Library news

What a fabulous term we have had in the library celebrating the wonderful, whole school events and raising awareness for important celebrations on our school calendar. 

Early in Term 2 BHHS celebrated IDAHOBIT day; International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, Interphobia and Transphobia. The day celebrates LGBTQIA+ people and marks that 36 years ago, the World Health Organisation removed homosexuality from the Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems. It aims to raise awareness for the work still needed to combat discrimination. 

The other huge event that the library celebrated and raised awareness for was National Reconciliation Week (NRW). The 2026 theme is "All In” and served as a call to action for all Australians to commit wholeheartedly to reconciliation in their everyday lives. 

The library at Box Hill High School plays a pivotal role to support events like this. We know that students need access to resources that represent them; that address their needs, ‘where they can see reflections of themselves, observe the lives of others, and step into entirely new worlds’ - Rudine Sims Bishop, 1990. 

The library team at BHHS have worked hard to provide a positive and inclusive range of resources that reflect and support our LGBTQIA+ students and their allies. In 2021, we launched our ‘Rainbow Connection’ Library webpage and have continually used this as a platform to promote books, videos and webpages that featured queer characters. 

We also began to visually identify these books by sticking rainbow coloured love heart stickers on the back cover; a decision that was made in consultation with students who attend the weekly LGBTQIA+ BHHS lunchtime group. Leading up to the celebration, we created large and visual displays promoting books that featured queer characters; all with the aim to raise awareness and support for this really important celebration.

We have also worked to promote and educate our students on the importance of Reconciliation Week and the upcoming NAIDOC week for both our Indigenous students and ALL students and staff. 

In 2023, we recognised that we needed to create a separate genre that celebrated indigenous literature, indigenous authors, indigenous stories, indigenous cultures, indigenous languages and indigenous experiences. With clear promotional signage, an indigenous flag sticker attached to the book spine, and a large indigenous flag on display, these books are now clearly visibly and prominently displayed. 

However, experience has taught me that the best way to get a book into the hands of a reader is through a personal recommendation. Whether it be from a parent, a fellow student, a teacher or a Booktok video; it’s a fact that books that are personally recommended are rarely on the shelves. And so, the books below are just some of my recommendations but by no means reflect the very extensive selection that we have or that are, available. 

Young Adult Literature on Our Shelves Now!

There are just so many YA books with awesome LGBTQIA+ characters that I could recommend but I will keep it to my Top 3.

The first book called Henry Hamlet’s Heart is written by Australian author, Rhiannon Wilde. Longlisted by the Children Book Council of Australia (CBCA) this is a beautiful queer love story with lovely relatable characters and storylines. The reader follows Henry, the main character on his journey of falling in love and figuring out his sexuality. In Year 12 and realising that the safe cocoon of school is about to finish it totally nails the myriad of emotions that coincide with that time; excitement, anxiety, fear and happiness. Aimed at mature readers 14+.

Anything But Fine by Tobias Madden is another one of my favourite queer love stories. The main character Luca is openly gay and lives with his supportive, single dad in rural Bendigo.  Studying ballet on a scholarship at one of the most prestigious private schools and on track to attend the Australian Ballet School, Luca’s dream is crushed in the opening chapter when he missteps, falls and breaks his foot. With the scholarship and the dream of dancing taken from him, we follow Luca as he is forced to move schools and make new friends. And while he grapples to discover who he is after the accident, he is also unexpectedly presented with beautiful new friendships and a love interest. And while Luca is comfortable and proud of his sexuality, this book includes characters who are homophobic and abusive to him. Sexual references, some coarse language but totally real and relatable. 

Peta Lyre’s Rating Normal by Anna Whateley and follows neurodivergent character Peta as she navigates a world she doesn’t always understand. Peta’s parents and doctors have all made Peta feel like she needs to pass as normal to be accepted. Each day and at the end of every situation (and chapter) Peta gives herself a rating normal score out of 10 – hence the title. Set in a secondary school, the story follows Peta and her friends, all in their senior year at school, as they head off on a school ski trip. And while it does tackle some mature themes, it is a positive story about accepting your differences and finding the people that make you feel safe and allow you to be you. 

There are just so many YA books from our Indigenous genre that I could recommend but again, I will keep it to my Top 3.

The Boy From the Mish written by Gary Lonesborough is set in rural NSW and follows the story of local indigenous boy Jackson and is a story about love and self-discovery. And while again it does deal with mature themes, this book is real and honest and set in a community that is underrepresented in YA literature. It begins with the main character Jackson who is grappling with typical teen challenges; does he want to finish Year 12, does he want to stay with his girlfriend and how will he manage his social life when his Aunty Pam and her kids arrive for their annual summer stay. However, Jackson’s life is turned around when Aunty Pam brings with her a mysterious young character called Tomas with whom he slowly develops a relationship with. And while the story is mostly focused on Jackson who is figuring out his sexuality and his feelings for Tomas, it is balanced by his place in his community – the respect he has for his elders, his family and the country. 

Since the release of The Boy from the Mish, Gary Lonesborough has released multiple books that have won so many awards. I’m Not Really Here, won the Children’s Book Council Awards (CBCA) for Older Readers in 2025 and his most recent book, Good Young Men was a really compelling read that explored the intersecting lives of three Indigenous teenagers in a small Australian coastal town dealing with grief, racial tension, and queer identity following the fatal shooting of their friend by a white police officer. Gary’s books have mature themes but really important stories about young Aboriginal men exploring relationships, coming of age, and navigating the realities of their world.

Wylah – The Koorie Warrior by Jordan Gould and Richard Pritchard. This absolutely beautiful, fantasy adventure series follows the story of Wylah, a girl, an Indigenous Australian and a warrior whose courage is tested by an invading force of dragons under the command of greedy humans who are in search of gold. Wylah must connect to her matriarchal ancestral knowledge and powers in order to find the strength to fight for her Peek Whurrong people who have been captured. This story is such a wonderful series that I have really enjoyed reading with my children. The final book in the series, book 5 is set to be released in July this year. 

And finally, Black Cockatoo follows the story of Mia, a 13-year-old Aboriginal girl from the Kimberley as she navigates her culture, identify and finding personal strength. Again, I have loved reading this book and the other two in this series, Ngurra Home and Dirrarn with my own children and then realised when I was writing this, I had actually also read Tracks of the Missing, and two books from the junior fiction series, Kimberley Kickers, books that were also written by these two incredible authors; Carl Merrison and Hakea Hustler. Such a great collaboration! 

With holidays fast approaching, we encourage students to pop into our school library, or your local library, and pick up a book to take home and enjoy. 

Uno Tournament

The Term 2 Uno Tournament was held, and we have a new champion! Arvin A, one of our Year 12 students gets to leave BHHS with the title of Numero Uno, a crown as well as his VCE. 

Students from all year levels joined the competition, and after a quick discussion about whether stacking draw 2 and draw 4s is allowed (all decided that yes, it was a much more fun way to play) the heats were played! 

Only the best from each table could reach the Champions game after proving themselves better than their peers! The Championship game was close and exciting as the crowd watched on and the best 5 players battled to drop their cards down first and avoid picking up more, then with cheers from the crowd Arvin smashed down his last card, proving to all that he is Numero Uno! 

All competitors received a sweet reward as a thanks for taking part and Arvin left wearing his winner crown.   

From the library team, have a wonderful two-week holiday full of family fun and READING!