Carnage by Michael Adams
One missing, presumed dead.
Two in trouble with the law.
Only four remain to solve the Second Sign.
The DARE Award winners–Yasmin, Zander, Andy, Dylan, JJ, Isabel and Mila–have been caught in a deadly battle of wits with a mysterious enemy who isn’t afraid to kill. Too late, they learned that the First Sign predicted catastrophic attacks which have left Egypt in chaos. Can the remaining four DARE winners unravel the Second Sign–seven new symbols–and stop The Signmaker’s destructive plan before the countdown ends?
Series Trailer – Series Website
Cry Blue Murder by Kim Kane and Marion Roberts
Will anyone hear you cry?
Celia and Alice share everything – their secrets, hopes and the increasing horror that a killer is on the loose and abducting schoolgirls just like them. Three bodies have been found, each shrouded in hand-woven fabric.
From within the depths of a police investigation, clues are starting to emerge. But as Alice and Celia discover the truth, danger is closer than anyone knows. Who can you trust at a time like this?
Review and interview - PRC 7-9 Booklist #27687
Every Breath by Ellie Marney
What if Sherlock Holmes was the boy next door?
Rachel Watts is an unwilling new arrival to Melbourne from the country. James Mycroft is her neighbour, an intriguingly troubled seventeen-year-old genius with a passion for forensics. Despite her misgivings, Rachel finds herself unable to resist when Mycroft wants her help investigating a murder.
And when Watts and Mycroft follow a trail to the cold-blooded killer, they find themselves in the lion’s den – literally. A night at the zoo will never have quite the same meaning again…
Ellie Marney website – Ellie Marney interview
Freedom Ride by Sue Lawson
Robbie knows bad things happen in Walgaree. But it's nothing to do with him. That's just the way the Aborigines have always been treated. In the summer of 1965 racial tensions in the town are at boiling point, and something headed Walgaree's way will blow things apart. It's time for Robbie to take a stand. Nothing will ever be the same.
Sue Lawson website – Freedom Ride Teacher notes - Freedom Ride Trailer - PRC 7-9 Booklist #8981
Laurinda by Alice Pung
Laurinda is an exclusive school for girls. At its hidden centre of power is The Cabinet, a triangle of girls who wield power over their classmates – and some of their teachers.
Entering this world of wealth and secrets is Lucy Lam, a scholarship girl with sharp eyes and a shaky sense of self. As she watches The Cabinet in action, and is courted by them – as she learns about power andrepression – Lucy finds herself in a battle for her identity and integrity.
Alice Pung website – Laurinda Teacher notes – Alice Pung interview - PRC 7-9 Booklist #14234
One True Thing by Nicole Hayes
When is a secret not a secret? When your whole life is public.
Frankie is used to being a politician’s daughter, but with her mum now running for Premier, life’s a whole lot crazier than usual. All Frankie wants is to lose herself in her music. So when her best friend, Kessie, invites a student journo to interview the band, Frankie is less than thrilled.
But Jake's easy to talk to, and he seems to really like Frankie. That doesn't stop her from wondering if he's just after the ultimate scoop, especially when photos surface of Frankie's mum having a secret rendezvous with a younger man. With her family falling apart around her, Frankie is determined to find out the truth - even if it means losing Jake.
Nicole Hayes website - One True Thing Teacher notes – Nicole Hayes interview
Pennies for Hitler by Jackie French
It's 1939, and for Georg, son of an English academic living in Germany, life is full of cream cakes and loving parents. It is also a time when his teacher measures the pupils' heads to see which of them have the most 'Aryan'- shaped heads. But when a university graduation ceremony turns into a pro-Nazi demonstration, Georg is smuggled out of Germany to war-torn London and then across enemy seas to Australia where he must forget his past and who he is in order to survive. Hatred is contagious, but Georg finds that kindness can be, too.
Jackie French website – Pennies for Hitler Teacher notes – Jackie French reading from Pennies for Hitler – SMH review – PRC 7-9 Booklist #5044
Risk by Fleur Ferris
Taylor and Sierra have been best friends for their whole lives. But Taylor’s fed up. Why does Sierra always get what – and who – she wants? From kissing Taylor’s crush to stealing the guy they both met online for herself, Sierra doesn’t seem to notice when she hurts her friends.
So when Sierra says Jacob Jones is the one and asks her friends to cover for her while she goes to meet him for the first time, Taylor rolls her eyes.
But Sierra doesn’t come back when she said she would.
One day. Two days. Three . . .
What if Taylor’s worrying for nothing? What if Sierra’s just being Sierra, forgetting about everyone else to spend time with her new guy?
When Taylor finally tells Sierra’s mum that her daughter is missing, Taylor and her friends are thrown into a dark world they never even knew existed.
Can Taylor find Sierra’s abductor in time? Or should she be looking for a killer?
Fleur Ferris website – Risk Teacher notes - Fleur Ferris interview
The First Third by Will Kostakis
Life is made up of three parts: in The First Third, you're embarrassed by your family; in the second, you make a family of your own; and in the end, you just embarrass the family you've made.
That's how Billy's grandmother explains it, anyway. She's given him her bucket list (cue embarrassment), and now, it's his job to glue their family back together.
No pressure or anything.
Fixing his family's not going to be easy and Billy's not ready for change. But as he soon discovers, the first third has to end sometime. And then what?
It's a Greek tragedy waiting to happen.
Will Kostakis website - The First Third Teacher notes – Will Kostakis interview - PRC 7-9 Booklist #1445
Through My Eyes: Naveed by John Heffernan
The explosion jolts him awake. He sits up, gasping for air, heart thumping.
Was the blast real? Perhaps it had only happened in his head, a bad dream. Demons of the dark, his father had called them. 'Push them away. They'll only poison your thoughts. Seek the light and they can't hurt you.'
Naveed is sick of war - of the foreign powers and the Taliban, the warlords and the drug barons that together have torn Afghanistan apart. He's had to grow up quickly to take care of his widowed mother and little sister, making what little money he can doing odd jobs and selling at the markets.
When he adopts Nasera, a street dog with extraordinary abilities, he has a chance to help rebuild his country. But will a new friend's betrayal crush his
dreams of peace forever?
John Heffernan website - Naveed Teacher notes - John Heffernan interview – John Heffernan reads from Naveed - PRC 7-9 Booklist #5564