LIBRARY NEWS

NEW FICTION

A weekend with Oscar by Robyn Bavati

Sixteen-year-old Jamie lives with his mum and his younger brother Oscar, who has Down syndrome. Though Jamie is still grieving the loss of his dad, life starts to look up when he meets Zara, the new girl at school.

When their mum goes away for the weekend, Jamie volunteers to look after Oscar. But when the weekend is over and their mother doesn’t return, Jamie faces the toughest challenge of his life.

Blackout by Various

When a heatwave plunges New York City into darkness, sparks fly for thirteen teenagers caught up in the blackout.

A first meeting. Long-time friends. Bitter exes. And maybe the beginning of something new… When the lights go out, people reveal hidden truths, love blossoms, friendship transforms and new possibilities take flight.

Six of today’s biggest stars of the YA world, Dhonielle Clayton, Tiffany D. Jackson, Nic Stone, Angie Thomas, Ashley Woodfolk, and Nicola Yoon, bring all the electricity of love to a collection of charming, hilarious and heartbreaking tales that shine the brightest light through the dark.

Demon slayer: vol. 1 by Koyoharu Gotouge

Tanjiro sets out on the path of the Demon Slayer to save his sister and avenge his family! In Taisho-era Japan, kindhearted Tanjiro Kamado makes a living selling charcoal. But his peaceful life is shattered when a demon slaughters his entire family. His little sister Nezuko is the only survivor, but she has been transformed into a demon herself! Tanjiro sets out on a dangerous journey to find a way to return his sister to normal and destroy the demon who ruined his life. Learning to destroy demons won’t be easy, and Tanjiro barely knows where to start.

Enter the jungle E-boy vol. 3 by Anh Do

Ethan was a normal teenager, until a freak lightning strike gave him the power to control any electronic device within range. Now he’s on the run from the dangerous Agent Ferris and his killer android Gemini, whose sole goal is to terminate Ethan. But at the moment, that’s the least of his worries! When Ethan accidentally interrupts a robbery by the mysterious Money Man, the villain vows to make him pay. Escaping the Money Man will lead Ethan deep into the jungle, where he’ll need all his wits to survive.

Goosebumps: secrets of the swamp by Marieke Nijkamp

The kid-friendly horror series returns with a spooky new graphic novel from New York Times bestselling YA author Marieke Nijkamp–reader beware, you’re in for a scare! When twelve-year-old Blake is shipped away to stay with her weird aunt in Fever Swamp for the summer, she expects her weeks to be filled with video games, mosquito bites, and a whole lot of nothing. Instead, she finds herself in a spooky turf war between wolf hunters and werewolves! Blake’s never let anything–including her prosthetic hand–slow her down or stop her from crushing her opponents in a game of Lore Hunter, but real-life monsters on all sides take danger and fear to a whole new level. Blake will need to use all of her gaming skills to escape alive in this all-ages scare fest.

I was born for this by Alice Oseman

The third novel from the phenomenally talented Alice Oseman - one of the most talked about YA writers in recent years.

For Angel Rahimi life is about one thing: The Ark - a pop-rock trio of teenage boys who are taking the world by storm. Being part of The Ark’s fandom has given her everything she loves - her friend Juliet, her dreams, her place in the world. Jimmy Kaga-Ricci owes everything to The Ark. He’s their frontman - and playing in a band with his mates is all he ever dreamed of doing. But dreams don’t always turn out the way you think and when Jimmy and Angel are unexpectedly thrust together, they find out how strange and surprising facing up to reality can be.

Like father, like son (Ali Cross) by James Patterson

Ali Cross is back in the gripping sequel to James Patterson’s bestselling mystery for young readers featuring the son of Detective Alex Cross, the lead character in James Patterson’s biggest-selling series ALEX CROSS is a genius detective. ALI CROSS is following in his father’s footsteps. When Ali sees a friend get hurt, he’s the best person to find out who did it. Even if he’s only a kid. After all, he’s Alex Cross’s son. Solving crimes runs in the family.

Minecraft: the mountain by Max Brooks

A stranded hero stumbles upon another castaway-and discovers that teamwork might just be the secret to survival. Wandering a vast, icy tundra, the explorer has never felt more alone. Is there anything out here? Did I do the right thing by leaving the safety of my island? Should I give up and go back? So many questions, and no time to ponder-not when dark is falling and dangerous mobs are on the horizon. Gurgling zombies and snarling wolves lurk in the night, and they’re closing in. With nowhere to hide, the lone traveller flees up a mountain, trapped and out of options … until a mysterious figure arrives, fighting off the horde singlehandedly.

My hero academia: vol 12

Midoriya inherits the superpower of the world’s greatest hero, but greatness won’t come easy. What would the world be like if 80 percent of the population manifested superpowers called Quirks ? Heroes and villains would be battling it out everywhere! Being a hero would mean learning to use your power, but where would you go to study? The Hero Academy of course!

My hero academia: vol 14

Summer vacation is over, and it’s back to school for the students of U.A. High! But before classes can get started, Midoriya and Bakugo need to settle a beef between them that’s been a long time coming. Even if they can get past this bump in the road on the way to becoming superheroes, the hurdles will just keep getting higher and higher-the hero work studies in the upcoming year will bring them even closer to their goal…or their destruction!

Shadow and bone by Leigh Bardugo

Soldier. Summoner. Saint. Orphaned and expendable, Alina Starkov is a soldier who knows she may not survive her first trek across the Shadow Fold - a swath of unnatural darkness crawling with monsters. But when her regiment is attacked, Alina unleashes dormant magic not even she knew she possessed.

Now Alina will enter a lavish world of royalty and intrigue as she trains with the Grisha, her country’s magical military elite - and falls under the spell of their notorious leader, the Darkling. He believes Alina can summon a force capable of destroying the Shadow Fold and reuniting their war-ravaged country, but only if she can master her untamed gift. As the threat to the kingdom mounts and Alina unlocks the secrets of her past, she will make a dangerous discovery that could threaten all she loves and the very future of a nation.

Sky dragon by Anh Do

Amber has always loved insects, even before the day her life changed forever. But now she feels something different. Something more…powerful. Controlling her power might be the hardest thing Amber has ever done. Especially when she is running for her life.

Who is the mysterious Firefighter? What connection does he have to Amber’s old life? And, most importantly, does Amber have what it takes to truly become … Skydragon?

Solitaire by Alice Oseman

In case you’re wondering, this is not a love story. My name is Tori Spring. I like to sleep and I like to blog. Last year - before all that stuff with Charlie and before I had to face the harsh realities of A-Levels and university applications and the fact that one day I really will have to start talking to people - I had friends. Things were very different, I guess, but that’s all over now. Now there’s Solitaire. And Michael Holden. I don’t know what Solitaire are trying to do, and I don’t care about Michael Holden. I really don’t.

This incredible debut novel by outstanding young author Alice Oseman is perfect for fans of John Green, Rainbow Rowell and all unflinchingly honest writers.

Spy x family: vol 1 by Tatsuya Endo

An action-packed comedy about a fake family that includes a spy, an assassin and a telepath! Master spy Twilight is unparalleled when it comes to going undercover on dangerous missions for the betterment of the world. But when he receives the ultimate assignment-to get married and have a kid-he may finally be in over his head! Not one to depend on others, Twilight has his work cut out for him procuring both a wife and a child for his mission to infiltrate an elite private school. What he doesn’t know is that the wife he’s chosen is an assassin and the child he’s adopted is a telepath!

The duke and I (Bridgerton) by Julia Quinn

In the ballrooms and drawing rooms of Regency London, rules abound. From their earliest days, children of aristocrats learn how to address an earl and curtsey before a prince-while other dictates of the ton are unspoken yet universally understood. A proper duke should be imperious and aloof. A young, marriageable lady should be amiable…but not too amiable.

Daphne Bridgerton has always failed at the latter. The fourth of eight siblings in her close-knit family, she has formed friendships with the most eligible young men in London. Everyone likes Daphne for her kindness and wit. But no one truly desires her. She is simply too deuced honest for that, too unwilling to play the romantic games that captivate gentlemen.

The legend of Zelda : twilight princess vol. 1

Link must defeat evil at every turn in his perilous quest to help Princess Zelda. Once upon a time, wizards tried to conquer the Sacred Realm of Hyrule. The Spirits of Light sealed the wizards' power within the Shadow Crystal and banished them to the Twilight Realm beyond the Mirror of Twilight. Now, an evil menace is trying to find Midna, Princess of the Twilight Realm, and the fragments of the Shadow Crystal to gain the power to rule over both the Twilight Realm and the World of Light. Link once trained in swordsmanship, hoping to protect the world of Hyrule. After a fateful meeting, he sought out the anonymity and peace of life in a small village. But danger and adventure always find heroes to set things right, and when the dark minions of the King of Shadows threaten his new home, Link answers the call.

The magpie society: one for sorrow by Zoe Sugg and Amy McCulloch

A STUDENT FOUND DEAD ON THE BEACH. A WEB OF UNANSWERED QUESTIONS. SOMEONE POISED TO STRIKE AGAIN. Illumen Hall is a boarding school of tradition and achievement. But tragedy strikes when the body of a student is discovered on the beach - and on her back is an elaborate tattoo of a magpie. For new student Audrey, it is just another strange and unsettling thing about her new surroundings, along with the secrets the school seems to hide and its weird obsession with magpies. For her roommate Ivy, the death of her friend Lola is just one thing she desperately wants to get past - and having a new student asking questions and cluttering up her personal space is not helping a bit. But the two girls are forced into an unlikely alliance when a mysterious podcast airs, with one sinister headline- I KNOW WHO KILLED LOLA. AND ONE OF YOU IS NEXT.

They both die at the end by Adam Silvera

On September 5th, a little after midnight, Death-Cast calls Mateo Torrez and Rufus Emeterio to give them some bad news: they’re going to die today. Mateo and Rufus are total strangers, but, for different reasons, they’re both looking to make a new friend on their End Day. The good news: there’s an app for that. It’s called the Last Friend, and through it, Rufus and Mateo are about to meet up for one last great adventure - to live a lifetime in a single day.

Verona comics by Jennifer Dugan

From the author of Hot Dog Girl comes a fresh and funny queer YA contemporary novel about two teens who fall in love in an indie comic book shop. Now available in paperback! Jubilee has it all together. She’s an elite cellist, and when she’s not working in her stepmom’s indie comic shop, she’s prepping for the biggest audition of her life. Ridley is barely holding it together. His parents own the biggest comic-store chain in the country, and Ridley can’t stop disappointing them–that is, when they’re even paying attention. They meet one fateful night at a comic convention prom, and the two can’t help falling for each other.

You’ve let them in by Lois Murphy

Scott is in shock when his family - his father Leo, sister Natalie, the twins and their stepmother Sally - move to a rundown old house on the outskirts of town.

The garden is a menacing jungle that refuses to be tamed. An ancient gnome in its midst supposedly stands guard against lurking secrets, much to Scott’s disgust and Sally’s delight. When strange and scary things start occurring and the creatures from the trees begin to invade the house, Scott must face the peril of an unknown force that threatens to turn their world upside down.

NEW NON FICTION

A user’s guide to the pandemic by Various

Explore life in the surreal times of COVID19 through the curious, unorthodox eyes of young Australians. Eighty-three young teenage writers, from Byron Bay to Hobart, use fiction, non-fiction, poetry and ephemeral observations to springboard unique and fresh perspectives on the global pandemic.

This book offers a unique window into the remarkable intelligence, fearlessness and humour with which young Australians are coping with the situation.

AFL by David Rafferty

This dynamic series focuses on popular sports played in Australia today. With particular emphasis on the sport’s development within Australia describing rules forms of scoring and the various levels of competition. Includes profiles of legendary players and competitors of the past and present and descriptions of the nation’s greatest sporting moments. Information on skills training and local groups will encourage young people to get involved.

Big ideas for curious minds: an introduction to philosophy

Children are, in many ways, born philosophers. Without prompting, they ask some of the largest questions: about time, mortality, happiness and the meaning of it all. Yet sadly, too often, this inborn curiosity is not developed and with age the questions fall away. This is a book designed to harness children’s spontaneous philosophical instinct and to develop it through introductions to some of the most vibrant and essential philosophical ideas of history.

Close to home: selected writings by Alice Pung

This delightful collection brings together Alice Pung’s most loved writing, on migration, family, identity, art and more. Warm, funny, moving and unfailingly honest, this is Alice Pung at her best - an irresistible delight for fans and new readers alike.

In 2006, Alice Pung published Unpolished Gem, her award-winning memoir of growing up Chinese-Australian in working-class Footscray. Since then, she has written on everything from the role of grandparents to the corrosive effects of racism; from the importance of literature to the legacy of her parents' migration from Cambodia as asylum seekers. In all of this, a central thread is the idea of home: how the places we live and the connections we form shape who we become, and what homecoming can mean to those who build their lives in Australia.

Eating Italy by Jeff Michaud

Eating Italy is a delicious, funny, and mesmerizing spin through the boot, teaching true heirloom techniques and telling Jeff ’s culinary and personal love story (he met his wife when she came into the restaurant one night for dinner, and to this day, he hasn’t forgotten what she ordered). Part inventive cookbook, part travel narrative, each chapter of Eating Italy explores a village or town in northern Italy, unveiling the unique culinary and cultural experience it has to offer.

Escape from Manus by Jaivet Ealom

The awe-inspiring story of the only person to successfully escape from Australia’s notorious offshore detention centre on Manus Island.

In 2013 Jaivet Ealom fled Myanmar’s brutal regime, where Rohingya like him were being persecuted and killed, and boarded a boat of asylum seekers bound for Australia. Instead of receiving refuge, he was transported to Australia’s infamous Manus Regional Processing Centre.

Blistering hot days spent in shipping containers on the island melted into weeks, then years until, finally, facing either jail in Papua New Guinea or being returned to almost certain death in Myanmar, he took matters into his own hands.

How space works

How the Universe works - and how we explore it - explained in simple words and clever graphics. The clearest, most visual guide to space and the Universe for complete beginners to astronomy. Have you ever asked yourself how big the Universe is, how far it is to the nearest star, or what came before the Big Bang? Then this is the book for you. How Space Works shows you the different types of object in the Universe (so you’ll know your pulsars from your quasars) and introduces you to some of the strangest and most wonderful things known to science, including dark matter particles and ancient white dwarf stars that are almost as old as the Universe itself.

Mbappe by Luca Gaioli

Kylian Mbappe’s meteoric rise to footballing stardom has been one of the major talking points of recent seasons. Having only made his professional debut for Monaco in 2015, aged just sixteen, by summer 2017 he had already seen a GPB 200m price tag placed on his head - one that Paris Saint-Germain were eager to meet. In his brief career to date he has broken records at a rate matched only by the likes of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, with many pundits tipping him to rival their legendary legacies in the years to come. In this first biography of the France and PSG star, Luca Caioli and Cyril Collot examine the story behind the game’s latest superstar. Features exclusive interviews

Rugby league & union by David Rafferty

Both codes of Rugby League and Union involve fast exciting play. Players of amazing strength and skill do battle to score tries and goals. Find out about the rules of each code of Rugby the competitions and clubs and how you can get started playing. Read about the early days of Rugby in Australia and the legends of yesterday and today in Great Aussie Sports - Rugby.

Salah by Luca Gaioli

Mohamed Salah needed little time to settle in to life at Liverpool. Since signing for the Anfield club in 2017 for a then-club record fee, he has broken the club’s scoring record for a debut season, as well as becoming the leading goalscorer in Europe’s top five leagues, overtaking Lionel Messi and Harry Kane. He was the first player to ever win three Premier League Player of the Month awards in the same season and was the winner of the PFA Player’s Player of the Year for 2017-18, scoring 32 goals in 36 league games.

The biology book : big ideas simply explained

What is life? Why do bees dance? How do animals know their mothers? Who discovered germs? Biology is the story of our quest to understand the living world and explain how its organisms work and interact - whether microbes, mushrooms, or mammals. In answering these and many other questions, we’ve discovered the mechanics of plants, animals, and the human body; explored the mysteries of DNA and genetic inheritance; and learned how to develop vaccines that control diseases.

The Black Panther Party by David F. Walker

A bold and fascinating graphic novel history of the revolutionary Black Panther Party. Founded in Oakland, California, in 1966, the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense was a radical political organization that stood in defiant contrast to the mainstream civil rights movement. This gripping illustrated history explores the impact and significance of the Panthers, from their social, educational, and healthcare programs that were designed to uplift the Black community to their battle against police brutality through citizen patrols and frequent clashes with the FBI, which targeted the Party from its outset. Using dramatic comic book-style retellings and illustrated profiles of key figures, The Black Panther Party captures the major events, people, and actions of the party, as well as their cultural and political influence and enduring legacy.

The covid-19 pandemic : a coronavirus timeline by Matt Doeden

In late 2019 the Chinese city of Wuhan reported several cases of what doctors thought was pneumonia. But it wasn’t long before officials identified a new coronavirus behind the outbreak SARS-coV-2. The respiratory illness caused by the virus COVID-19 quickly spread around the world.

The mother wound by Amani Haydar

Amani Haydar suffered the unimaginable when she lost her mother in a brutal act of domestic violence perpetrated by her father. Five months pregnant at the time, her own perception of how she wanted to mother (and how she had mothered) was shaped by this devastating murder.

After her mother’s death, Amani began reassessing everything she knew of her parents' relationship. They had been so unhappy for so long - should she have known that it would end like this? A lawyer by profession, she also saw the holes in the justice system for addressing and combating emotional abuse and coercive control.

Amani also had to reckon with the weight of familial and cultural context. Her parents were brought together in an arranged marriage, her mother thirteen years her father’s junior. Her grandmother was brutally killed in the 2006 war in Lebanon, adding complex layers of intergenerational trauma.

The story of Australia (Australian Geographic series)

A new Australian history curriculum-linked, multi-volume set telling the story of Australia in chronological sequence from pre-colonial times to the present.

This book is feminist by Jamia Wilson

Who has power? Who creates the rules? How do identities intersect? Explore the points where gender, race, class, ability, sexuality and culture meet.

Learn from author Jamia Wilson’s lived experience, read the statistics, and gain strength in quotes from feminist firebrands and activists. Along the way, respond to calls to action and form your own views on the ‘F’ word.

This book is for everyone. Discover the history and meaning of the feminist movement through 15 reasons why feminism improves life for everyone. By exploring who has been left out of the movement historically, this book makes sure everybody is included.

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