Rufus Numbat walks out of the bush at the front of the book back into the bush at the end of the book. Rufus does not care for things of the town like cappuccinos or cream cake, or for the town and its parade and noise. But on his way Rufus startles a cyclist and later a Chinese Dragon creating all sorts of mayhem.
David Miller’s minimalist text contrasts with his detailed paper sculptures set over pen and ink backgrounds.
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The Star
by Felicity Marshall
Hardback
ISBN: 978-1-876462-92-5
Price: AUD$26.95
Soft Cover
ISBN: 9781921665059
Price: AUD$16.95
The Star reflects the contemporary phenomenon of “fame without substance”, a part of our celebrity-soaked culture.
Marion, a wooden doll, her friend Harley and their dog Polka, enter the imaginary World of Fame where Marion becomes a glamorous Star. But she learns painfully that stardom has a use-by-date. Her experience changes her forever but her true friends still love her. The story explores the superficiality of stardom and the value of true friendship.
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In Lonnie’s Shadow
by Chrissie Michaels
ISBN: 978-1-876462-91-8
Price: AUD$19.95
The discovered artifacts from an archaeological dig in Melbourne become the backdrop for this story about a group of teenagers in 1891 who are struggling to make their way in a world that seems to be conspiring against them whichever way they turn.
Lonnie McGuinness knows only one thing for sure – there doesn’t seem to be any fairness in life for him or his mates. So he decides to take matters into his own hands. But when does a favour turn into a crime? And when should a secret no longer be kept?
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f2m
by Hazel Edwards and Ryan Kennedy
ISBN: 978-1-876462-90-1
Price: AUD$19.95
School-leaver Skye plays guitar in her all-female Chronic Cramps band. Making her name in the punk/indie scene is easier than FTM (female to male) transitioning: from Skye to Finn, from girl to man. Uncovering genetic mysteries about family heritage tear the family apart. Trans gender identity is more than injections and surgery, it’s about acceptance. Going public, Finn sings ftm lyrics on TV. With a little help from bemused mates and family who don’t want to lose a daughter, but who love their teenager, Finn is transitioning.
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Solace and Grief
by Foz Meadows
ISBN: 978-1-876462-89-5
Price: AUD$19.95
Solace Morgan was born a vampire. Raised in foster care, she has always tried to keep her abilities secret, until an eerie encounter with a faceless man prompts her to run away. Finding others with similar gifts, Solace soon becomes caught up in a strange, more vibrant world than she ever knew existed. But when the mysterious Professor Lukin takes an interest in her friends, she is forced to start asking questions of her own. What happened to her parents? Who is Sharpsoft? And since when has there been a medieval dungeon under Hyde Park?
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Gamers Quest
by George Ivanoff
ISBN: 9781876462864
RRP: $16.95 Paperback
Tark and Zyra are teenaged thieves on a quest. In a world of magic and science, where dragons and mages exist alongside drones and lasers, they endeavour to reach the haven of Designers’ Paradise. But their world is not what it appears to be and their haven is about to come under threat of destruction. Can Tark and Zyra save Designers’ Paradise ... and their own world?
by Gary Crew and illustrated by Susy Boyer
ISBN: 9781876462871
RRP: $26.95 Hardcover picture book
Rich and beautiful, Gary Crew’s text is redolent with the sounds and colours of the Australian bush. This picture book for older children is an ode and an obituary to the indigenous landscape, much of which was destroyed by white colonists. Ignorance and selfishness can destroy the things we love and value most – the child whose parents don’t value his differences, the beauty of wild nature – and this story offers the reader a metaphor for the greater destruction of the environment through thoughtless acts.
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They Told Me I Had to Write This
by Kim Miller
ISBN: 9781876462840
RRP: $17.95 Paperback
Clem is a boy in strife. Blamed for the death of his mother, carrying a terrible secret from the past and in trouble with the police, he’s now in a school for toxic teenagers. And that rev-head school counsellor wants him to write letters.
Through his writing Clem goes deep into the trauma that has defined his life. Then he comes face to face with his mother’s death.
In a rush of bush bike racing, the death of one student and the consequent arrest of another, an unexpected first girlfriend, and some surprising friendships, Clem’s story is the celebration of a boy who finds an unexpected future.
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My Private Pectus
by Shane Thamm
ISBN: 9781876462833
RRP: $19.95 paperback
‘There’s something different about my body. It’s like the missing piece of a jigsaw you can’t take your eyes off. If I were to take off my shirt you wouldn’t see my face, freckles or ratty hair. All you’d see is the hole in the middle of my chest.’
A story about footy, cars, and a young man who discovers that revealing his greatest secret is the only way to hold on to the people he loves.
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My Extraordinary Life & Death
by Doug MacLeod
ISBN: 978-1-876462-79-6
RRP: $19.95 Gatefold Softback
What exactly is The Tight Trouser Club?
Where do you buy children at bargain prices?
How do you survive a father who buries you in the garden whenever you misbehave? And whom do you contact when your wife starts to shrink?
None of these questions are answered in My Extraordinary Life and Death, though what do you expect if the author is dead?
A roller-coaster of madness and surreal comedy awaits the reader brave enough to open the pages of this truly remarkable book.
Based on a false story.
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The Spell of Undoing
by Paul Collins ISBN: 978-1-876462-53-6
RRP: $15.95 Paperback
Calamity has befallen the city of Quentaris! Due to a vengeful plot by warlike Tolrush (which backfires), Quentaris is uprooted—city, cliff-face, harbour and all—and hurled into the uncharted rift-maze. Lost and adrift in this endless labyrinth of parallel universes, encountering both friend and foe and facing unknown dangers, Quentaris must somehow forge a new identity and find its way home.
But there are other surprises too. When Quentaris gets over its shock, it discovers that it’s not only lost in some other universe, but now it is a floating city, adrift high above an unknown land, at the mercy of the winds.
by Sue Bursztynski
ISBN 978-1-87642-76-5
RRP: $16.95 Paperback
Crime Time - Australians behaving badly is a collection of true Australian crime stories ranging from bushrangers such as Ned Kelly and Mad Dan Morgan through to serial killers, fraudsters and modern celebrity criminals. It has an introduction by Kerry Greenwood and contains details of the crimes, biographical details, portraits by Louise Prout and interesting trivia in Did You Know boxes.
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The Gimlet Eye
by James Roy
ISBN 978-1-87646-77-2
RRP: $16.95
The Gimlet Eye -- Quest of the Lost City is the third title in series #2 of the Quentaris Chronicles. Much has changed in the sky-city of Quentaris. With the Archon dead, dark forces have come into play. New faces are appearing, familiar ones vanishing, and the horrid Florian has claimed the throne. Then, as Quentaris slips quietly through a vortex into the watery world of the Yarka, Tab Vidler and her friends suddenly realise they are the city’s only hope.
Plots, intrigue, magic, mystery, high adventure and more ? everything that you’ve come to expect from the Quentaris series.
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The Equen Queen
by Alyssa Brugman
ISBN: 978-1-876462-59-8
RRP: $15.95 Paperback
The Equen Queen is the second book in the highly successful series: Quentaris ? Quest of the Lost City and is the sequel to The Spell of Undoing by Paul Collins. While moored to a new world Quentaris is approached by another sky-city. The sky-traders on board seem friendly and generous, offering the Quentarans food and gems, but are in fact setting a trap for Quentaris.
What are the equens and can they really heal the sick? Despite losing her special powers Tab Vidler must find some answers fast, before all is lost.
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Trust Me!
Edited by Paul Collins with an introduction by Isobelle Carmody
ISBN: 978-1-876462-57-4
RRP: $22.95 Paperback
Trust Me! features original contributions by 50 of Australia’s best known children’s authors, poets and illustrators. Stories and poems cover all genres, mystery, romance, crime, fantasy, SF, humour and more. Contributors include: Andy Griffiths, Shaun Tan, Gary Crew, Phillip Gwynne, Catherine Bateson, Steven Herrick, Allan Baillie, Sofie Laguna, Leigh Hobbs, Marc McBride, Mitch Vane, Michael Wagner, David Metzenthen and many others.
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The Ice-cream Man
by Jenny Mounfield
ISBN: 978-1-876462-68-0
RRP: $16.95
One summer afternoon three boys play a prank on the ice-cream man. This one decision sets into motion a chain of events that will forge a life-long bond, testing each boy as never before. Three boys united by fear and their need for friendship. Three boys united against the ice-cream man.
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Wardragon
by Paul Collins
ISBN: 978-1-876462-58-1
RRP $23.95 Paperback
“Wardragon is the culmination of The Jelindel Chronicles in a soaring saga. Finally Jelindel, with her allies, Zimak and Daretor, has tracked the alien mailshirt across two radically different worlds. But the journey is perilous when each step is lined with flying beasts, metal wasps, mercenaries and assassins . . . and the mailshirt linked up with the evil Preceptor to create a deadly enemy. All Jelindel has is a little magic, Zimak’s wit and Daretor’s sword to scrape through and that is not enough.
Collins captures a terrifying, tense world with a touch of humour and holds it to the last shattering battle.” ALLAN BAILLIE
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Crossing the Line
by Dianne Bates
ISBN: 978-1-876462-70-3
RRP $16.95 Paperback
Orphaned then abandoned by long-term foster carers, teenager Sophie lives with Amy and Matt. For a long time and unknown to others, Sophie has been self-mutilating: more recently she has been in therapy. Concerned about Sophie’s increasing depression, the doctor admits her to a hospital. There Sophie is placed in an adolescent ward where she forms tentative relationships with other troubled teenagers and begins sessions with psychiatrist, Helen Marshall. However, the doctor crosses the patient-therapist line, but so too does Sophie ...
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Before the Storm
by Sean McMullen
ISBN: 978-1-876462-50-5
RRP: $19.95 Paperback
Fox
and BC travel through time from the distant future to 1901. Elite
cadets in the Imperial Army, they are young, handsome, well-mannered
... and now, mutineers. They have journeyed into the past to save the
opening ceremony of Australia's first parliament from being bombed. If
the cadets fail, thousands will die, sparking a century of total war.
However, to change the destiny of the world, the young warriors will
need the help of three ordinary teenagers...
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Pool
by Justin D'Ath
ISBN: 978-1-876462-51-2
RRP: $19.95 Paperback
Something
strange has happened to the public swimming pool in New Lourdes,
Victoria. The water is no longer level and is rumoured to have curative
powers. When sixteen-year-old Wolfgang Mulqueen takes a summer job at
the pool, he meets Audrey, a blind girl who claims she's nocturnal.
With the discovery of a butterfly unknown to science, and an unusual
request from Audrey's father, Wolfgang finds himself inextricably drawn
into an eighteen-year-old mystery, the tragic resolution of which will
change his life forever.
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Big and Me
by David Miller
ISBN 978-1-876462-69-7
RRP: $26.95 Hardcover
Big and Small are machines that work together as a team. ‘But some days Big goes a bit wobbly, and I get a lot worried.’ Big malfunctions in a variety of ways and Small tries to help with the assistance of The Boss and Mechanic.
The story is a metaphor for a child living with an adult who suffers from mental illness. Big and Me is dramatically illustrated with paper sculpture.
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OTHER BOOKS
The Earthborn
by Paul Collins ISBN: 0-765-34199-9
RRP: $12.95 Paperback
“I insist that if you read only one science fiction book in your life, read The Earthborn” Donna Jones ─ www.sfcrowsnest.com
“... certainly worthy of sitting on the same shelf with early Heinlein and Norton” Don D’ammassa ─ Chronicle
“The
Earthborn manages to avoid the mundane by fast-paced narrative and
believable young characters, a combination which will clearly appeal to
his intended read audience” Jeff Popple ─ The Canberra Times
“This
is a book which can be read on a number of levels: as a challenging
social comment or as a gripping adventure story. Here’s hoping that the
sequel is not long in coming”. EB – Viewpoint
“The
story is fast paced and reminiscent of John Marsden’s Tomorrow series.
This is a worthy edition to a school library collection”. Lesley Boon ─ Fiction Focus
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The Skyborn
by Paul Collins
ISBN: 0-765-31273-5
RRP: $32.95 Hardcover
“Collins
trains an unflinching gaze on classic science fiction themes. Welkin’s
gritty adventures to challenge his faith in vision of the Skyborn and
land him a battle to save cilvilisation on Earth. The pace moves
quickly . . . ” Publishers Weekly
“Collins
. . . successfully puts his stamp on the post-disaster genre with this
energetic, colourfully detailed young-adult actioner” Zero G
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The Hiveborn
by Paul Collins
ISBN: 0-9726051-8-5
RRP: $32.95 Hardcover
“Collins
weaves a fast-paced, unpretentious narrative, particularly aimed at
younger readers, culminating in a dramatic conclusion with the Hiveborn
Queen” THE CANBERRA TIMES
“For SF enthusiasts this will be compelling reading” AROUND THE BOOKSHOPS
“Collins creates an epic, action-packed finale to his trilogy” THE AGE
“. . .exciting and fast-paced saga of conflict . . . The Hiveborn is an exciting science fiction adventure” MIDWEST REVIEW
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Cyberskin
by Paul Collins
ISBN: 1-876462-11-6
RRP: $14.95 Paperback
“Paul
Collins has successfully created an apocalyptic action-packed
nightmare, escalating some of our worst present day fears into the not
so distant future” AUSTRALIAN BOOK REVIEW
“Cyberskin
is strangely compelling and enjoyable contemporary science fiction,
built around an off-kilter view of a world we may already inhabit” THE SUNDAY AGE
“…
Paul Collins deserves the title of ‘Father of Contemporary Australian
Genre Fiction … Cyberskin has a wicked satirical setting … it’s a
blazingly-paced techno-noir adventure” ZERO G.
“Action-packed, hard-edged and exciting, this is Travis McGee in cyberspace all the way” TERRY DOWLING
“It’s got it all. Good plot, interesting characters and a morbidly fascinating setting. I’d certainly recommend it” FRONTIER
“Cyberskin
is way cool: this is cyber-streetsmart fiction that zooms along at the
speed of light. This is tough, incisive thriller fiction” VAN IKIN
“Paul Collins’ Cyberskin makes Bladerunner seem positively emaciated. Hard driving cyberpunk novel with a film noir backdrop” THE CANBERRA TIMES
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Metaworlds
edited by Paul Collins
ISBN: 0-14-023766-6
RRP: $15.95 Paperback
By
turns chilling and satirical, visionary and elegiac, twelve Australian
masters of SF explore our past and future, shaping tales of
transmutation and rebirth. This collection of award-winning and
poll-topping stories reflects the wealth of talent and imagination at
work in contemporary Australian writing. Authors include Sean McMullen,
Greg Egan and David Lake.
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The Government in Exile
by Paul Collins ISBN: 0-646-19774-6
RRP: $14.95 Paperback
“This
is largely what SF is all about: presenting plausible themes to suggest
that things such as invisibility, Jekyll & Hyde potions, creation
of Frankenstein monsters, the rebirth of dinosaurs, et al, might be
possible. SF is an explorative genre, and here Paul Collins explores” JACK WODHAMS.
“These stories may begin softly-softly but they carry a sting in the tail” George Turner
“Australia is not the science fiction capital of the world; in fact we
are probably not even on the map. This unfortunate fact would change if
we could produce more writers like Paul Collins” AUSTRALIAN BOOK REVIEW
