Cirrus@Austlit

(Publication summary)

'When Ruby sees an amazing creature on the beach on her way home from school, she is hopeful she's found a new friend... A gorgeous story about kindness and family and friendship, brought beautifully to life by two incredibly talented creators.

'Ruby led the creature out into the garden. She drew a dancing circle in the sand. 'I choose you!' she said to the creature.

'Walking along the beach, Ruby finds a strange creature on the shore. She takes it home, feeds it and makes a bed of straw for it in her cubby – but a cubby is no place for a creature from the sea.

'Ruby must draw on all her resources to help the creature find their way home - and perhaps, along the way, she might just find an unexpected friendship.

'A whimsical tale of friendship, compassion and resourcefulness, from a wonderfully talented creative team.' (Publication summary)

'Megan and her best friend Li must team up and draw on all their creativity and courage to defeat a strange monster that threatens their town.

'Megan is obsessed with drawing fantastical creatures and she shares them with her best friend Li who writes stories to go with the pictures. They are kindred spirits with big creative dreams.

'One day everyone in town - except Megan and Li - is immobilised by a strange glow coming from their phones. Megan and Li are initially frightened and alarmed, but when they realise they are somehow immune, they set out to seek help.

'Soon a battle unfolds, a thrilling battle that pits all of their creative energies against the terrible monster that has ensnared everyone else around them.

'A wonderfully spooky novel from one of Australia's finest writers, and beautifully illustrated by Marc McBride.' (Publication summary) 

'A spooky, exuberantly funny and hugely entertaining book about a boy who is having trouble making friends in his new neighbourhood… From bestselling author Sofie Laguna. Perfect for Halloween reading!

'Alby and his family are new on Pleasant Street. Their house is perfect, with a great tree to climb, and a pool. Their pet, Delia, is still in training, but she's settling in just fine.

'And tonight is Halloween - Alby's favourite night of the year - so ANYTHING could happen…

'A hilarious story about family and friendship, and what happens when trick-or-treating doesn't go to plan.' (Publication summary)

'A beautiful, illustrated adventure story with a classic feel, about a quiet boy and a talking crow on an extraordinary hot-air balloon ride to the Arctic.

'Matthew stood on the snowy peak and stared out at the world spread before him. Every picture in his books had been limited by the size of the page, contained within frames. Here, there was no frame. Here, the picture didn't end. Beyond those icy plains, the sea, and beyond the sea, a land that floated on the ice, drifting northwards. Matthew put the binoculars to his eyes and saw valleys and cliffs and rivers all made of snow. Everywhere was white.

'Matthew has dreamed and read and thought about the North Pole for as long as he can remember. And he has done it secretly. It is a place that cannot be tarnished by the world in which he lives - a world in which he struggles to find answers and make friends, while everything seems to come easily to other children.

'But one day, a crow called Lewis Carmichael lands at Matthew's window - a crow who believes in Matthew in the most simple and ordinary ways. Soon, the unexpected voyage of a lifetime begins, and it will change everything…

'An unforgettable adventure story from award-winning children's book author Sofie Laguna, with enchanting illustrations by Marc McBride.' (Publication summary)

'Lone Annie sees dragons in your future. She sees giants. She sees fire and water. She sees death. Finn's life in the village of Wichant is hard. Only his drawings of the wild coastline, with its dragon-shaped clouds and headlands that look like giants, make him happy. Then the strange housekeeper from a mysterious clifftop mansion sees his talent and buys him for a handful of gold and then reveals to him seven extraordinary paintings. Finn thinks the paintings must be pure fantasy — such amazing scenes and creatures can't be real! He's wrong. Soon he is going to slip through the veil between worlds and plunge into the wonders and perils of The Glimme.' (Publication summary)

'Across the Creek is a fantasy for 9-12 year olds set in the old Kapunda mine. Based on Cornish folklore.'

'Children in Aidan's town have mysteriously disappeared for years. When his friend Jenice disappears, Aidan goes in search of her. He crosses a forbidden creek, and with the help of a piskey named Raff, ventures into an abandoned mine. Here he discovers a strange world populated by mythical creatures who came to Australia with the first Cornish miners over 160 years earlier. Has he uncovered the secret of the missing children? And can he and Jenice escape the horrible spriggans and their fearsome dragaroo, or will they be trapped in the mines forever?' (Publication Summary)

'Trust Me Too comprises work from over 50 of Australia's leading children's authors and illustrators. Separated into genres such as crime, adventure, romance, science fiction and fantasy, it truly covers all aspects of the classical anthology. It contains fiction, illustrations, poetry and graphics.

Contributors include a prequel to Obernewtyn by Isobelle Carmody, stories from many other writers including Jack Heath, Oliver Phommavanh, James Roy, Gary Crew, Margaret Clark, Phil Kettle, Michael Gerard Bauer, poems from writers such as Lorraine Marwood, Sofie Laguna and Michael Wagner, and illustrations from artists such as Shaun Tan, Leigh Hobbs, Mark Wilson and Marc McBride.' Source: Ford Street Publishing.

'Fantasy novel for older children in the Takeaways series. When Cassandra receives an ugly necklace for her birthday from her long-lost mother, she is reluctant to try it on, but when she does she finds herself in a startling new world. She is transported to Morphea, a place where the myths and legends of our world are true, and she must decide between the mysterious pull of her mother, and rescuing her father. ' (Publication summary)

'Two children encounter a shadowy beast that lives in the depths of the sea. Christopher is blind, though through no physiological reason, and Antonia is a cynic, blind to the possibilities of her brother's information. Christopher defeats the Kraken, the beast of doubt, through his faith and determination that he will see.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.