It does not rest satisfied with a single idea drawn from a complex fact, but demands the complex fact entire, with its numberless particularities, its interminable ramifications. But the narrative is not chronological; scenes from the past and the 'future' of incidents which occur at the camp sit cheek by jowl, the contrast with happier times making the concentration camp-based vignettes all the crueller.
The narrative's 'present' is that of the prisoners packed into the train carriage on the long, long journey to Buchenwald. His understated approach means that his flash-forwards to camp memories are all the more gut-wrenchingly powerful. One particular scene involving snow, and savage dogs was incredibly difficult to read; I cried, lots.
The book itself is about limbo, in a way; the seemingly never-ending train journey, the suspension between pre-war memories of love and excitement, and war-time horrors. But that is hardly to say that Le grand voyage is an unsatisfactory journey; on the contrary, it is gripping, poignant and very, very powerful. The birth of modern literature in France - a total reinvention of French prose breathless rhythm, use of slang. Like Dos Passos with a filthy mouth. Received Goncourt prize a couple of years ago. Beautiful study in three parts of what it means to me a woman of African descent in today's France by one of the country's best stylists.
Civil unrest among workers; property speculation; boom and bust; devious politicians Witty, insightful, clever, well-written, original.
World literature tour: France | Books | theranchhands.com
Surreal without being smart-alecky. A good yarn, deftly and tightly told. Impressive essay on today's pop culture and mass media by one of the country's leading sociologists published in From Lady Gaga to Slumdog Millionaire, Martel look at the "glocalisation" model, or how the Western culture phagocyte the rest of the world's cultures of resell it internationnaly. Much better and much more articulate critics have explained why it such a great book, so I won't embarrass myself trying.
It just is imagine italics there great. This book is one of those voyages into the unknown of your own self and of Huysman's fantasy.. I have read it at least 50 times since I first discovered it as an undergraduate and each time different corridors in my mind are blown open with new images. It's decadence, symbolism, psychoanalysis, hedonism, and so much more, it's a revelation. It's also so much better in the original than in translation, but not easily accessible in either! I read it in French so cannot comment on any translations. The book is a masterclass in tragicomedy.
As with many of Zola's works it examines the plight of the working class in 19th century France. It features dashed hopes, alcoholism, domestic abuse, unrequited love, latchkey kids and a dry cleaning service. Basically she's like an alcoholic 19th century Heather from Eastenders.
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By turns funny, tragic and fascinating, I have reread this book and cannot reccommend it highy enough. A bunch of no-hopers are recruited by a French broadcaster to write an original, ongoing soap opera, to be broadcast during the graveyard shift in order to fulfil state requirements for French-language programming. With nothing to lose, they create a wildly inventive show filmed on a shoe-string, which gradually becomes more and more popular, until it is the talk of the country, on la une of every newspaper, and in a prime-time slot.
What happens next is Saga is a delight - Benacquista has a fantastic sense of the absurd, and can be very, very droll. It's a modern tragicomedy par excellence and should be read by everybody, immediately. It's an almost perfect cynical novella. Beautifully drawn character who surprises us at the end which didn't seem to be coming. Why no poets here? These two are the very best of the very best in the world, ever. Rimbaud a precocious brat of a genius, Baudelaire plumbing the depths of the soul, gothically and classically at the same time.
I live in France and like reading classic french literature in translation and I've recently been reading Amelie Nothomb in french and the excellent cultural magazine MUZE , but generally don't go for books written by ex-pats or those having a "life experience" in France, however this little novel made me laugh a lot, because it doesn't take itself seriously, but is full of recognisable moments with a bit of comic fantasy thrown in. I've given a copy to a few people as a gift and it has been equally enjoyed.
Trois femmes puissantes telles the stories of three individual women of franco-african origins who decided to fight against humilation and for their dignity. The book actually carries a strong message -- that of women in African societes and communities being able to say "no" and taking their respective lives into their own hands. Trois femmes puissantes unfortunately hasn't seen an English translation yet even though it won the prestigeous Prix Goncourt in One of the great experimental works of literature of the twentieth century, but don't let that put you off. I read this 23 years ago and it's still my favourite book.
The novel's structure is an ingenious puzzle and tells the stories of the inhabitants of a Parisien apartment block in great detail. I was too dim to solve the puzzle when I read it but that didn't matter. Just immerse yourself in the extraordinary layers of detail, bizarre plot diversions and enjoy the way in which is it manages to be profoundly melancholic and incredibly funny at the same time.
I'll re-read it one day because I missed so much the first time. A remarkable and mysterious book. The last book by the realist master and a favourite of Calvino and Borges, Bouvard and Pecuchet is a novel about two bourgeois copy clerks who come into some money, enabling them to retire and develop their interests together. They try their hand at agriculture, medicine, politics, love, religion and education with each new adventure failing in more spectacular manner than the last. It is a beautiful and funny book which culminates in what was to be Bouvard and Pecuchet's final salvo against the ignorance of general understanding the in the still remarkably salient 'dictionary of perceived ideas'.
The great historian of the Revolution delves in her Breton past of the s to tell us about how she embraced the localism of Brittany life and the universalism of France. Very few people have heard of him, but those who have read him, those who know him including current french writers know he is the greatest of them all. Why haven't you heard of him then? Because he is more politically incorrect as you can imagine - his many ennemies have managed to make hard for potential readers to know about him.
His first book "Au Regal des Vernines" in aged 25 was a sensation. Even more his performance at the TV show "Apostrophes" - he provoked as much as he could and George-Narc Benamou and his friends beat him straight after the show. His latest book "L'Homme qui arreta d'ecrire" came close to the Prix Renaudot. Franz-Olivier Gisert was heroic and did everything he could for him to get it. Patrick Besson and Le Clezio voted for him too. This book being auto-edited, there as huge pressure from publishers His style is admired even by his detractors Beigbeder dais "I don t like Marc Edouard Nabe because he writes better than me".
Interestingly he use to live opposite Houellebecq in the early 90's. You got it wrong. You should bend town to his level". Houellebecq later became a superstar writing trash litterature about sexual tourism. Nabe is a genius. It's very possible he chose himself to be an "ecrivain maudit" - the way he assassinates everybody shows it. Marc-Edouard Nabe is also a painter and a musician. The French philosopher, an avid reader, gives us a list of books that has changed his life. Part of a triptych the other two focus on Ravel and engineer Tesla , Courir is the wonderful tale of the world's fastest man, Zapetek who ended up dustman in his Czech hometown.
Warmer than 'Atomised' unsettling Unusual sexual practises,horrific death and Islam! What more could you want? Blaise Cendrars is the poet of adventure, travels and love for life par excellence! He writes as he spoke, and has been a major influence for american writers such as Henry Miller with whom he was friend and the Beat Poets Forget Dogtanian, this is the real deal, with enough swash to buckle a whole regiment. The four adventurers are wonderfully drawn, their friendship always believable and the ratcheting of the tension — to a surprisingly brutal conclusion — masterfully conducted.
Although this old novel came to everyone's attention because Sarkozy has consistently disparaged it which only added to my feeling that it had to be good , it's been a well-loved classic for centuries. In our hedonistic, 'me-me-me' times, the story of a woman who chooses honour over love with disastrous consequences is as rare as it is haunting. For those who like a good romantic yarn, it's a must.
Eye-opening and completely original. Marks a majot transitional period in French literature. Beautiful imagery and versification. Quiet, poetic, lyrical writing. You get lost in the words and the story and then remain haunted by them for quite a while afterwards. This submission just a PS to give the translator's name. Beautifully, intimate document that illuminates existentialism in the most creative possible manner. Successfully combines philosophy and literature. This brilliant and encyclopedic account of the Dreyfus affair reads as history should -- one is constantly aware not only of the social and political settings for the sordid events that happened but how they were related to each other.
The book undoubtedly struck a nerve for although a best seller and widely acclaimed, it won not a single literary prize. Jean-Denis Bredin however was later made a member of the Academie Francaise not only for this but for a lifetime of accomplishment little noticed in English-speaking lands.
The subtle mix of fantasy with realism, along with philosophical, religious and political messages that lace the book make it the most moving book I have ever read. Francis Ponge writes poetry about everyday objects such as oranges and cigarettes. For people who are not really into poetry, this is a great poet to read. Hilarious and very right. I read in spanish by Anagrama. Zola's great panoramic novel of the Franco-Prussian war is my particular favourite.
Against the background of military and social collapse in France, we follow the intertwined destinies of the peasant corporal Jean Macquart and the bourgeois lawyer and private soldier Maurice Levasseur. Epic scenes of battle, suffering and the apocalyptic destruction of the Paris commune as Maurice metamorphoses into a despiser of his own social class and fighter for the commune where he encounters Jean again as a professional defender of the new Republic.
There must be an English translation although I can't name one, but it's worth learning French just to read this. Amongst recent novels, I loved 'Le gone du chaaba', Azouz Begag's coming-of-age story of the son of Algerian immigrants in Lyon. Written by a couple of Canadians one is French speaking, the other one English speaking after a three year research in Paris. Best book about the French written in a looong time. An exhaustive story of the French language, from its beginnings to the anti-english war "courriel", anyone? How more French and about the French can a book be?
A book where the author understands and writes about the fears, humiliations and ridiculous pretentious vanity of humanity, a misanthropic classic. An excerpt; The water lapped against the bank where the fishermen were, and I sat down to watch them. I was really in no hurry at all, no more than they were. This little book reminds to adults that they too were once children. It contains a sort of childish in the good meaning of the word wisdom, laid out so simply yet so elegantly and poetically.
It is books like these that reinforce Keith Johnstone's "Impro" view that perhaps we shouldn't consider children as immature adults, but of "adults as atrophied children" in terms of how education strips children of their creativity and incentive for being spontaneous. Everytime I read this book I read new things into it of course , but it's the sort of things that make me have a nice day and smile.
One coin is much more important than senses and desires of one person. But they are not guilty of it. They just cant behave another way. Kill or you will be killed. Thats the main priority in western society. Tremendous atmosphere - mysterious, nostalgic, romantic. Sense of loss - of childhood, loves, family, hopes. First and only book completed by Alain-Fournier pen name of Henri Alban Fournier who was born and was killed in battle on the Meuse in Nov De Beauvoir's novel is rich and engrossing; each character is thoroughly drawn and the plot encompasses small, intimate, and personal changes, as well as the larger political upheaval immediately following the war.
Philosophy, politics, history, and human relationships blend seamlessly. It is magnificent and moving. Rabelais' tales of Giants and men is what kicks off the modern french novel. In large part a satire, it is still inventive and laugh out loud to this day. The seventeenth-century translation of Urquart does a tremendous job transferring this burlesque spirit to the english reader. This book is the ultimate take on what it is to be a human being and how to cope with that reality. Infinite insight , a subtle irony , done with flair and wit , whilst constantly remaining accessible to the general reader.
Wonderfully brave modern novel difficult to imagine anyone else writing this. Insightful and deeply thought provoking writer merging literature and philosophical ideas both the Plague and the Outsider are 20th century classics of world literature must reads. Haunting and masterful case of the nouveau roman. A great technique for a novel about colonialism. Very short, not boring and universal truths.
Necessary reading for all on a budget. Poetry of solitude and desire set in Provence. I would compare the writing to Waugh's Brideshead Revisited. Written in a perfect language, grasps the essence of waiting, love and desire, and war. Not very well known of French public, and yet I read it in CSYS French at high school in Scotland and it left a lasting impression which is stronger now, 20 years later.
The character of Louis, his misdirected hatred and the horrible realisation that he was wrong and has ruined his own life. It's simple but powerful. Passion, unrequited love, death, treachery, betrayal - this play has it all! With lines like this, who could not love it? J'ai pris la vie en haine, et ma flamme en horreur. It's a short and easy read - in part biographical and autobiographical. It's been popular since it was first published, been made into films and has rarely been out of print.
The opera from this story is La Traviata. Paris in the 's, a tragic love story and the life of a beautiful courtesan who dies young of TB - this has to be a recipe for success. Interweaves themes from political events of the recent past Algeria and the OAS that are relatively unknown to a non-French audience into a detective novel. Also gives a real feel of life in the bainlieus. It doesn't get better than this. Only book I've missed the characters from when I put it down.
This novel glitters with Flaubert's numinous narrative ease - here the depth, there the irony, nuanced insight one moment, unabashed moral observation the next. And it is very funny. Concerned with the spring of life; best read in the twilight. To go into the french poetry, where the beauty is in the darkness, where you have to go into yourself to understand life Incredibly complex and rich, difficult to imagine it coming out of anywhere but France. Gothic, a ripping yarn, wonderful language Absurdity, with all the bases covered. This is a book which will change your life.
Everyone should read it at least once, just as everyone should read War and Peace. I read it as a child years ago! The deep hidden meanings still guides me today.. Even today when I read the book it stills sends a tingle down my spine and my imagination soars Albiach is ne of Frances most interesting living poets, and this book makes a good introduction to her work. Sartre's characters do occasionally come across as sock puppets in a staged philosophical debate about freedom and the nature of being, but in this case it works: The great novel of political consciousness, revolution and nature.
It's short, intense and totally transgressive. The story could be summarised as 'sex between a woman and an underage boy, and then between two minors' -- but when you read it you are hardly aware of just how transgressive it is since the people and their emotions are so richly and clearly shown. The acts might be illegal, but Colette makes it impossible to see them as in any sense wrong. That sounds dull, but honest it's really good.
This is a really fine novel, which I was really moved by when I read in the original French last summer. It begins as a gripping crime novel as several very private writers are in some way attacked or harassed at the beginning of the book. Eventually, we learn that these authors were all members of an anonymous committee which chose the titles of the best books to be sold in a brand new bookstore called "Au Bon Roman", which stocks only really good novels — no celebrity bios, nothing commercial, no Swedish thrillers.
I especially loved the two main protagonists — the man and woman who open the bookstore in question — and the peculiar relationship that develops between them. She also tricks the reader in believing that the novel is written in the third person, while in fact the reader eventually discovers that it is narrated by one of the characters in the novel A book about a country and an era.
Unforgettable characters, very good plot. It talks about the highs and lows of human beings as a whole. These are superbly exciting books examining the relation between the sunny polished mediterranean city, it's political elite and its all too present underworld. The greatest novel of the 20th Century will change the way how you perceive Art, Literature and Music.
It will change your life. Re-reading this recently whilst in the US, it still stands as a great unpicking of America's founding myths. All done with a savviness and humanity second to none. Jonathan Littell's The Kindly Ones - a huge panorama of the second world war, from the death camps to the fall of Berlin, told from the perspective of a Nazi main character who may well be schizophrenic. Phillipe Claudel's "Brodeck's Report" gave an interestingly oblique perspective on the holocaust and the dangers inherent in the way communities define themselves against the 'other'.
Alain Elkann's "The French Father" was actually written in Italian but presents a dialogue between two men buried in the Montparnasse cemetery and ranges over history, identity and values in elucidating the sometimes fraught business of being French as well as the often vexing one of being dead and RichardLea I didn't find emma bovary passive so much as paralysed, which makes all the difference. It's so vivid and human. One of the best and most honest female centered or feminist, if you like novels ever written. This most perfectly balanced of novels, scandalous for its time, is packed with wonderfully detailed descriptions.
Flaubert brings to life the whole range of characters and sublimely portrays the ultimate flawed heroine, Emma Bovary. Emile is among the first treatises on progressive education and pedagogy. Rousseau wrestles with the tensions between the demands of Self and those of society, and social organizations.
He's so great I have no words to describe Irony, parody of criminal novels and adventure novels, words that sound like music, rythm, cultural slight humorous hints, poetry and tenderness too And it's a pity that so few of Echenoz's books are translated into English! By the way, this one, "I am gone" French title "Je m'en vais" won the Goncourt price in , I am not too fond of literary prices, but at least they help getting translations In a nutshell, if I get only one chance to introduce a relatively recent French- and translated!
Marguerite Duras found the word to express what love really is. Wonderful language and wonderful exploration of psychology and morals. A brilliant study of a serial killer. Patrick Bateman may be better known, but this book gave me nightmares. A short book, but you wont get it out of your head for several days. I've lived there three years but even before going to France, was reading a number of French novels, both for my studies and for my own pleasure. Not a very original choice but I'd definitely say The Three Musketeers is the novel which had the biggest and longest lasting impact on me.
I finished it in less than two weeks back in September - it was a pleasure. I struggle to understand the criticism that is sometimes levelled at Dumas commercial writer, etc. The storyline is fantastic and keeps you gripped to the book's pages until you've finished, after an initially slow start.
I just couldn't get enough of this blend of love, vengeance, treason and justice. Also, the way Dumas takes his reader from place to place, travelling across France, and across the channel, deserves praise. I found myself travelling with this novel: A cruel and extremely powerful novel with striking realism. Browsing the comments below, I see that someone mentioned Maupassant's short stories, and I second that.
Stefan, a charismatic, religious leader, has convinced Gabriel that only children will be able to liberate the Holy Land from the Infidel. Together, they raise an army and make the arduous journey over the Alps. The power of Stefan's promises dim as they suffer many misadventures. Asterix series Any two titles read from this series can be included as official Challenge books; up to five more titles can be included as your personal choice books.
Or, you can search for a series name or the individual titles by using the Search function on the top left hand corner of the screen. Asterix versus Caesar When the chief's niece, Panacea, is captured by the Romans with her fiance, Tragicomix, the Gaulish warriors Asterix and Obelix join the Roman legion in order to find them.
All he has ever wanted to do, since he saw his first plane, is be a pilot. But, now, all he can remember are the roar of the engines and the rattle of machine guns. His friend, Lenny, has lost a leg in a dogfight with the German Luftwaffe. Harry is determined to fight on bravely for all he holds dear but the dangers are terrible and the thrills exhausting.
Battle of the jade horse Battle of the Jade Horse Author: Alison Lloyd Hu and Ren are friends during the second century in China. Their families come from different social classes and each must make choices that may hurt their friendship. How will their friendship be able to survive? Before they were famous series Historical fiction, easily read but with mature and fascinating content that gives an insight into the people who have shaped history. Any two titles read from this series can be included as official Challenge books; up to five more titles can be included as your personal choice books.
Big Nate series Any two titles read from this series can be included as official Challenge books; up to five more titles can be included as your personal choice books. Crowd goes wild, The Nate is 11 years old, four-and-a-half feet tall, and the all-time record holder for detentions in school history. He's a self-described genius and sixth grade Renaissance Man. Nate, who lives with his dad and older sister, enjoys pestering his family and teachers with his sarcasm.
Billy Mack's war When Captain Mack is released from prison camp at the end of the war, no-one is sure what to expect, least of all his son Billy. He might be the same man who went off to war full of hope and pride or his experiences may have changed him forever. Birrung the secret friend Birrung, a young indigenous girl, lives with the family of Richard Johnson, chaplain to the Australian colony in When Birrung befriends orphaned Barney and Elsie, a mute, the Johnson family also takes them in.
As Barney's feeling for Birrung grow, he is advised that his friendship with a 'native' girl, and all that she taught him about her language and lore, must remain a secret, forever. Many parents sent their children to live in a safer place when German bombs rained down on the major cities of England during World War II. For Edie and Tom it is not a happy solution.
Edie struggles to mother and protect Tom in harsh countryside with an austere family and an unfriendly school community. Queen Mary will come to the throne, ousting Lady Jane Grey. Mary's executioners will be busy removing her perceived enemies. Even Princess Elizabeth, the future queen of England, is imprisoned in the Tower.
Tilly Middleton, who lives in the Tower of London where her father works, finds she has an important role to play. Bomber balloon, The When a Zeppelin aircraft crashes over a British town, the German soldiers meet those they have been bombing, including one very angry girl. Booms, busts and bushfires In the last forty years, Australia has experienced a period of rapid change, with many social and political events impacting on our lives. This book covers the period from , before computers and the internet existed in Australia, to the present time.
Our resources have made us a rich country, but it remains to be seen how long the good times can last, before a boom turns into a bust. The Romans have invaded, her father has been accused of murder and she doesn't know who to trust. A mysterious Druid appears in Boudica's village and she must decide whether or not to enter his murky world.
She must make the right decision so that one day she can bring honour to her tribe and become their warrior queen.
World literature tour: France
Bridget, a new Australian During the Irish potato famine, Bridget's family has been turned out of their home and their only refuge is the workhouse, where living conditions are hard and the food sparse. For Bridget and her sister, Maeve, their one chance is to take a ship to a new country and become Australians.
They must survive the journey then face the many challenges that await them in a new, far away land. Captain Cook's apprentice When young Isaac Manley sailed from England with Captain James Cook on the Endeavour in , no one knew if the mysterious southern continent really existed. During his three years at sea, Isaac witnessed floggings, huge storms, press-gangs and violent clashes as well as the tropical beauty of Hawaii and the wonders of New Zealand.
Children of the king, The Cecily, Jeremy and a young refugee, May, have been sent to live with Uncle Peregrine in the country, safe from the war in London. But, when Cecily and May find two mysterious boys hiding out in a nearby castle ruin, and Jeremy runs away to London to help in the war effort, several destinies come together to make an extraordinary adventure.
The young girl is uncertain of her future until she finally receives news from home and realises her time has come to face her enemies and take her place as Queen of Egypt. Time for glorious summer days and fun with friends. Coco's mum is still travelling, but she arranges the BEST surprises. One surprise is in a box delivered by Coco's best friend, N. The next surprise is an invention called the Skip Back Machine. What does it do? And the biggest surprise is tickets to a concert by Coco's favourite pop star, Prince Louis! Coco has a big decision to make. Coco Banjo series Any two titles read from this series can be included as official Challenge books; up to five more titles can be included as your personal choice books.
Andrew tells how his men prepared for and of the fierce battles that took place once they were ashore. This is Andrew's part in the biggest amphibious military operation in the history of the world. Daisy all alone It's and Daisy's worst nightmares have come true. She's alone on the streets, separated from her family, and things get worse when the police send her to live at the Melbourne Orphanage.
At least she doesn't have to scavenge for food scraps anymore but, with no family and no freedom, Daisy is miserable. When she hears some shocking news, Daisy decides it's time to plot a daring escape. Daisy in the mansion It's , Daisy has been adopted and whisked away to a beautiful mansion. She's to be a companion to Annie, a girl with a mysterious illness.
While Daisy's new life is full of luxuries she could never have imagined, what she wants most is the thing her new parents can't provide. She wants the freedom to find her real family before it's too late. Daisy on the road It's and Daisy has finally had news that her dad is alive. He's gravely injured somewhere in the bush and, although she doesn't know quite where, Daisy is determined to find him. With help from old friends, she sets off on her way. But life on the road is hard and, before long, disaster strikes.
Danny da Vinci and his best friend, Mick Angelo, are apprentices in Uncle Leo's art studio when he is commissioned to make a giant, marble horse. The secret of the Mona Lisa Danny da Vinci and his best friend Mick Angelo are artistic adventurers who share a passion for painting and sculpture. Every year the Duke of Milan holds an art exhibition, and this year the Duke has asked Danny's Uncle Leo to paint his portrait. Danny and Mick want to enter something in the exhibition too, something special.
Danny's sister Lisa has an idea, but why should they listen to her? She's such a moaner! Death of a princess Set in Ancient Egypt, the book follows the murder investigation of the Pharaoh's daughter. The story follows Meryet-Neith, the harem's beautician, who needs to find the truth or risk becoming a scapegoat for the murder.
Donkey who carried the wounded, The An inspiring read about the famous partnership of Simpson and his donkey. Written in the voices of Jack and the donkey, their story, and the horrors and comradeship, of Gallipoli, come to life. Dragonfly song The firstborn baby daughter of a priestess is cast out and, after raiders kill her adopted family, she is abandoned, anonymous and mute.
Called No-Name, the cursed child, she is raised a slave. At twelve, she learns that her real name is Aissa, the dragonfly. Every year, the Bull King takes two young children to brave the bloody bull dances in his royal court. None has ever returned. But, for Aissa, it is the only escape.
She is resilient, resourceful and fast but, to survive the bull ring, Aissa will have to learn the mystery of her true nature. Eagle in the snow, An Barney's home in Coventry has been bombed along with most of the other houses in the street so he and his mother are on a train to Cornwall. But even a train is not safe as it comes under fire by a couple of Messerschmitt aircraft, only just escaping destruction in a tunnel.
Barney's fear of the dark is gradually eased when a stranger begins a story as they wait for the all clear. And what a story it is. A young soldier in World War 1 became the most decorated Private of that war due to his bravery, loyalty and mateship. But one of his actions, at the time seen to be the right thing to do, turned out to have some terrible consequences.
It is up to him to make things right. Elephant in the garden, An It's and Elizabeth's father is fighting with the German army on the eastern front. In Dresden, Elizabeth, Karli and their mother are fleeing the city as the allied bombs fall. They face a torturous journey through a perilous, snow-covered landscape to reach the safety of the west.
It would be hard enough, without an elephant in tow. Elephant mountain Kasem is thrilled when he is given responsibility for baby elephant, Pooky, and promises the elephant that he will always look after him. Kasem has to remember many important things and wonders whether he will be able to keep his promise to Pooky. But, when his police-officer cousin arrives, flanked by a tall man in the uniform of the Federal Police, Emilio's long nightmare begins. Emilio's mother has been kidnapped in broad daylight by unidentified criminals, who appear to know a great deal about her business and who have mistaken her for a wealthy businesswoman.
Esty's gold The 's potato famine in Ireland and the death of her father dramatically change thirteen year old Esty's life.
The remaining family members migrate to Australia in the hope of making their fortune. The goldfields, Ballarat and the Eureka Stockade feature in the life of this feisty heroine. Evan's Gallipoli Evan is 14 when his father decides they should deliver some comforting goods to the Allied soldiers. They are ill-prepared for the danger, horrors and hardship they will encounter at war. She begins a nature diary and, intrigued by an invasion of large, yellow grasshoppers, spends more time with her remote and cantankerous grandfather, an avid naturalist.
When they are about to make an amazing discovery, the reality of Callie's situation catches up with her. She's a girl, expected to cook and clean and sew. Fair dinkum series An exciting, easy to read series, with hilarious cartoons, that tell the story of Australia. Family with two front doors, The Nomi is one of nine children living in Poland in the s. Their family is so large, they need to live across two apartments.
Their father is a Rabbi and there are many customs to follow, many revolving around food. But, the biggest adventure of all is when big sister Adina is told she is to be married, at the age of fifteen, to someone she has never met. Based on the author's real family, the Rabinovitches dance, laugh and cook their way through an extraordinary life in s Poland. Fighting stingrays, The Charlie, Masa and Alf are best mates - loyal and adventurous. They're the Fighting Stingrays. In between school, swimming and fishing on idyllic Thursday Island, they have a ripper time role-playing bombing missions and other war games.
Drawn into a dangerous game of cat and mouse in the Torres Strait, their friendship and loyalties are tested as the threat of invasion looms closer. Flight Tonight is the night. The family has to flee. Set in biblical times, a small family sets off across a desert in search of refuge from persecution in their own country. Beset by heat and thirst, and threatening tanks, they travel towards a refugee camp and safety, while they wait for asylum in another country. An ancient story becomes a fable for our times. Fly a Rebel Flag, the battle at Eureka The diggers were fed up.
Ever since the gold rushes began, police had hounded them about their licences. The diggers of Ballarat took up arms, built a stockade and swore to defend themselves. That twenty minute battle changed Australia forever. Frieda, a new Australian Frieda, her sickly mother and her father travel from Germany to Australia, looking for a better life. Nervous and excited about Adelaide, a drought-stricken town with hordes of flies and barefoot children, Frieda is keen to make friends. But, as the First World War takes hold, the Germans are now seen as the enemy.
Rumours begin to circulate that Frieda's father is a spy. Frieda has her own battles to fight. She begins to wonder whether she should change her name and hide all trace of her culture. The girls wonder what their new place will be like. They hear the convict women saying there are giant rats and other strange animals there.
When sickness strikes the ship, it seems unlikely that anyone will survive to reach the shores of the new land. Ghost by the billabong, The When seventeen year old Jed Kelly turns up at Drinkwater Station, claiming to be the great-granddaughter of Matilda Thompson's dying husband, she has no evidence and won't even reveal her real name. Badly-wounded Vietnam War veteran, Nicholas, is haunted by ghosts and his changed life. As Jed settles in to life on the Station, she feels part of a real family for the first time.
Her secrets remain hidden, for now. Set during the turbulence of the late s, a time of hippies, anti-war demonstrations and Australia's vital role in the unforgettable first moon walk. Ghostscape Time is running out for Aisha, the Somali refugee girl, who has found herself transported back to the time of the Blitz in London.
Although Aisha is full of fear and horror because she already knows the future of her original school building, she is still compelled to try to save her new friend, Richard, and his aged grandfather, during the terrible bombing of the Second World War. The man Flinty loves returned from war so changed and distant. Her brother Andy 'gone with cattle', leaving Flinty in charge of their younger brother and sister and with the threat of eviction from the farm she loves.
A brumby muster held under the watchful eye of the legendary Clancy of the Overflow offers hope. Girl who rode the wind, The Twelve-year-old Lola is desperate to become a jockey. And when her grandmother takes her to Italy for the summer, it seems like those dreams are coming true. The ultimate street race, the Palio, awaits her! But as Lola learns more about the Palio, she discovers dark family secrets that has hung over their name ever since the Second World War.
Can Lola prove herself against the toughest of riders? And can she heal the heartbreak that has haunted her family all these years? Goat who sailed the world, The Isaac, twelve, has joined Captain Cook's ship as a master's servant. He's not considered good enough to fetch hay for the goat who provides fresh milk.
Over time, a special friendship grows between the goat and Isaac. Some coarse language in context. Goldseekers, The It is the s on the Australian goldfields. People are caught up in the, often violent, grip of gold fever. Miju and her brother, kidnapped from their homeland, are working to earn their passage home. Racism and robbery make their quest more difficult. In a deadly case of murder Lucy Goodly is a magician. Not a very knowledgeable one, and rather young too, but she is learning. Can Lucy and Lord Grave solve the mystery and stop a seriously magical plot?
Grace and Glory It's and Grace has arrived at a bark hut on the edge of a river to start her life as a servant. But, even though she tries hard, nothing Grace does for her new master ever seems right, especially if it involves Glory, his beloved horse. When the master goes away and leaves Grace in charge, she is tested when she has to save her mistress from danger. Gracie and the emperor Gracie has been told many stories about the emperor, Napoleon Bonaparte, who will stop at nothing to rule the world.
When the dreaded man comes to the island where Gracie lives, she wants to run away but she has nowhere to go. Her girlhood days turn to fear and horror as the sickness strikes, and Alice's account includes the story of the bubonic plague and the Great Fire of London in Halo Halo, abandoned as a baby and raised by centaurs, captured and torn from her happy home, disguises herself as a boy to have any freedom.
Still under constant threat of enslavement and exposure, she lives the myths, legends and culture of ancient Greece from warring Sparta to Athens, searching for her identity. Handkerchief map, The Through letters written to loved ones, three characters reveal their most intimate thoughts about the conflict in World War II. Franz, a young Nazi soldier, has begun to question the rightness of the cause.
Helga is a Russian girl, bent on joining the resistance. Susanna, a Jewess, has been separated from her husband and children, and condemned to the cruelty of a concentration camp. But, in September , her happy life disappears. The Nazis have invaded Poland and are herding all Jewish people into ghettos in the cities. Hanna's family are forced into hiding in the country but this means trusting others.
Hanna and her family are caught and sent to the Warsaw Ghetto where they must use whatever skills they have to survive. When news arrives that her brother is dangerously ill, Susannah will stop at nothing, even highway robbery, to get the money she desperately needs to save his life. It is , when times are hard and punishments harsh. Grace tries so hard to be a good servant but still her master doesn't trust her. Grace thinks he blames her for what happened to his beloved horse.
It's injured and growing sicker every day. Grace wants to do something to help but she doesn't know who to turn to. This book draws on Australian war history with the protagonist being Rose, a young English girl turned nurse who cares for and falls in love with Jim - the Light Horse Boy. On the long journey back to Australia they experience the appalling loss of life due to the Spanish flu epidemic.
But that is not the only challenge they face together. Island of lost horses, The When twelve year old Beatriz stumbles across a wild mare with strange markings, she can't believe it's real. Yet, from that moment on, the strongest connection grows between them, and Beatriz begins to uncover an incredible history. Centuries ago, Felipa and her horse, Cara Blanca, were running for their lives.
As the fates of Beatriz, Felipa and their horses become entwined, Beatriz realises that the future of the world's rarest horses depends on her. Ivory rose, The Jemma lands a babysitting job in Rosethorne, one of the famous witches' houses near her home. The house is supposedly haunted by a sad little girl. When Jemma discovers a beautiful ivory rose locket, she sees a terrifying flashback and wakes up in , where she becomes an apprentice maidservant. Young heiress Georgiana is constantly sick and Jemma suspects she's being poisoned.
Jack Fortune and the search for the hidden valley An orphan child full of mischief, Jack lives with his crotchety widow aunt in eighteenth-century England. His naughtiness knows no limits, and when one day he goes a step too far, Aunt Constance decides that she's had enough: Uncle Edmund is in no way prepared for a boy with boundless energy and an impish streak - and anyway, he's off to the Himalayas to search for rare plants! But Aunt Constance is absolutely determined, and Jack's uncle has no choice - he will have to take the boy with him. Jeremy Jeremiah This is a time-slip story of friendship and of Australia's early gold-mining days.
Jeremy makes contact with a boy who lived in Jeremy's house a hundred years before. Josie under fire Josie's stays in London during the terrible bombing attacks of , while her mother nurses her ailing grandmother. Josie struggles with her own feelings of inadequacy and her brother's very unpopular decision not to go to war. But, when civil war engulfs Ancient Rome, Caesar seizes the opportunity to prove her wrong and fulfil his destiny as leader of the mightiest empire the world has ever known. Kampung boy Illustrated story of a Muslim boy's adventures and mischief-making, fishing trips, religious education and work on his family's rubber plantation in Malaysia.
However, the traditional way of life in his village kampung is steadily disappearing. Kaspar prince of cats At the beginning of the twentieth century, Johnny Trott, a bell-boy at London's prestigious Savoy Hotel, befriends a guest, the Russian aristocrat, Countess Kandinsky. She trusts him to look after her special cat, Prince Kaspar, and a series of events are set in motion that take Johnny and Kaspar all around the world, and change his life forever. Kerenza, a new Australian In , Kerenza's da father can no longer get work as a miner in Cornwall.
She doesn't want to leave her village and take a ship to Australia but Kerenza can be brave for her dad's sake. Where he sees a farm, Kerenza and her Mam see endless mallee scrub, flies and hard work. It's almost too much to bear but the Mallee has its own beauty, and family and new-found friends might just make it her home. Kite rider, The Located in China in the period of the Mongols, this story follows Haoyou's intrepid adventures across oceans and the skies. Lacemaker and the Princess, The Eleven year old Isabelle is a lacemaker like her mother and grandmother in the town of Versailles.
It is the year and the eve of the French revolution. Isabelle is caught between being the Queen's daughter's companion, amid the luxury of the royal court, and having to earn a living lacemaking to keep her family alive. When the King names her family as producers of the next heir to the throne in the absence of any off-spring of his own, Jane, at nine years of age, becomes a political pawn. She is bought to marry a nobleman's son and then traded.
Finally, she has no choice but to try to snare the King of England. Last flight, The Alfred is an air observer, flying above the war, taking photos of the enemy lines. But the Germans are also in the sky. Lasseter returned with six companions but he could not find the site again. Despite help from nomads he never makes it home. She has a new best friend, the school magazine is a huge hit and her parents have a surprise that will change everything.
When Lina has the chance to meet her idol, the famous writer Stella Davis, it seems that all her dreams have come true. Letty and the stranger's lace Letty and her sister, Lavinia, have arrived in Sydney town in It's a dangerous place for two girls on their own. When Lavinia gets a job, Letty is left feeling useless and alone. Then, she meets Mary, a strange woman with a secret. Letty on the land It's and if Letty wants to keep her job, she must travel with her mistress to a sheep farm in the Blue Mountains, leaving her sister, Lavinia, behind in Sydney. Letty has heard that the bush is a wild place, full of strange beasts and dangers, not to mention the bushrangers who hide out in it.
And, as Letty soon learns, life on the land has plenty of challenges. Letty's Christmas It's and Letty must leave her job on the sheep-run because drought has brought hard times. She and the Grey family set out over the Blue Mountains but, when disaster strikes, Letty needs to be much stronger than she could ever have imagined.
Letty wonders if she'll ever see Sydney or her sister, Lavinia, again. Light horse boy In , best mates, Jim and Charlie, abandon the Australian outback for the excitement and adventure of the war to end all wars. Jim is not quite old enough but he lies about his age. Jim and Charlie think joining the Light Horse Regiment is a bit of an adventure and that the war will be over in a few months.
But, they quickly discover the brutal realities of life on the frontline. Lillipilly Hill At the end of the nineteenth century, Harriet Wilmot and her family have come to live in an inherited house in a New South Wales town. Despite the heat and unconventional schooling, Harriet is in awe of Australia and much prefers it to dreary old London. Not all the Wilmots agree. Harriet breaks rules and expectations in her efforts to convince her family to stay in this new and exciting land. The whole city is buzzing with excitement and Lina can't wait to go along as a reporter for the school magazine.
Now is her chance to prove to everyone that she's a real writer. Nothing could be more important until Lina makes a new friend who changes the way she sees the world. Lina stories, The It's Now that she's won a scholarship to an expensive girls school, Lina has other troubles, too. But the Melbourne Olympic Games could be an opportunity for Lina to follow her dream of working on the school paper. Journey with Lina across all four exciting stories about a passionate girl finding a place to belong. Imaginative, kind and hard-working, Lina is an unforgettable Australian Girl.
Lina's many lives It's and Lina is working hard on the school newspaper but mean Sarah Buttersworth isn't making it easy. When Lina's best friend, Mary, gets distracted by her new television, things begin to fall apart. Meanwhile, at home, Lina starts to uncover some dark family secrets. Living in two such different worlds isn't easy and, when tragedy strikes, she makes a decision that causes her many lives to collide. Little brother Vithy is in war-torn Cambodia searching for his only remaining family member, his older brother.
Little wooden horse, The In eighteenth century London, two children, Elizabeth and Tom, are so hungry, they steal a loaf of bread from the bakery.
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They are caught and transported to Australia aboard a convict ship. Their time on board is harrowing and the voyage is certainly not smooth sailing. By the time they arrive in New South Wales, Tom is ill with fever and his fate unknown. Lizzie and Margaret Rose In , bombs are falling in London. Ten year old Margaret Rose survives a deadly raid but her family and home are destroyed. In faraway Townsville in Queensland, Margaret's aunt is ready to take her in but her cousin, Lizzie, is not so sure and certainly doesn't want to share her room. But, first, Margaret Rose must undertake a long and dangerous voyage to a strange country, also at war.
She knows it's not going to be easy, and Lizzie's not about to make it any easier. Lizzie's wish The story of a young girl in Victorian England who's mother, after her father's death, has remarried a gentleman disliked by Lizzie.
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She is sent to London to stay with her aunt and uncle during the lead-up to the birth of a sibling. Locket of dreams, The Sophie falls asleep wearing a locket which belonged to her great-great-great-grandmother and is magically transported to to learn the truth about Charlotte Mackenzie, how she came to be in Australia and what happened to the family's priceless sapphire. Long walk to water, A Based on a true story, this is a dual narrative about the harsh realities of life in Sudan. Nya's story relates to her daily struggle for water and survival.
Salva's journey spans fifteen years after rebels attack his village and he is forced to flee into the bush to avoid being recruited. He joins hundreds of displaced people heading for a refugee camp in Ethiopia, all the while searching for his family. Lost sapphire, The Marli is staying with her dad in Melbourne, and missing her friends. Then she discovers a mystery- an abandoned mansion, Riversleigh, is to be returned to her family after many years. Marli sneaks into the locked garden to explore, and meets Luca, a boy who has his own connection to Riversleigh. In , Violet is fifteen and lives at Riversleigh.
Her life is filled with boating parties, picnics and extravagant balls. An army of servants looks after her family- including the young Russian chauffeur, Nikolai. Over one summer Violet must decide what is important to her. Her eccentric family hasn't known much luck over the years and Tugs vows to turn that around, When she befriends popular Aggie Millhouse, wins a new camera and stumbles into a mystery only she can solve, things begin to change.
It just may be that being a Button is precisely what one funny, spirited, and observant young heroine decides to make of it. Marly's business It's and Marly needs a job. She wants to buy Donkey Kong cards to swap with the other kids at school but her parents think the cards are a waste of money. Then Marly's friend, Yousra, gives her an idea and she decides to start her own business. But, working on your own isn't easy and, when Marly catches a bus that goes in the wrong direction, it's just the start of her problems.
Matilda saga series Any two titles read from this series can be included as official Challenge books; up to five more titles can be included as your personal choice books. Meet Alice It's and the Great War rages on the other side of the world. Alice lives with her big family by the Swan River in Perth and her deepest wish is to become a ballerina.
When she auditions for a famous dance teacher from London, it seems as if her dreams might come true. But, then there's a terrible accident, and Alice must ask herself whether there are more important things than dancing. Meet Daisy It's and Daisy lives on a farm, where she loves riding her horse, Jimmy, through the paddocks. Times are tough and, when her father loses his job, Daisy and her little sister, Flora, are sent to Melbourne to live with their aunt and uncle. Daisy must leave behind everything and everyone she loves for a city she's never seen.
Even her wildest daydreams can't prepare her for the new life that awaits her. Meet Daisy and join her adventure in the first of four exciting stories about a hopeful girl in troubled times. Meet Grace In , orphaned, London street urchin, Grace, steals three apples to feed a poor, abused workhorse. When her theft is discovered, Grace is sentenced and transported by ship to Australia.
She befriends Hannah and the two girls begin new lives, sailing towards a new land. In the confusion of departure, Letty gets caught on deck and is suddenly sailing as well. The voyage is long and miserable, and Letty must use her wits to keep Lavinia alive when she succumbs to fever. Meet Lina It is in Melbourne and Lina dreams of being a writer. Her Italian parents have other ideas. Lina has a scholarship to an expensive girls' school and in order to fit in, tries to hide her home life even from her best friend.
But, being a refugee from Vietnam doesn't make things easy. When Marly's cousins come to stay and end up at the same school, her friends make fun of them. Marly needs to find a way to stay loyal to her cousins and keep her school friends as well. Nellie and her best friend, Mary, have left the famine in Ireland far behind and are full of hopes and dreams about getting a new job, and a new future. Nellie longs to learn to read, to be part of a family once more, and to never be hungry again. Meet Pearlie It's and the war is changing Pearlie's life every day.
Darwin is full of soldiers, there's a spy on the loose and people are turning against Pearlie's best friend, Naoko, just because she's Japanese. When everything falls apart, Pearlie must try to be brave enough to stand up for what's right and not let her old fears get the better of her. Meet Pearlie and join her adventure in the first of four exciting stories about a courageous girl in a world at war.
When Poppy's brother escapes to strike it rich in the gold fields, Poppy disguises herself as a boy and sets out to find him. Along the way, she befriends and is aided by a series of characters, including an Irish bullocky, a feral dog and the feared bushranger, Harry Power.
Meet Rose In s Melbourne, Rose lives a life of privilege, but the social conventions are predictable. Her life seems destined to be conservative and dull until her adventurous Aunt Alice arrives. Rose realises there are opportunities out in the big world. As she gets ready for her twelfth birthday party, Ruby has never been happier. But, the world she knows is collapsing and people everywhere are losing their jobs and their homes. Soon Ruby's comfortable life will fall apart in ways she could never have imagined. Meet Ruby and join her adventure in the first of four stories about a happy-go-lucky girl in a time of great change.
His father is Chinese, his mother Australian and Edward tries to fit in to both cultures. He has to cope with racism at school and bigotry from his cousin at home, while worrying about having to go back to China to understand his ancestral roots. Mill girl, a Victorian girl's diary Eliza is shocked when she is sent to the Manchester cotton mills in The mill is noisy and suffocating, the work is backbreaking and dangerous and the workers are wrecked by poverty, sickness and unrest.
Eliza realises she must fight to escape the fate of a mill girl and the miseries of the factory. Most magical girl, A In London, twelve year old Annabel Grey is primed for a life as a proper young lady. But, when she is placed in the care of two ageing great aunts who run a magic shop, Annabel is thrust into a world of potions, broomsticks, wands and wizards. Evil Mr Angel and his terrifying dark magic extracting machine want to put an end to good magic for ever. The wizards have dreamt of Annabel, the most magical girl, to save London.
But, Annabel doesn't even believe in magic or understand the strange powers inside her. Mostly true story of Matthew and Trim Mostly true account of the tragic but inspiring life of Matthew Flinders and his cat, Trim. They relate their adventures, as they map and explore Australia, and their eventful return to England. Thirteen year old Robby Jenkins is working as a stable hand and is convinced that his favourite horse, Archer, can win. This is Robby's diary about his love of horses, life at the stables and his dreams to become a top jockey.
Atomic testing, the diary of Anthony Brown, Woomera Anthony and his family move to Woomera for his father's job in the army. His mother cares for Anthony as he recovers from polio. At school, one of Anthony's friends has photos of the rockets at the Woomera munitions base. When a small business arises for the boys, the townspeople become suspicious of Anthony and the police become involved. Convict girl Mary Beckwith has been sent to the penal colony at Port Jackson, transported with her mother, having stolen some fabric.
She describes the hardships endured as well as the growth of the settlement and meeting the indigenous inhabitants. Her story is unlike most others as she joins Nicolas Baudin, the French scientific explorer, as he explores New Holland's coastline in direct competition with Matthew Flinders.
Her windswept days are filled with sewing, washing and avoiding the girls from the Reformatory School. Sydney is rapidly growing and modernising but Olivia can only imagine what life is like beyond the shores of Cockatoo Island. She dreams of freedom, friendship and, above all, family. Determined to make their fortune, they head to Beechworth, straight into the midst of the search for Ned Kelly, the most notorious bushranger of all time. There are two views of Ned Kelly, a hero wronged by the police or a cold-blooded murderer.
My father's war Marie's dad has been away for two years, fighting on the Somme battlefields in northern France. There hasn't been any word from him for months, no letters or postcards. Marie and her mother decide to travel to France, to try and find out what has happened to him. Marie experiences first-hand what war is like, as she tries to piece together the clues behind her dad's disappearance. Life is hard during the Great Depression, Victor's father has lost his job and the family is moving to Sydney. Victor keeps a diary that includes his meeting with Don Bradman.
Based on true story of young Ben Cross and the historical figures that he meets. Although his life is exciting, Ben reflects on the ethics of the choices he has made. But, the construction of a bridge that will reach across the harbour is setting spirits soaring. Alice and Billy, whose fathers are working on the bridge, tell the story, through their diaries, of building the spectacular Harbour Bridge, which will unify a separated city from the north shore to the working class suburbs of the south.
The bombing of Darwin, the diary of Tom Taylor, Strong family and community ties are tested in this fictionalised account of the days prior to the bombing of Darwin. Vietnam It's , many social changes are underway and man is headed for the moon. Twelve year old Davey lives to surf with his older brother, Tom, and listen to the latest hits.
His cherished goal is to win the inaugural Under Surf Championship with his best friends, Johnno and Pete. But, when Tom is drafted into the army and sent to Vietnam, everything changes and the far-away war creates waves very close to home. My Hiroshima Recollections of life before and during World War 2, and the horrific aftermath of the dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima. Provides a potent warning of the dangers of nuclear warfare.
Like many other under-age boys at the time, he was accepted into the Australian Imperial Force and sent to the battlefields of France. His letters home from the front reveal how, for the boy soldiers, the 'great adventure' became a tragedy. My place Using maps, the author traces the history of one special Australian neighbourhood back two hundred years. My secret war diary by Flossie Albright Flossie is just nine years old when, in , Britain declares war on Germany and her father leaves the family home to join the army. Flossie is left to bring up her baby brother and to face a whole host of new experiences on her own.
Her diary becomes an outlet for relaying all the news from at home and abroad. The foreign powers and the Taliban, the warlords and the drug barons have torn Afghanistan apart. He has had to grow up quickly to care for his widowed mother and young sister, making little money from odd jobs and selling at the markets. When Naveed adopts Nasera, a street dog with extraordinary abilities, he has a chance to help rebuild his country.
Ned Kelly's helmet Every month, Mrs Bracker has an historical theme for Years 5 and 6 to study, and there's always a prize for the best project. This month, the class are bushrangers holding up local businesses for donations. The prize is a state-of-the-art billy cart so Robbie and the McGoogly will do anything to win, even trying out some ancient technology to locate a real souvenir of the bushranger period.