A special moon, two friends and a night to never forget as sea creatures become land explorers in this dazzling seaside spectacle.

Despite one living in the ocean and the other living on land, mermaid Merrin and human Molly were the best of friends. Merrin has never been on land before; how could she when she has to stay underwater. The Mermaid Moon festival will change all that. For one night in the town of Morpeth, sea creatures can take to the skies and explore the human world. There’ll be a market, a band, hot chocolate, and best of all, Merrin can finally see Molly’s home. Merrin just needs to remember one rule…must be back in the water before the moon’s reflection disappears from the sea to prevent the magic disappearing forever.

From the author and illustrator collaboration behind Deadly Boots comes another sporty story that is the first in a series of titles under the name Backyard Sports.

Jy loves kicking the footy around in the backyard. He marks, he kicks, he marks, he kicks. When one of his kicks flies over his neighbour’s fence and into their backyard it starts a footy adventure. Balls are kicked, marks are taken, handballs are thrown and tackles are made. Everyone wants to get involved and that’s awesome because footy on your own is fun but footy with friends is the best…

Getting a present is always exciting. Getting a present you are not expecting is very exciting, and up in the trees Koala his just received a very special delivery in this noisy guess-a-thon.

What on earth is making all that racket? And more importantly, will it ever stop? Up in the tree tops, Koala and friends are tired. Surrounded by the squawks, acks and screeches of their noisy neighbours, sleep is hard to come by. What they could really do with is something to block out all that noise. When a parcel arrives for Koala, everyone is fizzing with excitement. But what could be inside? Bat, Possum and Owl all have an opinion on what it might be. Something to bring some peace and quiet would be amazzzzzzing. Has Turtle delivered the perfect gift…

I’m going to let you into a sec-rat…this first in a new series of lively, illustrated reads is totally rat-ical! Children, adults, librarians and teachers are always on the look-out for funny chapter books and this is definitely one to add to the shelves.

The pupils in Ms Bottley’s year five class are excited for Olden Days Day at school - it’s a chance to experience school as it was a long time ago. There’ll be no modern technology, lots of old-fashioned lessons, weird rules and a moody, strict and excessively loud teacher. Dressed up in Victorian attire, several children have bought in something to celebrate the day. Lenny has his own special contribution hidden in a box. But when Ratty escapes, mayhem ensues. With chaos descending throughout the school, can Lenny, along with best friend Sam and new arrival Jess, catch the elusive rodent and put an end to the madness…  

Family, friendship and community spirit all shine in a paw-sitively great read from the aptly doggie-named Dianne Wolfer.

For eleven-year-old Scout it is the end of the school year and that means the summer holidays, Christmas and a much-needed break from the mean girls at Arcadia Boarding School for Young Ladies. Before the celebrations can bring, Scout and her dad have an important mission to deliver dog food donations to rescue shelters across the state. A road trip in the Big Rig means music, eating out, jokes, good times and maybe the chance to convince dad to get a dog. But with bushfires causing havoc across the state it isn’t just dogs that need a helping hand…

​I adored The One and Only Ivan so I had high hopes that just like Ivan’s tale, Ruby’s story would steal my heart, and Katherine Applegate didn’t disappoint with another sparkling, intelligent and beautifully written read.

Ruby the elephant has had an eventful life; born in Africa, raised in an orphanage, stolen by hunters, taken away to a roadside circus and sold to a mall. Now she spends her days in the safety of Wildworld Zoological Park and Sanctuary where her aunts teach her the elephant ways and she gets to hangout with her best friends Bob and Ivan.

Prepare to have everything you thought you knew about sharks questioned in this fin-tastic deep dive.
 
Sharks have been around for millions of years and during that time they have amassed what is quite possibly the worst reputation of any animal on the planet. Terrifying murderers, villains of the ocean, deadly meat-eaters intent on chomping on anything that swims within a snouts distance - including the odd human if they dare venture into a sharks’ watery domain. But is this rather scary reputation warranted? Or is everything you know about sharks WRONG? Prepare to get up close and personal, not with a group of deadly, uncompromising beasts but with some of the most interesting and misunderstood animals not just in the ocean, but on Earth…

All across the world, a simple word, or sometimes words, has/have the power to bridge barriers, to greet a fellow person and to make strangers feel welcome. Salut, g’day, hello, ciao, yassou, anyoung, witaj, privet… so many different ways to say hello. Which one do you use…

Inclusive and diverse and told in bouncy rhyming prose, this fun, illuminating and educational picture book celebrates cultural diversity and the many, many ways that people greet each other throughout the world. On a global tour that visits all corners of the planet, How Do You Say Hello? is filled with happiness, fun and good times with joy, warmth and cheer radiating from every page as children and adults greet one another in various locations and scenes. 

Narelle is the Queen of her house; moving with grace and elegance when not lounging regally on her throne and completely in tune with all of the goings on in a busy household, she is the most important member of the family. Maddie adores Narelle, her wisest and best friend. So when things start to unravel for Maddie at school and her once happy days are filled with sadness and loneliness it is Narelle who notices. A monarch’s job is to be sure her subjects are safe and happy but what can the Queen feline do to help bring the happiness back to Maddie’s life…

Touching, tender and beautiful, Queen Narelle is a heartbreaking and ultimately heartwarming and hopeful story about a young girl dealing with familiar childhood difficulties - in this case friendship  fallings out and the bullying that follows - and her perceptive cat that is always there to listen and to offer a helping paw.

Whilst good footballing stories for primary school children are steadily growing in number they are still few and far between so I was thrilled to learn that the award-winning and shortlisted Baller Boys were back.

It is the start of another season at AC United for best friends and football-mad boys Shay and Frankie. With Frankie having just been promoted from the development squad, the boys are hoping it will be the best season yet and have their eyes firmly set on winning matches, lifting trophies and being crowned Baller Boy of the season. But change is on the horizon. A new girl has joined the team, the football pitches are up for sale and Frankie’s parents want to move house. With challenges everywhere they look, can the boys stick together and keep on winning…