These broken stars by Amie Kaufman & Meagan Spooner
Luxury spaceliner Icarus suddenly plummets from hyperspace into the nearest planet. Lilac LaRoux and Tarver Merendsen survive – alone. Lilac is the daughter of the richest man in the universe. Tarver comes from nothing, a cynical war hero. Both journey across the eerie deserted terrain for help. Everything changes when they uncover the truth.
The Starbound Trilogy: Three worlds. Three love stories. One enemy.
Parvana's journey by Deborah Ellis
In Parvana's Journey, the Taliban still control Afghanistan, but Kabul is in ruins. Parvana's father has just died, and her mother, sister, and brother could be anywhere in the country. Parvana knows she must find them. Despite her youth, Parvana sets out alone, masquerading as a boy. She soon meets other children who are victims of war -- an infant boy in a bombed-out village, a nine-year-old girl who thinks she has magic powers over landmines, and a boy with one leg. The children travel together, forging a kind of family out of sheer need. The strength of their bond makes it possible to survive the most desperate conditions.
Warcross by Marie Lu
For the millions who log in every day, Warcross isn't just a game - it's a way of life. Struggling to make ends meet, teenage hacker Emika Chen works as a bounty hunter, tracking down players who bet on the game illegally. When Emika hacks into Warcross, she is shocked when she gets a call from the game's creator with an irresistible offer. He needs a spy on the inside of this year's tournament in order to uncover a security problem . . . and he wants Emika for the job.
Black taxi by James Moloney
Rosie Sinclair lives in Prestwidge, the worst suburb in the entire universe. She's just your typical Prestie chick, really, with a healthy interest in boys, clothes, shopping and boys! Her mum's a hairdresser, her best friend is an exoticdancer and her beloved grandad is into just a teensy bit of crime. When her grandfather gets six months "inside" for stealing who does he leave in charge of his precious black Mercedes? Rosie, who else? And that Merc is going to take her on the ride of her life.
Red Dog by Louis de Bernieres ; illustrated by Alan Baker
‘In early 1998 I went to Karratha - a mining town a long way north of Perth. The landscape is composed of vast heaps of dark red earth and rock poking out of the never-ending bush.
I went exploring and discovered the bronze statue to Red Dog outside the town of Dampier. I had to find out more about this splendid dog.’ Louis de Bernières.
The hunger games by Suzanne Collins
In a future North America, where the rulers of Panem maintain control through an annual televised survival competition pitting young people from each of the twelve districts against one another, sixteen-year-old Katniss's skills are put to the test when she volunteers to take her younger sister's place.
The coming of the whirlpool by Andrew McGahan
"If you go to sea, you will come to the attention of the Ship Kings. And if they discover who you are, they will kill you." So warned is young Dow Amber, who is no sailor but is driven by a strange sea-longing. He ventures down to the great grim bayknown as the Claw. There he hopes to learn the art of seafaring, but he finds only a fearful people who scarcely dare sail at all, for they have been cursed by a monstrous whirlpool that haunts the bay, stealing away their sons. Then the rulers of all the world, the proud and cruel Ship Kings, arrive in the Claw. Dow is fascinated by their fine tall vessels, and even more so by a mysterious girl who lives aboard their flagship. It is a perilous attraction to be sure, but could it be that his future somehow lies with the Ship Kings? Or will he be called upon to descend to his death, when the terrible whirlpool rises once more?
Mortal engines by Philip Reeve
Tom Natsworthy lives in London and has a boring job at the Museum. Unexpectedly, he gets a chance to fulfill his day-dream of being a hero, as he attempts to save a famous adventurer from a would-be assassin. But Tom is not at all prepared for what happens next; and neither he, nor his world, will ever be the same again. Suggested level: intermediate, secondary.
The killing joke by Alan Moore Graphic Novel
For the first time the Joker's origin is revealed in this tale of insanity and human perseverance. Looking to prove that any man can be pushed past his breaking point and go mad, the Joker attempts to drive Commissioner Gordon insane.
After shooting and permanently paralyzing his daughter Barbara (a.k.a. Batgirl), the Joker kidnaps the commissioner and attacks his mind in hopes of breaking the man.
But refusing to give up, Gordon maintains his sanity with the help of Batman in an effort to beset the madman.
Shiny guys by Doug MacLeod
On night, the shiny guys visit 15 year old Colin Lapsley. They don't speak, but Colin can read their thoughts. They want him to pay for the terrible things that he has done. When the shiny guys won't go away, Colin is admitted to Ward 44. There he discovers an alien world, a powerful weapon, a gentle giant, and a girl who may be able to see what he can see.
The road to winter by Mark Smith
Since a deadly virus and the violence that followed killed his parents and wiped out most of his community, Finn has lived alone on the rugged coast with only his loyal dog Rowdy for company. He has stayed alive for two winters - hunting and fishingand trading food, and keeping out of sight of the Wilders, an armed and dangerous gang that controls the north, led by a ruthless man named Ramage. But Finn's isolation is shattered when a girl runs onto the beach. Rose is a Siley - an asylum seeker - and she has escaped from Ramage, who had enslaved her and her younger sister, Kas. Rose is desperate, sick, and needs Finn's help. Kas is still missing somewhere out in the bush. And Ramage wants the girls back - at any cost.
The bubble wrap boy by Phil Earle
Charlie Han's troubles are way bigger than he is. At school, he's branded an outsider - the tiny kid from the Chinese Chippy. His only ally is Sinus Sedgely, the only lad in school with a worse reputation than Charlie himself. Life at home isn't muchbetter. His dad is better with a wok than he is with words, and his mum is suffocating the life out of Charlie. But when a new passion leads Charlie to the mother of all confrontations, he finds his mum's been hiding a massive secret. A secret that whilst shocking, might actually lead Charlie to feeling ten feet tall.
Thai-riffic! by Oliver Phommavanh
Albert (Lengy) Lengviriyakul, is fed up with being Thai. His parents own a Thai restaurant with the cheesy name of Thai-riffic! and Lengy is sick of being his father's curry guinea pig, longing to just eat pizza! At school he is a bit of a troublemaker, going to any lengths to hide his background. But when his best friend decides to become Thai for a day for a school project, Lengy stubbornly comes to the realization that there may just be some pretty cool things about his culture.
The book thief by Markus Zusak
It is 1939 in Nazi Germany. The country is holding its breath. Liesel Meminger and her younger brother are being taken by their mother to live with a foster family outside Munich. Liesel's father was taken away on the breath of a single, unfamiliar word - Kommunist - and Liesel sees the fear of a simliar fate in her mother's eyes. On the journey, Death visits the young boy and notices Liesel. It will be the first of many near encounters. By her brother's graveside, Liesel's life is changed when she picks up a single object, partially hidden in the snow. It is the Gravedigger's Handbook, left there by accident, and it is her first act of book thievery.
Salt to the sea by Ruta Sepetys
When the German ship the Wilhelm Gustloff was sunk in port in early 1945 it had over 9000 civilian refugees, including children, on board. Nearly all were drowned. Ruta Sepetys imagines the story of a handful of these people as they trek across Germany, bound together only by their desperation to reach the ship that can take them away from the war-ravaged land. From the gentle wisdom of the old man known as the Shoe Poet to the bravery of Emilia, the Polish girl who struggles onwards hiding a dark secret inside herself, this is a band of unforgettable characters and unmissable stories.
The shattering by Karen Healey
Keri, Janna and Sione have two things in common. They each have an older brother who committed suicide. And they each have a connection with Summerton. As the three teenagers delve deeper into the mystery they uncover secrets that will shatter everything they thought they knew.
