Cirrus@Austlit

'Fifteen-year-old Emerald O'Shea and her mother, Catherine, make a living wrangling their lion, Dhoruba, who's been hired to appear at a rock concert. But when an anti-music group, the Aletheia, send Jack to steal the rock star's guitar, Emerald's true calling is discovered. If she doesn't accept the unwanted gift she's been given, and leave her comfort zone, music and everything on which it depends will disappear. All life. All people. All existence. The entire universe as we know it...'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'What would you do if a long-abandoned quarry near you started emitting a strange noise?

'When things go wrong, we all react differently. Some things and people we will always care about.

'Others, not so much.

'One island, one noise, twelve authors - what could possibly go wrong?'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Fourteen-year-old Fingal O’Grady is convicted of theft and transported to Australia in the 1820s. Almost two centuries later, fourteen-year-old would-be beautician Abigail Harrington finds a mysterious spider amulet and their two worlds collide. When both children are kidnapped they realise they’re in possession of an object with enormous power. The Peacock Spider of Tien Shan leads them on an exciting and dangerous journey where nothing is what it seems.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Who is the master and who the machine? This collection of twenty stories by the Northern Beaches Writers' Group explores this question with horror, humour, pathos and philosophy. Whether it be in our own place and time, far in the future, the past, or in a universe of their own making, our authors grapple with the interface between humanity and its machines. Are the things we make ours to command? Will they always be? And who, exactly, is making whom?'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Fourteen-year-old Lan is a computer genius... and a prisoner. After poking around in exactly the wrong websites, Lan's interest in drones has landed him in the High Country Youth Correctional Facility. Not a good start. Lan is resigned to his fate until he discovers that the mysterious hacktivist who framed him is part of a plot to kill thousands of people, including his mum and dad. With the help of Monk and his ferret, Lan breaks out of jail, and races to prevent a disaster that could change the face of Australia forever...'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'When thirteen-year-old Mason's parents left him to live on the other side of the country, he swore he would never forgive them, or the invention that kept them so busy... Now they've called him back, promising they can be a family again. But when Mase and his grandmother arrive, the caravan in the shadow of the giant dam is silent and his parents are gone. All that remains is a cryptic message begging him to bring their strange dolphin-like creation to the coast. Mase suddenly finds himself caught in a race where the price of failure is higher than he could ever have imagined. Will he ever see his parents again? ' (Publication summary)

'Fourteen-year-old Callum has long wondered what happened to his father... Callum has lived with his grandparents above their pub in Australia's outback since his father disappeared, six years ago. Then the rains came. Along with his foster brother Jake, Callum and his dinosaur sculpture are transported to another world, where questions are answered, and lives changed. Why is Jake scared of the scribbly gumtrees? Who is the mysterious girl? Can they ever return home? ' (Publication summary)