Cirrus@Austlit

'Sure, it looks like an ordinary book. But it’s not. In this book, the pirates could actually end your adventure! You see, in this book YOU are the main character and YOU decide what happens next in the story. If you aren’t careful, you could find your story ending at the point of a pirate’s cutlass or walking the plank over shark infested waters! Or maybe you’ll discover that you’re the Pirate Captain, and rich beyond your wildest dreams. In fact, there are sixty-four different ways your story could end. Keep track of how many stories you’ve finished by using The Checklist at the back of the book. Then start a new story – either from the very beginning or jump right into a new adventure using the page numbers on The Checklist. Have courage - only the bravest reader will be able to solve all the mysteries of Cuttlefish Cove. You’ve been warned! Think carefully before you go any further. Do you have what it takes to Escape from Cuttlefish Cove? ' (Publication summary) 

'It’s the 1970s and on Kangaroo Island, Mona McKenna and her brother Albert live with their grandparents at Cape Willoughby Lighthouse. For five long years they have mourned their mother and longed for their missing father to return. Since being diagnosed with type 1 diabetes a year earlier, Mona has been increasingly acting in ways that make her hate herself. While she loves the rugged beauty of their isolated sanctuary—and dearly loves her grandparents—she yearns for her parents and finds her diabetes frightening and confusing. Mona finds solace in the treasures she collects along the island's shores. But when she encounters a mysterious sea lion pup, Neo, the world as she knows it is forever changed. The two siblings embark on a journey that leads them to uncover secrets hidden within their family's past. As they bond with Neo, Mona and Albert's quest for truth takes them deeper into the heart of Kangaroo Island. With the fate of their beloved lighthouse hanging in the balance, they must summon courage and resilience to protect their home and the endangered sea lions who call it their own. Rich with folklore and brimming with adventure, Legend of the Lighthouse Moon is a captivating tale of family, resilience, and the enduring magic of the sea. Join Mona on a journey of self-discovery where the whispers of the past guide her towards a future filled with hope, love, and legends brought to life.' (Publication summary)

'PD has determined that for her playdate at the zoo, she will be a safari adventurer, not a detective. But when the elephants go missing, along with Aunt Dot, a detective is exactly what is needed. Thankfully Grandpa has packed a ‘Just in Case case’, and soon PD has her trusty magnifying glass, notebook and trilby hat ready to go.  But where on earth could the elephants be? They are not exactly easy to hide! It soon becomes clear that Ranger Steve knows something … can PD and Theodora uncover the truth before it’s too late?' (Publication summary)

(Publication summary)

'Finch and Wren were as close as a brother and sister can be. When he vanished, when they were nine years old, her world cracked in two. Finch was never found. On the same day that Finch disappeared, another girl was lost, too. Her name was Ava. Her parents were rich tourists, from Sydney. Ava’s story got all the media attention. And Finch was forgotten. But not by Wren. Never by Wren. Three years on, Finch is still with her, whispering in her ear, guiding her through life. As Wren begins high school and forms a new, bewildering friendship with a mysterious girl called Freddie, Finch is there, urging her on. To go bolder. To go braver. To grab life with two hands. When another girl goes missing – a strange girl called Johanna – Wren feels compelled to search for her. To her surprise, Freddie does, too. The two of them try and piece together who Johanna is and why she ran away. Or did she run away? Was the truth more awful? And was it all tied together with what happened to Finch and Ava? My Brother, Finch, is a story of family, of loss, of friendship and of grief, and of what it truly means to let go and move on.' (Publication summary)

'All Finn can hear is the voice of his own sadness and at times it is overwhelming. The faint pulse of hope visits but never stays. Longing to find it, Finn rides a kite into the dark sky, calling its name. He sails over crashing waves, searching for it, but loneliness is his only reply. A storm rages inside him until underneath its thunder, he hears a whisper and determines to take hold of every beautiful note and weave them into a joy that won’t be contained … Through evocative illustrations and lyrical prose, this beautiful story reminds us there is always hope on the other side of the clouds.' (Publication summary)

'Esme doesn’t like the girl she sees in the mirror. Not pretty enough. Not thin enough. Not smart enough or talented enough. Nothing at all like her big sister, Ro.
Then, a new friend comes into her life—a friend who wants Esme to be exactly who she is, or so Esme thinks.

'For a while, Esme likes who she sees in the mirror—even if it never really feels like her. But then, she messes up. Her friend goes away, leaving her alone. There’s no-one to help cover up the fact that she is a talentless nobody whose only real dream is to work in a milk bar—which will never be good enough for her controlling mother.
When two new friends try to help her see the real Esme again, she can’t risk it happening all over again. She can’t be their friend. And she definitely can’t let them convince her to be in the school play …

'School plays are for girls like Ro. So, of course she gets a part. Because she is perfect. But what if Ro wasn’t as perfect as she seems? What if she needs Esme’s help?

'And what if the real Esme Rogers is nothing like who anybody says she is, but a creature of her own making, who can be more than any of them imagine … even if it makes her mother mad.

'A book about finding friendship in unlikely places and finding yourself in even stranger ones …

'And, most importantly … ice cream.' (Publication summary)

'Dive into the sandy shores with PD McPem in an unforgettable beach adventure! PD and her classmates are all set for a day of sun and sea, but the excitement takes an unexpected turn when they discover somebody has sunk the lifeboats. As Detective PD McPem and her team investigate, they unravel a trail of chaos – bananas missing, food scattered, and the bell from Mr Li's ice cream trike is missing. The culprit? A brown shaggy dog, according to a witness. Can PD and her friends find the real rascal before Scooter gets the blame? Grab your detective gear and get ready for a beach day like no other!' (Publication summary)

'It's 1998 and Clara and her parents are staying at the Mount Buffalo Chalet for the national park centenary celebrations. It couldn't be more different from their last visit - they were a family of four then.

'With her twin brother Darius gone, Clara has no reference point anymore, no guide. It's like being lost in the bush without a compass. 

'Without him, she doesn't really know who she is.

'After a strange night, Clara wakes up in 1893. There she meets Alice, a girl who lives within the fern-filled valleys at the base of Mount Buffalo. To her surprise, Clara realises she is Guide Alice, considered a rebel of her time, an adventurous non-conformist who spent much of her life boldly leading people along the rugged trails between granite tors and misty mountain peaks.

'The 1890s were a difficult era in Australia's history. The country is in the grip of a terrible Depression, and desperate people can be dangerous. When Alice's life is threatened, Clara must rediscover the courage she has always had, and become the girl she was always meant to be.

'When help is needed, Clara will be the first to dive right in... 

'Bringing in themes of early feminism and issues such as bullying, never being a bystander, managing grief and finding your courage, this engaging middle grade timeslip story draws on the true history of Mount Buffalo and the incredible role the Manfield family - and Guide Alice in particular - played in the preservation of the National Park and the development of tourism in the Mount Buffalo region.'

Source: Yellow Brick Books website

'Aster attends a school for gifted kids, but she doesn’t think she’s special at all. If she was, her mother wouldn’t have left. Each day Aster must do a good, right thing—a challenge she sets herself, to make someone else’s life better. Nobody can know about her ‘things’, because then they won’t count. And if she doesn’t do them, she's sure everything will go wrong. Then she meets Xavier. He has his own kind of special missions to make life better. When they do these missions together, Aster feels free, but if she stops doing her good, right things will everything fall apart?' (Publication summary)