Cirrus@Austlit

'A powerful and moving debut novel about a school community in crisis from the bestselling author of Teacher.

'The staff of St Margaret's Primary School are hanging by a thread. There's serious litigation pending, the school is due for registration, and a powerful parent named Janet Bellevue has a lot to say about everything. As teachers they're trying to remain professional, as people they're fast unravelling.

'There's Tyson, first year out of uni and nervous as hell, Derek the Assistant Principal who's dropped the ball on administration, Bev from the office who's confronting a serious diagnosis, and Sally-Ann who's desperate for a child of her own.

'Thank goodness for kids like Lionel Merrick. Lionel is the student who steals your heart and makes the whole teaching gig worthwhile: he's cheerful, likeable and helpful - and devoted to his little sister Lacey. But Lionel has a secret of his own. As his future slides from vulnerable to dangerous, will someone from St Margaret's realise before it's too late?' (Publication summary)

As secrets threaten to be exposed and working demands increase, each staff member begins to lose sight of the things that matter most.

A moving and compelling novel about teachers and their students by the acclaimed author of the bestselling books Teacher and Dear Parents.

'A powerful and moving memoir about how the current system is letting down children and parents, and breaking dedicated teachers. Devastating, heart-breaking, enraging.

'Watching children learn is a beautiful and extraordinary experience. Their bodies transform, reflecting inner changes. Teeth fall out. Knees scab. Freckles multiply. Throughout the year they grow in endless ways and I can almost see their self-esteem rising, their confidence soaring, their small bodies now empowered. Given wings.

'They fall in love with learning.

It is a kind of magic, a kind of loving, a kind of art.

It is teaching.

Just teaching.

Just what I do.

What I did.

Past tense.

'In 2014, Gabrielle Stroud was a very dedicated teacher with over a decade of experience. Months later, she resigned in frustration and despair when she realised that the Naplan-test education model was stopping her from doing the very thing she was best at: teaching individual children according to their needs and talents. Her ground-breaking essay 'Teaching Australia' in the Feb 2016 Griffith Review outlined her experiences and provoked a huge response from former and current teachers around the world. That essay lifted the lid on a scandal that is yet to properly break - that our education system is unfair to our children and destroying their teachers.

'In a powerful memoir inspired by her original essay, Gabrielle tells the full story: how she came to teaching, what makes a great teacher, what our kids need from their teachers, and what it was that finally broke her. A brilliant and heart-breaking memoir that cuts to the heart of a vital matter of national importance. ' (Publication summary)

'Until recently, Jonah's life has been wonderfully simple: school, partying and surfing with his mates. It's been uncomplicated, like riding the perfect wave. But that's all about to change.

'With the stress of year 12 looming, Jonah's mission to have sex before his eighteenth birthday is not going well. Jonah's lack of self-confidence is fuelling his fear that he's destined to live in the shadow of his legendary older brother, Link. And just when he thinks that things couldn't get any more complicated his brother drops a bombshell on his unsuspecting family.

'But life has a funny way of sorting out the big issues from the small. And Jonah discovers that sometimes the answers you're looking for are right in front of you.'

Source: Provided by the publisher.