Woollahra Libraries staff have created reading lists of eBooks, eAudiobooks, eFilms and hard copies, by genre or occasion, available to borrow from our eCollection or off the shelf.
In this book, Stephen Lacey paints a vivid picture of the individual gardens, and places each one in its context within British horticultural history.
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In The Plant Thieves, Prudence Gibson explores the secrets of the National Herbarium of New South Wales and unearths remarkable stories of plant naming wars, rediscovered lost species, First Nations agriculture, illegal drug labs and psychoactive plant knowledge.
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Packed with practical, jargon-free know-how, this easy-to-use guide has everything you need to know to help your bonsai garden grow.
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The Power of Trees is an illuminating manifesto on ancient forests from charismatic forester and bestselling author of The Hidden Life of Trees. In this follow up work, Wohlleben reveals how trees adapt to climate change by passing their wisdom through generations, and why our future lies in protecting them.
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Naturescapes by Philip Withers and AB Bishop
This is book shows how you can take inspiration from your favourite natural landscapes and create your own garden. With a detailed focus on plant selection, materials, habitats for wildlife, soil information, design and establishing environments, Naturescapes looks to inform and inspire those wanting to learn more about their local landscape.
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This deeply insightful book sheds new light on some of literature's greatest works, offers rare glimpses into the lives of these brilliant minds, and showcases in stunning full colour the gardens in which these writers spent their time.
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From an acclaimed botanist and artist, Chasing Plants is a thrilling and beautifully illustrated expedition around the globe in search of the world's most extraordinary plants.
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Wherever you live and whatever type of place you call ‘home’, houseplants can transform it. Learn all about them, their benefits and possibilities…and soon you’ll have a jungle in YOUR living room! This title is perfect for primary school children.
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This illustrated memoir explores the evolution of one of Australia's finest design minds. Through never-before-seen materials, the story behind Paul's vision is revealed - and we see the creative workings that come to fruition in meticulous and timeless gardens.
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From rising early to walk barefoot on the grass each morning, to afternoons and evenings spent sipping tea in her gazebo or watching fireflies as she recalls her childhood in Japan, in Zen in the Garden Sakamoto shares observations from a life spent in contemplation — and cultivation — of nature.
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A galvanizing playbook for success from Steven Bartlett, one of the world’s most exciting entrepreneurs and the host of the No. 1 podcast The Diary of a CEO.
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This practical playbook is packed full of more than 100 actionable tips for levelling up in your finances, your career, your wellbeing and your relationships from the founder and CEO of Smart Women Society.
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In The Essential Entrepreneur, celebrated entrepreneur and business strategist Richard Turner delivers a practical, step-by-step approach to starting and growing a thriving enterprise.
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Discover the secrets to self-awareness, life-changing growth and happy, high-performing teams, in this practical guide to modern leadership from the founder of WorkSmart Australia.
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Inc. Magazine is the only major business magazine written for the journey from startup to a fully managed company. Every issue of Inc. delivers real solutions for today's innovative company creators.
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Entrepreneur magazine is the trusted source for growing your business and offers sure fire strategies for success.
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The Voice to Parliament Handbook is an easy-to-follow guide for the millions of Australians who have expressed support for the Uluru Statement from the Heart, but want to better understand what a Voice to Parliament actually means. Indigenous leader Thomas Mayo and acclaimed journalist Kerry O'Brien have written this handbook to answer the most commonly asked questions about why the Voice should be enshrined in the Constitution, and how it might function to improve policies affecting Indigenous communities, and genuinely close the gap on inequalities at the most basic level of human dignity. If the 'yes' vote is successful this book will also become a keepsake of an important and emotional milestone in Australia's history.
A collection of passionate essays from religious leaders arguing for a First Nations Voice to be enshrined in the Australian Constitution. In this ground breaking book, diverse religious leaders and thinkers come together to advocate for the Uluru Statement from the Heart.
Everything You Need to Know about the Uluru Statement from the Heart, written by Megan Davis and George Williams, two of Australia's best-known constitutional experts, is essential reading on how our Constitution was drafted, what the 1967 referendum achieved, and the lead-up and response to the Uluru Statement. Importantly, it explains how the Uluru Statement offers change that will benefit the whole nation.
This is a book for all Australians, since the Uluru Statement from the Heart was formed in 2017, Thomas Mayo has travelled around the country to promote its vision of a better future for Indigenous Australian. Through the story of his own journey and interviews with 20 key people, Thomas taps into a deep sense of our shared humanity. The voices within these chapters make clear what the Uluru Statement is and why it is so important.
Australians will soon be asked to vote in a referendum asking 'Do you support an alteration to the Constitution that establishes an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice?' Frank Brennan has been an advocate for Indigenous rights for 40 years. Here he shows the difficult path travelled by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leaders and their supporters to get to this question. This book fairly outlines both the 'Yes' case and the 'No' case, so that voters can make up their own minds before casting their vote in the referendum.
Mission traces a life of politics, ideas and inspiring words. Mission selects the best of Noel Pearson's work to date. There are indelible portraits of political leaders seen close up -- Keating, Rudd, Whitlam, Turnbull and more. There is Pearson's brilliant exploration of a Voice to Parliament, which led eventually to the Uluru Statement from the Heart. The volume also contains a remarkable new extended title essay, in which Pearson reflects on his life and work so far.Missionis honest, provocative and utterly original.
In Truth-Telling, influential historian Henry Reynolds pulls the rug from legal and historical assumptions, with his usual sharp eye and rigour, in a book that's about the present as much as the past. His work shows exactly why our national war memorial must acknowledge the frontier wars, why we must change the date of our national day, and why treaties are important. Most of all, it makes urgently clear that the Uluru Statement is no rhetorical flourish but carries the weight of history and law and gives us a map for the future.
Author Thomas Mayor's journey around Australia with the Uluru Statement has been a moving experience. In particular, when he visited schools he was inspired by the children he spoke with. Thomas hopes that by talking to the guardians of future Australian generations, perhaps we can all accept what First Nations have proposed in the words of the Uluru Statement: 'When we have power over our destiny our children will flourish. They will walk in two worlds and their culture will be a gift to their country.' With illustrations created by award-winning artist Blak Douglas, this is a timely children's book that complements Thomas's bestselling adult book Finding the Heart of the Nation.
A behind-the-scenes book about the Uluru Statement FromThe Heart, from the co-chairs of the Uluru Dialogue, Professor Megan Davis and Patricia Anderson, AO.Our Voices from the Heartis the official celebration of the grassroots campaign that guided us to this inspiring moment in Australia's history. Filled with powerful never-before-seen photography and helpful information to share with friends and family alike, this book charts the world's oldest living civilisation's ongoing fight for constitutional recognition and is destined to become a treasured keepsake for years to come.
Read this book before you vote in The Voice to Parliament referendum. Whether a No or a Yes voter, it may transform the way you think and influence your reasons. Tor Hundloe draws widely on evolutionary psychology, pre-history, history, anthropology, geography, economics, biology and environmental science to provide an informed context for considering the consequences, good and bad, of the collision of ancient and modern cultures.
This essential Quarterly Essay seeks to do two things- to make the strongest, clearest possible case for the Voice to Parliament and to draw out the significance and the promise of this reform. Megan Davis presents the Voice as an Australian solution to an Australian problem. For the First Nations, it is a practical response to "the torment of our powerlessness." Megan Davis shows we have arrived at a constitutional moment that brings with it a new vision of Country and community.
The Halifax plantation is known as Empty by the slaves who work it under the pitiless gaze of its overseers and its owner, Massa Paul. Two young enslaved men, Samuel and Isaiah dwell among the animals they keep in the barn, helping out in the fields when their day is done. The barn is their haven, a space of radiance and love where they can be alone together. The Prophets is a novel about the forbidden union between two enslaved young men on a Deep South plantation, the refuge they find in each other, and a betrayal that threatens their existence.
For Arthur Less, life is surprisingly good: he is a moderately accomplished novelist in a steady relationship with his partner, Freddy Pelu. But nothing lasts as the death of an old lover and a sudden financial crisis has Arthur running away from his problems yet again as he accepts a series of literary gigs that send him on a crisscrossing adventure across the US. With all of the irrepressible wit and musicality that made Less a bestselling, Pulitzer Prize-winning book, Less Is Lost is a profound and joyous novel about the enigma of life in America, the riddle of love, and the stories we tell along the way.
A whip smart debut about three women—transgender and cisgender—whose lives collide after an unexpected pregnancy forces them to confront their deepest desires around gender, motherhood, and sex. Torrey Peters brilliantly and fearlessly navigates the most dangerous taboos around gender, sex, and relationships, gifting us a thrillingly original, witty, and deeply moving novel.
An estranged father. An abused and abusive mother. An army of relatives. A tapestry of violence, woven across generations and geographies, from Turkey to Lebanon to Western Sydney. This is the legacy left to Jamal Smith, a young queer Muslim trying to escape a past in which memory and rumour trace ugly shapes in the dark. Torn between faith and fear, gossip and gospel, family and friendship, Jamal must find and test the limits of love.
When first-year music student Amalia stumbles into her Oxford college bar, she has no idea that everything is about to change. Seated across from her is Alex, a velvety-voiced fellow Australian with eyes the colour of her native sky. They strike up a friendship that is immediate - its intensity both thrilling and terrifying. Dare they risk a romantic entanglement if it threatens this most perfect of friendships? 28 Questions is a passionate and unforgettable first novel about love in all its guises, growing up, and figuring out who you are along the way.
From the moment a doctor in Raleigh, North Carolina, put male on Jacob Tobia's birth certificate, everything went wrong. Naturally sensitive, playful, creative, and glitter-obsessed, as a child Jacob was given the label sissy. In the two decades that followed, sissy joined forces with gay, trans, nonbinary, and too-queer-to-function to become a source of pride and, today, a rallying cry for a much-needed gender revolution. Writing with the fierce honesty, wildly irreverent humour, and wrenching vulnerability that have made them a media sensation, Jacob shatters the long-held notion that people are easily sortable into men and women.
Compiled by celebrated author and journalist Benjamin Law, Growing up Queer in Australia assembles voices from across the spectrum of LGBTIQA+ identity. Spanning diverse places, eras, genders, ethnicities and experiences, these are the stories of growing up queer in Australia. With contributions from David Marr, Fiona Wright, Nayuka Gorrie, Steve Dow, Holly Throsby, Sally Rugg, Tony Ayres, Nic Holas, Rebecca Shaw, Kerryn Phelps and many more.
An intensely personal account of Jenek's experience growing into a proud, passionate, politically active, genderfluid, queer Australian icon. Meet Shane Jenek. Raised in the Brisbane suburbs by loving parents, Shane realises from a young age that he's not like all the other boys. He finds his tribe at a performing arts agency, where he discovers his passion for song, dance and performance. Shane makes a promise to himself- to find a bigger stage. Meet Courtney Act. Born in Sydney around the turn of the millennium, Courtney makes her name in the gay bars of Oxford Street and then on Australian Idol. Told with Courtney's trademark candour and wit, Caught in the Act is about our journey towards understanding gender, sexuality and identity.
A revealing, poignant, and hilarious memoir from the cultural icon, gay rights activist, and four-time Tony Award winner. Harvey Fierstein's stellar career has taken him from Broadway to Hollywood and back. While he is widely known as one of today's most peerless performers, Harvey has never shared his own story until now.
Legendary Children centres itself around the idea that not only is RuPaul’s Drag Race the queerest show in the history of television, but that RuPaul and company devised a show that serves as an actual museum of queer cultural and social history, drawing on queer traditions and the work of legendary figures going back nearly a century. In doing so, Drag Race became not only a repository of queer history and culture, but also an examination and illustration of queer life in the modern age.
Evie Vanhoutte is a teachers' pet, a basketball star and the most beautiful girl in the year level. Patch is out of place at Mountford College: she wears the wrong clothes, she's not sporty or popular, and lives in a small flat above her dad's record shop a world away from the leafy suburb where she goes to school. And she has a secret long-term crush on basketball star Evie Vanhoutte. This is a feel good romance about growing up queer, figuring out your place in the world, staying true to yourself and your friends, finding love, and learning to embrace the obstacles life throws in your path.
It's a hot summer, and life's going all right for Jackson and his family on the Mish. 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. He must also face his darkest secret, a secret he thought he'd locked away for good. Compelling, honest and beautifully written, The Boy from the Mish is about first love, identity, and the superpower of self-belief.
When Taylor Parker is accepted as a finalist for a diverse writers' internship at Saturday Night Live, it turns her life upside down. And if Taylor wants a shot at winning, she'll have to come out about both of her secrets: she wants to be a comedian and she's a lesbian. The only thing keeping Taylor from self-combusting is her pining for Salem's most bewitching actress - out and proud classmate, Charlotte Grey. So when Taylor finds herself sitting opposite Charlotte to discuss a school project, Taylor's simmering need to tell everyone exactly who she is and what she wants burns hotter than ever.
Luca is ready to audition for the Australian Ballet School. All it takes to crush his dreams is one missed step... and a broken foot. Jordan is the gorgeous rowing star and school captain of Luca's new school. Everyone says he's straight, but Luca's not so sure. As their unlikely bond grows stronger, Luca starts to wonder - who is he without ballet? And is he setting himself up for another heartbreak?
Teen life is hard enough with all of the pressures kids face, but for teens who are LGBTQ it's even harder. Queer is a humorous, engaging, and honest guide that helps LGBTQ teens come out to friends and family, navigate their new LGBTQ social life, figure out if a crush is also queer, and rise up against bigotry and homophobia. Queer also includes personal stories from the authors and sidebars on queer history. This updated and revised edition is a must-read for any teen who thinks they might be queer - or knows someone who is.
ABC Pride by Dr Elly Barnes MBE and Louie Stowell; illustrations by Amy Phelps
ABC Pride introduces little readers to the alphabet through the colourful world of Pride. Children can discover letters and words while also learning more about the LGBTQIA+ community and how to be inclusive.
Whether you have two mums, two dads, one parent, or one of each, there's one thing that makes a family a family….and that's love. Each page showcases bright illustrations of diverse families doing special activities together, from baking a cake to finding a lost shoe. Your little one will love looking through the pages to see their own family reflected, and of course feel the love your family shares together.
My Dad has a shadow that's blue as a berry, and my Mum's is as pink as a blossoming cherry. There's only those choices, a 2 or a 1. But mine is quite different, it's both and it's none. My Shadow is Purple is a heart-warming and inspiring book about being true to yourself. This story considers gender beyond binary in a vibrant spectrum of colour.
Whoever you are, HAVE PRIDE. This inspirational history of the international LGBTQ+ movement will teach readers to accept and have pride in themselves and others, whatever their sexuality.
Rainbow Revolutionaries brings to life the vibrant histories of fifty pioneering LGBTQ+ people from around the world. This book is a celebration of the many ways these heroes have made a difference and will inspire young readers to make a difference, too.
Beach Battle by Trent Maxwell & David Lawrence; illustrated by Peter Baldwin
Maxi is stoked to hear that kids from a British ocean swimming club are coming to visit Buckler. If the trip is a success, he and his mates will visit their club in England next year! Maxi is keen for it to be perfect, but someone sneaky is trying to wreck their plans and is writing mean lies online. Can Maxi patch things up before their beach rescue demonstration becomes a beach battle?
Visit a perfect beach where you can swim, surf, splash through the waves, build sandcastles, beachcomb, explore rock-pools, muck about in boats, fish from the jetty, and build a bonfire under the stars.
Noodle the Doodle by Jonathan Meres; illustrations by Katy Halford
Noodle the Doodle, an adorable rescue pup, is joining class and he even gets to come on the school trip! But while Noodle's settled into being a class helper, and really loves being around all the pupils, taking on a school trip to the beach is a whole different ball game... Can Noodle stay on his best behaviour or is this school trip about to take a turn for the chaotic?
100 Things to Know About Oceans by Jerome Martin; illustrated by Dominique Byron (and four others)
Do fish wear pyjamas? What's the sound of an iceberg melting? How many sheep did it take to launch a Viking longship? Which is faster - a tsunami or a bullet train? Find the answers to these and many more questions in a book that explores the history, science, environment and art of our planet's seas and oceans.
Through stunning photography, whimsical poems and folktales, awesome animal profiles, fun facts, and more, this charming book brings you some of the ocean's most extraordinary inhabitants and landscapes.
It was supposed to be the perfect trip. Four friends, fresh out of university, backpacking around Thailand. But among the sun, sea and sand, something went horribly wrong…
In the years since, Holly has tried hard to push memories of that terrible summer from her mind .Holly starts receiving anonymous messages showing photos which Holly was sure she destroyed years ago. Someone clearly knows the truth about what really happened. The only question is, how far will they go to get revenge?
Malibu in 1983 is the day of Nina Riva's annual end-of-summer party and anticipation is at a fever pitch. Everyone who's anyone wants an invite to catch a glimpse of the famous Riva siblings: Nina, the talented surfer and supermodel; brothers Jay and Hud, one a championship surfer, the other a renowned photographer; and their adored baby sister, Kit. Together, the siblings are a source of fascination in Malibu and the world over By midnight the party will be completely out of control. By morning the Riva mansion will have gone up in flames. But ahead of that first spark in the early hours before dawn, the alcohol will flow, the music will play, and the loves and secrets that shaped this family will all come bubbling to the surface.
Augustus Everett is an acclaimed author of literary fiction. January Andrews writes bestselling romance. They're polar opposites. In fact, the only thing they have in common is that for the next three months, they're living in neighbouring beach houses, broke, and bogged down with writer's block. Until, one hazy evening, one thing leads to another and they strike a deal designed to force them out of their creative ruts: Augustus will spend the summer writing something happy, and January will pen the next Great American Novel. As the summer stretches on, January discovers a gaping plot hole in the story she's been telling herself about her own life, and begins to wonder what other things she might have gotten wrong, including her ideas about the man next door.
This sunshine-filled book is a celebration of the fresh and vibrant colours and tastes of the Caribbean with recipes for Saltfish Fritters, Lobster Fricasse, Plantain Gratin and treats such as Mont Blanc Coconut Cake and Passion Fruit Rum Punch. The recipes are both delicious and easy to make, filled with exotic flavours which transport you to the beachside paradise of the French Caribbean. This is a cookbook for anyone with a sense of adventure who longs for sunshine flavours.
From lap pools to ocean pools, harbour pools to waterfalls, Sydney is arguably the best major city in Australia for swimming, if not the world! Places We Swim in Sydney covers the very best of the city's famous and hidden swimming spots. With destinations ranging from neighbourhood city pools to gorges that feel like the outback, Places We Swim in Sydney is a celebration of not just these magnificent swimming locations, but of the diverse landscapes and water-loving communities that make up Sydney.
Want to make twice as much money with half the work? It's time to shift your mindset, recognize your worth, and become a successful entrepreneur on your own terms! With her trademark humour and down-to-earth wisdom, money mindset coach Denise Duffield-Thomas shares the invaluable business and counterintuitive millionaire mindset lessons that will set you on the path of abundance.
Entrepreneur is the trusted source for growing your business and offers reliable strategies for success. Whether you are just thinking of starting a business, have taken the first steps, or already own a business, Entrepreneur offers the best advice on running your own company.
Do you need advice about business structures, marketing, hiring employees, keeping the books or modelling financial scenarios? You can do it all, with Getting Started in Small Business For Dummies. Turn your bright idea into a real-world success and have fun while you're at it!
The must-have book for anyone starting a business or looking to fall in love with their business again. It's one thing to have a business idea, or even to start a creative business. It's quite another to scale it sustainably without increasing your financial and emotional stress. In this practical guide, experienced business coach and creative consultant Fiona Killackey shows you how to scale the business without scaling the stress.
When it comes to improving customer experiences, trying out new business models, or developing new products, even the most experienced managers often get it wrong.
By combining the power of software and the rigor of controlled experiments, today's managers can make better decisions, create magical customer experiences, and generate big financial returns. Experimentation Works is your guidebook to a truly new way of thinking and innovating.
Over 400,000 Australians are currently living with dementia, yet misunderstanding about the condition is widespread. Few people realise they can take action to lessen their chances of it developing. There are also effective interventions and treatments now available to address dementia-related symptoms. Dr Kailas Roberts works as a specialist in memory loss and dementia. In Mind Your Brain he brings a wealth of knowledge from his medical practice and presents it in plain and accessible language. He explains how dementia affects the brain and body, what to expect in the event of a diagnosis, and how to manage each step along the way. Including an important list of support resources, Mind Your Brain is an invaluable guide for people with dementia, their carers and loved ones, and for anyone who wants to maintain a healthy brain.
Available on Bolinda
For 40 years, The 36-Hour Day has been the leading work in the field for caregivers of those with dementia. Written by experts with decades of experience caring for individuals with memory loss, Alzheimer's, and other dementias, the book is widely known for its authoritativeness and compassionate approach to care. Featuring everything from the causes of dementia to managing its early stages to advice on caring for those in the later stages of the disease, it is widely considered to be the most detailed and trusted book available.
Available on OverDrive
Dementia brings many challenges, not least its ability to disrupt effective communication. The quality of communication plays a major role in how well people living with a dementia manage. When communication doesn't work well, the complications of dementia are compounded.
As well as considering why communication goes wrong in day-to-day conversations, the chapters offer advice on dealing with awkward moments, the question of deception, and the things we can and can't control in dementia.
Including clear action points for carers, bystanders and people with a dementia diagnosis, this book shows how to approach communication to improve outcomes.
Available on OverDrive
In Remember, neuroscientist and acclaimed novelist Lisa Genova delves into how memories are made and how we retrieve them. You’ll learn whether forgotten memories are temporarily inaccessible or erased forever and why some memories are built to exist for only a few seconds (like a passcode) while others can last a lifetime (your wedding day). You’ll come to appreciate the clear distinction between normal forgetting (where you parked your car) and forgetting due to Alzheimer’s (that you own a car). And you’ll see how memory is profoundly impacted by meaning, emotion, sleep, stress, and context. Once you understand the language of memory and how it functions, it’s incredible strengths and maddening weaknesses, its natural vulnerabilities and potential superpowers, you can both vastly improve your ability to remember and feel less rattled when you inevitably forget. You can set educated expectations for your memory, and in doing so, create a better relationship with it. You don’t have to fear it anymore. And that can be life-changing.
Available on Bolinda
In Creative Engagement, dementia activity expert Rachael Wonderlin and developmental psychology professor Geri M. Lotze provide dozens of creative, hands-on ways to engage with people living with cognitive loss. Teaching caregivers how to find dementia-friendly daily activities and introduce them into a person's life, this comprehensive, empathetic guide is aimed at both family members and professionals. Twelve chapters full of useful, tangible activities touch on a range of topics, including exercise, technology, cooking and baking, memory games, and arts and crafts.
Available on OverDrive
Toffee by Sarah Crossan (eBook)
Allison has run away from home, and with nowhere to live, finds herself hiding out in the shed of what she thinks is an abandoned house. But the house isn't empty. An elderly woman named Marla, with dementia, lives there – and she mistakes Allison for an old friend from her past called Toffee.
Allison is used to hiding who she really is, and trying to be what other people want her to be. And so, Toffee is who she becomes. After all, it means she has a place to stay. There are worse places she could be.
But as their bond grows, and Allison discovers how much Marla needs a real friend, she begins to ask herself - where is home? What is a family? And most importantly, who am I, really?
Available on Bolinda
Recent advances in brain research have given scientists a better chance than ever of finding ways to help patients, carers, and clinicians dealing with dementia. Yet there is still no effective treatment. Why has progress been so slow? And what can we all do to reduce our chances of getting the disease? In this Very Short Introduction Kathleen Taylor offers a guide to the science of dementia and brain aging. Never forgetting the human costs of brain disorders-movingly illustrated throughout the book-she also discusses their costs to society. Clearly explaining the research, she sets out the main ideas which have driven dementia science, and the new contenders hoping to make a breakthrough. Taylor also looks at risk factors, and how to lower our chances of succumbing to dementia.
Available on Indyreads
This is an account of a year in the life of Peter Berry, an ordinary man living in a sleepy Suffolk village. Happily married and running a successful business, Peter's life changes when, at the age of fifty, he is given a terminal diagnosis of early onset dementia. Since that day, he has learned to live with his very own 'dementia monster'. From depression and suicide attempts through to his determination to confront his dementia, Peter has embarked on a series of challenges to show that 'life isn't over with dementia, it's just a little different'. Peter has now raised thousands of pounds for dementia charities, cycling hundreds of miles in his quest to show that life is always worth living. When Peter meets Deb, recently retired, they embark on regular cycle rides and, as their friendship grows, Deb is able to look at her own life through the lens of Peter's dementia. In Slow Puncture, Peter tells the world what it is really like to live with a terminal condition and Deb learns to enjoy each day more fully.
Available on OverDrive
In Caregiving Both Ways, Molly Wisniewski offers essential advice for getting to know your loved one and yourself during this new phase of life. Learn to balance your priorities, avoid burning out, and honour self-care. Molly will teach you how to navigate the difficult moments with techniques she's mastered from years of experience working with people with dementia.
Available on OverDrive
Her house, always full of things, is becoming harder and harder to navigate, and when Iris goes to stay, she feels as if a whole life is becoming muddled up. As her grandmother's memory fades, a mystery is uncovered. Who is Coral, and what happened to her?
Available on Bolinda
For anyone who's trying to make sense of their life, who wants to get unstuck from the patterns that hold them back, hear this incredible news: everything you need for the freedom you want is entirely within reach. This practice and pathway is free, it's readily available every day of your life, it takes just minutes of your time, and anyone can do it.
Author, writing coach, and speaker Allison Fallon's life transformed when she discovered the power of a daily writing practice. As it turns out, using your words is one of the most powerful means you have for unlocking your life. The Power of Writing It Down is your guide to this transformative tool available to us all.
Available on OverDrive
When all of the whales in the ocean leave their home to walk around on land, people don’t quite know what to think. But soon shopkeepers go out of business farms are flooded with water and salt and people shout horrible anti-whale words. That is until a smart little girl decides to ask the whales what everyone can do to help. A powerful and entertaining story about the environment from best-selling author Nick Bland.
Sugar Town Queens by is a spectacular and heart-breaking account of three generations of women fighting against prejudice, violence and injustice. Amidst this tale’s tragedy, young adult readers will also find fierce resilience and uplifting story of how friendship saves and heals.
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The First Scientists is the highly anticipated, illustrated science book from Corey Tutt of DeadlyScience. With kids aged 7 to 12 years in mind, this book will nourish readers’ love of science and develop their respect for Indigenous knowledge at the same time.
Boisterous fun, chaotic bush animals and waterplay feature in this cumulative tale about a very dusty boy who needs a bath. Young readers will fully engage with this form of nursery rhyme which encourages participation.
From the award-winning author of We Are Wolves comes the story of a young boy who becomes a soldier at six, fighting in the only way he can -- with love. But is love ever enough when the world is at war?
Jetty Jumping by Andrea Rowe; illustrations by Hannah Sommerville
Andrea Rowe and Hannah Sommerville perfectly capture the challenges of childhood - and the joy of letting go - in this homage to summer. Young children will delight in this wonderfully illustrated picture book.
Walk with us through one of the Top End's magnificent monsoon forests, in Kakadu National Park, learning about the plants, animals and Kundjeyhmi culture along the way in this beautifully illustrated information book for primary school students.
Stella the elephant is fighting interstellar discrimination one pachyderm at a time! Stella wants to be an astronaut. There is only one problem: Stella is an elephant. Every time she applies to Space Command, they come up with a new reason she can’t join. But where there’s a will, there’s a way and Stella is determined to reach for the stars.
From the award winning author of Lenny's Book of Everything, a deeply affecting, uplifting novel in which a girl finds refuge from her difficult home life while caring for an ailing baby dragon.
Blue Flower by Sonya Hartnett; illustrations by Gabriel Evans
In this stunningly illustrated picture book, a young child describes her qualms about going to school and how hard she finds asking the teacher for help, how she feels shy about making friends, not being funny or a fast runner. But through her love of art, a conversation with her mother and her observations about nature she comes to see that being different might not be a bad thing after all.
Jan Johnsen's Gardentopia: Design Basics for Creating Beautiful Outdoor Spaces, will delight all garden lovers with over 130 lushly illustrated landscape design and planting suggestions. This info-packed, sumptuous book offers individual tips for enhancing any size landscape .The suggestions are grouped into five categories that include Garden Design and Artful Accents, Walls, Patios, and Steps and Plants and Planting, among others. Whether you are an experienced gardener or a landscaping novice,Gardentopia will inspire you with tips such as 'Soften a Corner", "Paint it Black", and "Hide and Reveal".
Available on OverDrive
Make your garden flourish with these 300 easy and inexpensive gardening hacks to help your plants blossom, perfect for any green thumbs, first-time horticulturalists, or reluctant gardeners! Think you don’t have a green thumb? Think again! No matter your gardening woes, Gardening Hacks has the solution. Perfect for all gardening skill levels whether you’re starting your first garden, looking to expand your crop, or simply searching for ways to make it easier to care for your extensive plant collection, you’ll find everything you need to know to make your garden grow.
Available on Bolinda
Created especially for Australia and New Zealand - Sustainable Gardening for Dummies can help you reduce your environmental footprint in the garden. Now you can apply sustainable principles in your own backyard, whether that's an Aussie apartment balcony or a sprawling Kiwi rural spread. Find out great techniques for planning your sustainable garden and keeping your plants and you happy and healthy.
Available on Indyreads
Australia’s number one monthly gardening resource, ABC Gardening Australia magazine is packed with step-by-step advice and stunning design ideas from its popular team of experts. Whether you are a novice gardener or have a green thumb and years of experience, you’ll find the advice you need.
Available on OverDrive
Charles Darwin never stopped thinking about the garden at his childhood home, The Mount. It was here, under the tutelage of his green-fingered mother and sisters, that he first examined the reproductive life of flowers, collected birds' eggs, and began the experiments that would lead to his theory of evolution. A century and a half later, with one small child in tow and another on the way, Jude Piesse finds herself living next door to this secret garden. Two acres of the original site remain, now resplendent with overgrown ashes, sycamores, and hollies. Blending biography, nature writing, and memoir, The Ghost in the Garden traces the origins of the theory of evolution and uncovers the lost histories that inspired it, ultimately evoking the interconnectedness of all things.
Available on Bolinda
Since the launch of its magazine in 2011, Kinfolk has grown into an internationally recognised brand known for its minimalist aesthetic and strong community of inspiring and influential creatives. Now, in The Kinfolk Garden, the team turns its eye to outdoor spaces and the many ways they enhance our lives and help us foster community. With a focus on spaces that bring the outdoors in and the indoors out and people who have found ways to expertly incorporate the natural world into their lives, the book explores the garden as a place for work, play, entertaining, and inspiration.
Available on OverDrive
The Urban Vegetable Patch is an eco-friendly guide to growing green, no matter your space. Starting with how to set-up your own vegetable patch, you will learn how to make the most of your space, whatever the size. From how to grow vegetables organically to making your own fertiliser, as well as practical tips on how to cook, store and share your haul, reduce your use of plastics and water, and even how to plant for wildlife, this book will inspire you to grow your way to greener way of living.
Available on Bolinda
Modern Gardens is the exciting new magazine that helps today’s busy professional create fresh, exciting outdoor spaces without having to expend too much time and effort. Each month the magazine will feature new garden ideas and keep you up to date with gardening trends, as well as give you tips on the plants to grow, the tools to buy and landscaping to inspire.
Available on OverDrive
The original publication of Planting the Natural Garden ushered in a revolution in landscape design: the New Perennial Movement. Spearheaded by internationally renowned designer Piet Oudolf, and incisively articulated by the late plantsman and designer Henk Gerritsen, it transformed private and public spaces with its emotionally resonant, naturalistic use of hardy perennials and grasses. Now this classic has been expanded and updated to include scores of new plants and combinations. Packed with practical information and visual inspiration, Planting the Natural Garden zeroes in on the New Perennial Movement's power to move us, making its distinctive plant palette available to all.
Available on Indyreads
Your garden, just like your house, sometimes needs a makeover. The change can be as minor as replacing a shrub or as major as pulling everything up and starting from scratch. No matter the size of your space or the scope of the project, the sage advice in Garden Renovation will help you turn your garden into a paradise. Bobbie Schwartz draws on her years of experience as a garden designer to teach you how to evaluate your garden, determine what to keep and what to remove, and choose the right plants and design plan.
Available on OverDrive
This book shows how to create a harmonious, beautiful and functional home that is sustainable in the long run. Taking inspiration from real homes, and following the motto reuse, reduce, recycle, this book shares new ways to think when decorating, combining low environmental impact with individual style. Room by room, she offers practical and positive advice to create a greener home.
Bring new life to your old clothes and fabrics with this fun, easy-to-follow guide to modern mending. In Australia, we send millions of tonnes of clothing to landfill each year. In fact, our clothing consumption is one of the highest in the world. The good news is that mending is trending and it's never been easier to repair and reinvent your favourite clothes. Inspired by the slow fashion movement taking over the world, Erin Lewis-Fitzgerald has created a comprehensive guide to mending your own clothes that combines creativity and sustainability.
This book tells the incredible story of how a simple community initiative grew into one of the world’s most successful environmental movements. It also shares tips from people around the world who have taken on the Plastic Free July challenge and significantly reduced their waste. This is a book about positive change and reminds us that small actions can make a huge impact, one step and one piece of plastic at a time.
More than just another lifestyle magazine Eco Living is delivering a real message, helping its readers to make discerning choices when it comes to purchasing homes, holidays, food and goods that will, by their nature, help nurture and ultimately save our planet.
Inventing Tomorrow follows six passionate teenage innovators from around the globe who are creating cutting edge solutions to confront some of the most complex environmental issues facing humanity today. All while navigating the doubts, problems and insecurities that mark adolescence. Take an emotional journey with these inspiring teens as they prepare their projects for the largest convening of high school scientists in the world, the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF).
An accessible and reassuring picture book that teaches children about the specific challenges of climate change for Australia so they can be informed and make a difference. Australia is a unique and incredibly diverse natural environment and we are oh-so-lucky to live here. A practical and reassuring book for children to help them understand climate change.
Jam-packed with surprising information about plastic's effect on the environment, plus loads of practical ways kids can cut down on their plastic footprint, this is the kids guide to being part of the pollution solution! This book answers all of your burning questions about plastic and offers tangible ways to get involved, reduce plastic use, and create a more plastic-free future.
Our planet is in peril and it needs your help! From lift-sharing to switching body sprays, there are so many things you can do to help fight climate change. Funny, engaging, practical and timely, it's the ideal book to help readers navigate the world in the greenest possible way, and to really make a difference.
Zero Waste Kids is full of fun ways to help you make sustainable choices to save planet Earth. Become informed about the crisis we're in but also, more importantly, take action through the 30 achievable child-friendly challenges to reduce waste, including craft activities and lifestyle changes to reduce, reuse and recycle your way to a better future. Filled with facts about the state of our planet, the environmental impact of over-consuming and the waste we produce and where it goes.
Our planet is precious. It's where we live, learn, work and play. This charming picture book is a gentle introduction to caring for the world around us. The simple, engaging text and beautiful illustrations explore ideas like planting veggie gardens and recycling, to show the ways every person, no matter how big or small, can make a difference. The perfect book to inspire children to love the planet.
The powerful Murrumbidgee River surges through town leaving death and destruction in its wake. It is a stark reminder that while the river can give life, it can just as easily take it away. Wagadhaany is one of the lucky ones. She survives. Forced to move away from her miyagan, she walks through each day with no trace of dance in her step, her broken heart forever calling her back home to Gundagai. When she meets Wiradyuri stockman Yindyamarra, Wagadhaany's heart slowly begins to heal. Still, she dreams of a better life, away from the degradation of being owned. Wagadhaany longs to set out along the river of her ancestors, in search of lost family and country. Can she find the courage to follow these dreams? Based on true events, Bila Yarrudhanggalangdhuray centres on the life of Wagadhaany and her life by the powerful and beautiful Murrumbidgee River, and encapsulates an enduring love of Country.
The Dreaming Path by Paul Callaghan with Uncle Paul Gordon
Through conversations, exercises, Dreamtime stories and key messages, Paul Callaghan and Uncle Paul Gordon will sit you around the fire and share knowledge that reveals the power of Aboriginal spirituality as a profound source of contentment and wellbeing for anyone willing to listen. This ancient wisdom is just as relevant today as it ever was. The tools provided in this book will give you tips, practices, inspiration and motivation that can enable you to achieve a state of mind, body and spirit wellness you didn't think possible.
Bindi by Kirli Saunders
Meet 11-year-old Bindi. She’s not really into maths but loves art class and playing hockey. Her absolute favourite thing is adventuring outside with friends or her horse, Nell. A new year starts like normal with school, family, hockey, dancing, but this year hasn’t gone to plan! There’s a big art assignment, a drought, a broken wrist and the biggest bushfires her town has ever seen! Bindi is a verse novel for mid-upper primary students that explores climate, bushfires, and healing. Written from the point of view of 11-year-old, Bindi and her friends on Gundungurra Country.
Marcia Langton’s Welcome to Country is a new and inclusive guidebook to Indigenous Australia and the Torres Strait Islands. Respected elder and author Professor Marcia Langton answers questions such as what does ‘country' mean to Indigenous people. A detailed introduction covers such topics as Indigenous languages and customs, history, native title, art and dance, storytelling, and cultural awareness and etiquette for visitors. This is followed by a directory of Indigenous tourism experiences, organised into state and territory sections, covering galleries and festivals, communities that are open to visitors, tours and performances. This book is for everyone travelling around this fascinating country who wants to gain an insight into the culture that has thrived here for over 50,000 years, and enjoy tourism opportunities that will show you a different side of Australia, one that remains dynamic, and is filled with openness and diversity.
Dear Son shares heartfelt letters written by First Nations men about life, masculinity, love, culture and racism. Along with his own vivid and poignant prose and poetry, author and editor Thomas Mayor invites 12 contributors to write a letter to their son, father or nephew, bringing together a range of perspectives that offers the greatest celebration of First Nations manhood. This beautifully designed anthology comes at a time when First Nations peoples are starting to break free of derogatory stereotypes and find solace in their communities and cultures. Featuring letters from Stan Grant, Troy Cassar-Daley, John Liddle, Charlie King, Joe Williams, Yessie Mosby, Joel Bayliss, Daniel James, Jack Latimore, Daniel Morrison, Tim Sculthorpe and Blak Douglas, Dear Son is a gentle and loving book for families from anywhere in the world.
When a mother and daughter take the overseas trip of a lifetime, they discover that the past is never quite behind them. Indigenous lawyer Jasmine hoped that a trip to England’s most revered literary sites would bring her closer to her mother, Della, and help them reconcile the past. Twenty-five years earlier the disappearance of Jasmine's older sister devastated their tight-knit community. This tragedy returns to haunt Jasmine and Della when another child mysteriously goes missing on Hampstead Heath. As Jasmine immerses herself in the world of her literary idols - including Jane Austen, the Bronte sisters and Virginia Woolf - Della is inspired to rediscover the wisdom of her own culture and storytelling. Ambitious and engrossing, After Story celebrates the extraordinary power of words and the quiet spaces between.
This is Me! by Sally Morgan is a beautiful picture book about self-acceptance that all parents, carers, grandparents and families will love to read to babies and toddlers. This simple, elegant book about unconditional love is the perfect way to reinforce to all children that they are unique, important and special just the way they are. Full of unconditional affection that will stand the test of time, this book is the perfect gift for all families, in all their forms and will be an absolute joy to read over and over again.
Delving deep into the Australian landscape and its alarming state of devastation, Fire Country is a powerful account from Indigenous land management expert Victor Steffensen on how the revival of Indigenous fire practices, including what’s called 'cool burns', could restore our country. Fire Country offers practical solutions for better 'reading country’ and knowing when is the right time to undertake cool burns, considering current climate conditions and each landscape’s specific ecosystem. From the age of 18, Victor has spent time on country learning traditional cultural and ecological knowledge from Elders. Having been developed over many generations of his people living on the land, this knowledge shows clearly that Australia actually needs fire – with burning done in a controlled manner – for land care and healing.
Bruce Pascoe has collected a swathe of literary awards for Dark Emu and now he has brought together the research and compelling first person accounts in a book for younger readers. Using the accounts of early European explorers, colonists and farmers, Bruce Pascoe compellingly argues for a reconsideration of the hunter-gatherer label for pre-colonial Aboriginal Australians. He allows the reader to see Australia as it was before Europeans arrived, a land of cultivated farming areas, productive fisheries, permanent homes, and an understanding of the environment and its natural resources that supported thriving villages across the continent.Young Dark Emu - A Truer History asks young readers to consider a different version of Australia's history pre-European colonisation.
Grab a flashlight, crawl under the covers, and dive into the twisted, unexpectedly hilarious world of Rowley Jefferson's imagination. You'll meet zombies, vampires, ghosts, and much more in these comically terrifying tales. Rowley's spooky stories might leave you laughing, but beware—you could end up sleeping with the lights on!
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This is not a fairy-tale. This is about real witches. Real witches don't ride around on broomsticks. They don't even wear black cloaks and hats. They are vile, cunning, detestable creatures who disguise themselves as nice, ordinary ladies. So how can you tell when you're face to face with one? Well, if you don't know yet you'd better find out quickly-because there's nothing a witch loathes quite as much as children and she'll wield all kinds of terrifying powers to get rid of them.
Available on OverDrive
Karma Moon is a firm believer in everything woo-woo, as her dad calls it. So when she asked her trusty Crystal Mystic if the call asking her dad to create a ghost-hunting docuseries was her dad's big break, it delivered: No doubt about it. Because the universe never gets it wrong. Only people do.
Karma and her best friend, Mags, join her dad's Totally Rad film crew at a famous haunted hotel in Colorado over her spring break. Their mission: find a ghost and get it on camera. If they succeed, the show will be a hit, they can pay rent on time, and just maybe, her mom will come back.
Unfortunately, staying at a haunted hotel isn't a walk in the park for someone with a big case of the what-ifs. But her dad made Karma the head of research for the docuseries, so she, Mags, and a mysterious local boy named Nyx must investigate every strange happening in the historically creepy Stanley Hotel. Karma hopes that her what-ifs don't make her give up the ghost before they can find a starring spirit to help their show go viral--and possibly even get them a season two.
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Diary of a Dummy by R.L. Stine (Goosebumps SlappyWorld #10)
Reading someone's diary is bad but Slappy is already evil, so how could anyone resist finding out all of this dummy's terrifying secrets?
What do Billy and Maggie McGee do when they find an abandoned ventriloquist dummy in an empty lot? They take him home, of course! As the pair tries to figure out why someone would throw out a perfectly good dummy, they accidentally bring Slappy to life. A night of horror ensues until the siblings put Slappy back into his case. But when they find Slappy's diary and clues that could lead to gold, they'll have to find Slappy's second diary while evading the evil dummy and other terrors.
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Luminous images, accompanied by newspaper extracts dating back to the early 1800s and words by Ngiyampaa Elder Peter Williams explore the ongoing mystery of yahoo encounters.
Throughout the first century or so of Australian settlement by Europeans, the pages of colonial newspapers were haunted by reports of a bewildering phenomenon: the mysterious yahoo or hairy man...
But what was it?
Yahoo Creek breathes life into this little-known piece of Australian history - which, by many accounts, is a history still in the making.
Available on OverDrive
Aveline Jones loves reading ghost stories, so a dreary half-term becomes much more exciting when she discovers a spooky old book. Not only are the stories spine-tingling, but it once belonged to Primrose Penberthy, who vanished mysteriously, never to be seen again. Intrigued, Aveline decides to investigate Primrose's disappearance.
Now someone...or something, is stirring. And it is looking for Aveline.
Turn on your torches, and join Aveline Jones in her first charmingly spooky mystery, from debut author Phil Hickes.
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The Ghosts of Raven Hill by Emily Rodda (Raven Hill Mysteries #1) (eAudiobook)
Mystery and adventure are the last things Liz has in mind when she forms Teen Power Inc., Raven Hill High's own job agency. And her friends aren't thinking about them either. All they want to do is make some money.
But mystery and adventure are both in store for the Teen Power gang, as they quickly find out. Very soon, they're up to their necks in trouble and wrestling with a puzzle they just have to solve. With a little help from the Raven Hill ghost, of course!
The first great story in the Teen Power series.
Available on Bolinda
Mildew and Sponge don’t think much of Maudlin Towers, the blackened, gloomladen, gargoyle-infested monstrosity that is their school. But when somebody steals the School Spoon and the teachers threaten to cancel the Christmas holidays until the culprit is found, our heroes must spring into action and solve the crime!
But what starts out as a classic bit of detectivating quickly becomes weirder than they could have imagined. Who is the ghost in the attic? What's their history teacher doing with a time machine? And why do a crazy bunch of Vikings seem to think Mildew is a werewolf?
Hugely funny, deliciously creepy and action-packed by turns, this brand new series from Chris Priestley is perfect for 8+ readers who like their mysteries with a bit of bite. Fans of Lemony Snicket and Chris Riddell will love Curse of the Werewolf Boy.
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Darkness had come to the town. Strange things were happening in the dead of night. Children would put a tooth under their pillow for the tooth fairy, but in the morning they would wake up to find… a dead slug; a live spider; hundreds of earwigs creeping and crawling beneath their pillow.
Evil was at work. But who or what was behind it…?
Available on OverDrive
This is the story of a murderer. A stolen child. Revenge. This is the story of Ted, who lives with his daughter Lauren and his cat Olivia in an ordinary house at the end of an ordinary street.
All these things are true. And yet some of them are lies.
You think you know what's inside the last house on Needless Street. You think you've read this story before. In the dark forest at the end of Needless Street, something lies buried. But it's not what you think...
Immersive, gripping, and delivering twist after twist, The House on Needless Street is a must-read gothic thriller!
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Jack Torrance's new job at the Overlook Hotel is the perfect chance for a fresh start. As the off-season caretaker at the atmospheric old hotel, he'll have plenty of time to spend reconnecting with his family and working on his writing. But as the harsh winter weather sets in, the idyllic location feels ever more remote...and more sinister. And the only one to notice the strange and terrible forces gathering around the Overlook is Danny Torrance, a uniquely gifted five-year-old.
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The Final Girl Support Group is a fast-paced, thrilling horror novel that follows a group of heroines to die for, from brilliant New York Times bestselling author, Grady Hendrix.
In horror movies, the final girl is the one who's left standing when the credits roll. The one who fought back, defeated the killer, and avenged her friends. The one who emerges bloodied but victorious. But after the sirens fade and the audience moves on, what happens to her?
Lynnette Tarkington is a real-life final girl who survived a massacre twenty-two years ago, and it has defined every day of her life since. And she's not alone. For more than a decade she's been meeting with five other actual final girls and their therapist in a support group for those who survived the unthinkable, putting their lives back together, piece by piece. That is until one of the women misses a meeting and Lynnette's worst fears are realized--someone knows about the group and is determined to take their lives apart again, piece by piece.
But the thing about these final girls is that they have each other now, and no matter how bad the odds, how dark the night, how sharp the knife, they will never, ever give up.
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Dracula by Bram Stoker (eBook)
This classic of horror writing is composed of diary entries, letters and newspaper clippings that piece together the depraved story of the ultimate predator. A young lawyer on an assignment finds himself imprisoned in a Transylvanian castle by his mysterious host. Back at home his fiancée and friends are menaced by a malevolent force which seems intent on imposing suffering and destruction. Can the devil really have arrived on England's shores? And what is it that he hungers for so desperately?
Available on OverDrive
A woman trapped on a mountain attempts to survive more than one kind of monster…
Mattie can't remember a time before she and William lived alone on a mountain together. She must never make him upset. But when Mattie discovers the mutilated body of a fox in the woods, she realises that they're not alone after all.
There's something in the woods that wasn't there before, something that makes strange cries in the night, something with sharp teeth and claws.
When three strangers appear on the mountaintop looking for the creature in the woods, Mattie knows their presence will anger William. Terrible things happen when William is angry.
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Tales by H.P. Lovecraft
This volume brings together 22 tales, the very best of Howard Phillips Lovecraft's fiction. Early stories such as "The Outsider," "The Music of Erich Zann," "Herbert West - Reanimator," and "The Lurking Fear" demonstrate Lovecraft's uncanny ability to blur the distinction between reality and nightmare, sanity and madness, the human and the non-human. "The Horror at Red Hook" and "He" reveal the fascination and revulsion Lovecraft felt for New York City; "Pickman's Model" uncovers the frightening secret behind an artist's work; "The Rats in the Walls" is a terrifying descent into atavistic horror; and "The Colour Out of Space" explores the eerie impact of a meteorite on a remote Massachusetts valley.
The most important tales of the godfather of the modern horror genre—a master who influenced the works of a generation of writers including Stephen King and Anne Rice – are gathered in this book. L.P. Lovecraft is an author whose works are not to be missed.
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Seamlessly blending classic horror and a dramatic narrative with sharp social commentary, The Only Good Indians follows four American Indian men after a disturbing event from their youth puts them in a desperate struggle for their lives. Tracked by an entity bent on revenge, these childhood friends are helpless as the culture and traditions they left behind catch up to them in a violent, vengeful way.
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Sorrowland by Rivers Solomon (eBook)
Vern - seven months pregnant and desperate to escape the strict religious compound where she was raised - flees for the shelter of the woods. There, she gives birth to twins, and plans to raise them far from the influence of the outside world.
But even in the forest, Vern is a hunted woman. Forced to fight back against the community that refuses to let her go, she unleashes incredible brutality far beyond what a person should be capable of, her body wracked by inexplicable and uncanny changes.
To understand her metamorphosis and to protect her small family, Vern has to face the past, and more troublingly, the future - outside the woods. Finding the truth will mean uncovering the secrets of the compound she fled but also the violent history in America that produced it.
Available on Bolinda
Mary Shelley began writing Frankenstein when she was only eighteen. At once a Gothic thriller, a passionate romance, and a cautionary tale about the dangers of science, Frankenstein tells the story of committed science student Victor Frankenstein. Obsessed with discovering the cause of generation and life and bestowing animation upon lifeless matter, Frankenstein assembles a human being from stolen body parts but; upon bringing it to life, he recoils in horror at the creature's hideousness. Tormented by isolation and loneliness, the once-innocent creature turns to evil and unleashes a campaign of murderous revenge against his creator, Frankenstein.
Frankenstein, an instant bestseller and an important ancestor of both the horror and science fiction genres, not only tells a terrifying story, but also raises profound, disturbing questions about the very nature of life and the place of humankind within the cosmos: What does it mean to be human? What responsibilities do we have to each other? How far can we go in tampering with Nature? In our age, filled with news of organ donation, genetic engineering, and bio-terrorism, these questions are more relevant than ever.
Available on OverDrive
Red Dragon introduces us to Thomas Harris’ serial killer - Hannibal Lecter. A second family has been massacred by the terrifying serial killer the press has christened "The Tooth Fairy." Special Agent Jack Crawford turns to the one man who can help restart a failed investigation: Will Graham. Graham is the greatest profiler the FBI ever had, but the physical and mental scars of capturing Hannibal Lecter have caused Graham to go into early retirement. Now, Graham must turn to Lecter for help.
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Untold Resilience is a timely and uplifting book of true stories from 19 women whose resilience has seen them survive extraordinary global and personal tragedy.
It might feel like we are living in unprecedented times but ours is not the first generation to withstand upheaval as seismic as the COVID-19 pandemic has caused. In every town and suburb in Australia, there are women from older generations who have encountered unimaginable difficulties before; women who have endured and survived. Their stories are proof of the incredible resilience of the female spirit.
Our history books have long been dominated by men’s triumphant tales but there are also lessons to be learned from the quiet, modest and largely untold experiences of women. Through these hope-filled stories from women who have gone before, we can find inspiration and comfort, and rebuild faith in our own futures.
Available on OverDrive
See Me is an original musical film about the power of hope and connection during a global pandemic. Filmed as a cinematic musical experience, See Me weaves musical contributions by orchestras and choirs in Afghanistan, Austria, Brazil, China, Italy, South Africa and the United States (with an inspiring appearance by Yo-Yo Ma!) into a singular zeitgeist-capturing moment.
Conceptualized by Marin Alsop (who also directed the music) and Nico Daswani, the film was produced and filmed in the fall of 2020 in the face of the extraordinary challenges of the COVID-19 era as a testament to the perseverance of artists and the universal need for self-expression. Created in collaboration with women conductors and young musicians from around the world, the film gestures toward the possibility of a new, more inclusive post-pandemic era in classical music and beyond.
Available on Medici TV
A Perfect Offering illuminates the dark recesses of trauma—the sudden loss of a child, surviving sexual assault, the legacy of residential schools, enduring war and imprisonment, living with chronic illness—and shines with the imperfect grace and resilience of the human heart. Brought to you by a range of contributors, some of the 31 stories will shock and disorient while others will inspire and comfort. All are illustrative and compelling.
Available on OverDrive
Nothing is stronger than a small hope that doesn't give up.
The Comfort Book is a collection of little islands of hope. It gathers consolations and stories that give new ways of seeing ourselves and the world. Matt Haig's mix of philosophy, memoir and self-reflection builds on the wisdom of philosophers and survivors through the ages, from Marcus Aurelius to Nellie Bly, Emily Dickinson to James Baldwin.
This is the book to pick up when you need the wisdom of a friend, the comfort of a hug or just to celebrate the messy miracle of being alive.
Available on Indyreads
Rising Strong by Brene Brown (eAudiobook)
The physics of vulnerability is simple: If we are brave enough often enough, we will fall. This is a book about what it takes to get back up and how owning our stories of disappointment, failure, and heartbreak gives us the power to write a daring new ending. Struggle can be our greatest call to courage and Rising Strong, our clearest path to deeper meaning, wisdom and hope.
Available on OverDrive
In this essential, illuminating book, award-winning writer Charlotte Wood shares the insights she has gained over a career paying close attention to her own mind, to the world around her and to the way she and others work.
Drawing on research and decades of observant conversation and immersive reading, Charlotte shares what artists can teach the rest of us about inspiration and hard work, how to pursue truth in art and life, and to find courage during the difficult times: facing down what we fear and keeping going when things seem hopeless.
Available on OverDrive
We live in an interesting time. Materially, everything is the best it’s ever been—we are freer, healthier and wealthier than any people in human history. Yet, somehow everything seems to be irreparably and horribly f*cked—the planet is warming, governments are failing, economies are collapsing, and everyone is perpetually offended on Twitter. At this moment in history, when we have access to privileges our ancestors couldn’t even dream of, so many of us come back to an overriding feeling of hopelessness and the maddening urge to find happiness that is ever elusive.
In Everything Is F*cked, Manson draws our attention away from ourselves to the endless calamities taking place in the world around us. Drawing from the pool of psychological research on these topics, as well as the timeless wisdom of philosophers He openly defies our definitions of faith, happiness, freedom—and even of hope itself.
With his usual mix of erudition and where-the-f*ck-did-that-come-from humour, Manson takes us by the collar and challenges us to be more honest with ourselves and connected with the world in ways we probably haven’t considered before. It’s another counterintuitive romp through the pain in our hearts and the stress of our soul. One of the great modern writers has produced another book that will set the agenda for years to come.
Available on Bolinda
Modern times are stressful—and it's killing us. Unfortunately, we can't avoid the things that stress us out, but we can change how we respond to them. The Stress-Proof Brain offers powerful, comprehensive tools based in mindfulness, neuroscience, and positive psychology to help you put a stop to unhealthy responses to stress—such as avoidance, tunnel vision, negative thinking, self-criticism, fixed mindset, and fear. Instead, you'll discover unique exercises that provide a recipe for resilience, empowering you to master your emotional responses, overcome negative thinking, and create a more tolerant, stress-proof brain.
Available on OverDrive
As a journalist, Leigh Sales often encounters people experiencing the worst moments of their lives in the full glare of the media. But one particular string of bad news stories – and a terrifying brush with her own mortality – sent her looking for answers about how vulnerable each of us is to a life-changing event.
In this wise and layered book, Leigh talks intimately with people who’ve faced the unimaginable, from terrorism to natural disaster to simply being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Expecting broken lives, she instead finds strength, hope, even humour. Leigh brilliantly condenses the cutting-edge research on the way the human brain processes fear and grief, and poses the questions we too often ignore out of awkwardness.
Warm, candid and empathetic, this book is about what happens when ordinary people, on ordinary days, are forced to suddenly find the resilience most of us don’t know we have.
Available on OverDrive
Hugh van Cuylenburg was a primary school teacher volunteering in northern India when he had a life-changing realisation - despite the underprivileged community the children were from, they were remarkably positive. By contrast, back in Australia, too many children struggled with depression, social anxieties and mental illness.
How was it that young people he knew at home, who had food, shelter, friends and a loving family, struggled with their mental health, while these kids seemed so contented and resilient? He set about finding the answer and in time came to recognise the key traits and behaviours these children possessed were gratitude, empathy and mindfulness.
In the ensuing years Hugh threw himself into studying and sharing this revelation with the world through The Resilience Project, where with humour, poignancy and clear-eyed insight, Hugh explains how we can all get the tools we need to live a happier and more fulfilling life.
Available on Bolinda
As a child Gifty would ask her parents to tell the story of their journey from Ghana to Alabama, seeking escape in myths of heroism and romance. When her father and brother succumb to the hard reality of immigrant life in the American South, their family of four becomes two - and the life Gifty dreamed of slips away. Years later, desperate to understand the opioid addiction that destroyed her brother's life, she turns to science for answers. But when her mother comes to stay, Gifty soon learns that the roots of their tangled traumas reach farther than she ever thought. Tracing her family's story through continents and generations will take her deep into the dark heart of modern America. Transcendent Kingdom is a searing story of love, loss and redemption, and the myriad ways we try to rebuild our lives from the rubble of our collective pasts.
Available on OverDrive
Willis Wu doesn't perceive himself as a protagonist even in his own life. He is merely a Generic Asian Man. Every day, he leaves his tiny room in Chinatown and enters the Golden Palace restaurant, where Black and White, a procedural cop show, is in perpetual production. He dreams of being a Kung Fu Guy, the highest aspiration he can imagine for a Chinatown denizen. Or is it? After stumbling into the spotlight, Willis finds himself launched into a wider world than he's ever known, discovering not only the secret history of Chinatown, but the buried legacy of his own family, and what that means for him, in today's America. Interior Chinatown is playful but heartfelt, a send-up of Hollywood tropes and Asian stereotypes.
Available on OverDrive
Engaging, thought-provoking stories from a young Tasmanian Aboriginal author who addresses universal themes of identity, racism and heritage destruction from a wholly original perspective. The stories in Born Into This throw light on a world of unique cultural practice and perspective, from Indigenous rangers trying to instil some pride in wayward urban teens on the harsh islands off the coast of Tasmania to those scraping by on the margins of white society railroaded into complex and compromised decisions. To this mix Adam Thompson manages to bring humour, pathos and occasionally a sly twist as his characters confront racism, untimely funerals, classroom politics and, overhanging all like a discomforting, burgeoning awareness for both white and black Australia, the inexorable damage and disappearance of the remnant natural world.
Available on Indyreads
China Room by Sunjeev Sahota (eBook)
Mehar, a young bride in rural 1929 Punjab, is trying to discover the identity of her new husband. She and her sisters-in-law, married to three brothers in a single ceremony, spend their days hard at work in the family's 'china room', sequestered from contact with the men. When Mehar develops a theory as to which of them is hers, a passion is ignited that will put more than one life at risk. Spiralling around Mehar's story is that of a young man who in 1999 travels from England to the now-deserted farm, its 'china room' locked and barred. In enforced flight from the traumas of his adolescence, his experiences of addiction, racism and estrangement from the culture of his birth, he spends a summer in painful contemplation and recovery, before finally finding the strength to return 'home'.
Available on OverDrive
The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray (eAudiobook)
Belle da Costa Greene is hired by J. Pierpont Morgan to curate a collection of rare manuscripts, books, and artwork for his newly built Morgan Library. Belle becomes a fixture on the New York society scene and one of the most powerful people in the art and book world, known for her impeccable taste and shrewd negotiating for critical works as she helps build a world-class collection. But Belle has a secret, one she must protect at all costs. She was born not Belle da Costa Greene but Belle Marion Greener. She is the daughter of Richard Greener, the first Black graduate of Harvard and well-known advocate for equality. Belle's complexion isn't dark because of her alleged Portuguese heritage that lets her pass as white. The Personal Librarian tells the story of an extraordinary woman, famous for her intellect, style, and wit, and shares the lengths she must go-for the protection of her family and her legacy-to preserve her carefully crafted white identity in the racist world in which she lives.
Available on Bolinda
On the eve of her daughter Alia's wedding, Salma reads the girl's future in a cup of coffee dregs. Although she keeps her predictions to herself that day, they soon come to pass in the wake of the Six-Day War of 1967. Caught up in the resistance, Alia's brother disappears, while Alia and her husband move from Nablus to Kuwait City. Reluctantly they build a life, torn between needing to remember and learning to forget. When Saddam Hussein invades Kuwait, Alia and her family yet again lose their home, their land, and their story as they know it. Scattering to Beirut, Paris and Boston, Alia's children begin families of their own, once more navigating the burdens and blessings of beginning again.
Available on OverDrive
In her debut collection of short stories, Islands of Decolonial Love, renowned writer and activist Leanne Simpson vividly explores the lives of contemporary Indigenous Peoples and communities, especially those of her own Nishnaabeg nation. Found on reserves, in cities and small towns, in bars and curling rinks, canoes and community centres, doctors offices and pickup trucks, Simpson's characters confront the often heartbreaking challenge of pairing the desire to live loving and observant lives with a constant struggle to simply survive the historical and ongoing injustices of racism and colonialism. Told with voices that are rarely recorded but need to be heard, and incorporating the language and history of her people, Leanne Simpson's Islands of Decolonial Love is a profound, important, and beautiful book of fiction.
Available on OverDrive
Real Life by Brandon Taylor (eBook)
Almost everything about Wallace, an introverted African-American transplant from Alabama, is at odds with the lakeside Midwestern university town where he is working toward a biochemistry degree. For reasons of self-preservation, Wallace has enforced a wary distance even within his own circle of friends, some dating each other, some dating women, some feigning straightness. But a series of confrontations with colleagues, and an unexpected encounter with a young straight man, conspire to fracture his defences, while revealing hidden currents of resentment and desire that threaten the equilibrium of their community. Real Life is a tender and deeply felt novel about solitude and society, sexuality and race, the emotional cost of reckoning with desire, and overcoming pain.
Available on Bolinda
Dear White People is a social satire that follows the stories of four black students at an Ivy League college where controversy breaks out over a popular but offensive black-face party thrown by white students. With tongue planted firmly in cheek, the film explores racial identity in acutely-not-post-racial America while weaving a universal story of forging one's unique path in the world.
Available on Beamafilm
In the Nuba Mountains of Sudan, 12 year old Malia is snatched from the arms of her father during a raid on their village. Beaten and sold into slavery, she spends the next six years of her life working for a Sudanese family. Then at 18, Malia is sent to work in London. The city swiftly becomes as much a prison as the home in which she is kept. Hidden in plain sight, Malia’s desperate situation goes unnoticed or uncared for by everyone she comes into contact with. Stripped of her passport and living in terror of what might happen to her family in the Sudan should she speak out, Malia is trapped in an unforgiving, alien environment.
Available on Beamafilm
In this rousing and deeply empathetic book, Ibram X. Kendi shows that when it comes to racism, neutrality is not an option: until we become part of the solution, we can only be part of the problem. Using his extraordinary gifts as a teacher and storyteller, Kendi helps us recognise that everyone is, at times, complicit in racism whether they realise it or not, and by describing his own journey from racism to antiracism, he shows us how to be a force for good. Along the way, Kendi punctures all the myths and taboos, from arguments about what race is and whether racial differences exist to the complications that arise when race intersects with ethnicity, class, gender and sexuality. In the process he demolishes the myth of the post-racial society and builds from the ground up a vital new understanding of racism - what it is, where it is hidden, how to identify it and what to do about it.
Available on Indyreads
In a profound work that pivots from the biggest questions about American history and ideals to the most intimate concerns of a father for his son, Ta-Nehisi Coates offers a powerful new framework for understanding America’s history and current crisis. Americans have built an empire on the idea of “race,” a falsehood that damages all but falls most heavily on the bodies of black women and men—bodies exploited through slavery and segregation, and, today, threatened, locked up, and murdered out of all proportion. What is it like to inhabit a black body and find a way to live within it? How can we all honestly reckon with this fraught history and free ourselves from its burden? Between the World and Me is Ta-Nehisi Coates’s attempt to answer these questions in a letter to his adolescent son. Coates shares with his son—and readers—the story of his awakening to the truth about his place in the world and clearly illuminates the past, bracingly confronts the present, and offers a transcendent vision for a way forward.
Available on OverDrive
Once in a great while a book comes along that radically changes our understanding of a crucial political issue and helps to fuel a social movement. The New Jim Crow is such a book. Lawyer and activist Michelle Alexander offers a stunning account of the rebirth of a caste-like system in the United States, one that has resulted in millions of African Americans locked behind bars and then relegated to a permanent second-class status, denied the very rights supposedly won in the Civil Rights movement. Challenging the notion that the election of Barack Obama signalled a new era of colour blindness in the United States, The New Jim Crow reveals how racial discrimination was not ended but merely redesigned. By targeting black men through the War on Drugs and decimating communities of colour, the American criminal justice system functions as a contemporary system of racial control, relegating millions to a permanent second-class status even as it formally adheres to the principle of colour blindness. A searing call to action for everyone concerned with social justice, The New Jim Crow is one of the most important books about race in the 21st century.
Available on Bolinda
Australia’s first asylum-seeker detention centre in Tasmania opens. Local knitting club member Mary is a pensioner and devout Christian who does not welcome the 400 male asylum seekers from Afghanistan. Mary unexpectedly finds herself in regular contact with Mohammad, a 26 year old Muslim man, after her knitting club donates beanies to the detainees. Mary sheds many of her prior beliefs as her relationship with Mohammad deepens. Despite this Mary remains uncomfortable with Mohammad’s Islamic religion. When knitter Joy, hosts them at her fishing shack for a few days, will a connection of common humanity prevail for Mary and Mohammad?
Available on Beamafilm
What is it like to grow up Aboriginal in Australia? This anthology, compiled by award-winning author Anita Heiss, attempts to showcase as many diverse voices, experiences and stories as possible in order to answer that question. Each account reveals, to some degree, the impacts of invasion and colonisation - on language, on country, on ways of life, and on how people are treated daily in the community, the education system, the workplace and friendship groups. Accounts from well-known authors and high-profile identities sit alongside newly discovered voices of all ages, with experiences spanning coastal and desert regions, cities and remote communities. All of them speak to the heart - sometimes calling for empathy, oftentimes challenging stereotypes, always demanding respect.
Available on Bolinda
Anger. Fear. Guilt. Denial. Silence. These are the ways in which ordinary white people react when it is pointed out to them that they have done or said something that has - unintentionally - caused racial offence or hurt. These reactions only serve to silence people of colour, who cannot give honest feedback to 'liberal' white people lest they provoke a dangerous emotional reaction. Robin DiAngelo coined the term 'White Fragility' in 2011 to describe this process and shows how it serves to uphold the system of white supremacy. Using knowledge and insight gained over decades of running racial awareness workshops and working on this idea as a Professor of Whiteness Studies, she shows us how we can start having more honest conversations, listen to each other better and react to feedback with grace and humility. It is not enough to simply hold abstract progressive views and condemn the obvious racists on social media - change starts with us all at a practical, granular level, and it is time for all white people to take responsibility for relinquishing their own racial supremacy.
Available on OverDrive
A powerful and provocative argument on the role that race and racism play in modern Britain, by award-winning journalist Reni Eddo-Lodge. In 2014, award-winning journalist Reni Eddo-Lodge wrote about her frustration with the way that discussions of race and racism in Britain were being led by those who weren't affected by it. She posted a piece on her blog, entitled: 'Why I'm No Longer Talking to White People About Race'. Her words hit a nerve. The post went viral and comments flooded in from others desperate to speak up about their own experiences. Galvanised by this clear hunger for open discussion, she decided to dig into the source of these feelings. Exploring issues from eradicated black history to the political purpose of white dominance, whitewashed feminism to the inextricable link between class and race, Reni Eddo-Lodge offers a timely and essential new framework for how to see, acknowledge and counter racism. It is a searing, illuminating, absolutely necessary exploration of what it is to be a person of colour in Britain today.
Available on Bolinda
Although there are 22 separate Arab nationalities representing an enormous variety of cultural backgrounds and experiences, the portrayal of Arabs in Australia tends to range from homogenising (at best) to racist pop-culture caricatures. Edited by award-winning author and academic Randa Abdel-Fattah, and activist and poet Sara Saleh, and featuring contributors Michael Mohammed Ahmad, Ruby Hamad and Paula Abood, among many others, this collection explores the experience of living as a member of the Arab diaspora in Australia and includes stories of family, ethnicity, history, grief, isolation, belonging and identity.
Available on Indyreads
Today, there are more African Americans in prison or jail, on probation or parole, than were enslaved in 1850, a decade before the Civil War began. Broken On All Sides explores the intersection of race and poverty within the criminal justice system. Presenting a historical narrative not often heard about prisons and crime, this documentary investigates the complex issues of discretion within the system, racial targeting, and the largest spike in the number of people incarcerated in the nation’s history.
Available on Beamafilm
In this honest and unflinching memoir, Mundine talks about his personal hardships from growing up in poverty and facing racism, to his personal battle with depression and suicide. One of the most controversial personalities in today's political spectrum, Mundine also includes surprising insights into key political leaders he has worked with including Malcolm Turnbull, John Howard, Kevin Rudd, Julia Gillard, Tony Abbott, Peta Credlin, Mark Latham, Jenny Macklin, and Sam Dastyari. In this updated edition, Mundine shares his passion for work and empowering those trapped in the welfare cycle. Drawing from personal experience, Mundine believes poverty is not just about money but about deprivation of basic needs like employment, lack of purpose and aspiration, and lack of autonomy and independence.
Available on Indyreads
Illuminating text paired with irresistible illustrations bring to life both iconic and lesser-known female figures of Black history such as abolitionist Sojourner Truth, pilot Bessie Coleman, chemist Alice Ball, politician Shirley Chisholm, mathematician Katherine Johnson, poet Maya Angelou, and filmmaker Julie Dash. Among these biographies, readers will find heroes, role models, and everyday women who did extraordinary things - bold women whose actions and beliefs contributed to making the world better for generations of girls and women to come.
Whether they were putting pen to paper, soaring through the air or speaking up for the rights of others, the women profiled in these pages were all taking a stand against a world that didn't always accept them. The leaders in this book may be little, but they all did something big and amazing, inspiring generations to come.
Available on OverDrive
What do we tell our children when the world seems bleak, and prejudice and racism run rampant? With 96 lavishly designed pages of original art and prose, fifty diverse creators lend voice to young activists.
Featuring poems, letters, personal essays, art, and other works from such industry leaders as Jacqueline Woodson (Brown Girl Dreaming), Jason Reynolds (All American Boys), Kwame Alexander (The Crossover), Andrea Pippins (I Love My Hair), Sharon Draper (Out of My Mind), Rita Williams-Garcia (One Crazy Summer), Ellen Oh (cofounder of We Need Diverse Books), and artists Ekua Holmes, Rafael Lopez, James Ransome, Javaka Steptoe, and more, this anthology empowers the nation's youth to listen, learn, and build a better tomorrow.
Available on OverDrive
In When We Say Black Lives Matter, a black child's parents explain what the term Black Lives Matter means to them: in protest and song, in joy and in sorrow. I see this picture book as an act of Black Love - I was inspired to write and create it when thinking about how to explain the concept of Black Lives Matter to the young African diaspora kids in my extended family, living in over eight different countries across the world - including America, Australia, Germany, Barbados and England. - Maxine Beneba Clarke, on writing When We Say Black Lives Matter.
Available on Story Box Library
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.
Available on Bolinda
A is for Ability, B is for Belief, C is for Class. All people have the right to be treated fairly, no matter who they are, what they look like, or where they come from. This bestselling book An ABC of Equality introduces complicated concepts surrounding social justice to the youngest of children.
From A to Z, simple explanations accompanied by engaging artwork teach children about the world we live in and how to navigate our way through it. Each right-hand page includes a brightly decorated letter with the word it stands for and an encouraging slogan. On the left, a colourful illustration and bite-size text sum up the concept. Cheerful people from a range of backgrounds, ethnicities, and abilities lead the way through the alphabet.
L is for LGBTQIA. Find the words that make you, you.
N is for No. No means no.
P is for Privilege. Be aware of your advantages.
X is for Xenophobia. Ask questions and you’ll see there’s nothing to be afraid of.
Celebrate your Differences, ask more Questions, share your Kindness, and learn to Understand the world.
Available on OverDrive
Speak Up! is a joyful celebration of 45 speeches by children and teenagers who have stood up for causes they passionately believe in and challenged adults in power to take note. This collection is testament to the hopefulness and spirit of the next generation, and the positive belief that we can, and should, act to protect the things we love.
From ground-breaking scientific inventions to pleas for the environment, anti-war speeches to incredible testimony of lived experiences, the speeches collected here demonstrate the profound wisdom of youth and why it is important to speak up and out on what concerns us.
Available on OverDrive
An educational and heartwarming read, this story follows Mary, a young Aboriginal girl who lives on dusty cattle station. When Mary is shunned by other Indigenous girls for her fair skin, Old Ned, a community elder, comes to her rescue. Touching upon the themes of multiculturalism and prejudice, this narrative utilizes Old Ned’s voice to demonstrate that family, community, country, culture, and spirituality—in lieu of skin color—are at the heart of Aboriginal identity.
Available on Story Box Library
Felix Love has never been in love - and, yes, he's painfully aware of the irony. He desperately wants to know what it's like and why it seems so easy for everyone but him to find someone. What's worse is that, even though he is proud of his identity, Felix also secretly fears that he's one marginalization too many - Black, queer, and transgender--to ever get his own happily-ever-after.
When an anonymous student begins sending him transphobic messages--after publicly posting Felix's deadname alongside images of him before he transitioned--Felix comes up with a plan for revenge. What he didn't count on: his catfish scenario landing him in a quasi-love triangle....
But as he navigates his complicated feelings, Felix begins a journey of questioning and self-discovery that helps redefine his most important relationship: how he feels about himself.
Felix Ever After is an honest and layered story about identity, falling in love, and recognizing the love you deserve. Perfect for teenage readers.
Available on Indyreads
The brainchild of three women-of-colour sociologists, IntersectionAllies is a smooth, gleeful entry into intersectional feminism. The nine interconnected characters proudly describe themselves and their backgrounds, involving topics that range from a physical disability to language brokering, offering an opportunity to take pride in a personal story and connect to collective struggle for justice.
The group bond grounds the message of allyship and equality. When things get hard, the kids support each other for who they are: Parker defends Kate, a genderfluid character who eschews skirts for a superhero cape; Heejung welcomes Yuri, a refugee escaping war, into their community; and Alejandra’s family cares for Parker after school while her mother works. Advocating respect and inclusion, IntersectionAllies is a necessary tool for learning to embrace, rather than shy away from, difference.
Available on OverDrive
Bruce Pascoe has collected a swathe of literary awards for Dark Emu and now he has brought together the research and compelling first person accounts in a book for younger readers. Using the accounts of early European explorers, colonists and farmers, Bruce Pascoe compellingly argues for a reconsideration of the hunter-gatherer label for pre-colonial Aboriginal Australians. He allows the reader to see Australia as it was before Europeans arrived – a land of cultivated farming areas, productive fisheries, permanent homes, and an understanding of the environment and its natural resources that supported thriving villages across the continent. Young Dark Emu - A Truer History asks young readers to consider a different version of Australia’s history pre-European colonisation.
Available on OverDrive