Picks of the month
Book of the Month: June 2026
There’s a Prawn in Parliament House : The Kids’ Guide to Australia’s Amazing Democracy by Annabel Crabb and illustrated by First Dog on the Moon
Shortlisted for a number of awards including 2026 CBCA Book of the Year, Eve Pownall Award, Annabel Crabb’s engaging and entertaining writing style explores, explains and examines Australia's unique democracy from the smallest prawn to the largest coathanger, with help from Guardian Australia cartoonist First Dog on the Moon.
Perfect for kids in Year 5 and 6 studying how Australia's government works, and anyone who is interested in what makes Australia's democracy amazing.
Click to access this item here.
Homework Help and Tutoring
If there's a civics assignment or school project on the horizon, don't forget we're here to help. Alongside books like There's a Prawn in Parliament House, we offer online research resources, free internet and computer access, and personalised research assistance through Ask the Library.
We also provide free access to Studiosity, where students can connect with qualified tutors via 24/7 live chat for help with research, study skills, English, maths, science and more, or receive feedback on writing drafts.
Spotlight: Libraries
The library that made me: 200 years of the State Library of NSW edited by Richard Neville and Phillipa McGuineess
The Library that Made Me celebrates 200 years of the State Library of NSW - its evolution, its remarkable collection and its people. The Library has earned its enduring place in the heart of the city, and in the hearts of readers and visitors everywhere. A love letter to libraries everywhere.
Click to access item here.
The cat who saved the library by Sosuke Natsukawa; translated by Louise Heal Kawai
Thirteen-year-old Nanami Kosaki loves reading. The local library is a home from home and books have become her best friends. When Nanami notices books disappearing from the library shelves, she's particularly curious about a suspicious man in a grey suit whose furtive behaviour doesn't feel right. Should she follow him to see what he's up to?
Click to access item here.
Mrs. Christie at the Mystery Guild Library by Amanda Chapman
Book conservator Tory Van Dyne and a woman claiming to be Agatha Christie on holiday from the Great Beyond join forces to catch a killer. Aided by a found family of unlikely sleuths-including a snarky librarian, an eleven-year-old computer whiz, and an NYPD detective-Tory and the woman claiming to be her very much deceased literary idol begin to unravel the twists and turns of a murderer's devious mind.
Click to access item here.
The Astral Library by Kate Quinn
Alix Watson works dead-end jobs to make ends meet and takes nightly refuge in the reading room at the Boston Public Library until she stumbles through a hidden door and is transported to the Astral Library. When a shadowy enemy threatens to destroy the library, Alix must flee from danger through the Regency drawing rooms of Jane Austen and the back alleys of Sherlock Holmes' London as danger closes in...
Click to access item here.
The secret society of librarians by Kate Thompson
London, 1939. When war breaks out on librarian Joyce Kindred's doorstep and a call for help rings out across the libraries of London, she's determined to act. Joyce knows only the world of books can offer safety and comfort to her neighbourhood - and she will make sure no one is left behind. Joyce sets up a mobile library scheme, but soon her acts of resistance go beyond sharing books.
Click to access item here.