List
CBCA Book of the Year Award Winner and Honour Books
16 books Discoverable by Booko Admin
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Neverlanders
Tom Taylor, Jon Sommariva · 2022
Neverland has become a war zone and it's up to a new group of lost teens to set things right in this gritty YA graphic novel series from #1 New York Times bestselling Australian author Tom Taylor and powerhouse Australian comic artist Jon Sommariva! Bee and her fellow runaways are their own found family. So when a stranger named Paco saves her life, Bee invites him to join their crew, thinking he's another lost teen. The truth is Paco's not just a lost teen, he's a Lost Boy from Neverland. And he needs Bee and the others to come back with him. When the group is then spirited away by a foul-mouthed Tinker Bell, they discover that Neverland is not some fun-filled hideaway. It's a war zone under siege by a horde of pirates with a merciless new leader who will stop at nothing to steal the land's magic. Tink leads a fairy army that barely holds them at bay. Peter Pan is gone. And rest of the Lost Boys have been killed. Paco is all that remains ... but he hopes that this group of teens will become the new Lost Ones. These young runaways may be Neverland's only hope - but they're about to learn that it'll take a lot more than happy thoughts to win a war. Award-winning and worldwide bestselling author Tom Taylor (Marvel's Dark Ages, Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, Dark Knights of Steel) and artist Jon Sommariva (Marvel Action- Avengers, Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) take readers back to the world of Peter Pan - but this explosive reimagining is not your parents' Neverland.
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Completely Normal (And Other Lies)
Biffy James · 2022
Love has rules. So does grief. And Stella Wilde's about to break them all. Stella Wilde is secretly in love with the hottest guy in school, Isaac Calder. He seems to love her back, but there's a problem - he already has a girlfriend, the gorgeous Grace Reyes. When Isaac is killed in a car accident, the entire school is turned upside down with grief. And while Grace can mourn publicly, Stella has to hide her feelings to stop people from finding out about her and Isaac being more than friends. But how long can Stella keep lying - to herself and everyone else? And when the truth finally comes out, how will it affect her newfound friendship with Grace? Shortlisted for the Ampersand Prize, Completely Normal (and other lies) is a gripping contemporary YA novel that's as witty and sarcastic as it is tender and moving. With its insightful explorations of love, grief, mental health and friendship, it's perfect for fans of John Green, Krystal Sutherland and Sally Rooney.
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The Other Side of Tomorrow
Hayley Lawrence · 2022
What if you thought you had forever ... To live your life. To tell your story. But what if forever was taken from you? When your tomorrows are counted, all you have is this moment. And this story you wish was never yours to tell. When Abby traded her life in the city for a wholesome new life on the coast, it was meant to be a fresh start for her family. Behind them was the sickness and sadness of the past. But sickness doesn't always play by the rules. And as Abby's past threatens to swallow her future, she is forced to decide what is most important. What she will fight for. And she will fight. For however many days she has left.
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Runt
Craig Silvey · 2022
'You don't have to carry the weight of the world in your tool belt.' Annie Shearer lives in the country town of Upson Downs with her best friend, an adopted stray dog called Runt. The two share a very special bond. After years evading capture, Runt is remarkably fast and agile, perfect for herding runaway sheep. But when a greedy local landowner puts her family's home at risk, Annie directs Runt's extraordinary talents towards a different pursuit - winning the Agility Course Grand Championship at the lucrative Krumpets Dog Show in London. However, there is a curious catch: Runt will only obey Annie's commands if nobody else is watching. With all eyes on them, Annie and Runt must beat the odds and the fastest dogs in the world to save her farm. Runt is a heart-warming and hilarious tale of kindness, friendship, hurdles, hoops, tunnels, see-saws, being yourself and bringing out the best in others. ** **
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Evie and Rhino
Neridah McMullin · 2022
A young girl with a tragic past and a rhinoceros facing life in captivity form an unlikely and magical bond after a fateful storm and a shipwreck bring them together. A moving tale about love, connection and the healing power of friendship. 1891 On a stormy night off the coast of southern Australia, a ship transporting a cargo of exotic animals tosses and turns in enormous seas. Rhino senses they are in grave danger. . . Not far away, ten-year-old Evie and her grandfather shelter in their crumbling, once-grand old home. They know too well how deadly storms can be. When all is calm, Evie treks over the dunes to the sea and makes a discovery that will change her life, and Rhino's, forever. Will the tragedies of their pasts finally be put to rest?
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The Raven's Song
Bren MacDibble, Zana Fraillon · 2022
A wonderful children's novel by two stellar writers featuring Shelby and Phoenix, living 100 years apart yet unexpectedly joined across time - and each make the discovery of a lifetime that has the potential to upend their worlds. We've been told over and over we're the generation that waits for the world to recover. We endure the heat. We endure the storms, the wrecking floods, the long droughts, the days of smoke as fire burns, coz this is what the honoured earth does when she's trying to recover. Shelby and her best friend Davy live quiet low-tech lives in a closed community that is made up of exactly three hundred and fifty kind, ethical people living on exactly seven hundred hectares. When they climb through a hole in the perimeter fence to venture into the surrounding jungle, what they find is more astonishing than anything they could have imagined. And when Shelby realises the terrible danger that is unfolding, it will take all of her daring and determination to ensure the past does not repeat itself. Intriguing, absorbing and spine-tinglingly good, The Raven's Song is a brilliant novel by two esteemed writers at the height of their powers.
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Where the Lyrebird Lives
Vikki Conley · 2022
Age range 3 to 6High in the mountains through the sleepy clouds.Deep in the forest past the chiming birds.Will we see the lyrebird? I don't know. Tip-toe, tip-toe.The beauty of the Australian rainforest and the magic of family-time come together in this lyrical and delightful story of intergenerational connection, habitat and adventure.
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Bev and Kev
Katrina Germein · 2023
Bev is the tallest animal on the plains and Kev is one of the smallest. They're an unlikely pair, but could this be the beginning of a beautiful friendship? A heart-warming tale about learning to love yourself and the value of a true friend. Shortlisted for the 2023 CBCA Picture Book of the Year Award.
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Snap!
Anna Walker · 2022
Tap, tap tap ... Frog thinks there's no one else in the forest, but you never know what's just around the corner ... Celebrated creator Anna Walker, invites us to hear with our eyes as we follow frog on a rollicking escapade in this pitch-perfect pre-school soundscape.
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My Strange Shrinking Parents
Zeno Sworder · 2022
It goes without saying that all children believe their parents to be strange. Mine were unusual for a different reason... One boy's parents travel from far-off lands to improve their son's life. But what happens next is unexpected. What does it mean when your parents are different? What shape does love take? And what happens when your parents sacrifice a part of themselves for you? In this heartbreaking and heart-warming story, CBCA award-winner Zeno Sworder reflects on his own migrant parents' sacrifices to create a universal story about what it means to give to those you love. Drawing from the sacrifices his Chinese mother made to raise her young family in a small country town, Sworder's drawings are full of beautiful detail and fairytale settings that explore his own journey from child to parent. With humour and pathos, Sworder reflects on the strange nature of giving and receiving love and celebrates those parents who embrace a hard life for themselves in the hope of a better life from their children. Full of depth and generosity as well as insight and candour, Sworder brings this gorgeous fable to life.
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Dirt by Sea
Michael Wagner · 2022
A love-song to Australia in picture book form, featuring 40 pages of extraordinary comic-style illustrations. Explore our wonderful coastline and the joy of a family road-trip with Dad and Daisy. The hugely popular creators of Why I Love Footy and Why I Love Summer are back together with this celebration of what we love most about Australia, family holiday and classic Kombi vans! Dirt by Sea will have you dreaming of a holiday around Australia or maybe even planning one with the help of the journey map in the endpapers . . . Daisy lives in inland Australia with her dad and her grandparents. It's home, and she loves the red dirt land around her. But when her dad realises that she's never seen the beach and thinks the Australian anthem is about a country 'dirt by sea', he sets off to show her the ocean in a once-in-a-lifetime father-daughter trip along the Australian coast, inspired by the first holiday he took with Daisy's mum.
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Paradise Sands
Levi Pinfold · 2022
An enchanting tale of haunting places and mystical bargains, sumptuously illustrated by Levi Pinfold. Washed clean in his pool, we fall under his rule Away from what is, for we are now his. When a young girl and her brothers step into the ghostly Paradise Sands hotel, they fall under the rule of the mysterious Teller. She makes a deal with him to free them all from his haunting paradise. But can she hold up her side of the bargain?
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Deep
Jess McGeachin · 2022
A book that explores the places hardest to reach, from the molten depths of our planet to the frigid depths of outer space. Linking seemingly diverse subject matter, it invites the reader to explore worlds hidden from view.
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Come Together
Isaiah Firebrace · 2022
Come Together is a heart-warming, debut picture book for children aged 5 and up from pop artist Isaiah Firebrace, inspired by his petition to the Australian Government calling for Aboriginal history to be taught in every classroom. In this essential book, Isaiah, a Yorta Yorta and Gunditjmara man, establishes a foundation of First Nations knowledge with 20 key topics. Alongside bright and contemporary illustrations by Mununjali and Fijian artist Jaelyn Biumaiwai, Isaiah connects us to each topic through his own personal story and culture, from the importance of Elders to the Dreaming. At once accessible and engaging, Come Together will make every Aussie kid proud that we are home to the longest continuing culture on Earth!
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Wild Australian Life
Leonard Cronin · 2022
A stunning new exploration of Australian animals from the creator of the bestselling Australian Animal Atlas. From a leading expert and talented visual artist comes this celebration of the astounding diversity of Australia's animal kingdom. More than one million animal species make their homes in Australia - from the deepest oceans to the tops of mountains and the harshest deserts. But just how do they survive? Discover the remarkable stories behind some of the world's most extraordinary animals in this must-have collection for every Australian family.
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Tiny Wonders
Sally Soweol Han · 2022
Bursting with colour, Tiny Wonders is the story of a small child trying to bring wonder back to her town through the language of flowers, from talented Korean-Australian artist Sally Soweol Han. April thinks if her town was a colour, it would be grey. Everyone is too busy to stop and look around. How can she help them slow down? When she remembers the happiness that dandelions brought her grandmother, April comes up with a plan... Bursting with colour, this is a sweet story about flowers, family and the wonders children wish for.
