Weary of life with his alcoholic, abusive father, sixteen-year-old Billy packs a few belongings and hits the road, hoping for something better than what he left behind.

A life-affirming free-verse novel for young adults, this is an honest and refreshing look at homelessness without the grunge. It is an uncomplicated love story which is certain to appeal to the wide audience this talented writer/performer has already attracted.

A powerful prose novel from one of Australia's most awarded authors. Isaac is running from his old life when he steps off the bus in a small town. He has nowhere to stay and doesn't plan on sticking around, but a local cafe owner's kindness offers him the chance to change his story. Then Isaac meets Sophie and learns he's not the only one wanting to repaint his life. As he did so masterfully with The Simple Gift, award-winning author Steven Herrick delves into the universal themes of rising above the past and taking control of your future.

A funny, touching story, told in friendly free verse with lively pen and ink drawings, about an accident-prone boy whose heart is in the right place. Do-wrong Ron can't do anything right. His only ally is Charlie, the guinea pig, until he meets Isabelle, who sees nothing wrong with Ron. Together, they set out to help Isabelle's lonely grandmother.

A heart-warming tale about friendship, grief, and the importance of baked goods, this book tells the stories of the kids from Class 6A. There's Mick, school captain and sometime trouble-maker, who wants to make the school a better place, while his younger brother Jacob just wants to fly. There's shy and lonely Laura who hopes to finally fit in with a circle of friends, while Pete struggles to deal with his grandpa's sudden death. Popular Selina obsesses over class comedian Cameron, while Cameron obsesses over Anzac biscuits and Pookie Aleera—whoever that is! For new teacher Ms. Arthur, it's another world, but Mr. Korsky, the school groundskeeper, has seen it all before.

It is 1960s Australia and Harry lives with his dad and younger brother in a small town next to a river. Harry enjoys his share of the usual schoolboy fun and pranks, but there is also a tragedy underlying his life and that of the whole town. Suggested level: secondary.

"This guide is directly linked to the syllabus with dot points of the HSC English syllabus appearing in the margin of the book. You can write in the guide, so your study is focused and your notes are structured."--Back cover.

Inspired by the true story of an African childhood lived on the edge of destitution, award-winning Elizabeth Laird's The Garbage King takes readers on an unforgettable emotional journey. When Mamo's mother dies, he is abandoned in the shanties of Addis Ababa. Stolen by a child-trafficker and sold to a farmer, he is cruelly treated. Escaping back to the city, he meets another, very different runaway. Dani is rich, educated - and fleeing his tyrannical father. Together they join a gang of homeless street boys who survive only by mutual bonds of trust and total dependence on each other.

There's no hiding from prejudice. 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. A novel based on true events.

The New York Times bestselling true story of an all-American girl and a boy from Zimbabwe and the letter that changed both of their lives forever. It started as an assignment... Everyone in Caitlin's class wrote to an unknown student somewhere in a distant place. Martin was lucky to even receive a pen-pal letter. There were only ten letters, and fifty kids in his class. But he was the top student, so he got the first one. That letter was the beginning of a correspondence that spanned six years and changed two lives. In this compelling dual memoir, Caitlin and Martin recount how they became best friends—and better people—through their long-distance exchange. Their story will inspire you to look beyond your own life and wonder about the world at large and your place in it.