SUGGESTED READINGS
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A Tale of Magic by Chris Colfer Fourteen-year-old Brystal Evergreen has always known she was destined for great things that is, if she can survive the oppressive Southern Kingdom. Her only escape is books, but since it’s illegal for women to read in her country, she has to find creative ways of acquiring them. Working as a maid at her local library gives her the perfect excuse to be near them and allows her to sneak a few titles home when no one is looking. But one day Brystal uncovers a secret section of the library and finds a book about magic that changes her life forever. Library call number: FAN F COLF |
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Family, Friends and Furry Creatures: My School Project by Liz Pichon Mr Fullerman has a class assignment: a family tree! Tom’s ready to learn all about the Gates family, his friends and a furry creature (or two!). But just what *is* that squeaking sound coming from Tom’s shoes? Library call number: HUM F PICH |
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Ed Sheeran by Sean Smith Bestselling biographer Sean Smith travelled to the quiet Suffolk backwater that Ed Sheeran still calls home. Seeing the sunset over the famous ‘Castle on the Hill’ for himself, he followed in the footsteps of Ed’s amazing journey from the boy who could barely hold a tune to the man who sold out Wembley Stadium. Smith explores the joy of a record deal when past rejections were forgotten; the song that changed everything and how he conquered America (with a little help from Taylor Swift). Library call number: BIO 781.66 SMIT |
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Hungry by H.A. Swain In Thalia’s world, there is no more food and no need for food, as everyone takes medication to ward off hunger. Her parents both work for the company that developed the drugs society consumes to quell any food cravings, and they live a life of privilege as a result. When Thalia meets a boy who is part of an underground movement to bring food back, she realizes that there is an entire world outside her own. She also starts to feel hunger… Library call number: OTH F SWAI |
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The Wizards of Once by Cressida Cowell This is the story of a young boy wizard and a young girl warrior who have been taught since birth to hate each other like poison; and the thrilling tale of what happens when their two worlds collide. Xar is a wizard boy who has no magic, and will do anything to get it. Wish is a warrior girl, but she owns a banned magical object, and she will do anything to conceal it. Library call number: FAN F COWE |
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Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow by Jessica Townsend Morrigan Crow is cursed. Having been born on Eventide, the unluckiest day for any child to be born, she’s blamed for all local misfortunes, from hailstorms to heart attacks – and, worst of all, the curse means that Morrigan is doomed to die at midnight on her eleventh birthday. But as Morrigan awaits her fate, a strange and remarkable man named Jupiter North appears. It’s then that Morrigan discovers Jupiter has chosen her to contend for a place in the city’s most prestigious organisation: the Wundrous Society. In order to join, she must compete in four difficult and dangerous trials against hundreds of other children, each with an extraordinary talent that sets them apart – an extraordinary talent that Morrigan insists she does not have. Library call number: FAN F TOWN |
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Warcross by Marie Lu For the millions who log in every day, Warcross isn’t just a game—it’s a way of life. The obsession started ten years ago and its fan base now spans the globe, some eager to escape from reality and others hoping to make a profit. Struggling to make ends meet, teenage hacker Emika Chen works as a bounty hunter, tracking down players who bet on the game illegally. But the bounty hunting world is a competitive one, and survival has not been easy. Needing to make some quick cash, Emika takes a risk and hacks into the opening game of the international Warcross Championships. Library call number: OTH F LU |
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My Hero Academia by Kohei Horikoshi What would the world be like if 80 percent of the population manifested superpowers called “Quirks” at age four? Heroes and villains would be battling it out everywhere! Being a hero would mean learning to use your power, but where would you go to study? The Hero Academy of course! Middle school student Izuku Midoriya wants to be a hero more than anything, but he hasn’t got an ounce of power in him. With no chance of ever getting into the prestigious U.A. High School for budding heroes, his life is looking more and more like a dead end. Then an encounter with All Might, the greatest hero of them all, gives him a chance to change his destiny… Library call number: GRA F ACA |
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Cells at Work! by Akane Shimizu The average human body contains about 60 trillion cells, and each of them has work to do! But when you get injured, viruses or bacteria invade, or when an allergic reaction flares up, everyone from the silent but deadly white blood cells to the brainy neurons has to work together to get through the crisis! Library call number: GRA F CEL |
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Kick by Mitch Johnson Budi dreams big. He’s going to be a star footballer playing for Real Madrid like his idol, instead of working in a sweatshop making the boots his idol wears. But one unlucky kick brings the real world crashing down. Because now he owes the Dragon, the deadliest gang lord in Jakarta. And if he doesn’t pay up, his family’s lives are at stake… Library call number: F JOHN |
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400 Minutes of Danger by Jack Heath Brad has fallen into the lion enclosure, and the big cats are hungry! Charith takes the wheel of an out-of-control bus after an explosion. Iresha hears strange noises… from beneath the seabed. Daniel crawls into a waste crusher after a building collapse and then it gets switched on. Tak’s class goes on an excursion to an army base and now an experimental military robot is hunting them. Library call number: ACT F HEAT |
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Dry by Neal Shusterman The drought – or the Tap-Out, as everyone calls it – has been going on for a while now. Everyone’s lives have become an endless list of don’ts: don’t water the lawn, don’t fill up your pool, don’t take long showers. Until the taps run dry. Suddenly, Alyssa’s quiet suburban street spirals into a warzone of desperation; neighbours and families turned against each other on the hunt for water. And when her parents don’t return and her life – and the life of her brother – is threatened, Alyssa has to make impossible choices if she’s going to survive. Library call number: OTH F SHUS |
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Trash by Andy Mulligan In an unnamed Third World country, in the not-so-distant future, three “dumpsite boys” make a living picking through the mountains of garbage on the outskirts of a large city. One unlucky-lucky day, Raphael finds something very special and very mysterious. So mysterious that he decides to keep it, even when the city police offer a handsome reward for its return. That decision brings with it terrifying consequences, and soon the dumpsite boys must use all of their cunning and courage to stay ahead of their pursuers. Library call number: F MULL |
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Lenny’s Book of Everything by Karen Foxlee Lenny’s younger brother has a rare form of gigantism and while Lenny’s fiercely protective, it isn’t always easy being the sister of ‘the giant’. A book about finding good in the bad that will break your heart while raising your spirits in a way that only a classic novel can. Library call number: CRI F BANC |
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Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library by Chris Grabenstein When Kyle learns that the world’s most famous game maker, Luigi Lemoncello, has designed the town’s new library and is having an invitation-only lock-in on opening night, he’s determined to be there! But the tricky part isn’t getting into the library – it’s getting out. Because when morning comes, the doors stay locked. Kyle and the other kids must solve every clue and figure out every secret puzzle to find the escape route! Library call number: F GRAB |
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Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer Twelve-year-old Artemis Fowl is a millionaire, a genius—and, above all, a criminal mastermind. But even Artemis doesn’t know what he’s taken on when he kidnaps a fairy, Captain Holly Short of the LEPrecon Unit. These aren’t the fairies of bedtime stories—they’re dangerous! Full of unexpected twists and turns, Artemis Fowl is a riveting, magical adventure. Library call number: FAN F COLF |
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I am Malala by Malala Yousafzai On Tuesday, October 9, 2012, when she was fifteen, she almost paid the ultimate price. She was shot in the head at point-blank range while riding the bus home from school, and few expected her to survive. Instead, Malala’s miraculous recovery has taken her on an extraordinary journey from a remote valley in northern Pakistan to the halls of the United Nations in New York. At sixteen, she has become a global symbol of peaceful protest and the youngest-ever Nobel Peace Prize laureate. Library call number: BIO 371.822 YOU |
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The Rig by Joe Ducie Fifteen-year-old Will Drake has made a career of breaking out from high-security prisons. His talents have landed him at the Rig, a specialist juvenile holding facility in the middle of the Arctic Ocean. No one can escape from the Rig. No one except for Drake, that is… Library call number: ACT F DUCI |
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The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
Bilbo Baggins enjoys a quiet and contented life, with no desire to travel far from the comforts of home; then one day the wizard Gandalf and a band of dwarves arrive unexpectedly and enlist his services – as a burglar – on a dangerous expedition to raid the treasure hoard of Smaug the dragon.
Library call number: FAN F TOLK |
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Cirque du Freak by Darren Shan
Darren Shan and his friend Steve are mesmerised by the fantastic Cirque du Freak. As they watch they realise it is a disturbing show, and when they get caught up in a deadly trap Darren must make a deal with the only person who can save him. And that person is not human and only deals in blood…
Library call number: HOR F SHAN |
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Thirteen by Tom Hoyle
Born at midnight in London, on the stroke of the new millennium, Adam is the target of a cult that believes boys born on this date must die before the end of their thirteenth year. Twelve boys have been killed so far. Coron, the crazy cult leader, will stop at nothing to bring in his new kingdom. And now he is planning a bombing spectacular across London to celebrate the sacrifice of his final victim: Adam.
Library call number: CRI F HOYL |
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The Iron Trial by Holly Black and Cassandra Clare
Most kids would do anything to pass the Iron Trial. Not Callum Hunt. He wants to fail. All his life, Call has been warned by his father to stay away from magic. If he succeeds at the Iron Trial and is admitted into the Magisterium, he is sure it can only mean bad things for him. So he tries his best to do his worst – and fails at failing. Now the Magisterium awaits him — a place that’s both sensational and sinister, with dark ties to his past and a twisty path to his future. The Iron Trial is just the beginning, for the biggest test is still to come…
Library call number: FAN F BLAC |
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Through my eyes: Naveed by John Heffernan
Naveed is sick of war – of the foreign powers and the Taliban, the warlords and the drug barons that together have torn Afghanistan apart. He’s had to grow up quickly to take care of his widowed mother and little sister, making what little money he can doing odd jobs and selling at the markets. When he adopts Nasera, a street dog with extraordinary abilities, he has a chance to help rebuild his country. |
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The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman When a baby escapes a murderer intent on killing the entire family, who would have thought it would find safety and security in the local graveyard? Brought up by the resident ghosts, ghouls and spectres, Bod has an eccentric childhood learning about life from the dead. But for Bod there is also the danger of the murderer still looking for him – after all, he is the last remaining member of the family. A stunningly original novel deftly constructed over eight chapters, featuring every second year of Bod’s life, from babyhood to adolescence. Will Bod survive to be a man? Library call number: HOR F GAIM |
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The Goldfish Boy by Lisa Thompson Twelve-year-old Matthew is trapped in his bedroom by crippling OCD, spending most of his time staring out of his window as the inhabitants of Chestnut Close go about their business. Until the day he is the last person to see his next door neighbour’s toddler, Teddy, before he goes missing. Matthew must turn detective and unravel the mystery of Teddy’s disappearance – with the help of a brilliant cast of supporting characters. Page-turning, heartbreaking, but ultimately life-affirming, this story is perfect for fans of ‘The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time’ and ‘Wonder’. It is a book that will make you laugh and cry. Library call number: F THOM |
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The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak 1939. Nazi Germany. The country is holding its breath. Death has never been busier. Liesel, a nine-year-old girl, is living with a foster family on Himmel Street. Her parents have been taken away to a concentration camp. Liesel steals books. This is her story and the story of the inhabitants of her street when the bombs begin to fall. Library call number: HIST F ZUSA |
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Boy and Going Solo by Roald Dahl ‘Boy and Going Solo’ is the whole of Roald Dahl’s extraordinary autobiography in one volume. Roald Dahl wasn’t always a writer. Once he was just a schoolboy. In ‘Boy’ you’ll find out why he and his friends took revenge on the beastly Mrs Pratchett. He remembers what it was like taste-testing chocolate for Cadbury’s and he even reveals how his nose was nearly sliced off. Then in ‘Going Solo’ you’ll read stories of whizzing through the air in a Tiger Moth Plane, encounters with hungry lions, and the terrible crash that led him to storytelling.Library call number: BIO 823 DAH |
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The Eagle of the Ninth by Rosemary Sutcliff The Ninth Legion marched into the mists of northern Britain – and they were never seen again.Four thousand men disappeared and their eagle standard was lost. It’s a mystery that’s never been solved, until now… Marcus has to find out what happened to his father, who led the legion. So he sets out into the unknown, on a quest so dangerous that nobody expects him to return. Library call number: HIST F SUTC |
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Holes by Louis Sachar Stanley Yelnats’ family has a history of bad luck, so when a miscarriage of justice sends him to Camp Green Lake Juvenile Detention Centre (which isn’t green and doesn’t have a lake) he is not surprised. Every day he and the other inmates are told to dig a hole, five foot wide by five foot deep, reporting anything they find. The evil warden claims that it is character building, but this is a lie and Stanley must dig up the truth. Library call number: F SACH |
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Young Dark Emu: A Truer History by Bruce Pascoe Using the accounts of early European explorers, colonists and farmers, Bruce Pascoe compellingly argues for a reconsideration of the hunter-gatherer label for pre-colonial Aboriginal Australians. He allows the reader to see Australia as it was before Europeans arrived — a land of cultivated farming areas, productive fisheries, permanent homes, and an understanding of the environment and its natural resources that supported thriving villages across the continent. Library call number: 338.1 PAS |
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Radiant by Tony Valente Seth is an aspiring wizard living in a village under the watchful eye of his mentor. Like all wizards, he is an ‘infected’: one of the few living creatures that has survived contact with a Nemesis, creatures that fell from the sky and contaminate all they touch. His apparent immunity led him to choose to become someone who hunts and fights the Nemesis. But Seth longs for a quest that goes beyond the simple hunt for monsters. He wants to find their home, Radiant. Along with other wizards, he travels the world in search of Radiant, under the sinister eye of the Inquisition… Library call number: GRA F RAD |
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Percy Jackson and the Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan ‘Percy Jackson and the Sea of Monsters’ is the second exciting adventure in Rick Riordan’s bestselling Percy Jackson series. You can’t tell by looking at him that his dad is Poseidon, God of the Sea, and it’s not easy being a half-blood these days. Even a simple game of dodgeball becomes a death match against an ugly gang of cannibal giants – and that is only the beginning. Now Camp Half-Blood is under attack, and unless Percy can get his hands on the Golden Fleece, the whole camp will be invaded by monsters. Big ones…Library call number: FAN F RIOR |
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Siege (Special Forces Cadets #1) by Chris Ryan A top-secret government programme needs a crack team of undercover military operators. They must have awesome levels of determination, endurance and fitness. They must be able to think on their feet. The recruits undergo the most rigorous and testing selection process the modern military can devise. And in order to operate in circumstances where adult forces would be compromised, the recruits must be under 16. Once out in the field, they will require all their skills just to stay alive. Library call number: ACT F RYAN |
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Horrible Science: Painful Poison by Nick Arnold Get ready for a deadly dose of excitement with the petrifying Painful Poison. It’s bubbling with killer substances that are strictly not for the nervous – and will have all kinds of evil effects on you. Discover how you can turn your brother into a zombie slave and why you are breathing poison right now! Library call number: 615.9 ARN |
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Knife’s Edge by Hope Larson Twelve-year-old twin adventurers Cleopatra and Alexandra Dodge are reunited with their father and realise that two family heirlooms reveal the location of a treasure that is their birthright. When they set sail with Captain Tarboro on the Almira, they know they’re heading into danger. The ocean is filled with new and old enemies, including their nemesis, the infamous pirate Felix Worley. But trouble is brewing between the siblings. Can the twins remain close as they pursue different goals and dreams, or will their growing differences tear the family apart before the treasure can be found? Library call number: GRA F LAR |
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Stone World (Dr. Stone #1) by DRS Imagine waking to a world where every last human has been mysteriously turned to stone… When every human on Earth is turned to stone by a mysterious phenomenon, high-schooler Taiju is also petrified the moment he’s about to confess his feelings to his high-school crush. Flash forward several thousands of years, Taiju awakens and joins up with his friend Senku, who has ambitious dreams. His plan: to restart civilization from square one with the power of science! Library call number: GRA F DRS |
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Detention by Tristan Bancks What would you risk to save a life? It’s 5.28 am. Sima is pressed to the rough, cold ground among about fifty others, next to a tall fence designed to keep them in. The wires are cut one by one. When they make their move, a guard raises the alarm. There’s shouting, smoke bombs, people tackled to the ground. In the chaos Sima is separated from her parents and baby sister. At 8.03 am, Dan is in class when the lockdown sound blares. He’s worried it’s because of the injured dog he found this morning. He convinces his teacher to let him go to the bathroom. Then Dan finds Sima, hiding in the toilet block. What does Dan do? Help her? Dob her in? And if he offers to help, should Sima trust him? Or run? Library call number: ACT F BANC |
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Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them: The Original Screenplay by JK Rowling When Magizoologist Newt Scamander arrives in New York, he intends his stay to be just a brief stopover. However, when his magical case is misplaced and some of Newt’s fantastic beasts escape, it spells trouble for everyone. Inspired by the original Hogwarts textbook by Newt Scamander, this marks the screenwriting debut of J.K. Rowling. Featuring a cast of remarkable characters and magical creatures, this is epic, adventure-packed storytelling at its very best. Library call number: 791.43 ROW |
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Hive by AJ Betts Hayley tends to her bees and follows the rules in the only world she has ever known. Until she witnesses the impossible: a drip from the ceiling. A drip? It doesn’t make sense. Yet she hears it, catches it. Tastes it. Curiosity is a hook. What starts as a drip leads to a lie, a death, a boy, a beast, and too many awful questions. Library call number: OTH F BETT |
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Mythologica by Stephen P. Kershaw and Victoria Topping An illustrated encyclopedia of Greek mythology like no other, ‘Mythologica’ features startlingly beautiful and exquisitely otherworldly portraits of mythological characters in eye-popping colour from artist Victoria Topping and authoritative text from Classics scholar and Greek mythology expert Dr Stephen Kershaw. Uncover the colourful lives of 50 powerful gods and goddesses, earth-dwelling mortals and terrifying monsters as you journey back in time to ancient Greece. From the fearless Athena and her meddlesome ways to the brave and bold Odysseus and his remarkable journey home, discover why these incredible stories are still a part of our culture today. Library call number: 398.209 KER |
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The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams It’s an ordinary Thursday lunchtime for Arthur Dent until his house gets demolished. The Earth follows shortly afterwards to make way for a new hyperspace bypass and his best friend has just announced that he’s an alien. At this moment, they’re hurtling through space with nothing but their towels and an innocuous-looking book inscribed with the big, friendly words: DON’T PANIC.The weekend has only just begun..Library call number: OTH F ADA |
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The Bone Sparrow by Zana Fraillon Subhi is a refugee. Born in an Australian permanent detention centre after his mother fled the violence of a distant homeland, life behind the fences is all he has ever known. But as he grows, his imagination gets bigger too, until it is bursting at the limits of his world. The Night Sea brings him gifts, the faraway whales sing to him, and the birds tell their stories. The most vivid story of all, however, is the one that arrives one night in the form of Jimmie, a scruffy, impatient girl who appears from the other side of the wires, and brings a notebook written by the mother she lost. Unable to read it, she relies on Subhi to unravel her own family’s love songs and tragedies. Library call number: F FRAI |
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Pirate Boy of Sydney Town by Jackie French Twelve-year-old Ben Huntsmore is the son of a shipowner, an only child who loves the farming life on his mother’s family estate, Badger’s Hill. But when Ben’s father loses their ancestral home in 1809 as payment for a gambling debt, Ben reluctantly joins him in a desperate venture to win it back, capturing enemy trading ships off the west Australian coast. While at sea, Ben must face not just the giant waves of the Southern Ocean but also the guns of a Dutch ship, along with unexpected treachery. And only the friendships of the mysterious convict Higgins and the young Indigenous sailor Guwara will help Ben survive. Library call number: ACT F FREN |
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Funny Bones edited by Kate Temple, Jol Temple and Oliver Phommavanh If you think you’ve heard every funny story there is then think again… ‘Funny Bones’ is a super-huge collection of rib-tickling stories, cartoons, comics, jokes and much, much more that’s bound to get even the most serious kid laughing. With over 100 funny stories, hilarious poems and side-splitting drawings from some of Australia’s favourite and funniest people including Zoe Foster Blake, Josh Pyke, Andy Griffiths, Terry Denton, Hannah Gadsby, Lawrence Leung, James O’Loghlin, Danny Katz, Sally Rippin, Tristan Bancks, Jessica Walton, Dougal Macpherson, Garth Nix, The Listies, Georgia Productions as well as Oliver Phommavanh and Kate & Jol Temple, ‘Funny Bones’ will be a bumper addition to any child’s bookshelf. Library call number: HUM F TEMP |
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Ready Player One by Ernest Cline In the year 2044, reality is an ugly place. The only time teenage Wade Watts really feels alive is when he’s jacked into the virtual utopia known as the Oasis. Wade’s devoted his life to studying the puzzles hidden within this world’s digital confines, puzzles that are based on their creator’s obsession with the pop culture of decades past and that promise massive power and fortune to whoever can unlock them. Library call number: OTH F CLIN |
A SELECTION OF BOOKS BY SOME OF THE AHL LIBRARY GUEST SPEAKERS
We regularly welcome published authors into the Arthur Holt Library as part of such events as books@breakfast, the Trinity Arts Festival and Science Week. Here is a selection of books by some of our past speakers.
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Karl, the Universe and Everything by Dr Karl Kruszelnicki Grab your towel and hitchhike across the galaxy with Australia’s most popular scientist Dr Karl Kruszelnicki. Learn about Dr Karl, the universe and everything, and discover how air-conditioning is sexist, how you can kill a spinning hard drive by shouting at it and how space junk is threatening our future capabilities for space travel. Library call number: 500 KRU |
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Walking Free by Munjed Al Muderis In 1999, Munjed Al Muderis was a young surgical resident working in Baghdad when a squad of Military Police marched into the operating theatre and ordered the surgical team to mutilate the ears of three busloads of army deserters. When the head of surgery refused, he was executed in front of his staff. Munjed’s choices were stark–comply and breach the medical oath ‘do no harm’, refuse and face certain death, or flee. That day, Munjed’s life changed forever. He escaped to Indonesia, where he boarded a filthy, overcrowded refugee boat, bound for Australia. Library call number: BIO 617.4 ALM |
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Strayapedia by Dominic Knight Patriotically basted in the goon trough of Australian values, this book is as fundamentally Strayan as bowling your final over underarm, not asking awkward questions about what’s in your meat pie, and naming a swimming pool after Harold Holt. Conveniently omitting all areas not relating to Australia, Strayapedia provides definitive alternative facts about Tony Abbott, AC/DC, Canberra, Kylie Minogue, the Hills hoist, Bob Hawke, Hey Hey It’s Saturday, Ned Kelly, koalas, Akubras and Shane Warne – among many other certified dinky-di topics. Library call number: 994 KNI |
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Monuments by Will Kostakis When Connor Giannopoulos discovers a monument under his high school, he doesn’t have any idea how much his life is going to change forever. It turns out that immortality and strength beyond his wildest dreams is a bit more responsibility than he bargained for. Library call number: FAN F KOST |
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Perspective by Ellyse Perry A book of shared insights from one of Australia’s most exceptional athletes. Ellyse Perry is among the all-time cricket greats, and the only player, female or male, to represent Australia in both cricket and football World Cups, making her international debut in both sports at the age of 16. ‘Perspective’ is about sitting back from the world you’re involved in and evaluating what it means to you. What are the important things that you know make experiences special? Library call number: BIO 796.358 |
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Australia Day by Stan Grant In this book, his long-awaited follow up to ‘Talking to My Country’, Stan talks about our country, about who we are as a nation, about the indigenous struggle for belonging and identity in Australia, and what it means to be Australian. A sad, wise, beautiful, reflective and troubled book, ‘Australia Day’ asks the questions that have to be asked, that no else seems to be asking. Who are we? What is our country? How do we move forward from here?Library call number: 305.899 GRA |
