Cirrus@Austlit

'Neil's mother says that Uncle Rex 'lives in the past', by which she means that he loves old things. But does Uncle Rex live in the past literally? Where does the stock in his bric-a-brac shop come from? And why is the shop nearly always shut? AGES: 8 to 12' (Publication summary)

'Ben Haversham has just attended his uncle's funeral, but when his uncle's body vanishes from Endgate Cemetery, Ben reasons that perhaps his uncle is still alive.  A man purporting to work with his uncle, says the funeral was indeed a sham and that his uncle is hiding from a group of iconoclasts who totalled the town's Big Prawn.

'The only architecture of note in Mangrove - apart from the controversial Big Prawn - is a dilapidated Victorian manor on the outskirts of town.  Farewell Manor, rumoured to be haunted, creates headlines when two young archaeology students disappear from it whilst digging for buried treasure.  Are they trapped in the tunnels that Ben's neighbour says lie beneath the manor?

'Local police think not, preferring to charge a gang of bikies (whom Ben rightly suspects of being undercover agents), with the students' murder.  The students are rescued, with Ben's help, but the "bikies" subsequently disappear and are not around when Ben is kidnapped by the iconoclasts.  In kidnapping Ben, the iconoclasts hope to flush out his Uncle Izzy and demand an exchange.  Will Ben's uncle emerge from hiding in time to rescue him?' (Publication summary)

'This book began life as The Golden Retriever but the author, on advice, changed the title to The Enchanted Urn. It's a children's fantasy involving a stolen urn, a golden retriever (incarnation of the hero's great, great grandfather who's trying to recover the urn), a family ghost, a mysterious magician, assorted animals who talk, and three thieves.

'Tim Barnett lives with his autocratic mother, his gentle, demented grandfather (Gramps) and his vague, preoccupied father. Tim has an eccentric aunt who, along with Gramps, informs him that a recurrent nightmare he's been suffering is a window into his family's past. Tim finds himself helping recover the stolen urn in order to release Colonel Septimus Barnett from the 'cycle of rebirth' ensnaring him. If Tim is successful, his great, great grandparents will be reunited for all eternity.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'The mystery surrounding Professor Nettleforth’s disappearance is solved when the professor’s remains turn up in the backyard of his former home. It appears he was strangled and eaten by his own houseplant, a fact so bizarre that Frogmore is once again inundated with reporters. At school a new boy, Damien Berkinshaw, is showing a nosy interest in Rodney’s ability to fade. Damien pursues Rodney to obtain photographic evidence, a relentless pursuit that results in several accidents. In Llandringodd, the rule of law has broken down. The opportunistic Rafferty has taken advantage of the country’s environmental crisis and is making himself rich at Llandringoddians’ expense. He’s also depriving political opponents of their liberty. Amongst his prisoners are Chief Inspector Fox, DS Hound, Mr McTavish, Remus, Mrs Strangeways and Evelyn. Can Rodney rescue the two policemen and his friends? Can he help bring about Rafferty’s downfall?'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Zach visits Shady Glades Rest Home and meets the mysterious Mr Cathcart, who's suffering from dissociative amnesia. Who is he? Can Zach and his friends unlock the secrets of this old man's past? What dangers may lurk there?' (Publication summary)

'There's a new boy at Josiah Batty Grammar whom at first, Zach and his friends can't stand. Although Raoul improves on acquaintance, it isn't long before Zach discovers that befriending him is dangerous. In trying to help Raoul, Zach risks his own life.'

Source: Back cover blurb.

'Zach Brinkley's secondary education is about to begin. He and Sophie Ferguson are enrolled at the prestigious Josiah Batty Grammar School. Unfortunately, Zach discovers that something at this new school isn't quite right. What's worse, the spirit of the school's founder, the Honourable Josiah Batty, expects him to make it right. The founder's ghost pursues Zach relentlessly, exhorting him to rid the school of the corruption that he perceives to be at its core. Will trying to generate justice for this vengeaful spirit lead to Zach's expulsion?' (Publication summary)

'Sophie's Return is a sequel to Angel of Fire. In this story, Zach Brinkley returns home, bringing with him the otherworldly friends who helped him when he was in hospital. He and his ghostly companions and Sophie Ferguson, pledge to help earthbound spirits seeking peace. On a school excursion to abandoned railway tunnels beneath Bottleneck Bay, a case presents itself in the form of Hank, the troubled spirit of a young man from Sophie's past ... her past in a previous life, that is. In trying to help Hank, Sophie places herself in mortal danger. Will Zach, the twins and Astra be able to save her?' (Publication summary)

'Zach Brinkley is a prickly, fiercely independent boy with a chip on his shoulder. When this story opens he's in hospital, having been hit by a truck in a pedestrian crossing near his home. His heart has stopped and he's clinically dead. Doctors resuscitate Zach but he winds up in a coma, unable to communicate with anyone except some rather bizarre, otherworldly visitors. He meets Astra, for example, a yellowish winged thing who irritates him in the extreme. He also meets a set of scary twins who reveal to him that his being hit by the truck was no accident! Someone is trying to kill him? Who could want him dead? And why? This story follows Zach's determination to stay alive with the help of Astra, the twins and his only worldly contact, the insufferable, know-it-all Sophie Cunningham. Will he emerge from his coma in time to thwart his would-be killer?' (Publisher's blurb)

'Rodney Rowbottom feels alone. His mother treats him like a baby. His father is too busy managing a huge experimental farm, where scientists conduct research into genetically modified crops, to spend time with his son. At school Rodney is stalked by Ben Houlihan - the local bully - and picked on because of his habit of fading away. But Rodney's spirits improve when he meets Mrs Strangeways and discovers the reason for his fading. She teaches him to disappear and reappear at will, which both thwarts and humiliates Houlihan.

'Rodney's fading is a symptom of his ability to switch between Earth and the parallel universes of futuristic Llandringodd and primitive Llondieval. Both are terrible places. In both of them, Rodney becomes embroiled in adventures from which he may not escape with his life...' (Publisher blurb)

'The Doolally Kid is an action-packed novel full of plot twists, humour and excitement. Billy, once an unpopular boy, is transformed into a talented artist, musician and dancer, not to mention school hero. However, these spookily acquired talents involve Billy in the sinister underworld of urban crime and turn him and Aunt Addie into suspects in a major art theft.' (Publication summary)