New books

Our library continues to grow as we buy books our students have requested.

The Bogan Mondrian

'There are worse things than school.'

Luke sleepwalks through his days wagging school, swimming at the reservoir and eating takeaway pizza.

That is until Charlotte shows up.

Rumour is she got expelled from her city school and her family moved to the Blue Mountains for a fresh start.

But when Luke's invited to her house, he discovers there's a lot more going on than meets the eye.

Review

Steven Herrick’s books have been shortlisted for the CBCA Book of the Year awards seven times, and his latest book is equally worthy.

Set on the right and wrong side of the track, it shows that many things can bring happiness and that money of itself is not necessarily one of them.

Our main character Luke’s Dad worked in the pub, gambled on the horses and didn’t have much except happiness. Unfortunately, Luke’s Dad died, and Luke and his Mum are just going along, coping day by day.

But when Charlotte, new to Luke’s school and a seemingly stuck-up rich girl, stands up for Luke they develop an unlikely friendship.

But every family has their problems, and things in Charlotte’s life are not as they seem. Her father is violent, and her home life is difficult. Can Luke and Charlotte hatch a plan to stop her father’s behaviour for good?

This is a fantastic read, and as is Steven’s way it delves deep into everyday life, this time touching on family violence, grief, and the meaning of happiness. It will best suit readers 13 years and older.

Catching Teller Crow

Nothing's been the same for Beth Teller since she died. Her dad, a detective, is the only one who can see and hear her - and he's drowning in grief. But now they have a mystery to solve together. Who is Isobel Catching, and what's her connection to the fire that killed a man? What happened to the people who haven't been seen since the fire?

As Beth unravels the mystery, she finds a shocking story lurking beneath the surface of a small town, and a friendship that lasts beyond one life and into another. Told in two unforgettable voices, this gripping novel interweaves themes of grief, colonial history, violence, love and family. Catching Teller Crow is an up-to-the-minute tale that goes straight to the heart of Australia's darkest history.

Through poetry and story, with great sensitivity, the Kwaymullinas pick up and deal with subjects most authors in this country find too hot to touch. Terrible crimes lie at the centre here; viewed through the eyes of young women of unquenchable spirit, they can be approached, examined, and ultimately solved.

This novel will turn gazes in the right direction, and make the caw of every crow more resonant.

Review

From an Aboriginal brother and sister team, Catching Teller Crow is an amazing first YA novel from the pair.

Having recently died in a car accident, Beth Teller cannot leave her grief ridden detective father until she knows he will be ok. His first job is supposed to be a mundane one - to look into a fire at a rural children’s home - where one adult body was found. But with Beth’s help, and their other ‘witness’, the ghost of Isobel Catching, they uncover so much more.

It is a ghost story, of sorts, but it is also a thriller. Set both in the present and in the past, and told in two voices, the story sets about uncovering the terrible crimes that have affected Beth’s rural town, but also Australia’s past.

With themes of grief, indigenous identity and culture, justice, Australian history, feminism and family, this is a fantastic novel for teenagers aged 14 - 18.

Inside The Tiger

It's not because Bel's mother was murdered.

It's not because her father is a politician.

Bel writes to a Death Row prisoner as an easy way out of an assignment.

But now he's written back.

Drawn to Micah's world inside a Thai prison, Bel finds herself falling for the boy with ragged hair, shackles and a terrible past. But is she setting herself up for more loss? And will loving him mean losing the people who mean the most to her at home?

Review

Bel lives a privileged life at home and at an exclusive Sydney Boarding School. When she has to find a ‘cause’ for a legal studies assignment, she thinks writing to a prisoner on death row will be simple. That is until she falls in love with him!

This is a beautifully written story of love, loss, friendship and family. Full of characters that will tug at your heartstrings, it also opens your eyes to the highly emotive subject of corporal punishment. The story makes you question how much a life is worth, and whether we should have the power or the right to sentence someone else to death for their crimes.

It is also a story that resonates with themes of family and the power of love.

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