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Tree of Ecstasy and Unbearable Sadness by Matt Ottley

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The Tree of Ecstasy and Unbearable Sadness is a masterful allegorical tale for the 21st century, weaving together the worlds of literature, music and visual art in the poignant story of one boy's journey into mental illness. Audiences are offered a mesmerising visual and auditory tour de force about beauty and resilience, society and belief, that at its heart expresses hope for a greater understanding and embracing of difference.

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This is one of those books I'm always finding in the wrong place so I know it's being looked at by the kids very frequently. Along with "What's the T?", it was eventually stolen from a PRIDE display and I've had to replace it. L.O'D.

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Heartstopper meets vampires in this blood-sipping-turned-romance graphic novel from the Prime Minister's Literary Award-winning and CBCA short-listed creator of The Greatest Thing.

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Sweetness Between Us - Sarah Winifred Searle

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Sweetness Between Us - Sarah Winifred Searle

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Gr 9 Up—Prince knew from an early age that she was not a typical girl. The only pictures of her in a dress were from when she was a baby and could not protest. She hates dresses and all things “girly.” Fortunately, she had supportive parents who did not force her into traditional gender roles and who let her wear the kinds of clothing she wanted. Most of Prince’s friends were boys, and her fantasies and playtime were devoted to being a hero, not a princess. Her wardrobe choices made her the target of ridicule and bullying in Boston and in Santa Fe, where her family moved when she was in early elementary school. In their first neighborhood, most of her friends were boys, but she found some girlfriends after the family moved. It was the first time she found girls with similar interests in comics and Ghostbusters, and it was also when she realized that she did not want to be a boy but, rather, wanted the freedom that came with being one. Meeting a good friend of her mother’s, who encouraged her talent and interest in comics, and transferring to a very small, highly experimental high school helped her become comfortable with her choice as a tomboy. Although Prince has created a work that will affirm the choices of tomboys, the black-and-white illustrations show little variation among characters, and the text is sometimes difficult to read. The chronology is also confusing, as Prince often jumps from childhood to adolescence in the space of one frame and then jumps back to childhood again. Purchase where graphic novel memoirs are in demand.—Suanne B. Roush, formerly at Osceola High School, Seminole, FL

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From the author of The Witch Boy trilogy comes a graphic novel about family, romance, and first love. Fifteen-year-old Morgan has a secret: She can’t wait to escape the perfect little island where she lives. She’s desperate to finish high school and escape her sad divorced mother, her volatile little brother, and worst of all, her great group of friends… who don’t understand Morgan at all. Because really, Morgan’s biggest secret is that she has a lot of secrets, including the one about wanting to kiss another girl.

Then one night, Morgan is saved from drowning by a mysterious girl named Keltie. The two become friends and suddenly life on the island doesn’t seem so stifling anymore. But Keltie has some secrets of her own. And as the girls start to fall in love, everything they’re each trying to hide will find its way to the surface… whether Morgan is ready or not.

A gorgeous coming of age story in graphic novel form, celebrating what it means to be different.

Molly Knox Ostertag was named one of Forbes 30 under 30 in 2020.

Stunning full colour illustrations throughout.

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From the author of The Witch Boy trilogy comes a graphic novel about family, romance, and first love. Fifteen-year-old Morgan has a secret: She can't wait to escape the perfect little island where she lives. She's desperate to finish high school and escape her sad divorced mother, her volatile little brother, and worst of all, her great group of friends... who don't understand Morgan at all. Because really, Morgan's biggest secret is that she has a lot of secrets, including the one about wanting to kiss another girl.

Then one night, Morgan is saved from drowning by a mysterious girl named Keltie. The two become friends and suddenly life on the island doesn't seem so stifling anymore. But Keltie has some secrets of her own. And as the girls start to fall in love, everything they're each trying to hide will find its way to the surface... whether Morgan is ready or not.

A gorgeous coming of age story in graphic novel form, celebrating what it means to be different.

Molly Knox Ostertag was named one of Forbes 30 under 30 in 2020.

Stunning full colour illustrations throughout.

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From the author of The Witch Boy trilogy comes a graphic novel about family and first love. Fifteen-year-old Morgan has a secret, she dreams of kissing another girl. Then one...

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Laura Dean, the most popular girl in high school, was Frederica Riley's dream girl: charming, confident, and SO cute. There's just one problem: Laura Dean is maybe not the greatest girlfriend.

Reeling from her latest break up, Freddy's best friend, Doodle, introduces her to the Seek-Her, a mysterious medium who leaves Freddy some cryptic parting words: Break up with her. But Laura Dean keeps coming back, and as their relationship spirals further out of her control, Freddy has to wonder if it's really Laura Dean that's the problem. Maybe it's Freddy, who is rapidly losing her friends, including Doodle, who needs her now more than ever. Fortunately for Freddy, there are new friends and the insight of advice columnists like Anna Vice to help her through being a teenager in love.

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Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up with Me - Pan Macmillan Australia

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Laura Dean, the most popular girl in high school, was Frederica Riley’s dream girl: charming, confident, and SO cute. There’s just one problem: Laura Dean is maybe not the greatest girlfriend.Reeling from her latest break up, Freddy’s best friend, Doodle, introduces her to the Seek-Her, a mysterious medium who leaves Freddy some cryptic parting words:

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Maisie has always dreamed of meeting her hero, Kara Bufano, an amputee actor who plays a kick-arse amputee character in her favourite show. Fancon is big and exciting and exhausting. Then she meets Ollie, a cute volunteer who she has a lot in common with. Could this be the start of something, or will her mum, who doesn’t seem to know what boundaries are, embarrass her before she and Ollie have a chance?

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Maisie has always dreamed of meeting her hero, Kara Bufano, an amputee actor who plays a kick-arse amputee character in her favourite show. Fancon is big and exciting and exhausting. Then she meets Ollie, a cute volunteer who she has a lot in common with. Could this be the start of something, or will her mum, who doesn't seem to know what boundaries are, embarrass her before she and Ollie have a chance?
PRAISE FOR THE BOOK
'Stars in Their Eyes is a captivating graphic novel with a beautiful art style, a diverse and inclusive cast and a fluffy like-at-first-sight romance that will have fans miss conventions and meet cutes to boot.' Nerd Daily

'Give me all the nerdiness, all the love, and all the cracking visuals.' AU Review

' Stars in Their Eyes is a great exploration of disability and identity, with a particular focus on representation in media, ableism and accessibility.' ALIA

'I really enjoyed reading Stars in Their Eyes. I found it really sweet, fun, and relatable, especially as a queer and neurodivergent con-goer and nerd (with an embarrassing mum!), and I think others will too.' Clare, age 15, Kids' Reading Guide

' Stars in Their Eyes is a very necessary story, representing the various ways we love each other and the diversity of the bodies we inhabit. As storytellers, Jessica Walton and Aśka invite us to see that it's our daily interactions, and our ways of communicating with each other, that will create a more accessible future.' Reading Time

'A refreshing, fun and hopeful take on the coming-of-age story ... a graphic novel that celebrates nerdness and reinforces the value of representation, while exploring first love, self-care and identity.' Martha Mihalick

'Walton-who is "proud to be disabled," per an author's note-balances tension surrounding Maisie's disability with a prevailing sense of optimism that highlights the power of inclusivity and representation in popular media, delivering an unforgettable experience.' Publishers Weekly

'Aśka's strong character illustrations let every emotion be clearly understood.' Kirkus Reviews

'Walton adeptly uses their lived experiences as a disabled, bisexual, nonbinary person to explore queerness, disability, and anxiety. They show the issues some disabled people regularly face through Maisie's inaccessible hotel bathroom and phantom limb pain. Walton also shares with readers the joys of seeing oneself in media and finding one's community. Aśka's artwork expresses Walton's text with accuracy and breadth, while adding to the humor and joy with bright colors and visual insider jokes. Winsome art combined with Walton's joyful, charming story creates a celebration of identity, community, and love.' Shelf Awareness

'... this graphic novel is a quick insight and journey of empathy.' ReadPlus

'Disability rep is still far too rare in YA, and I am just so glad that Stars in Their Eyes exists for teens (and adults!) who still haven't been able to see themselves and their experiences in the media they consume.' Delicate Eternity

'Beautifully illustrated ...' AEUnews

' Stars in their Eyes is a marvelous short, sweet read that fits character growth and multiple plot twists ...' ALIA CYS Scoop

'It's remarkable how fresh and relatable Stars in Their Eyes is in the Australian Young Adult literary landscape. An adorable meet-cute graphic novel written by Jessica Walton and Aśka, it is the perfect Australian offering to appeal to readers of the international bestselling series Heartstopper by Alice Oseman.' Reading Time

' Stars in Their Eyes is endearing, funny and caring, and represents the lives of a diverse collection of characters and their experiences with humour and panache.' English in Australia

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Maisie has always dreamed of meeting her hero, Kara Bufano, an amputee actor who plays a kick-arse amputee character in her favourite show. Fancon is big and exciting and exhausting. Then she meets Ollie, a cute volunteer who she has a lot in common with.

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"Combs and Eakett do a fantastic job of providing readers an incredibly comprehensive and strongly researched—yet somehow compact—look into the history of trans identity." —School Library Journal (starred review)

An essential introduction to trans history, from ancient times to the present day, in full-color graphic nonfiction format. Deeply researched, highly readable, and featuring a broad range of voices.

What does “trans” mean, and what does it mean to be trans? Diversity in human sex and gender is not a modern phenomenon, as readers will discover through illustrated stories and records that introduce historical figures ranging from the controversial Roman emperor Elagabalus to the swashbuckling seventeenth-century conquistador Antonio de Erauso to veterans of the Stonewall uprising Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera. In addition to these individual profiles, the book explores some of the societal roles played by trans people beginning in ancient times and shows how European ideas about gender were spread across the globe. It explains how the science of sexology and the growing acceptance of (and backlash to) gender nonconformity have helped to shape what it means to be trans today. Illustrated conversations with modern activists, scholars, and creatives highlight the breadth of current trans experiences and give readers a deeper sense of the diversity of trans people, a group numbering in the millions. Extensive source notes provide further resources. Moving, funny, heartbreaking, and empowering, this remarkable compendium from trans creators Alex L. Combs and Andrew Eakett is packed with research on every dynamic page.

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Trans History: A Graphic Novel: From Ancient Times to the Present Day | Walker Books Australia

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“Combs and Eakett do a fantastic job of providing readers an incredibly comprehensive and strongly researched—yet somehow compact—look into the history of trans identity.

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A sapphic fantasy adventure graphic novel inspired by the Korean folklore of Gumiho, the nine-tailed fox.

Kai has trained all her life in her father’s martial arts school. Though she is looked down upon for being a girl, she proves her courage when assassins launch a ruthless attack on her family. Yet Kai is the inheritor of a dark secret: each month she is transformed into a fox demon, and must hunt and kill a man so she can return to her life as a young woman. As the deaths mount and the townspeople start to voice their suspicions, Kai desperately searches for a way out.

Meanwhile, there is a mysterious girl who shares a secret bond with Kai, and whose love may be the key to breaking her curse . . .

Inspired by the ancient nine-tailed fox legends of Korea, The Fox Maidens is a searing, thrilling fantasy romance told in beautiful, striking graphic art.

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Fox Maidens, The | Walker Books Australia

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A sapphic fantasy adventure graphic novel inspired by the Korean folklore of Gumiho, the nine-tailed fox. Kai has trained all her life in her father’s martial arts school. Though she is looked down…

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The Dyslexia, ADHD, and DCD-Friendly Study Skills Guide

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This practical skills guide helps young people with who learn differently including those with dyslexia, DCD/dyspraxia and ADHD, study for their exams.Students who learn differently can often find exams challenging and can experience a good deal of anxiety around exam time, leading to exam results that may not accurate

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Camouflage: the hidden lives of autistic women

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Autism in women and girls is still not widely understood, and is often misrepresented or even overlooked. This engaging and accessible graphic novel offers invaluable insight into the lives and minds of autistic women, using real-life case studies. The charming illustrations lead readers on a visual journey of how women on the spectrum experience everyday life, from metaphors and masking in social situations, to friendships and relationships and the role of special interests.Fun, sensitive and informative, this is a fantastic resource for anyone who wishes to understand how gender interacts with autism, and how to create safer, supportive, and more accessible environments for women on the spectrum.

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Sixteen-year-old Starr lives in two worlds: the poor neighborhood where she was born and raised and her posh high school in the suburbs. The uneasy balance between them is shattered when Starr is the only witness to the fatal shooting of her unarmed best friend, Khalil, by a police officer. Now what Starr says could destroy her community. It could also get her killed.

Inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement, this is a powerful and gripping YA novel about one girl's struggle for justice.

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This book may even suit upper mary, though I haven't read it. I would read this in a Reading Circle, asking students in pairs or by themselves to go around the circle or table taking turns to read the books. How do you source multiple copies or comply with educational copyright to make copies. Which publishers give discounts for class sets? I love Dianne Bates for tackling issues of family separation and violence, often the elephan in the room in high schools in my experience.

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Have you ever been told you are chatty or fidgety at school?

Do you have a constantly whirring mind?

Do you 'tune out' and daydream or find it hard to pay attention?

ADHD can impact your life in many ways. This positive, self-affirming guide will increase your knowledge about ADHD and empower you in your daily life.

The chapters are full of tips, tricks and life hacks so you can better manage your time, harness your creativity, energy and enthusiasm, and make more time for fun! Reflection activities and quizzes will help you better understand yourself and learn strategies on how to manage the intense emotions of rejection sensitivity. You'll learn the fundamentals of great self-care and how to look forward to life beyond school.

Learn how ADHD brains work, and tricky concepts like executive functioning. Quick chapter summaries let you pick which sections are most relevant to you right now, and the strategies and visuals are designed for ADHD brains and can be used with support from parents, mentors or teachers.

The Teenage Girl's Guide to Living Well with ADHD gives you all you need to build on your strengths and overcome challenges to fully embrace who you are and live your best life.

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The Teenage Girl's Guide to Living Well with ADHD: Improve your Self-Esteem, Self-Care and Self Knowledge

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A positive, self-affirming guide for girls with ADHD to increase their self-knowledge and empower them in their daily lives by explaining the strengths and challenges of ADHD. Stuffed with tips...

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Hi! My name is Abigail, and I'm autistic. But I didn't know I was autistic until I was an adult-sort-of-person*.

This is my true story of growing up in the confusing 'normal' world, all the while missing some Very Important Information about myself.

There'll be scary moments involving toilets and crowded trains, heart-warming tales of cats and pianos, and funny memories including my dad and a mysterious tub of ice cream. Along the way you'll also find some Very Crucial Information about autism.

If you've ever felt different, out of place, like you don't fit in ... this book is for you.

Told through the author's remarkable words, and just as remarkable illustrations, this is the book for those who've never felt quite right in the 'normal' world.

Very important, very funny and very informative. This is the book the world needs right now.

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The beautiful, and beautifully illustrated, true story of one girl's journey growing up autistic, and the challenges of navigating the 'normal' world around her.

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Charlie and Nick are at the same school, but they've never met...until one day when they're made to sit together. They quickly become friends, and soon Charlie is falling hard for Nick, even though he doesn't think he has a chance.

But love works in surprising ways, and Nick is more interested in Charlie than either of them realised.

Heartstopper is about love, friendship, loyalty and mental illness. It encompasses all the small stories of Nick and Charlie's lives that together make up something larger, which speaks to all of us.

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Boy meets boy. Boys become friends. Boys fall in love. An LGBTQ+ graphic novel about life, love, and everything that happens in between - for fans of The Art of...

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A story of love and demons, family and witchcraft. Nova Huang knows more about magic than your average teen witch. She works at her gran...

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From the acclaimed author of Afterlove comes a sapphic love story about the legend of the sea, and the power of home.

Nicoletta has no surname, she has no memories at all. When Mara discovers her, the pair go on a beautiful journey to find out the truth behind her past ... and create a brand new story together...

New Year's Day: A girl is brought to shore by fisherman - wild dark eyes, dark curls made darker and wilder by skin so pale she looks like an unfinished canvas. But where did she come from? She calls herself Nicoletta, but before now, she was lost at the bottom of the sea with all the other treasure. A siren with nowhere to call home.

In Brighton, rumours spread - the legend goes that the next time the fishermen head out, their boat fails to return to shore. Is she a bad omen? Her face is printed on t-shirts, and she becomes nothing more than a legend, a story swapped among friends.

But one day, the girl appears in the cafe where Mara Malakar works. Nicoletta and Mara explore every corner of the town, haunting bookshops and parks, trying to ignite some memory in Nicoletta, as Mara learns more about herself. But soon Mara wants to be more than friends. Nico remains focused on remembering. She may not want to, though. There could be a reason she's locked everything behind a door. One day, she's going to be brave enough to open it, and what will happen to her then? To them?

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From the acclaimed author of Afterlove comes a sapphic love story about the legend of the sea, and the power of home.

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Maxine Beneba Clarke's father was the first in his family to go university. They were working class, from Tottenham, a suburb of London. He'd shown a talent for mathematics and became an academic; her mother was an actress. They were a bright young couple with a bright future in England so people were surprised when Bordeaux Clarke accepted a teaching position at a University in Western Sydney and he and his wife Cleo moved to Kellyville in Sydney's west. There they proceeded to have three children. Their middle daughter, Maxine, grew up to become a poet and writer of great note.

Apart from their education and culture, what made the Clarke family different from the usual English migrants was their Afro Caribbean heritage - they were black. What is it like to be black in Australia? The Hate Race is an attempt to explain what it feels like to suffer a lifetime of constant slights that range from comments yelled from a passing car, 'Fuck off, you black bitch', to the more restrained but just as hurtful, 'Maxine you are a very, very nasty little black girl.' To navigate this while growing up was a constant strain. Maxine's wonderful mother would try to support her, reminding her that they were only words, but words did hurt her, they 'hurt inside my heart'.

I felt a sense of shame reading this book; shame that I, that my society, were not better. But I also felt that this moving, beautifully crafted memoir was something that we should all read because it could teach us how not to be. I wondered: could I hurt someone because they were different, had I? You can't read this book and not be affected by it; you can't read this book and not be astounded by the force of its writing. It will be something you want to discuss with your friends, with your world.

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'Maxine Beneba Clarke is a powerful and fearless storyteller...Clarke is the read deal, and will, if we're lucky, be an essential voice in world literature for years to come' -...

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Welcome to African Australia. Compiled by award-winning author Maxine Beneba Clarke, with curatorial assistance from writers Ahmed Yussuf and Magan Magan, this anthology brings together the regions of Africa, and…

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Discover what it means to be a young transgender or non-binary person in the twenty-first century in this frank and funny guide for 14+ teens, from the author of This Book is Gay.

In What's the T?, Stonewall ambassador, bestselling trans author and former PSHE teacher Juno Dawson defines a myriad of labels and identities and offers uncensored advice on coming out, sex and relationships with her trademark humour and lightness of touch. Juno has also invited her trans and non-binary friends to make contributions, ensuring this inclusive book reflects as many experiences as possible, and features the likes of Travis Alabanza and Jay Hulme.

The companion title to the groundbreaking This Book is Gay, What's the T? tackles the complex realities of growing up trans with honesty and humour, and is joyfully illustrated by gender non-conforming artist Soofiya.

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A frank and funny exploration of being transgender, from the author of This Book is Gay.

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My body and its place in the world seemed quite normal to me.

I didn't grow up disabled, I grew up with a problem. A problem those around me wanted to fix.

We have all felt that uncanny sensation that someone is watching us.

The diagnosis helped but it didn't fix everything.

Don't fear the labels.

One in five Australians have a disability. And disability presents itself in many ways. Yet disabled people are still underrepresented in the media and in literature.

Growing Up Disabled in Australia is the fifth book in the highly acclaimed, bestselling Growing Up series. It includes interviews with prominent Australians such as Senator Jordon Steele-John and Paralympian Isis Holt, poetry and graphic art, as well as more than 40 original pieces by writers with a disability or chronic illness.

Contributors include Dion Beasley, Astrid Edwards, Jessica Walton, Carly-Jay Metcalfe, Gayle Kennedy and El Gibbs.

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Growing Up Disabled in Australia is the fifth book in the highly acclaimed, bestselling Growing Up series. It includes interviews with prominent Australians such as Senator Jordon Steele-John and Paralympian...

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'I'm Peta Lyre,' I mumble. Look people in the eye if you can, at least when you greet them. I try, but it's hard when she is smiling so big, and leaning in.

Peta Lyre is far from typical. The world she lives in isn't designed for the way her mind works, but when she follows her therapist's rules for 'normal' behaviour, she can almost fit in without attracting attention.

When a new girl, Sam, starts at school, Peta's carefully structured routines start to crack.

But on the school ski trip, with romance blooming and a newfound confidence, she starts to wonder if maybe she can have a normal life after all.

When things fall apart, Peta must decide whether all the old rules still matter. Does she want a life less ordinary, or should she keep her rating normal?

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At sixteen, neurodivergent Peta Lyre is the success story of social training. That is, until she finds herself on a school ski trip - and falling in love with the...

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A groundbreaking work of LGBT literature takes an honest look at the life, love, and struggles of transgender teens. Author and photographer Susan Kuklin met and interviewed six transgender or gender-neutral young adults and used her considerable skills to represent them thoughtfully and respectfully before, during, and after their personal acknowledgment of gender preference.

Portraits, family photographs, and candid images grace the pages, augmenting the emotional and physical journey each youth has taken. Each honest discussion and disclosure, whether joyful or heartbreaking, is completely different from the other because of family dynamics, living situations, gender, and the transition these teens make in recognition of their true selves.

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Beyond Magenta: Transgender Teens Speak Out

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Six teens tell what it is like for them to be members of the transgender community -Dust jacket flap.

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Prince Sebastian has a secret. At night he puts on daring dresses and takes Paris by storm as the fabulous Lady Crystallia.

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Publisher's synopsis
Future Girl explores what it means to come of age as a Deaf teenager, against the backdrop of a near-future Melbourne on the brink of environmental catastrophe.
Piper's mum wants her to be 'normal', to pass as hearing and get a good job. But when peak oil hits and Melbourne lurches towards environmental catastrophe, Piper has more important things to worry about, such as how to get food.

When she meets Marley, a CODA (child of Deaf adult), a door opens into a new world - where Deafness is something to celebrate rather than hide, and where resilience is created through growing your own food rather than it being delivered on a truck.

As she dives into learning Auslan, sign language that is exquisitely beautiful and expressive, Piper finds herself falling hard for Marley. But Marley, who has grown up in the Deaf community yet is not Deaf, is struggling to find his place in the hearing world. How can they be together?

Future Girl is the art journal of sixteen-year-old Piper, a visual extravaganza of text, paint, collage and drawings, woven into a deeply engaging coming-of-age story set in near-future Melbourne.
Upcoming resource
Awards

Winner Read for Empathy Book Collection secondary collection title, Empathylab 2022 UK

Winner Best Book for Teens, Schneider Family Book Award, American Library Association (ALA) - WORDS IN MY HANDS (US title) 2022 US

Winner White Ravens title, International Youth Library Foundation 2021 DE

Winner Readings Young Adult Book Prize 2021 AU

Longlisted Book of the Year, Older Readers, CBCA Awards 2021 AU

Shortlisted Book of the Year for Older Children, ABIA Awards 2021 AU

Shortlisted Young Adult category, Indie Book Awards 2021 AU

Shortlisted Best Young Adult Novel, Aurealis Awards 2020 AU

Asphyxia is an artist, writer and public speaker. Author of the much-loved junior fiction series the Grimstones, Asphyxia has also been a circus performer and puppeteer. An avid art-journal creator, she loves to share her process and help others benefit from this amazing tool for self-expression, problem-solving, planning, goal-tracking and self-esteem.

Deaf since the age of three, Asphyxia learnt to sign when she was eighteen, which changed her life. She is now a Deaf activist, sharing details of Deaf experience. She raises awareness of oppression of Deaf people and what we can do to change this. Her free online Auslan course has had over 15,000 students.

Asphyxia is kept busy with her small farm where she combines food-growing with art - creating a magical aesthetic with plants and natural elements. Her novel for teens, Future Girl, combines all these passions.
Photo courtesy of Allen & Unwin

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Future Girl explores what it means to come of age as a Deaf teenager, against the backdrop of a near-future Melbourne on the brink of environmental catastrophe. Piper's mum wants her to be 'normal', to pass as hearing and get a good job. But when peak oil hits and Melbourne lurches towards environmental catastrophe, Piper [...]

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In her memoir, Ask No Questions, Eva Collins charts her family's journey from Poland to Australia during the Cold War. Her restrained tone reflects the threat her parents experienced of the Communist regime and of ubiquitous anti-Semitism. Simply written and deeply moving she captures loss and gain, grief and celebration with great poignancy. With a third of Australians born overseas and half the population with one migrant parent, Ask No Questions forms a crucial part of our national experience. Its accessible poetry is particularly suited for young adult readers.

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When sixteen-year-old Amal decides to wear the hijab full-time, her entire world changes, all because of a piece of cloth...Sixteen-year-old Amal makes the decision to start wearing the hijab full-time and everyone has a reaction. Her parents, her teachers, her friends, people on the street. But she stands by her decision to embrace her faith and all that it is, even if it does make her a little different from everyone else.Can she handle the taunts of "towel head," the prejudice of her classmates, and still attract the cutest boy in school? Brilliantly funny and poignant, Randa Abdel-Fattah's debut novel will strike a chord in all teenage readers, no matter what their beliefs.

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In this collection of award-winning stories, Maxine Beneba Clarke gives voice to the disenfranchised, the lost, and the mistreated. Her stories will challenge you, move you, and change the way you view this complex world we inhabit.

Within these pages, a desperate asylum seeker is pacing the hallways of Sydney’s notorious Villawood detention centre; a seven-year-old Sudanese boy has found solace in a patchwork bike; an enraged black militant is on the war-path through the rebel squats of 1960s Brixton; a Mississippi housewife decides to make the ultimate sacrifice to save her son from small-town ignorance; a young woman leaves rural Jamaica in search of her destiny; and a Sydney schoolgirl loses her way.

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It's 1789, and as the new colony in Sydney Cove is established, Surgeon John White defies convention and adopts Nanberry, an Aboriginal boy, to raise as his son. Nanberry is clever and uses his unique gifts as an interpreter to bridge the two worlds he lives in.With his white brother, Andrew, he witnesses the struggles of the colonists to keep their precarious grip on a hostile wilderness. And yet he is haunted by the memories of the Cadigal warriors who will one day come to claim him as one of their own.

This true story follows the brothers as they make their way in the world - one as a sailor, serving in the Royal Navy, the other a hero of the Battle of Waterloo. No less incredible is the enduring love between the gentleman surgeon and the convict girl who was saved from the death penalty and became a great lady in her own right.

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Suburban Australia. Sweltering heat. Three bedroom blonde-brick. Family of five. Beat-up Ford Falcon. Vegemite on toast. Maxine Beneba Clarke's life is just like all the other Aussie kids on her street.

Except for this one, glaring, inescapably obvious thing.

A powerful, funny, and at times devastating memoir about growing up black in white middle-class Australia.

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Anna Chiu has her hands full. When she's not looking after her brother and sister or helping out at her father's restaurant, she's taking care of her mother, whose debilitating mental illness keeps her in bed most days. Her father's new delivery boy, Rory, is a welcome distraction and even though she knows that things aren't right at home, she's starting to feel like she could be a normal teen.

But when her mother finally gets out of bed, things go from bad to worse. And as her mother's condition worsens, Anna and her family question everything they understand about themselves and each other.

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A teen rockstar has to navigate family, love, coming out, and life in the spotlight after being labeled the latest celebrity trainwreck in Jen Wilde's quirky and utterly relatable novel.

As a rock star drummer in the hit band the Brightsiders, Emmy King's life should be perfect. But there's nothing the paparazzi love more than watching a celebrity crash and burn. When a night of partying lands Emmy in hospital, she's branded the latest tabloid train wreck.

Luckily, Emmy has her friends and bandmates, including the super-swoonworthy Alfie, to help her pick up the pieces of her life. She knows hooking up with a band member is exactly the kind of trouble she should be avoiding, and yet Emmy and Alfie Just. Keep. Kissing.

Will the inevitable fallout turn her into a clickbait scandal (again)? Or will she find the strength to stand on her own?

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Wen Zhou is a first-generation daughter of Chinese migrant parents. She has high expectations from her parents to succeed in school, especially her father whose strict rules leave her feeling trapped. She dreams of creating a future for herself more satisfying than the one her parents expect her to lead.

Then she befriends a boy named Henry who is also a first generation immigrant. He is the smartest boy at school despite struggling with his English and understands her in a way nobody has lately. Both of them dream of escaping and together they come up with a plan to take an entrance exam for a selective school far from home.

But when tragedy strikes, it will take all of Wen’s resilience and tiger strength to get herself and Henry through the storm that follows.

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Martin lives in the city with his mum. He's come to walk the boundaries of the farm that's been in his family for generations. It sounds easy, especially as he'll own the land when he gets back. Martin's great-grandfather, Ted, doesn't even want him to walk around the farm's fences, just up the gorge and along the hills.

But up in the gorge Martin meets Meg from almost a century ago and Wullamudulla from thousands of years in the past. Despite their differences they discover that they're all on the same journey ... and that walking the boundaries means more than following lines on a map.

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Thirteen year old Hayaat is on a mission. She believes a handful of soil from her grandmother's ancestral home in Jerusalem will save her beloved Sitti Zeynab's life. The only problem is that Hayaat and her family live behind the impenetrable wall that divides the West Bank, and they're on the wrong side of check points, curfews, and the travel permit system. Plus, Hayaat's best friend Samy always manages to attract trouble. But luck is on the pair's side as they undertake the journey to Jerusalem from the Palestinian Territories when Hayaat and Samy have a curfew-free day to travel.

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It's a hot summer, and life's going all right for Jackson and his family on the Mish. It's almost Christmas, school's out and he's hanging with his mates, teasing the visiting tourists, avoiding the racist boys in town. Just like every year, Jackson's Aunty and annoying little cousins visit from the city - but this time a mysterious boy with a troubled past comes with them.... As their friendship evolves, Jackson must confront the changing shapes of his relationships with his friends, family and community. And he must face his darkest secret - a secret he thought he'd locked away for good.

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Seventh grader Jordan Banks loves nothing more than drawing cartoons about his life. But instead of sending him to the art school of his dreams, his parents enroll him in a prestigious private school known for its academics, where Jordan is one of the few kids of color in his entire grade.

As he makes the daily trip from his Washington Heights apartment to the upscale Riverdale Academy Day School, Jordan soon finds himself torn between two worlds—and not really fitting into either one. Can Jordan learn to navigate his new school culture while keeping his neighborhood friends and staying true to himself?

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It’s 1914. Gretta lives a privileged life in Singapore, the daughter of a businessman; Tilly lives a modest life in Brisbane, the daughter of a baker. When war breaks out and both countries turn on their families for being German, the two girls find themselves taken from their homes, interned at a camp in rural New South Wales. Far away from everything they have ever known, Gretta and Tilly are forced to face prejudice, overcome adversity and to make their own community.