Alana Oakley is 12 going on 24. She has to be when her impulsive, accident-prone mother, Emma, attracts so much chaos. Alana's dad's passing three years ago has forced Alana to become the grown-up of the family, spinning the mother-daughter relationship on its head. Mystery and Mayhem starts with Alana's first year in high school at the progressive, experimental Gibson High. Year 7 is packed with the usual excitement and perils. But when Alana's superstitious friend, Sofia, loses her magic eight-ball charm, life begins to take a mysterious detour. Alana's sleuthing career takes off, but not without first having to overcome the over-exuberant Nurse Cathy, the military-inspired Coach Kusmuk and her impetuous mother who has now taken up Internet-dating! The biggest mystery of all is whether Alana's birthday wish will come true: Will this year be different or will it go horribly, spectacularly wrong, as usual? Better call the fire department... just in case.

Alana Oakley suspects her new neighbours are vampires. All the signs are there: they are deathly pale, too good at everything, and laugh derisively at vampire-lore with a knowing mwah-ha-ha. Khalilah, Maddie and Sofia hope Alana is right - everything they've read about vampires sounds so very cool and the new neighbours are so very hot... Despite her friends' warped sensibilities, Alana is determined to reveal the neighbours' bloody secret. If only her mum would stay out of trouble, Alana would have this mystery in the bag, but Emma is tangled up with Katriona and Ling Ling's mission to Never Grow Old, avoid Chinatown's resident loan shark, Fok Wee Mung, and meet Kylie Minogue. Hard to know what Alana is dreading more this year: the kiss of immortality from a vampire or her mother throwing her a birthday party, but don't bother asking the woman in Alana's living room - she's already dead...

The mysterious disappearance of a friend's precious charm sets sassy and savvy sleuth Alana Oakley on the warpath. But Alana quickly realizes that having Attitude with a capital "A" isn't enough to solve the case. She invokes her savvy self to duel with the military-inspired Coach Kusmuk, dodge the over-exuberant Nurse Cathy, and deal with her impulsive and accident-prone mother, who is one click away from Internet-dating a mass murderer! The biggest mystery of all: What spectacular disaster will her mother have planned for her birthday this year?

Canister! On! Fire! tells the remarkable, but little known story of Australian tanks in the Vietnam War. Based on twelve years of research, including personal letters and diaries, extensive searches of official records and numerous interviews, this book brings to life a previously little-known aspect of the conflict. It is the story of a select group of soldiers, both regular and conscript, serving their country against all odds. The 53- tonne Centurion tanks were not only involved in intense fighting in conjunction with infantry to capture enemy defences and defeat attacks, but also fought their own battles against enemy mines, ambushes, and an unforgiving terrain and climate. This book takes the reader inside the tanks to share the experiences of their crews in action in the jungle. We see the gunner, trying to survive the heat inside the turret, while identifying designated targets; the operator trying to maintain communications, while keeping the guns loaded; the driver, trying to see his way forward, while keeping his head down; and the commander, trying to locate enemy positions, while directing his driver and giving fire orders to his gunner. The account also reveals how the mechanics beat overwhelming challenges to maintain the twenty-year-old tanks, while the field engineers risked their lives protecting them against mines. (hbk.).

This book covers all Australian science fiction and fantasy authors, books and stories, as well as important magazines, sub-genres and works published electronically.

When she gets the email announcing her redundancy, Ruby Stanhope hopes to maintain the composure expected of your average London investment banker. Instead, the next day's hangover brings two unfortunate discoveries. First, her impromptu reply to the bosses has gone viral, published everywhere from Facebook to the Financial Times. Second, she has a non-refundable, same-day ticket to Melbourne thanks to a dangerous cocktail of Victorian pinot noir, broadband internet and a dash of melancholy. Landing in Australia, Ruby plans a quiet stay with her aunt in the Yarra Valley - but a party at the local winery results in an unexpected job offer- financial policy adviser to the Federal Leader of the Opposition. Intrigued, Ruby heads to Melbourne for morning coffee with the Chief of Staff - and finds herself in the middle of the Treasurer's overthrow of the Prime Minister and the announcement of an early election. Rookie Ruby, dubbed 'Roo' by her Aussie colleagues, is thrown into the campaign and spends four weeks circumnavigating Australia while trying to stay afloat in the deep end of politics. Through trial and plenty of error (including wardrobe malfunctions, media mishaps and a palate for unsavoury men) she finds passion, not just a flair, for her new career. With its light touch and deft comic instincts, Campaign Rubyis a delightful combination of fashion, faux pas, falling for the wrong man and the unexpected fun of federal politics.

Ibrahim offers Momo his ear and advice, and gradually teaches the precocious boy that there is more to life than whores and stealing groceries. When Momo's father, a passive-aggressive lawyer who neglects his son's well being, disappears and is found dead, Ibrahim adopts the newly orphaned boy.

In the near future, the tides are rising, the weather is out of control, and the rain is poison. Mal lost his family in a storm and now lives with other young people, trying to survive the changing world. Faced with the threat of the rising water and his friend’s illness, Mal and his makeshift family must travel across the country to reach a safe place. But the road is dangerous and not all will find their way safely to their new home.