Library

Stone Girl, By Eleni Hale

Compelling, involving and beautifully written, Stone Girl is the powerful and moving story of Sophie, who becomes a ward of the state. A heartbreaking story of raw survival and hope, and the children society likes to forget. 

An unspeakable event changes everything for twelve-year-old Sophie. No more Mum, school or bed of her own. She's made a ward of the state and grows up in a volatile world where kids make their own rules, adults don't count and the only constant is change.

Until one day she meets Gwen, Matty and Spiral. Spiral is the most furious, beautiful boy Sophie has ever known. And as their bond tightens she finally begins to confront what happened in her past.

After the lights go out, By Lili Wilkinson

What happens when the lights go off after what might truly be an end-of-the-world event?

How do you stay alive? Who do you trust? How much do you have to sacrifice?

Seventeen-year-old Pru Palmer lives with her twin sisters, Grace and Blythe, and their father, Rick, on the outskirts of an isolated mining community. The Palmers are doomsday preppers. They have a bunker filled with non-perishable food and a year's worth of water.

One day while Rick is at the mine, the power goes out. At the Palmers' house, and in the town. All communication is cut. No one knows why.

It doesn't take long for everything to unravel. In town, supplies run out and people get desperate. The sisters decide to keep their bunker a secret. The world is different; the rules are different. Survival is everything, and family comes first.

Front Desk, By Kelly Yang

An empowering story of empathy, courage, and hope, based on the author's real-life experience immigrating to the US as a child and working at the front desk of the motel where her parents work.

Ten year-old Mia Tang moved to the US for a better life, a freer life, but so far, it's a life where she runs the front desk of a motel while her parents clean rooms. And she's not even allowed to use the swimming pool.

Based on author Kelly Yang’s real-life experience immigrating to America from China and running a motel with her parents, this novel explores how one little girl overcomes language barriers, discrimination and her own lack of confidence to find her voice – and use it to make a difference.

This is a sensitive story of tolerance and diversity that will resonate with readers of all cultures who have experienced the challenges of feeling like an outsider.

Amelia Westlake, By Erin Gough

Harriet Price has the perfect life: she’s a prefect at Rosemead Grammar, she lives in a mansion, and her

gorgeous girlfriend is a future prime minister. So when she decides to risk it all by helping bad-girl Will Everhart expose the school’s many ongoing issues, Harriet tells herself it’s because she too is seeking justice. And definitely not because she finds Will oddly fascinating.

Will Everhart can’t stand posh people like Harriet, but even she has to admit Harriet's ideas are good – and they’ll keep Will from being expelled. That’s why she teams up with Harriet to create Amelia Westlake, a fake student who can take the credit for a series of provocative pranks at their school.

But the further Will and Harriet’s hoax goes, the harder it is for the girls to remember they’re sworn enemies – and to keep Amelia Westlake’s true identity hidden. As tensions burn throughout the school, how far will they go to keep Amelia Westlake – and their feelings for each other – a secret?