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Caterpillar Summer
by Gillian McDunnCat is the glue holding her family together. When her little brother Chicken has a meltdown, she knows just how to calm him, whether it's scratching his back or reading his favourite book. They've always had a special bond. But with their mum working extra hard after their dad's death, Cat is struggling to keep everything afloat.When Cat and Chicken unexpectedly end up spending the summer with the grandparents they've never met, Cat suddenly has the space to be a kid again. Gradually, she discovers that days on Gingerbread Island are full of fishing, fireflies and new friendships – as well as a lifetime of family secrets. Could this summer be Cat's chance to bring her fractured family together again?
My Parents Cancelled My Birthday
by Jo SimmonsPerfect for fans of Pamela Butchart and David Baddiel's Birthday Boy – a hilarious tale of wish fulfilment gone wrong that every child will relate toTom can't wait for his LUCKY BIRTHDAY. It's an EPIC family tradition and he's dreamed up an UNFORGETTABLE party! Only, after several disasters involving a flattened Chihuahua and a curse from the tooth fairy, it's been CANCELLED. But Tom won't give up. With the help of his friends (and a pig painted like a zebra), Tom decides to throw himself the party he deserves. What could possibly go wrong?
A Midsummer Night's Dream (Classics Library)
by William Shakespeare Keith Carabine Cedric Watts'A Midsummer Night’s Dream' is one of the most popular of Shakespeare’s works. The supernatural and the mundane, the illusory and the substantial, are all shimmeringly blended. Love is treated as tragic, poignant, absurd and farcical. ‘Lord, what fools these mortals be!’, jeers Robin Goodfellow; but the joke may be on him and on his master Oberon when Bottom the weaver, his head transformed into that of an ass, is embraced by the voluptuously amorous Titania. Recent stage-productions of 'A Midsummer Night’s Dream' have emphasised the enchanting, spectacular, ambiguous and erotically joyous aspects of this magical drama which culminates in a multiple celebration of marriage.
The Last Spymaster
by Gayle LyndsAs chief of the CIA's elite Clandestine Services, Jay Tice was a legend throughout the world of international intelligence. But secretly he was also a traitor, selling information that would compromise the security of the United States for decades to come. Since his treachery was exposed, Tice has been kept under strict surveillance in a maximum security prison. Then one morning, his cell is discovered empty. Tice has vanished--without tripping an alarm or leaving any trace of his passing. Elaine Cunningham is a hunter, a CIA operative who specializes in finding people who don't want to be found. Young, gifted, and a maverick, she is assigned to track Tice--until she discovers there is far more at stake than an old spy's last run for freedom. Lurking in the shadows are other hidden players with their own lethal agendas…and from Geneva to Washington, Berlin to New York City, a deadly conspiracy is coalescing. With only a few hours to go and the future of millions in the balance, Cunningham must uncover the truth behind the legend of THE LAST SPYMASTER
Patriot Act: A Lachlan Fox Thriller (A Lachlan Fox Thriller #2)
by James PhelanLachlan Fox heard his name over the PA system at JFK. At the airline service counter, a typed note was waiting for him. 'Go to the third payphone near the first set of toilets ahead of you. It will ring at 9.45pm. Answer it.'September 11 changed everything. The US Patriot Act has given the UKUSA treaty countries free rein to use their ECHELON surveillance program to monitor every spoken or written word transmitted throughout the world. In the wrong hands it could bring down governments and threaten the safety of millions.Ex-navy operative and investigative journalist Lachlan Fox has information hinting at the true reach of ECHELON ... and he starts to suspect someone is ruthlessly trying to access its power. Can he uncover the answers before the course of history is altered forever? The Lachlan Fox SeriesFox HuntPatriot ActBlood OilLiquid GoldRed IceThe Jed Walker SeriesThe SpyThe HuntedJames Phelan is the bestselling author of twenty-four novels and one work of non-fiction. From his teens he wanted to be a novelist but first tried his hand at a real job, studying and working in architecture before turning to English literature, spending five years at a newspaper and obtaining an MA and PhD in writing. James has published five thrillers in the Lachlan Fox series: Fox Hunt, Patriot Act, Blood Oil, Liquid Gold and Red Ice, as well as the Alone Trilogy of young adult post-apocalyptic novels for Hachette Children's and a thirteen-book series for Scholastic. Jed Walker was first introduced in 2013's The Spy, which was followed by The Hunted and Kill Switch in 2015. James lives in Melbourne.For more information visit jamesphelan.com.au
How Green Was My Valley (Penguin Modern Classics)
by Richard LlewellynGrowing up in a mining community in rural South Wales, Huw Morgan is taught many harsh lessons. Looking back, where difficult days are faced with courage and the valleys swell with the sound of Welsh voices, it becomes clear that there is nowhere so green as the landscape of his own memory.
East of Eden: (penguin Orange Collection) (Penguin Modern Classics #Vol. 6)
by John Steinbeck David WyattSet in the rich farmland of the Salinas Valley, California, this powerful, often brutal novel, follows the interwined destinies of two families - the Trasks and the Hamiltons - whose generations hopelessly re-enact the fall of Adam and Eve and the poisonous rivalry of Cain and Abel. Here Steinbeck created some of his most memorable characters and explored his most enduring themes: the mystery of indentity; the inexplicability of love, and the murderous consequences of love's absence.Contains an introduction by David Wyatt, as well as suggestions for further reading of acclaimed criticisms and references.
The Jungle: Oregon Files #8 (The Oregon Files #8)
by Clive Cussler Jack Du BrulJuan Cabrillo faces a global deadly threat in Clive Cussler's The Jungle.Juan Cabrillo and the crew of the Oregon are up against their smartest foe yet - but in their midst there is a traitor . . . After losing their contract with the US government because of a daring raid too far, Cabrillo and his crew of mercenaries with a conscience are earning money the hard way: doing dirty, dangerous little jobs in the world's trouble spots. Now they've accepted a mission deep to find a missing adventurer deep in the jungles of Myanmar. But it is not long before Cabrillo and his team realise that they have been set up.Cabrillo - betrayed, tortured and played for a fool - is angry that he's been used as a pawn in someone's deadly scheme. But with the US nuclear launch codes up for grabs and a madman bent on using them to hold millions of lives to ransom, he hasn't time to worry about revenge. He's got to save the world first . . .The number-one bestseller Clive Cussler, author of the thrilling Dirk Pitt novels Treasure of Khan andTrojan Odyssey, and co-author Jack Du Brul tell a gripping story of adventure, treachery and betrayal in the eighth Oregon Files novel. The Jungle is preceded by Corsair and The Silent Sea.Praise for Clive Cussler:'Frightening and full of suspense . . . unquestionably entertaining' Daily Express'All-action, narrow escapes and the kind of unrelenting plot tension that has won Cussler hundreds of millions of fans worldwide' Observer
The Story of the Stone: The Crab-Flower Club (The Story of the Stone)
by Cao Xueqin"The Story of the Stone" (c. 1760), also known as "The Dream of the Red Chamber", is one of the greatest novels of Chinese literature. The fifth part of Cao Xueqin's magnificent saga, "The Dreamer Awakes", was carefully edited and completed by Gao E some decades later. It continues the story of the changing fortunes of the Jia dynasty, focussing on Bao-yu, now married to Bao-chai, after the tragic death of his beloved Dai-yu. Against such worldly elements as death, financial ruin, marriage, decadence and corruption, his karmic journey unfolds. Like a sleepwalker through life, Bao-yu is finally awakened by a vision, which reveals to him that life itself is merely a dream, 'as moonlight mirrored in the water'.
Bodyguard: Hostage (Bodyguard #1)
by Chris BradfordIn a dangerous world, everyone needs protection.Bodyguard: Hostage is the new thriller from Chris Bradford, bestselling author of Young Samurai. Bodyguard is a bulletproof action-adventure series that fans of Cherub and Alex Rider will love. This is Lee Child for younger readers - a teenage Jason Bourne for the next generation.With the rise of teen stars, the intense media focus onceleb families and a new wave of billionaires, adults are no longer the only target for hostage-taking, blackmail and assassination - kids are too.That's why they need a young bodyguard like Connor Reeves to protect them.Recruited into the ranks of a covert young bodyguard squad, 14-year-old Connor Reeves embarks on a rigorous close protection course. Training in surveillance, anti-ambush exercises, hostage survival and unarmed combat, he's put through his paces and wonders if he will actually survive the course.But when the US President summons Connor to protect his impulsive teenage daughter, Connor's training is put to the ultimate test. For Connor discovers that the First Daughter, Alicia, doesn't want to be guarded. She just wants to have fun. And with no clue Connor is her bodyguard, Alicia tries to elude her Secret Service agents and lead Connor astray. But unknown to her, a terrorist sleeper cell has been activated.Its mission: to take the president's daughter HOSTAGE...And don't miss Bodyguard: Ransom coming soon.
Death in Spring (Penguin European Writers)
by Martha Tennent Mercè Rodoreda'Soaringly beautiful, urgent and disturbing... A masterpiece.' Colm Tóibín, from the introductionDeath in Spring is a dark and dream-like tale of a teenage boy's coming of age in a remote village in the Catalan mountains; a place cut off from the outside world, where cruel customs are blindly followed, and attempts at rebellion swiftly crushed. When his father dies, he must navigate this oppressive society alone, and learn how to live in a place of crippling conformity. Often seen as an allegory for life under a dictatorship, Death in Spring is a bewitching and unsettling novel about power, exile, and the hope that comes from even the smallest gestures of independence.'Rodoreda has bedazzled me' Gabriel Garcia Marquez'Rodoreda's artistry is of the highest order' Diana Athill 'Read it for its beauty, for the way it will surprise and subvert your desires, and as a testament to the human spirit in the face of brutality and willful inhumanity.' Jesmyn Ward, author of Sing, Unburied, Sing
The Lady and the Little Fox Fur (Penguin European Writers)
by Violette Leduc Deborah Levy'Violette Leduc's novels are works of genius and also a bit peculiar' Deborah Levy, from the introductionAn old woman lives alone in a tiny attic flat in Paris, counting out coffee beans every morning beneath the roar of the overhead metro. Starving, she spends her days walking around the city, each step a bid for recognition of her own existence. She rides crowded metro carriages to feel the warmth of other bodies, and watches the hot batter of pancakes drip from the hands of street-sellers. One morning she awakes with an urgent need to taste an orange; but when she rummages in the bins she finds instead a discarded fox fur scarf. The little fox fur becomes the key to her salvation, the friend who changes her lonely existence into a playful world of her own invention. The Lady and the Little Fox Fur is a stunning portrait of Paris, of the invisibility we all feel in a big city, and ultimately of the hope and triumph of a woman who reclaims her place in the world.'A moving, beautiful and authentic classic. We must be grateful to the Penguin European Writers series, a precious venture in these dark times, for bringing it back to us.' John Banville, Booker prize-winning author of The Sea'The great French feminist writer we need to remember' Guardian
The Train Was on Time (Penguin European Writers)
by Heinrich Boll'Böll's novel blows a stent in the human heart. . . It feels more necessary than ever.' Anna Funder, from the introduction Twenty-four-year-old Andreas, a disillusioned German soldier, is travelling on a troop train to the Eastern Front when he has an awful premonition that he will die in exactly five days. As he hurtles towards his death, he reflects on the chaos around him - the naïve soldiers, the painfully thin girl who pours his coffee, the ruined countryside - with sudden, heart-breaking poignancy. Arriving in Poland the night before he is certain he will die, he meets Olina, a beautiful prostitute, and together they attempt to escape his fate...'His work reaches the highest level of creative originality and stylistic perfection' Daily Telegraph'Boll combines a mammoth intelligence with a literary outlook that is masterful and unique' Joseph Heller, author of Catch-22'My most-admired contemporary novelist' John Ashbery'From the moment I stepped on board the troop train with Private Andreas, concerns pertaining to my own world fell away completely. Holding this impelling book is tantamount to holding the young soldier's fate in one's hands. It is impossible to let go.' Claire-Louise Bennett, author of Pond
Blackwattle Lake
by Pamela CookA captivating story about learning to forgive.For Eve Nicholls, walking up the driveway of her childhood home brings up many emotions, and not all good. The horses that she loved still dot the paddocks but the house is empty, and the silence inside allows her memories to flood back. She’s glad to have her best friend Banjo the kelpie with her . . . and a bottle of bourbon. Her plan is simple: sell the farm, grab the cash and get the hell out.Despite Eve’s desire to keep a low profile, within days of her return she runs into all the people she hoped to avoid. At the house she is surrounded by memories and worse. But with a lifetime of clutter to sort out, there’s plenty to take her mind off it all. Slowly, she begins to discover the girl she used to be: Angie Flanagan – adventurous, animal-loving, vulnerable. When tragedy strikes, Eve realises that changing her name all those years ago in an attempt to hide from her past has not changed the truth of what happened or who she really is.Pamela Cook divides her time between her own writing and running writing workshops through her business JustWrite Publishing. Her engaging new novel, Essie's Way, is available 26 November.
The Beautiful Summer (Penguin European Writers)
by Cesare Pavese'An astonishing portrait of an innocent on the verge of discovering the cruelties of love... there are whispers here of the future work of Elena Ferrante' Elizabeth Strout, from the introduction'Life was a perpetual holiday in those days...'It's the height of summer in 1930s Italy and sixteen-year-old Ginia is desperate for adventure. So begins a fateful friendship with Amelia, a stylish and sophisticated artist's model who envelops her in a dazzling new world of bohemian artists and intoxicating freedom. Under the spell of her new friends, Ginia soon falls in love with Guido, an enigmatic young painter. It's the start of a desperate love affair, charged with false hope and overwhelming passion - destined to last no longer than the course of a summer.The Beautiful Summer is a gorgeous coming-of-age tale of lost innocence and first love, by one of Italy's greatest writers.'Pavese, to me, is a constant source of inspiration' Jhumpa Lahiri'One of the few essential novelists of the mid-twentieth century' Susan Sontag'[Pavese writes books of] extraordinary depth where one never stops finding new levels, new meaning' Italo Calvino
Ryders Ridge
by Charlotte NashFans of Fleur McDonald and Rachael Johns will devour this love story of a female doctor and a cattle station owner, by the author of CRYSTAL CREEK, Charlotte NashShaken after a tragic incident in a city hospital, Daniella escapes to the small north-west Queensland cattle town of Ryders Ridge to hide. Caring and dedicated, she quickly wins the trust of her patients, and the attention of handsome station heir, Mark Walker. But under the big outback sky, Daniella discovers that the local rumour mill can threaten both friendships and careers, and that like the city, Ryders Ridge also has secrets. Mark, too, is a big complication. But just as Daniella considers running away for a second time, a terrible accident forces her to face the secret she left behind in Brisbane, and risk losing Mark forever. Inspired by the author's own work in a small country-town medical clinic, RYDERS RIDGE is the first novel of romance, medicine and drama from the bestselling author of IRON JUNCTION and CRYSTAL CREEK, Charlotte Nash. *INCLUDES free bonus chapters of Charlotte's brand-new novel, THE PARIS WEDDING*Praise for Charlotte Nash: 'Nash's skilled storytelling will keep you turning the pages until the very end' FLEUR MCDONALD
Essie's Way
by Pamela CookA captivating story of family, love and following your heart, from the author of Blackwattle Lake.Miranda McIntyre thinks she has it all sorted. She’s a successful lawyer, she’s planning her wedding and ticking off all the right boxes. When searching for something old to go with her wedding dress she remembers an antique necklace from her childhood, but her mother denies any knowledge of it. Miranda is sure it exists. Trying to find the necklace, she discovers evidence that perhaps the grandmother she thought was dead is still alive.Ignoring the creeping uncertainty about her impending marriage, and the worry that she is not living the life she really wants, Miranda takes off on a road trip in search of answers to the family mystery but also in search of herself.Ultimately, she will find that looking back can lead you home.
Aussie Angels 18: Shark in the Dark (Aussie Angels #18)
by Margaret ClarkMum is out on the surfboard and narrowly misses being attacked by a shark - or maybe it was just a false alarm. When Alice the labrador falls off the rocks and nearly becomes shark bait though, Meg and Mike, the Aussie Angels, aren't so sure! Meg is terrified, but some visiting scientists give her the chance to face her fears. SHARK IN THE DARK is the eighteenth instalment in a series loved by children all over Australia.
Aussie Angels 2: Whale of a Time (Aussie Angels #2)
by Margaret ClarkThe Aussie Angels - Meg and Mike - are busy again. This time, as well as rescuing an echidna that's been hit by a bike rider and a kangaroo that's been knocked down by a car, they have to save a koala that insists on clinging to a TV antenna. Boris Boola is in big trouble, Elsie the emu has a fight with the clothesline and of course, that little Aussie devil Mark is running around with a video camera and being no help at all! Then the whales are in danger of stranding themselves on the beach and saving them is the hardest job the Angels have ever tackled - until unexpected help comes their way. WHALE OF A TIME is the second instalment in a series loved by children all over Australia.
Western Wildcats Suck: Western Wildcats 2 (Western Wildcats #2)
by John LarkinThe Western Wildcats are in trouble. About the only good thing you could say for their goalkeeper, Smokin (so called because he’s never without a Chupa Chup in his mouth!), is that he’s got a newish pair of gloves. He keeps taking off for the toilet or he’ll go to the canteen or home—right in the middle of a game! But he’s got a lot on his mind, what with his father building a blue and yellow (Go the Eels!) Chinese junk in their backyard and planning to sail off down the local creek and head for Hawaii. So do they really expect Smokin to keep for the entire game? Of course he’s not the only problem: some of Throw-in’s clearances are adding to the rings around Saturn, and Own-goal keeps scoring hat-tricks for the opposing team. Brazilian methods don’t seem to be working so far, but their coach is still trying. Is it any wonder, though, that people are saying the Western Wildcats suck?
Aussie Angels 1: Okay Koala (Aussie Angels #1)
by Margaret ClarkThere's trouble in school when the Angels get a new principal and a new teacher. And it seems that suddenly Greash and Foxie are the teacher's pets. Pests, more like it. Sneaky deeds with Feral the ferret get the twins busted, but wombats are involved in the situation too, and Mike and Meg need to find out how. Whatever the answer, you can bet Greash and Foxie are up to no good. OKAY KOALA is the first book in a series loved by children all over Australia.
Aussie Angels 15: Owl Express (Aussie Angels #15)
by Margaret ClarkOscar the owl feels left out because when all the action's on, he's fast asleep. He plans to stay awake all day and only sleep at night, but it'll never work. So someone has to make him feel important, fast! OWL EXPRESS is the fifteenth instalment in a series loved by children all over Australia.
Whisper
by Fran DobbieWHISPER is a collection of stories about a very special friendship: between an Aboriginal girl called Edie, and a non-Aboriginal girl, Maggie. Edie lives with her grandmother, though she has been taught to call her 'Aunty Gwen'. There is no bitterness in Edie when she talks about her mother having left her: just a matter-of-fact 'Mum couldn’t cope'. While world of the stolen generation and adults is in the background for the girls, it's friendship that's important. Funny, sometimes sad, moving and uplifting, WHISPER, with its stories of Maggie, farm chores, mischief and the life of the imagination and of the spirit, will touch the hearts of all who read it.
Two-way Cut
by Garry Disher'Disher is brilliant.' Sydney Morning HeraldLeah Flood is on the run. The cops are after her and she has to keep one step ahead. The irony is that Leah is a cop too. But she’s a cop who made a mistake. Leah knows she’s in the right, but that doesn’t seem to matter to the guys who are chasing her. Then somewhere along a lonely road in the middle of nowhere, Leah meets Tess, who is also on the run. Soon the two young women are being tracked by a ruthless killer.But who is the intended target?And why?An edgy thriller that goes on the road, into the unexpected, from bestselling author Garry Disher.
Sykie
by John HeffernanSykie Martin sets off on an adventure to the Isle of Gloomb. Her mission – rescue The Princess. She travels on the New Leaf, a beautiful white sailing boat, crewed by a bunch of strange characters: an Onion Lord, Mercurio the Cat, Keith the Scotch Terrier and Forgetful Bill the Porcupine, to name but a few.They are a brave band, ready to fight. But nothing can prepare them for their reception by the evil, foul-mouthed Ratbreath!