Cirrus@Austlit

'When Roger and his family start to clean up Uncle Arnold’s ramshackle house, strange things begin to happen all along Wattle Street. Everyone in the neighbourhood seems to have a secret. Soon Roger has the most fantastic secret of all — a haunted TV set with most peculiar powers. Roger is in for an adventure he’ll never forget!'

Source: Author's blurb.

'Inside the house where Arnold Taylor has lived for 65 years — 61 alive and 4 dead — it's business as usual. Tenants are fleeing into the night just as quickly as the old ghost can scare them out! And then Kit Corwin comes to town. Little does he realise that his fledgling talent as a horror writer is about to take on a blood-chilling new meaning...'

Source: Author's blurb.

'Without doubt Judy was the worst of the seven, probably because she was the cleverest.'

'Her father, Captain Woolcot, found his vivacious, cheeky daughter impossible – but seven children were really too much for him and most of the time they ran wild at their rambling riverside home, Misrule.

'Step inside and meet them all – dreamy Meg, and Pip, daring Judy, naughty Bunty, Nell, Baby and the youngest, 'the General'. Come and share in their lives, their laughter and their tears.' (From the publisher's website.)

'For six years the ghost of Arnold Taylor has haunted the house in Wattle Street and made unsuspecting tenants flee screaming into the night! So when budding photographer Tassana moves in, the ghost rubs his wrinkled hands in glee. However, Tassana doesn’t scare easily and when the grumpy ghoul gets up to his supernatural tricks, she devises a plan. Can she outsmart this devious ghost? All goes well till the troublesome ghost plots his revenge.'

Source: Author's blurb.

Cecilia says merry-go-rounds are for little kids, but Jo feels there's something mysterious and not at all childish about the carousel that appeared overnight in Marley Street. She wants to find out what is so strange, but will she be leading herself and Cecilia into danger?

'Sharon longs to be someone else. She's in strife at school, and her father's girlfriend, Rosa, seems to hate her for no reason at all. It's only when she meets up with old Mrs Wickham and her good-looking nephew, Michael, that she begins to value herself more highly.' (Publication summary)

'Without doubt Judy was the worst of the seven, probably because she was the cleverest.'

'Her father, Captain Woolcot, found his vivacious, cheeky daughter impossible – but seven children were really too much for him and most of the time they ran wild at their rambling riverside home, Misrule.

'Step inside and meet them all – dreamy Meg, and Pip, daring Judy, naughty Bunty, Nell, Baby and the youngest, 'the General'. Come and share in their lives, their laughter and their tears.' (From the publisher's website.)

'Denny really likes his new friend, the daring Stephen. But their friendship causes trouble in other areas of his life - at school, at home.'

Source: Blurb.

'This quintessential collection of May Gibbs’ classic stories was first published in 1940 and has never been out of print since! Featuring the tales of Snugglepot and Cuddlepie (first published in 1918) and its two sequels, Little Ragged Blossom (1920) and Little Obelia (1921). In this new edition, all of May’s original artwork has been sourced and re-scanned and the illustrations look as exquisite as the day May put down her paintbrush all those years ago.' (Source: author's website)

'In this follow up to Little Ragged Blossom, go on more adventures with Little Obelia, Ragged Blossom, Snugglepot and Cuddlepie on land and under the sea as they once again battle the Bad Banksia Men and a new enemy, the wicked and awful Giant Octopus. Joined by their old friend Mr Lizard they work together to defeat their evil enemies.' (Source: author's website)

'The Piggotts are all dreamers, scoundrels or just plain whacky - except for the youngest, eleven year old Bert Piggott. Now the council are trying to evict the Piggotts from their once beautiful mansion, Piggott Place. So it's up to Bert and his friend Antigone (the would-be star of stage and screen) to save the Piggott's ancestral home.

'Who is the lady with the parrot pants?

'Why do the police loathe the Piggotts?

'Will Bert ever come to terms with his crazy family?'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'In this sequel to Snugglepot and Cuddepie, the three friends – Little Ragged Blossom, Snugglepot and Cuddlepie go on a new adventure together to see new countries. When Ragged Blossom and Snugglepot are captured by the Banksia Men, they are thrown into the sea and go on to meet many new friends (and enemies) in the undersea world including Ann Chovy, Frilly, the baby Little Obelia and John Dory. Snugglepot is saved and reunited with Cuddlepie on dry land (Ragged Blossom stays in the sea to care for Little Obelia), they are joined by Mr Lizard who helps them escape the clutches of the Bad Banksia Men once more and throws the evil creatures into the sea.' (Source: author's website)

'When Tim worries, he gets the hiccups and lately there has been lots to worry about such as moving to a new area, having to supply the school thug with Mars bars, and Mum's developing friendship with David next door. Suggested level: primary, intermediate.' (Publication summary)

'Twins Luke and Mark are inseparable; that is, until Mark mysteriously vanishes while kayaking down the Bandinangi River. Hauled into the future by shrouded ghost people, Mark is charged with being a vandal - an environmental thug. This is a society where even noise is considered a pollutant. Mark is in real trouble, especially when they start testing him to see if he has intelligence.'

Source: Trove.

'A spiritual allegory for children tells of the quest of the "Collectors" an unlikely group made up of a cynic, a coward, a criminal, and others, who search the world and themselves for the one thing that will save the planet.'  (Publication summary)

'"YOUNG BROTHERS JUMP TO DEATHS: LOVED SAME GIRL" reads the headline; months later the girl, 15-year-old Sally O'Leary, tries to unravel the grief and guilt of the tragic events whose misrepresentation has been part of her trauma. Sally first met Benji and his blind older brother, Joel, at a school debate on life after death--a possibility that fascinates Joel. As Sally gradually reveals in excerpts from her diary, in memories she confides to the reader, and in conversations with the psychiatrist to whom she's sent as a seriously disturbed truant, Joel later seeks her out to pursue their debate. Benji, whose parents require him to be Joel's guide and companion, makes a third in their growing friendship. It's never quite more than that; though Benji and Sally are attracted to each other, Benji "must not take that hope, or enjoy your love when it is what my brother wants most." Joel seeks meaning in New Age philosophy and the occult; and, trying to divert him from what they perceive as perilous ideas, Joel and Sally concoct a horoscope that Joel disastrously misconstrues.'

Source: Kirkus Reviews.

'Futuristic novel for young adults in which Mahla, a foreigner from a faraway city meets and befriends Zel from a seemingly primitive culture. The unfolding events over the next 24 hours reveal the intricacies of Zel's society.'

Source: Google Books.

'Martin lives in the city with his mum. He’s come to walk the boundaries of the farm that’s been in his family for generations. It sounds easy, especially as he’ll own the land when he gets back.

'Martin’s great-grandfather, Ted, doesn’t even want him to walk around the farm’s fences, just up the gorge and along the hills. But up in the gorge Martin meets Meg from almost a century ago and Wullamudulla from thousands of years in the past. Despite their differences they discover that they’re all on the same journey… and that walking the boundaries means more than following lines on a map.' (Source: Publisher's blurb)

Combines the themes of karate & physical handicaps. When James' sister is attacked by bullies he forgets the karate code of ethics in his anger and has to learn that self control and self-honesty are everything.

(Source: Trove)

'Kirsty and her sister run into the Bully Biscuit Gang on their first day of school, who terrorize the other kids until they give them their cookies and biscuits from their lunchboxes.' (Publication summary)

'Nikoletta loved the island. With its sparkling blue seas, the rugged beauty of the village and her loving family and friends, everything she ever needed was on the island – it was her home. Even the tourists with their chit-chit-chatter made Nikki giggle

'Then Nikoletta became the tourist. She and her family moved to Australia and nothing was familiar anymore… especially not the school. Even her name has been changed. Now her talking sounds like chit-chit-chatter and she’s afraid everyone will make fun of her. Will she ever feel at home in this strange place?

'Meeting Jacqueline may change everything for Nikki.' (Publication summary)

'Johnno and his family have lived on the farm for generations. They love the land and the life it provides, but it hasn't rained properly for a long time and the farmers are worried. Slowly, the impact of the drought is felt and Johnno observes the changes.' (Publication summary)

'Darren saw it first, then Pete and by the afternoon everyone could see it, too. Everyone, that is, except Mr Hanley. At first, Pete thought the large furry brown animal was a big dog. But when he looked closely, it looked more like a giant wombat. And it was! A wombat named Bosco. Bosco isn't like other wombats; he knows how to act like a hen laying an egg, gallop like a Mongolian horse and pirouette like a ballerina - and most importantly, Bosco knows when he's needed. Genevieve is someone who needs help and Bosco may be her only hope. But helping Genevieve in hospital may be too hard even for a miracle-working wombat. Can a little wombat-magic from Bosco make things right Ages 8+' (Publication summary)

'Rick's cousins are two specks floating on the horizon, leaving him far behind on the treacherous bush track. He looks at his punctured tyres in dismay. Ten kilometres. If he walks, he'll be too late to save them. If he runs, he'll expire in the heat.

'Somewhere across the flats, in between the red-dirt back roads, there's real trouble happening. Rick has never felt so alone; the land around him feels as alien as the moon - nothing like the city.

'But now is no time to hesitate... Ian and Nita are depending on him.

'Then the voice of his dead father comes ringing: 'Don't use up all your energy at once. Walk twenty, run twenty.''

Source: Publisher's blurb (2019 republication).

'At first his whole world had been the pouch; the sweet scent of his mother, her warmth, and the steady thud of her pulse. Now, he wants to find another world. the warrior is ready to explore. But finding a world, his world, away from the safety of the creel flat and his mother s hole, is hard and dangerous. And for the warrior to make a new world his, he has to overcome his fears and the the Enemy.' (Publication summary)

'Whenever I used to see one of those old fellers going off with a spear for murrung - fish - I'd watch him. I'd run after him. I was only a little feller but I had a sense to follow and learn how to do all those things." Not everyone has someone to look up to and learn from in their life. But for this little boy, Uncle Abraham is that special person. this is about Minah, Uncle Abraham, shows how the passing down of knowledge can help keep memory alive. ' (Publication summary)

'When Albert forays into the world outside his doorstep in search of adventure, he finds himself disturbing the slumbers of a ferocious dragon - who now wants revenge.' (Publication summary)

'About to start high school, Rachel is dreading the thought of being without her best friend, who's moving to Sydney, and she's sure she'll be the tallest in the class. Soon though, Rachel begins to see that she's not the only one with problems and that it's normal to worry about the future.' (Publication summary)