From the library

How to Repaint a Life by Steven Herrick - Source: Collins Books  accessed 9/5/22    Isaac is running from his old life when he steps off the bus in a small town.  He has nowhere to stay and doesn’t plan on sticking around, but a local café owner’s kindness offers him the chance to change his story.  When Isaac meets Sophie and learns he is not the only one wanting to repaint his life.    This story demonstrates Herrick’s skill investigating themes of rising above the past and taking control of your future.

Sugar Town Queens by Malla Nunn - Source: Allen&Unwin accessed 20/05/2022   Fifteen-year-old Amandla’s mother is different.  For starters, she’s white and living in Sugar Town, one of South Africa’s infamous shanty towns.  She will not tell anyone about her past, not even Amandla.  Their life is no fairytale.  It is hardscrabble, Amandla’s father is long gone.  People in Sugar Town give Amandla and her mum strange looks, the fact that Amandla is black and her mother is not raises questions.  This is a story of a place and family divided. It is a powerful tale of generations of women who fight against prejudice and violence.

Exit Through the Gift Shop by Maryam Master CBCA's Shortlist Younger Readers 2022 - Source: PanMacmillan Australia 20/5/2022 

Anahita Rosalind Ghorban-Galaszczuk (yes, that really is her name but you can call her Ana) is discovering that life is absurd. As if dying of cancer at the age of 12 and-a-half isn't bad enough, she still has to endure daily insults from her nemesis (disliked person), Alyssa (Queen Mean) Anderson. Ana's on a wild roller-coaster of life and death, kindness and cruelty, ordinary and extraordinary. And she's got a few things to do before she exits . . . 

 Super Sons V3 Escape to Landis  by Ridley Pearson - Source: Penguin Random House 20/5/2022    This is the third book in the Trilogy.  With the news of the Four Fingers taking refuge in the land of Landis, Batkid, Superboy, and Tilly begin their journey to stop the deadly virus from being unleashed into the world. Meanwhile, Candace has already found her way to Landis and is taken underground to a group of people who still believe her to be the true queen of Landis. This brings our team fully together in an action-packed adventure through the desert of Landis, an unknown terrority filled with unknown dangers.

The words we keep by Erin Stewart  - Source: Penguin Random House  20/5/2022   A beautifully realistic, relatable story about mental health and the healing powers of art.  It's been three months since The Night when Lily found her older sister Alice hurting herself on the Bathroom Floor.  Now Alice is coming home after treatment and it’s getting harder for Lily to outrun the compulsive thoughts she's having.  Meeting Micah, a guy with a troubled past of his own, the pair embark on a poetry project that helps Lily to see that the words she’s been holding back, desperately want to break through. But what will Micah think if he finds out who she really is?

Off the Map by Scot Gardner  CBCA award winning author - Source: Booktopia accessed 20/05/22    Short stories: Any home town. Sometimes it feels like the centre of the universe, sometimes it's the bum-end of nowhere. We are her sons and daughters. These are our triumphs and our heartaches, our fears and hopes for a better life.  Getting lost, falling in love, pushing boundaries, exploring the world - powerfully honest stories to make you think and feel. This book is a real page-turner.