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Across the Risen Sea

Bren MacDibble

Across the Risen Sea is an action-packed, compelling and heartfelt middle-fiction adventure, set in a post-climate change landscape, from the multi-award winning author of How to Bee.

'It's one of them days when everything is off. A hot sweaty night in Rusty Bus means we kids is all grouchy-tired. Me and my best friend, Jaguar, is trying to cool down by taking turns at dipping in the sea pool. Him standing on the sea wall made from car frames and rocks on lookout for crocs, me swimming, then we'll swap places. We's always doing things as a team, him and me. We's gonna be the best fisher people and the best salvagers on the whole of the inland sea one day.'

Neoma and Jag and their small community are 'living gentle lives' on high ground surrounded by the risen sea that has caused widespread devastation. When strangers from the Valley of the Sun arrive unannounced, the friends find themselves drawn into a web of secrecy and lies that endangers the way of life of their entire community. Soon daring, loyal Neoma must set off on a solo mission across the risen sea, determined to rescue her best friend and find the truth that will save her village.

Across the Risen Sea is another thrilling adventure for young readers from the bestselling author of How to Bee and The Dog Runner.

ISBN: 9781760526054 · August 2020 · RRP: $16.99 · Paperback
Themes: adventure, courage, environment, resilience, loyalty, climate change
Teacher Tips Available 1 August
For Teacher Tips and Further Information go to www.allenandunwin.com

COVER TO BE REVEALED

Catch Me If I Fall

Barry Jonsberg

Ashleigh and Aiden are thirteen-year-old twins who promise to always look out for each other. Aiden is more dedicated to the task than Ashleigh, but when it comes to matters of life and death, they both exhibit a fierce protectiveness that will change the course of their lives.

'We've been worried about Aiden too, Ash,' she said. 'He's always been such a … predictable child. You're not the only one to have noticed the changes in his temperament.'

Ashleigh and Aiden Delatour are identical twins, living a privileged lifestyle with loving parents. In a world that has fallen apart at the seams, they want for nothing. All they have to do is be there for each other, no matter what.

But after he suffers a terrible injury, Aiden isn't the same brother Ashleigh always relied on. Something has changed, and it will lead to a discovery that will turn their whole world upside down.

A gripping story from the bestselling author of My Life As An Alphabet and A Song Only I Can Hear.

ISBN: 9781760877613 · November 2020 · RRP: $16.99 · Paperback
Themes: family, climate change, technology, artificial intelligence
Teacher Notes Available 1 November
For Teacher Notes and Further Information go to www.allenandunwin.com

Diamonds

Armin Greder

A thought-provoking conversation about the diamond industry presented in words and pictures by the multi-award-winning creator of The Island and The Mediterranean.

Mama, if I was to dig a hole in our garden, would I find a diamond?
No, darling, there are no diamonds here.
Where are diamonds, then?
Oh, in other countries. In Africa for example ...

A powerful parable that explores how the desire for endless riches perpetuates chains of inequality and corruption.

ISBN: 9781760877040 · August 2020 · RRP: $29.99 · Hardback picture book
Themes: mining, poverty, wealth, inequality, business, corruption
Teacher Notes Available 1 August
For Teacher Notes and Further Information go to www.allenandunwin.com

From Stella Street to Amsterdam

Elizabeth Honey

A brand new Stella Street adventure from Elizabeth Honey! When Henni goes to Amsterdam with her elderly Dutch neighbour, she discovers a long-held family secret. But this creates a terrible dilemma for Henni - should she tell the Dutch family what she knows?

When Henni's stubborn old neighbour Willa insists on returning to her childhood home in the Netherlands for a wedding, Henni leaps at the chance to be her travelling companion. 'Lucky duck! Fantastic opportunity!' That's what everyone in Stella Street said. 'Oh boy, chance of a lifetime.'

But during the long flight to Amsterdam, Willa reveals to Henni the real reason for her journey: a terrible family secret stretching back to the Second World War. As Henni makes friends with more and more of Willa's relatives, she must decide if they should know the truth. And is that the only mystery?

A triumphant return to the wonderful, warm and witty world of Stella Street by the much-loved author Elizabeth Honey.

ISBN: 9781865084541 · September 2020 · RRP: $16.99 · Paperback
Themes: family, WWII, mystery, loyalty, adventure
Teacher Tips Available 1 September
For Teacher Tips and Further information go to www.allenandunwin.com

Future Girl

Asphyxia

Future Girl explores what it means to come of age as a Deaf teenager, against the backdrop of a near-future Melbourne on the brink of environmental catastrophe.

Piper's mum wants her to be 'normal', to pass as hearing and get a good job. But when peak oil hits and Melbourne lurches towards environmental catastrophe, Piper has more important things to worry about, such as how to get food.

When she meets Marley, a CODA (child of Deaf adult), a door opens into a new world - where Deafness is something to celebrate rather than hide, and where resilience is created through growing your own food rather than it being delivered on a truck.

As she dives into learning Auslan, sign language that is exquisitely beautiful and expressive, Piper finds herself falling hard for Marley. But Marley, who has grown up in the Deaf community yet is not Deaf, is struggling to find his place in the hearing world. How can they be together?

Future Girl is the art journal of sixteen-year-old Piper, a visual extravaganza of text, paint, collage and drawings, woven into a deeply engaging coming-of-age story set in near-future Melbourne.

ISBN: 9781760294373 · October 2020 · RRP: $24.99 · Paperback
Themes: Deafness, sustainability, near-future, speculative fiction, identity, romance, gardening, Own Voice publishing, peak oil
Teacher Notes Available October 1
For Teacher Notes and Further Information go to www.allenandunwin.com

Skydragon: Skydragon 1

Anh Do

Amazing new adventure series from mega-bestseller Anh Do.

Amber always loved insects, even before the day her life changed forever. But now she feels something different. Something more … powerful.

And controlling her power might be the hardest thing Amber has ever done. Especially when she is running for her life.

Who is the mysterious Firefighter? What connection does he have to Amber's old life? And, most importantly, does Amber have what it takes to truly become … Skydragon?

ISBN: 9781760876364 · October 2020 · RRP: $15.99 · Paperback
Themes: adventure, fantasy, friendship, courage, identity, empowering girls, survival, superheroes, communicating with animals
Reading Group Notes Available 1 October
For Reading Group Notes and Further Information go to www.allenandunwin.com

The Stolen Prince of Cloudburst

Jaclyn Moriarty

A magical tale of mystery and adventure that proves that sometimes even ordinary middle children can be heroes, from the bestselling author of The Extremely Inconvenient Adventures of Bronte Mettlestone and the award-winning The Slightly Alarming Tale of the Whispering Wars.

Long ago, the little Prince of Cloudburst was stolen from the seashore by a Water Sprite. Now, ten years later, the prince has found his way home. The King and Queen are planning the biggest party in their Kingdom's history to welcome him.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the Kingdoms and Empires, Esther Mettlestone-Staranise is looking forward to another year at Katherine Valley Boarding School. But she arrives to find a number of strange and unsettling changes. For one, her new teacher is rumoured to be an Ogre. Two mysterious students have joined the school, and one of Esther's classmates is an undercover Spellbinder. Most disturbingly, the mountains surrounding the school - usually a delight of glaciers, teashops, lakes and Faeries - are now crowded with wicked Shadow Mages.

As secrets and dangers escalate, Esther must find the answers to several puzzles. Why is her teacher behaving so oddly? Which of Esther's classmates is the Spellbinder, and can they really protect the school from gathering hordes of Shadow Mages? Could the Stolen Prince of Cloudburst be connected?

How can Esther - who is not talented like her sisters, nor an adventurer like her cousin, but just Esther - save her family, her school and possibly her entire world?

ISBN: 9781760875060 · October 2020 · RRP: $22.99 · Hardback
Themes: magic, fantasy, myths, quests, spells, courage, resourcefulness, family, prejudice, scapegoating, climate change
Teacher Tips Available 1 October
For Teacher Tips and Further information go to www.allenandunwin.com

The Witch's Boy

Kelly Barnhill

A stunning novel from the Newbery Medal winning and New York Times bestselling author of The Girl Who Drank the Moon.

When Ned and his identical twin brother tumble from their raft into a raging river, only Ned survives. Villagers are convinced the wrong boy lived. But when a Bandit King comes to steal the magic Ned's mother, a witch, is meant to protect, it's Ned who safeguards the magic and summons the strength to protect his family and community.

Meanwhile, across the enchanted forest that borders Ned's village lives Aine, the resourceful and pragmatic daughter of the Bandit King, who is haunted by her mother's last words to her: 'The wrong boy will save your life, and you will save his.' When Aine's and Ned's paths cross, can they trust each other long enough to stop the war that's about to boil over between their two kingdoms?

ISBN: 9781848129351 · September 2020 · RRP: $16.99 · Paperback
Themes: adventure, magic, fantasy, grief, families, bravery
Teacher Tips Available 1 September
For Teacher Tips and Further information go to www.allenandunwin.com

The Last Paper Crane

Kerry Drewery, illustrated by Natsko Seki

The haunting story of a promise made long ago ... a powerful novel set in contemporary Japan and also in 1945, Hiroshima, the day the nuclear bomb was so devastatingly dropped on the city.

A Japanese teenager, Mizuki, is worried about her grandfather who is clearly desperately upset about something. He says that he has never got over something that happened in his past and gently Mizuki persuades him to tell her what it is.

We are taken to 1945, Hiroshima, and Mizuki's grandfather as a teenage boy chatting at home with his friend Hiro. Moments later the horrific nuclear bomb is dropped on Hiroshima. What follows is a searing account of the blinding flash, the harrowing search for family and the devastation both human and physical. There is also the very moving and human story as the two teenage boys with great bravery search for and find Keiko, Hiro's five-year-old sister. But then Keiko is lost when Mizuki's grandfather has no option but to leave her in a safe place while he goes for help ... Despite a desperate search in the aftermath of the bomb, where he leaves origami folded paper cranes for Keiko with his address on everywhere a survivor could be, he cannot find her...

A powerful novel that, despite its harrowing subject matter, has hope at its heart.

ISBN: 9781471408472 · July 2020 · RRP: $16.99 · Paperback
Themes: war, narrative/verse structure, history
For More Information go to www.allenandunwin.com

The Left-Handed Booksellers of London

Garth Nix

From the bestselling author of Angel Mage, this new fantasy adventure set in 1980s London follows one girl's quest to find her father, leading her to a secret society of magical fighting booksellers who police the mythical Old World when it disastrously intrudes into the modern world.

Eighteen-year-old art student Susan Arkshaw arrives in London in search of her father. But before she can question crime boss Frank Thringley he's turned to dust by the prick of a silver hatpin in the hands of the outrageously attractive Merlin. Merlin is one of the youngest members of a secret society of booksellers with magical powers who police the mythic Old World wherever it impinges on the New World - in addition to running several bookshops, of course! Merlin also has a quest of his own: to find the Old World entity who arranged the murder of his mother. Their investigations attract attention from enemies of the Old and New Worlds. Soon they become involved in an even more urgent task to recover the grail that is the source of the left-handed booksellers' power, before it is used to destroy the booksellers and rouse the hordes of the mythic past. As the search for the grail becomes strangely intertwined with both their quests, they start to wonder ... Is Susan's long-lost father a bookseller, or something altogether more mysterious?

ISBN: 9781760631246 · October 2020 · RRP: $24.99 · Paperback
Themes: magic/fantasy, adventure
Teacher Tips Available 1 October
For Teacher Tips and Further information go to www.allenandunwin.com

None Shall Sleep

Ellie Marney

Interviewing convicted juvenile killers for the FBI leads Emma Lewis and Travis Bell on the hunt for a serial murderer who targets teenagers. A riveting YA thriller that will keep readers on the edge of their seat from start to finish.

In 1982, in the USA, the innovative FBI Behavioral Science section is breaking new ground, and two teenagers - Emma Lewis and Travis Bell - are recruited to interview convicted juvenile killers for information on cold cases.

Emma and Travis are untrained but they've both experienced violent crime, which has given them skills that make them valuable to the FBI. When they are drawn into an active case targeting teenagers, everything starts to unravel. Over Travis's objections, Emma becomes the conduit between the FBI and Simon Gutmunsson - a super-intelligent, nineteen-year-old sociopath. And although Simon seems to be giving them the information they need to save lives, he's also an expert manipulator playing a very long game...

Working against the clock, can Emma and Travis stop a serial killer in their tracks - or will they fall victim themselves?

'A YA Silence of the Lambs that blew me away with its daring premise, gripped me with its twists and turns, and kept me up all night until its stunning conclusion. Marney brings the serial killer thriller to YA with riveting suspense and sizzling style. Don't read this book in the dark!' – CS Pacat

'With its dark, intriguing premise, gripping suspense and riveting pace, None Shall Sleep is an exhilarating read.' – Fleur Ferris

'Utterly terrifying and impossible to put down.' – Lili Wilkinson

'Tightly written with whip-smart characters, None Shall Sleep pulled me in and didn't let go until the bone-chilling conclusion. A clever and compelling story that rattled me long after I put the book down. Fans of Mindhunter will love this.' – Sarah Epstein

ISBN: 9781760877309 · September 2020 · RRP: $19.99 · Paperback
Themes: thriller, crime, FBI, mystery, suspense
Teacher Notes Available 1 September
For Teacher Notes and Further Information go to www.allenandunwin.com

The Other Side of the Sky

Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner

A magnetic and addictive tale of star-crossed love, inexplicable magic and an impossible choice. Science and faith collide in this tale of magic, destiny and the changing truths found through love by the award-winning authors of the bestselling Starbound trilogy.

Prince North's home is in the sky, in a gleaming city held aloft by intricate unknown technology. But North believes his sky island is sinking. Its engines are failing, and the key to saving his home is to venture to the place the engines were first created.

Nimh is the living goddess of her people on the surface, responsible for providing answers, direction - hope. But in the midst of the surface's worst crisis yet, a mist that spreads madness and poison, doubts have arisen among the people about Nimh's divinity. She must find a way to manifest her power - before she is overthrown, and all is lost.

North's and Nimh's lives are entwined - though their hearts can never be. Linked by a terrifying prophecy and caught between duty and fate, they must choose to either save their people, or succumb to the bond that is forbidden to them. Two worlds, two hearts and a choice that will shape their fate forever.

ISBN: 9781760637675 · September 2020 · RRP: $19.99 · Paperback
Themes: magic, science, love, honour, betrayal, faith
Teacher Tips Available 1 September
For Teacher Tips and Further information go to www.allenandunwin.com

Bush School

Peter O'Brien

A charming story of a time long-gone and the struggles of a young man with his first teaching assignment in a village at the back of beyond.

There was a bed, a timber floor, thin tar paper on one side for privacy from the nearby road but nothing else. The flimsiest of 'walls', no pegs or nails to hang even a hat, no door, no rug for cold morning bare feet, no bookshelf for a voracious reader, no bedside cupboard for a lamp or a glass of water, no light source - just a bed and a suitcase for the next two years.

In 1960, newly minted teacher Peter O'Brien started work as the only teacher at a bush school in Weabonga, two days' travel by train and mail car from Armidale.

Peter was only 20 years old and had never before lived away from his home in Sydney. He'd had some teaching experience, but nothing to prepare him for the monumental challenge of being solely responsible for the education of 18 students, ranging in age from 5 to 15 years old. With few lesson plans, scant teaching materials, a wide range of curious minds and ages to prepare for, Peter was daunted by the enormity of the task ahead.

Because of Weabonga's remoteness, the students were already at a disadvantage, but they were keen and receptive and had been blessed with an enthusiastic and committed teacher. Indeed it was the children and their thirst for learning who kept Peter afloat during the early days of shockingly inadequate living conditions, a deficient diet and the terrible loneliness he felt being isolated so far from family, friends and his burgeoning romance.

Bush School is an engaging and fascinating memoir of how a young man rose to a challenge most would shrink from today. It tells movingly of the resilience and spirit of children, the importance of learning and the transformative power of teaching.

ISBN: 9781760876807 · August 2020 · RRP: $29.99 · Paperback

The Music Advantage

Anita Collins

Groundbreaking music educator Dr Anita Collins draws on the latest international neurological research to reveal the extraordinary and often surprising benefits of learning music for children from newborns to teenagers.

Brain research has revealed something extraordinary: learning music and listening to music can grow and repair our brains at any age.

Simply clapping in time can assist a young child who is struggling with reading. Learning an instrument can help children of all ages dramatically improve their ability to focus on school work, and with their memory and behaviour. Playing in an orchestra develops children's social skills. Learning music can give every child an advantage, whether they are already doing well at school or not coping.

Dr Anita Collins has visited the labs of leading neuromusical researchers around the world and trialled their techniques herself. With real examples from home and school and practical strategies, The Music Advantage shows how parents and teachers can support children's development with music from birth to the teenage years.

'Dr Collins' exuberance and infectious enthusiasm shine through as she persuasively argues for the importance of music in every child's education.' – Professor Alan Harvey, author of Music, Evolution and the Harmony of Souls

'Dr Anita Collins' insights highlight the irreplaceable role music plays in the full education of a child.' – Benjamin Northey, Principal Conductor in Residence of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra

ISBN: 9781760875886 · September 2020 · RRP: $32.99 · Paperback

Untwisted: The Story of My Life

Paul Jennings

Honest, insightful, funny - a brilliant memoir about writing and teaching and life from one of Australia's most loved children's authors.

Sometimes, rather than making you laugh or cry out in surprise, a story will instead leave you wondering about human fragility ...

In the telling of his own tale, children's author and screenwriter Paul Jennings demonstrates how seemingly small events can combine into a compelling drama. As if assembling the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle, he puts together fragments, memories and anecdotes to reveal the portrait of a complex and weathered soul.

Untwisted is revealing, moving and very funny.

‘Paul Jennings knows how to tell a tale – tall or twisted, terrifying or true. Courageous in his craft, Jennings is unafraid of the dark corners, drawing out stories that give voice to things absurd, peculiar and strange. Somehow, he’s able to take a reader’s hand – often a very young reader – and walk them through landscapes of vulnerability, finding tenderness and humour in the most unexpected places. In this, his memoir, Jennings gives us the story behind the storyteller, untwisting the threads of his own life with generosity, humility and candour. Untwisted is Jennings at his best – tall and twisted, terrifying and true. This is a tale most memorable. Has Paul Jennings been listed as a National Living Treasure yet? He should be.’ 

– Gabbie Stroud, author of Teacher and Dear Parents

ISBN: 9781760525828 · October 2020 · RRP: $29.99 · Paperback

WIN A SIGNED COPY OF UNTWISTED

Simply send an email to carolynw@allenandunwin.com and in 25 words or less explain why you would like a signed copy of Paul Jennings’ memoir. The most creative answer will win! Competition closes 15 August, 2020.