Special Collections

The Bone Sparrow

Sometimes, at night, the dirt outside turns into a beautiful ocean. As red as the sun and as deep as the sky. I lie in my bed, Queeny's feet pushing up against my cheek, and listen to the waves lapping at the tent. Subhi is a refugee. Born in an Australian permanent detention centre after his mother fled the violence of a distant homeland, life behind the fences is all he has ever known. But as he grows, his imagination gets bigger too, until it is bursting at the limits of his world. The Night Sea brings him gifts, the faraway whales sing to him, and the birds tell their stories. The most vivid story of all, however, is the one that arrives one night in the form of Jimmie, a scruffy, impatient girl who appears from the other side of the wires, and brings a notebook written by the mother she lost. Unable to read it, she relies on Subhi to unravel her own family's love songs and tragedies. Subhi and Jimmie might both find a way to freedom, as their tales unfold. But not until each of them has been braver than ever before.

Date Added: 05/23/2022

Bobby Dean Saves Christmas

Meet Bobby: an ordinary kid with an extraordinary voice!Sent off to school for the first time in his life, nine-year-old Bobby Dean is busy making new friends, learning lines for the Nativity Play, and trying to not laugh at the head teacher's terrible jokes. But then Bobby Dean discovers that when he sings magical things can happen! From rescuing kidnapped dogs, helping Santa, and even travelling back in time - Bobby Dean's first term is going to be one full of wonder, adventure, and the magic of song! Bobby Dean Saves Christmas is a magical and fun packed adventure for kids highlighting the importance of friendship, loyalty, accepting differences and above all being yourself it is perfect to be read aloud or for children to read alone.

Date Added: 05/23/2022

Blue Bottle Mystery

The well-loved adventure story about a boy with Asperger's who finds a mysterious magic bottle...This is a warm, fun-filled fantasy story for children with a difference: the hero is Ben, a boy with Asperger Syndrome. When Ben and his friend Andy find an old bottle in the school yard, they little realize the surprises about to be unleashed in their lives. Bound up with this exciting mystery is the story of how Ben is diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome and how he and his family deal with the problems and joys that come along.Blue Bottle Mystery is a delight to read that is more than just another kid's book. For the first time, the issues and frustrations that a child may have with Asperger Syndrome are explored within a fictional format especially for children. Its portrayal of Ben as the central character offers other children with autistic spectrum disorders and their peers a positive role model. It is a valuable teaching tool that demystifies children with Asperger Syndrome, justifying their individuality as valid and interesting.In Blue Bottle Mystery Kathy Hoopmann has combined her love of children with her passion for fantasy literature to produce a delightful read for anyone who loves an adventure and wants a unique insight into the mind of an Asperger child.(P) 2017 Hodder & Stoughton Limited

Date Added: 06/06/2022

Black Brother, Black Brother

A powerful coming-of-age story about two brothers - one who presents as white, the other as Black - and the ways they are forced to navigate a world that doesn't treat them equally.Donte wishes he were invisible. As one of the few black boys at his school, he feels as if he is constantly swimming in whiteness. Most of the students don't look like him. They don't like him either. Dubbed the 'Black Brother', Donte's teachers and classmates make it clear they wish he were more like his lighter skinned brother, Dre. When an incident with a white student leads to Donte's arrest and suspension, he's sure the only way to get even is to beat the student at the school's most valued game: fencing. With the help of a former Olympic fencer, Donte embarks on a journey to carve out a spot on the school's fencing team and to find a way to make people at school see past the colour of his skin to who he really is.From NYT bestselling author Jewell Parker Rhodes, another poignant and gripping story about how children and families face the complexities of race and racism in today's world.(P)2020 Little, Brown Young Readers

Date Added: 03/30/2022

Barack Obama

With every page bursting with facts and photos, read about Barack Obama's childhood days, his rise to the top job in the world and how he plans to change America, and the world, for good. In celebration of the great man, HOPE FOR THE WORLD provides an easy to follow history of America and how a new day dawned with Barack's election to the White House.With global peace, climate change and our futures on top of his to-do list HOPE FOR THE WORLD will fascinate, entertain and educate knowledge-hungry fans. It will inspire and inform and be a must have for every bookshelf in the world.(p) 2009 Orion Publishing Group

Date Added: 04/28/2022

Atticus the Storyteller

Atticus the Storyteller is determined to take part in the great Storytelling Festival near Troy. He leaves his family in Crete and sets off on a year-long journey round Greece with his donkey, Melissa; and wherever he goes he tells his favourite myths to anyone who'll listen.The 100 myths include all the favourites, such as the wanderings of Odysseus, the labours of Heracles, the stories of King Midas, Daedalus and Icarus, and Theseus and the Minotaur.Volume 3, read by Simon Russell Beale.(P)2004 Orion Publishing Group.Ltd

Date Added: 04/14/2022

The Amazing Mr Blunden

A CHRISTMAS SKY ORIGINAL FILM, STARRING MARK GATISS, SIMON CALLOW AND TAMSIN GREIGAN ENTHRALLING GHOST STORY WITH A TIME-TRAVELLING TWIST'When you come to the house, you will hear strange tales. They will tell you in the village that it is haunted, but you must not be afraid. When the time comes ... you will know what to do.'Mr Blunden's words echoed through Lucy's ears as she explored the house. It was such an old house that it seemed to Lucy as if all the past was gathered up inside it as if in a great box; as though it had a life of its own that continued to exist just beyond the reach of her eyes and ears. Did Mr Blunden, who went out of his way to offer their mother the job as caretaker, mean to help or hurt them? Could she and her brother Jamie really help those troubled ghosts from another age?'Charming, magical and life-affirming, Antonia Barber's clever and moving tale has become a much-loved favourite. The Wheel of Time spins - and off we go into an unforgettable adventure!' MARK GATISS

Date Added: 05/17/2022

Alexandra the Royal Baby Fairy

Get ready for an exciting fairy adventure with the no. 1 bestselling series for girls aged 5 and up.

The whole of Fairyland is very excited—there's going to be a new royal baby! But when Foster the stork fails to deliver the new bundle of joy on time, the Royal Baby Fairy asks friends of the fairies, Rachel Tate and Kirsty Walker, for their help. Just where can the extra-special baby be?

Date Added: 05/12/2023