NSW and WA.
How are Torres Strait Islanders viewed and represented by non-Torres Strait Islanders? How do Torres Strait Islanders see themselves and look at non-Torres Strait Islanders? These are just several questions to be considered in the context of the urban, rural and remote experience. From AC Haddon’s account of Murray Islanders to Kaisiana’s journey to the Torres Strait and everything in between, Faulkner presents a range of representation of Torres Strait Islanders through a literature analysis. This book covers a wide variety of works from the period of the late 1800s to present day and examines selected writings by both Torres Strait Islanders and non-Torres Strait Islanders. (Source: AIATSIS website)
Writer and poet, Samantha Faulkner is from the Badu and Moa Islands in the Torres Strait and the Yadhaigana and Wuthuthi/Wuthati peoples of Cape York Peninsula. She has represented women and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander interests on local, state and national boards and has been a Director of the ACT Torres Strait Islanders Corporation.
These lists aim to be as inclusive and comprehensive as possible and they feature both new and older texts; therefore, not all of these titles are necessarily readily available to order or loan.
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