Getting Dusty is the much-anticipated sequel to Jared Thomas’ CBCA longlisted junior fiction, Uncle Xbox (2023). When Dusty bloodies his bully’s nose in a soccer tournament, he finds himself grounded for a week. Feeling this is unfair, Dusty gets upset and it’s up to Uncle Xbox to help him understand why his actions have consequences and that he can learn from his mistakes. If this lesson includes spending time on Country, catching some nice waves and making new friends, well, who is he to...

A coming-of-age story for young readers, that offers gentle insights into growing up, family and finding your place in a digital world. Or not. Dusty spends a lot of time playing games online, and usually with his stepdad, Marcus. One Saturday morning, Marcus loads his things into his car and leaves. He takes his Xbox. Dusty is determined to buy an Xbox of his own and tries odd jobs that don’t quite work out. That is until cool Uncle Rick turns up. Uncle Rick introduces Dusty to surfing an...

Gianni Vattimo (1936–2023) was among the most significant Italian philosophers of the last fifty years. A controversial figure both at home and abroad, he sometimes described himself paradoxically as a “nihilist” and as a “communist Catholic.” Despite his provocations—and unusually for an academic philosopher—he served two terms in the European Parliament. For decades, Vattimo was at the forefront of developments in continental philosophy, spanning hermeneutics, postmodernity, and the “ret...

Just as authors create books, books create authors — and these essays by thirty-one writers for young people offer a fascinating glimpse at the books that inspired them the most.What if you could look inside your favorite authors’ heads and see the book that led them to become who they are today? What was the book that made them fall in love, or made them understand something for the first time? What was the book that made them feel challenged in ways they never kn...

WINNER – 2013 black&write! Indigenous Writing Fellowship Calypso Summer is a story told by Calypso, a young Nukunu man, fresh out of high school in Rastafarian guise. After failing to secure employment in sports retail, his dream occupation, Calypso finds work at the Henley Beach Health Food shop where his boss pressures him to gather native plants for natural remedies. This leads him to his Nukunu family in southern Flinders Ranges and the discovery of a world steeped in cultural knowledg...

Hell's Bells is the third book in the much beloved series, Uncle Xbox. Uncle Xbox is now in a relationship with Lil, and Dusty is jealous of having to share their time together. The positive is that Taj, Lil s son, challenges Dusty in the surf and helps him to regain his confidence. Dusty makes the state soccer team and with Lil s encouragement, surfs heats in Adelaide and gains entry in the Bells Beach Classic Surf Competition. The only problem he s still terrified of surfing big waves. C...

A collection of 32 personal stories.The Book That Made Me is a celebration of the books that influenced some of the most acclaimed authors from Australia and the world. Edited by Judith Ridge, it features non-fiction stories from 32 inspiring and award-winning authors including Markus Zusak, Jaclyn Moriarty, Shaun Tan, Mal Peet, Ambelin Kwaymullina, Simon French, Alison Croggon, Fiona Wood, Bernard Beckett, Ursula Dubosarsky, Rachael Craw, Sue Lawson, Benj...

This new edition of the bestselling guide contains a supplementary chapter, plus fully updated booklists.'No matter where they go, children lost in books will always find their way home.'Your child deserves the best reading teacher in the world. And the one person who will read more than anyone else to help your child learn to read... is you.In this clear and humour-filled guide, Paul Jennings cuts through the jargon and the controversies to show every parent ...

Read for pleasure, for thrills, for escape, for ideas, for involvement. Read books that make you laugh and cry and wonder and think. Read for yourself and not for others. That's the focus of Right Book, Right Time - 500 great reads for teenagers.For all those voracious and eclectic young readers, here are over 500 fabulous books to choose from. There are quick reads, chunky books, demanding reads and tantalizing, innovative books with dazzling use of language. You'll find scary boo...

"The Pelican spread his huge white wings and flew down on to the road beside me. 'Hop in,' he said, opening his enormous beak . . ."MEET BILLY. A kid with a dream. He wants to turn an old wooden house into an incredible sweetshop full of treats!AND MEET THE LADDERLESS WINDOW-CLEANING COMPANY: Monkey, Pelican (Pelly) and Giraffe (who needs ladders when you've got a ...

Dive in to this whimsically adventurous graphic novel from Caldecott Medalist and National Book Award Winner Dan Santat!Ever since her father was lost at sea, Sophia has been moping around Aqualand, the marine theme park her dad and uncle created. But Sophia's world is turned upside down when an "aquanaut" breaks into the park's research lab.To her amazement, Sophia discovers that the aquanaut is not what it seems -- inside lives a band of four goofy sea creatures! And when...

The Reverend Lee is suffering from a rare and acutely embarrassing condition: Back-to-Front Dyslexia. It affects only his speech, and he doesn't realize he's doing it, but the parishioners of Nibbleswicke are shocked and confused by his seemingly outrageous comments. At last a cure is found and the mild-mannered vicar can resume normal service. Or at least as normal as is possible for a man who must walk backwards to be sure of talking forwards!A highly comic tale in the best Dahl ...