Looking for your next read? Try some of these books, recommended by our Premiers' Reading Challenge champions.

Click on the title to go straight to the ebook, log in with your dandenong-hs details to borrow, then start reading!

Featured Review

Five Feet Apart, by Rachael Lippincott (Audiobook)

Five Feet Apart is authored by Rachael Lippincott and is based on a true story. This book became a huge success and was later turned into a movie.

The story is about a 17-year-old girl named Stella who has been diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis. She is a very organised person who has everything planned at least a week ahead. Unfortunately, life has its own plans for her. Stella has created a blog to provide an insight of her life as a patient. The novel constantly refers to her adventurous sister who is largely missing from her life. Stella lives with this constant guilt that she was meant to die before her sister which resulted in breaking up her parents’ marriage.

During her stay at the hospital, Stella made a childhood friend who stuck by her through all her hardships and was going through the same health condition as her. Stella was looking forward to a high school trip with her best friends when suddenly her illness took a turn for the worse in the form of an infection. She was absolutely devastated and then Will came into a life. Will, who has the same condition as Stella is exactly the opposite of her in how he handles the health condition. He did not want to follow any instructions and could not wait to turn 18 so he could have a say and stop his treatment. With Will now at the hospital, would this possibly sabotage her chance of receiving a lung transplant or will her perfectly structured plan go ahead?

The author succeeds in keeping you on the edge of your seat, always anticipating the protagonist’s move. There is a feeling of helplessness of something so close yet so far. The book has a good mix of innocent love, hope, and desperation. This book gives you a better understanding of people living with Cystic Fibrosis. The author has beautifully managed to tug the hearts of young people, with a heart-warming story.

Ann, E8

Mao's Last Dancer, by Li Cunxin

This book is a great novel about a hardworking and inspiring ballet dancer that rose from the ashes in the toughest times possible. Li Cunxin's journey to becoming a world famous ballet dancer began with him living in a small village with his parents and 5 brothers. They were very poor and one day at his school the government from China, known as the Red Army, took auditions for children to join a prestigious Chinese dance academy, which is where Li Cunxin's real journey of hard work and grit begins.

Mahasri, H7

Percy Jackson series, by Rick Riordan

The journey with Percy is one of my all time favorites, it heightens your senses and the description of everything is amazing. I will always keep Percy in my heart and the only thing I am sad about is that my journey had to come to an end.

Eva, E8

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules, by Jeff Kinney

I highly recommend this book for the following reasons.

* This volume is very funny, so if you are having a bad day this is a very good book to read.

* It is very relatable (particularly for younger siblings).

* It has a lot of tiny stories, plus this book is very catchy with the words and phrases the main character uses.

And therefore that is the reason I enjoyed this book and if you are going to read it you will appreciate it a lot.

Mridula, H7

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, by J. K. Rowling

I really enjoyed it because it included a lot of the parts the movie didn't have, especially the parts with the potion task when Harry and Hermione are trying to get past the two flames because the riddle was really cool - I also managed to figure it out since they didn't mention why she chose those bottles. The book has a lot more information that the movie didn't include.

Thomas, H7

The Giver, by Lois Lowry

The writing was different and new but I was ready to tackle this book and so I did. I'm glad I gave it a go because Jonas' adventures were fun and scary to experience through the book.

Mahsooma, E8

Skulduggery Pleasant: The Faceless Ones, by Derek Landy

This book was thrilling to read. Skulduggery Pleasant, skeleton detective, and Valkyrie, his 15 year-old assistant and part-time ordinary schoolgirl, are investigating the murders of four teleporters. Skulduggery and Valkryie soon figure out that the Diablerie need a teleporter to open a portal allowing The Faceless Ones (think Dementor-style Soul-sucking Ancients) into the world. This book had a balance of humour, and magic, I give this book a five out of five!

Sarah, H7

The Young Elites, by Marie Lu

This was so fascinating to read, not only was it so eye-catching - it had its moments where you just want to curl up in a ball and cry at how sad everything was. I think Adelina needs to be able to control her power, find out her limit, and how powerful she can be. This was a really good book, I definitely would read this a second time.

Yasmine, C8

Risk, by Fleur Ferris

This is a really good book about two young teenagers. One of them falls in love with this boy online then she goes to meet him, thinking he is a young boy. But she doesn't return after the meeting...

Trisha, E8

Ranger's Apprentice: The Ruins of Gorlan, by John Flanagan

If you love books full of action, fighting and adventure then this book is for you. In this novel, you follow a young man called Will as he grows as a person and learns new skills. After his dreams get put on a sudden halt, Will takes an unexpected turn but ends up enjoying his new life. He meets many marvellous people, like the grumpy, harsh old ranger Halt. Halt guides Will through his youthful years and helps him to learn and grow as a person. This book shows loyalty, perseverance and friendship.

Victoria, E8

The Midnight Gang, by David Walliams

I really liked it because it was funny and nice. It also had some undercover messages like to not judge people and to be nice to people and animals no matter what's wrong with them.

Hineni, H7

Learning in Lockdown

We asked our families to share moments of learning in lockdown.