Cirrus@Austlit

'An uplifting tale of resilience, teamwork and the extraordinary bond between humans and animals.

'A kelpie puppy is about to be sent to the pound and Eli knows he has to do something. After adopting the flame-chested kelpie, now named Zoom, the family falls in love, but they soon learn there's a lot involved in raising a dog. Especially a working dog, who is hard wired to round up pretty much everything ... even socks.

'When Zoom goes missing on a family bushwalk, the family sets out on a frantic search. With each passing moment, anxiety mounts, but they refuse to give up hope. As night falls, their strength is tested, both physically and emotionally. Will they be able to find Zoom? What mischief could a dog get up to in the bush?'  (Publication summary)

'Maddy spent her early years in the Northern Territory before her family moved back to Western Australia. Maddy’s love of the sea and everything in it was nurtured by her beloved grandfather who would take her fishing and snorkelling in the ocean off Busselton, south of Perth. On these trips he would regale her with his many stories of shipwrecks around the coast and share his great curiosity in the natural and human-made world.

'Still only a 14-year-old teenager and already a certified SCUBA diver, her passion for maritime archaeology in particular, was sparked by a lecture she attended in Busselton where her family had finally settled. A maritime archaeologist from the Museum of Western Australia in Perth told the gathering the story of the shipwreck of a cargo ship Georgette, that occurred in 1876, south of Busselton. At great risk to themselves, two courageous young people who lived in the area, Indigenous man Sam Isaacs and 16-year-old Grace Bussell, rode their horses into the boiling surf to rescue survivors.

'Dr Maddy McAllister is now the Senior Curator of Maritime Archaeology at Queensland Museum Network and is based in the Museum of Tropical Queensland in Townsville. Her PhD research was on the notorious Batavia shipwreck of 1629 in the Houtman Abrolhos Islands of Western Australia.' (Publication summary)

'Professor Ajay Rane is the Director of Urogynaecology at Townsville University Hospital and Head of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at James Cook University (JCU).

'Ajay has devoted his research and practice to treating women with severe childbirth injuries in the some of the world’s poorest countries. For his years of service, Ajay was awarded the Order of Australia in 2013 and the Mahatma Gandhi Pravasi Award for Humanitarian Work in Women’s Health in 2016.

'Today, as one of Australia’s leading experts on female health, Ajay remains committed to educating the community about women’s health'  (Publication summary)

'Spencer Gray is just an ordinary kid, but he manages to get into some pretty extraordinary situations.

'When Spencer stumbles on a sinister operation in the bush, his life goes into overdrive – midnight rescue missions, super-endangered animals, hair-raising adventures.

T'o survive, Spencer will need to pull off something spectacular.' (Publication summary)

'Parcels usually come in a van. Parcels are often heavy boxes or oddly shaped bags. Parcels aren’t delivered late at night on a school night.

'When Poppy Campbell’s dad opens the front door to find a small, very distressed child clinging to a green blanket, the family try their hardest to do the right thing. They make the little girl comfortable, call the police, and look after her while the authorities search for her family. Why has this happened? The cops are called in, nappies bought, old toys dug out, and friendships made.' (Publication summary)

'The south-west coast is the kind of place people escape to. Unless you have lived there all your life, in which case, you long to get away.

'Rosie and Cray chuck in their city jobs for Margaret River while Liza, Ferg and Sam have been there forever, working the family farm. Under pressure from developers the families unite against change. But when a natural disaster strikes, change is inevitable.' (Publication summary)

'Spencer Gray is twelve – finally old enough to join Dad in his glider. His mates are going to be so jealous! Going up is awesome – but when disaster strikes, Spencer will need to be nothing short of amazing.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Joel and Craggs are in it together. They drink booze together, they flirt with petty theft together and, when Craggs turns violent, they face the consequences together too. That's until Joel's dad makes a deal with the police. Craggs is off to juvenile detention and Joel to solitary confinement.

'Ninety days of fending for himself in a remote bush shack with no radio, telephone or fridge. Miles from anywhere, Joel starts to like his own company, till one day the past tracks him down. Craggs is on his doorstep and he hasn't changed a bit.' (From the publisher's website.)