Over or Under book cover

Over or Under?

A beautiful picture book about learning to swim in the waves at the beach, from acclaimed author Pip Harry and award-winning illustrator Hilary Jean Tapper

I'm jumping waves at the beach with Dad.
If they're small I can leap over their frothy peaks.
Easy!
But further out, when they're big, you have to duck dive under.

Maisie is learning about ocean swimming at the beach. The small waves are easy, but how will she know when to dive under the bigger ones? And will she be brave enough to try? Lucky Dad is there to help her.

 

August & Jones

WINNER: CBCA Shadow Judging Book of the Year 2023

Shortlisted - 2023 CBCA Book of the Year Awards

Shortlisted - 2023 Margaret and Colin Roderick Literary Award

Shortlisted - 2024 YABBA Awards

Shortlisted - 2024 Speech Pathology Book of the Year Awards

Honour Book- 2024 KOALA Awards: Fiction for Years 7-9

From the CBCA award-winning author of The Little Wave comes the story of two extraordinary kids who discover the life-changing power of friendship and teamwork.

Eleven-year-old Jones Kirby has just moved to Sydney from her farm in country New South Wales. She's missing her alpacas and wide-open paddocks and can't get used to her family's tiny city apartment. She's also worried that her vision is blurry - she lost her eye to cancer as a toddler. Could it be another tumour?

Enrolling at her new school, Jones meets shy, awkward August Genting. He loves fun facts, the library and knitting as much as Jones loves rock climbing and being outdoors. Who would have thought they'd become fast friends?

At home, August's parents are fighting. And for Jones, the news from the doctor is not good. To cheer themselves up, the pair hatch a brilliant plan: the August and Jones Must-See Bucket List. Together, this brave duo will set out to meet a rare monkey, run across the Harbour Bridge and even climb Australia's highest mountain.

After all, with your best friend beside you, anything is possible!

“‘I wish I was reading it for the first time again - that is how much I loved it ... ”
— Readings review
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Are You There, Buddha?

Shortlisted - 2022 NSW Premier’s Literary Awards - Ethel Turner Prize for Young People’s Literature

Notable - 2022 CBCA Book of the Year Awards

A fresh, funny and very contemporary take on puberty, first periods and relationships from the CBCA award-winning author of The Little Wave.

Bridget 'Bee' Ballentine is 12 and starting her first year of high school in the beach suburb Crescent Bay. Still reeling from the departure of her mother for an ashram in India, Bee talks to Buddha and begs for her first period not to arrive. She's not ready to become a woman yet, whatever that means.

Although Bee's yet to find her tribe at school, her best friend forever is surfer Leon McKay, also known as the hottest boy in Year Eight. As long as Leon has her back, Bee can survive the mean girls, her meddling step-mum, Kath, and her swimming nemesis, The Piranha.

Over one blistering summer, set against the backdrop of bushfires, smoke haze and water restrictions, Bee will grow up, show up, and make a name for herself.

“‘Fresh, authentic, poignant, light and dark by turns - I wish I’d read this when I was growing up.’ ”
— Jane Godwin

The Little Wave

WINNER - CBCA Book of the Year 2020 - Younger Readers 

WINNER - Speech Pathology Australia Book of the Year Awards 2020 - 8-10 Years

Shortlisted - 2020 NSW Premier’s Literary Awards - Ethel Turner Prize for Young People’s Literature

When a Manly school sets out to bring a country class to the city for a beach visit, three very different kids find each other and themselves.

Noah is fearless in the surf. Being at the beach makes him feel free. So where does his courage go when his best mate pushes him around?

Lottie loves collecting facts about bugs, but she wishes her dad would stop filling their lonely house with junk. She doesn’t know what to do about it.

Jack wants to be a cricket star, but first he has to get to school and look after his little sister. Especially if he wants to go on the class trip and see the ocean for the first time.

“Everything I love and adore about middle-grade fiction. It manages to grapple with genuine challenges and deep emotions in really beautiful ways, and never loses sight of hope in the process.’ ”
— Danielle Carey
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Because of You

Shortlisted - CBCA Book of the Year Awards 2018

Shortlisted - Victorian Premier's Literary Awards 2018

Shortlisted - Queensland Literary Awards 2018

Meet Tiny and Nola. Two very different girls with two very different stories who are just trying to find a place to belong. A powerful and compelling novel about friendship, love and acceptance.

Everyone has a story.

Tiny is an eighteen-year-old girl living on the streets in Sydney, running from her small-town past. At a temporary homeless shelter, she meets Nola, a high school student on volunteer placement. Both girls share their love of words through the Hope Lane writing group. Can they share their secrets, too?

Told through the eyes of both Tiny and Nola as they negotiate their way through homelessness, shifting friendships, betrayals, addiction and a little bit of romance, Because of You explores the vastly different coming-of-age stories of two girls who are learning to find their individual strengths.

  • “ Because of You is confronting and sad, but has so much heart and hope that as you wipe away the tears, you smile. ”
    — Alexa Dretzke
  • “ Because of You is a hopeful story about human resilience and the life-changing power of discovering your best friend. ”
    — Books + Publishing
  • “ A powerful coming-of-age story filled with beautiful and heartbreaking moments. ”
    — Gabrielle Tozer, award-winning author