Cirrus@Austlit

'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

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...

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.

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.

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.

'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.