GET READING! with this FREE guide to 50 great books!

You can GET LOST in amazing escapes, GET FRESH with new writers, GET HOOKED by catchy pageturners, GET REAL with incredible true stories, or just GET COMFY with a good book.

What’s more, when you buy one of the 50 books listed in this handy guide you’ll receive a FREE book – either a dazzling collection of brand-new short stories by ten of Australia’s best writers, or Tickled Onions by the award-winning children’s author Morris Gleitzman.*

The 50 Books You Can’t Put Down guide and FREE books are exclusive to Get Reading!, Australia’s largest annual celebration of books and reading. Previously called Books Alive, Get Reading! runs for all of September 2010, so look out for events, the Get Reading! Outdoor Reading Rooms, a FREE Get Reading! iPhone app, giveaways and more.

*From participating retailers and only while stocks last. A message from Reading is one of life’s great pleasures. the Minister A favourite personal pastime and continued passion of mine, reading is a fantastic way to have fun and discover new ideas.

In 2010’s Get Reading! 50 Books You Can’t Put Down guide, you’ll find a collection of must-read contemporary Australian and international titles, handpicked by booklovers from across the country.

There really is something for everyone – aged three to 103 – in the guide. It includes the 2009 Prime Minister’s Literary Awards fiction winner The Boat, by Nam Le – an exciting collection of short stories of daring scope and expert execution.

I commend the guide to you, and invite you all to sit down, relax and get reading!

The Hon Peter Garrett AM MP ‘Reading is a fantastic Minister for Environment Protection, Heritage and the Arts For more great Australian titles check way to have fun and out the Prime Minister’s Literary Awards shortlists and winners at discover new ideas.’ www.arts.gov.au/pmliteraryawards Get out and about with To find out more visit us online Get Reading! at www.getreading.com.au

Get along to an event . . . Many of the authors involved in Get Reading! are appearing in book stores around the country during September. So get to an event near you and get involved in Australia’s largest annual celebration of books and reading.

Or get down to an Outdoor Reading Room . . . Discover the joys of reading in one of our Outdoor Reading Rooms. They’ll be popping up in various idyllic locations this September. Enjoy some quiet time in a comfy chair or bring along the whole family.

To find a Get Reading! event or an Outdoor Reading Room near you, simply download our FREE Get Reading! iPhone app! Savour these more-ish morsels by ten of Australia’s best writers

Whether you like comedy, thrillers, romance or just something a little different, you’ll find plenty to enjoy in this all-new collection.

10 Short Stories You Must Read in 2010 can be yours FREE when you purchase any book from this guide! So hurry into your local book retailer, as this exclusive offer is only available during September 2010, or while stocks last. Shades of Brown was a Children’s Book Council Book of the Year About the authors of winner. His most recent novel is The True Story of Butterfish.

10 Short Stories Judy Nunn’s career has taken her from stage actor and television star to author with ten bestselling novels to her name, most recently You Must Read in 2010 Heritage, Floodtide and Maralinga. Her novels are also published throughout Europe in English, German, French, Dutch and Czech. Former magazine editor and fashion writer Maggie Alderson is a columnist for the Sydney Morning Herald. She has Malla Nunn grew up in Swaziland before moving to published five bestselling novels and three collections of Perth. A former scriptwriter and director, her first novel, columns. She also co-edited In Bed With, a collection of A Beautiful Place to Die, was shortlisted for an Edgar absolutely filthy short stories by well-known writers. Award by the Mystery Writers of America. Her second novel, Let the Dead Lie, was published in April 2010. Georgia Blain is the author of the novels Closed for Winter, now a feature film, Candelo, The Blind Eye and Names Craig Silvey is the author of Rhubarb, The World According for Nothingness. Her memoir, Births Deaths Marriages, to Warren and Jasper Jones, which won the Indie Book of was shortlisted for the Nita B Kibble Award in 2009. the Year and was shortlisted for the Miles Franklin Literary Darkwater, for young adults, will be published in 2010. Award, the NSW Premier’s Prize for Fiction, and the Kathleen Mitchell Award. Silvey won the Sydney Morning Herald Best Mark Dapin moved to Australia in the 1980s. Young Novelist Award for both Rhubarb and Jasper Jones. A previous editor-in-chief of ACP’s men’s magazines and a popular columnist for Fairfax’s Good Weekend, he is Rachael Treasure is a fifth-generation Tasmanian who the author of Strange Country and King of the Cross. He lives on a cattle and sheep property in Tasmania’s south. lives in Sydney with his partner and two children. She is the international bestselling author of Jillaroo, The Alex Miller’s novels include The Ancestor Game, Journey to the Stockmen, The Rouseabout and The Cattleman’s Daughter. Stone Country, Conditions of Faith, Landscape of Farewell and All her books are drawn from her passion for the land. Lovesong. He is the recipient of several literary prizes, including the Miles Franklin Literary Award (twice), the Commonwealth Christos Tsiolkas is the author of Loaded, The Jesus Man, Dead Writers’ Prize, and the NSW Premier’s Award. Lovesong has Europe and The Slap. Dead Europe won The Age 2006 Book of been shortlisted for the 2010 Miles Franklin Literary Award. the Year fiction award. The Slap was awarded Best Book in the 2009 Commonwealth Writers’ Prize, the 2009 Australian Literature Nick Earls is the author of 11 novels and two collections of Society’s Gold Medal, the 2009 Victorian Premier’s Award, the short stories. Zigzag Street won a Betty Trask award and 48 ABA Book of the Year 2009 and the ABIA Book of the Year 2009. T H E

Kids in a pickle, parents in a jam – this fun collection, which includes four new stories, celebrates the launch of Pocket Money Puffins and 70 years of Puffin. And it’s exclusive to Get Reading! Tickled Onions can be yours FREE when you 50 purchase any book from this guide! BOOKS So hurry into your local book retailer, as this exclusive offer is only available during September 2010, or while stocks last. 2010 ‘A stunning book with a ‘An Australian To Kill a Mockingbird’ heart-stopping climax’ Woman’s Day The Monthly The World Beneath Cate Kennedy Jasper Jones Craig Silvey Rich and Sandy were once environmental activists. Late one hot summer night in 1965, 13-year-old Charlie Twenty-five years later their 15-year-old daughter, Sophie, is Bucktin is startled by a knock on the window. His visitor, the only thing they have in common and they’ve settled into the Jasper Jones, an outcast in the mining town of Corrigan, compromises of middle age. When Rich takes Sophie, whom has a terrible secret to share. During that simmering he hardly knows, on a trek into the Tasmanian wilderness, his summer Charlie learns why truth is so hard to know, and overconfidence and her growing disillusion with him set off a even harder to hold in one’s heart. Shortlisted for the 2010 chain of events no-one predicts. Acutely observed, Miles Franklin Literary Award, Jasper Jones is a clear- The World Beneath displays that eye for everyday humour eyed examination of racism and inhumanity. It’s also highly and tragedy which makes Kennedy’s stories so appealing. entertaining, heartfelt and impossible to put down. ‘This tender novel lingers . . . long and ‘The best book debut of 2008’ hauntingly’ New York Times Book Review New York Magazine Ransom David Malouf The Boat Nam Le Achilles is maddened by grief at the death of his friend A child assassin in Colombia; an ageing New York artist Patroclus. From the walls of Troy, King Priam watches as desperate to be reconciled with his daughter; a boy’s coming the body of his son, Hector, is dragged behind Achilles’ of age in a rough Victorian fishing town; a Japanese schoolchild chariot. There must be a way, King Priam thinks, of moments before the bomb is dropped on Hiroshima − all reclaiming Hector’s body, of pitting compromise against sandwiched between two semi-autobiographical tales. heroics, of forcing the hand of fate . . . In Ransom, war The Boat, by Vietnamese-born Australian Nam Le, has and heroics, hubris and humanity, chance and fate, garnered outstanding reviews all over the world. It’s a the bonds between soldiers, fathers and sons, are all collection of astonishing diversity and achievement by newly burnished and brilliantly recast for our times. one of our most assured and promising new writers. The remarkable true story of a ‘Brilliant . . . The implications neurosurgeon and a pianist are monumental’ The Times Life in His Hands Susan Wyndham The Brain That Changes Itself Norman Doidge MD Charlie Teo is one of Australia’s most celebrated yet An astonishing new discovery called neuroplasticity is controversial neurosurgeons. So when classical pianist overthrowing the centuries-old notion that the adult human Aaron McMillan was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive brain doesn’t change. Psychiatrist and researcher Norman brain tumour at the age of 24 he approached Teo for Doidge introduces principles we can all use to overcome treatment. Two days after brain surgery lasting 12 hours, brain limitations and explores the profound implications of McMillan was back playing the piano. Life in His Hands is the changing brain. Containing personal stories from the the remarkable true story of a medical maverick and one of neuroplasticity revolution, The Brain That Changes Itself is his most high-profile and tragic cases. Full of heartache and an immensely moving book that will permanently alter the hope, it’s a testament to the power of the human spirit. way we look at human possibility and human nature. Powerful, moving – and The bestselling autobiography of one laugh-out-loud funny! of Australia’s most loved personalities The Happiest Refugee Anh Do Ray: Stories of My Life Ray Martin Anh Do nearly didn’t make it to Australia. His family came close With five Gold Logies and 20 Silver Logies to his name, Ray to losing their lives when they escaped war-torn Vietnam in Martin is Australia’s most trusted and beloved TV journalist. an overcrowded boat. But neither murderous pirates nor the Now, after more than 40 years of telling other people’s stories, threat of death by hunger, disease or dehydration could quench Martin chronicles his own life, from his itinerant childhood to their desire to make a better life. The Happiest Refugee is the his years at the ABC, 60 Minutes, The Midday Show, The Ray uplifting and inspiring story of one of this country’s favourite Martin Show and more. This funny, warts-and-all autobiography personalities. Marked by tragedy, humour, heartache and is a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at TV broadcasting in unswerving honesty, Anh’s story will move and amuse you. this country set against the backdrop of a changing Australia. The spectacular final instalment in the ‘Hilarious . . . outrageous . . . a wild, worldwide smash Millennium trilogy macho ride’ Sydney Morning Herald The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets’ Nest King of the Cross Mark Dapin Stieg Larsson When legendary Godfather of Kings Cross Jacob Mendoza Lisbeth Salander is plotting her revenge. But it’s not going to decides to record his epic life story he employs a hapless be easy. She’s taken a bullet to the head and is under close young reporter from the Australian Jewish Times. But as supervision in Intensive Care. She’s also set to face trial for Mendoza’s story emerges, of thugs and drugs, murders, three murders. With the help of journalist Mikael Blomkvist, bikers, bent cops and girls, it becomes clear he’s not Salander must not only prove her innocence but identify the only one with a past. And as the memoir starts to and denounce the corrupt politicians who have allowed take shape, other criminals begin to circle Mendoza’s the vulnerable to become victims of abuse and violence. kingdom. This is crime fiction as it’s never been written Once a victim herself, Salander is ready to fight back . . . before – funny, edgy, violent, subversive and compelling. ‘Crime rarely gets as rewarding ‘A gigantic leap back into top form as this’ The Australian with this psychological thriller’ Herald Sun Bleed for Me Michael Robotham Under the Dome Stephen King Tough ex-cop Ray Hegarty is found brutally murdered in his own The small town of Chester’s Mill is inexplicably sealed home. All evidence points to his 14-year-old daughter, Sienna, off from the rest of the world by an invisible force field. who happens to be friends with psychologist Joe O’Loughlin’s As food, electricity and water run short, the community own daughter. Sienna is quickly taken into custody, but Joe’s begins to crumble, and a new, more sinister social order convinced she’s innocent. So what was going on in the Hegarty develops. Iraq veteran Dale Barbara teams up with a household? Is Sienna guilty of murder? And what part has her few intrepid citizens to fight against the corruption and charismatic teacher Gordon Ellis played? As Joe digs deeper to discover the source of the Dome before it’s too late . . . his personal life starts to buckle under the pressure . . . This is a riveting masterpiece and King at his best. ‘Confronting and electrifying . . . ‘One of our finest novelists has written Temple’s best book’ The Age perhaps his finest book’ The Age Truth Peter Temple Lovesong Alex Miller A young woman lies dead in a bath, a panic button within Seeking shelter from a sudden rainstorm in a rundown reach. Inspector Stephen Villani is on the case, but he’s also Tunisian cafe on Paris’s fringe, John Patterner meets the exotic dealing with the dismal state of his marriage and his failure Sabiha and his carefully mapped life changes forever. Theirs as a father, brother and son. As fires burn across the state, becomes a contented but unlikely marriage, yet because Villani discovers that the certainties of his life are they are essentially foreigners to each other their love sets crumbling . . . Truth is about murder, love, corruption, in train a series of tragic events. Written by a two-time Miles honour and deceit. The winner of the 2010 Miles Franklin Literary Award winner and currently shortlisted for Franklin Literary Award, it’s a superb companion the 2010 Miles Franklin Award, Lovesong is resonant and to the award-winning The Broken Shore. captivating, a simple love story and yet so much more. A saga of love, ambition and apocalypse An inspirational journey by the bestselling author of Floodtide to reconciliation Maralinga Judy Nunn Riding the Black Cockatoo John Danalis When a young British lieutenant dies in mysterious On the mantelpiece of John Danalis’s childhood home circumstances on a secret mission to South Australia, his sat an Aboriginal skull. Yet only as an adult did Danalis fiancee, journalist Elizabeth Hoffmann, travels halfway round the ask where it came from. Riding the Black Cockatoo is world to uncover the truth. Set in 1956 during the darkest days the fascinating story of how that skull of an Aboriginal of the cold war, Maralinga is a gripping, fictionalised account man, found on the banks of the Murray River over of a shocking event in our history, when the British military 40 years ago, came to be returned to his Wamba detonated nuclear weapons in the Australian desert. At the Wamba descendants. Part history, part detective heart of this powerful novel is the suffering of the local Aboriginal story, it’s a book for young and old, exploring the people, whose lives were destroyed or changed forever. transformative and healing power of true reconciliation. A document every Australian A history like no other by Australia’s should read best-loved writer The Gallipoli Letter Keith Murdoch Australians Vol 1: Origins to Eureka Thomas Keneally In September 1915, young war journalist Keith Murdoch wrote Iconic storyteller Thomas Keneally gives us an Australian an 8000-word letter to the Prime Minister, Andrew Fisher. ‘The history like no other in this absorbing look at the characters Gallipoli Letter’, as it became known, changed the course who created our national story. Populated by convicts and of the military campaign. Hamilton, the general in charge, Aborigines, settlers and soldiers, patriots and reformers, was sent home, and the Allies withdrew in December that bushrangers and gold seekers, Australians explores how year. The Gallipoli Letter is inspiring, a vital part of our history the backgrounds, beliefs and motivations of individuals and the enduring ANZAC legend. It speaks directly to us combine to create a society and culture. Rich and full of life, about war, our history and the indomitable Australian spirit. Australians is a book by an author of outstanding literary skill. The story of Australia’s king A fascinating peek into the backyards of boxing of our cricket greats Johnny Lewis: The Biography Paul Kent First Tests Steve Cannane Johnny Lewis has trained six world boxing champions, Facing up to hostile opponents on backyard pitches developed including Jeff Fenech, Kostya Tszyu and Jeff Harding. skills, toughness and competitiveness that have taken our But he’s also a legend in his own right, famous for his cricketers to the top. So Don Bradman’s grip and stance unique brand of wisdom, gained while growing up in evolved in response to the pace that a golf ball rebounded Erskineville, where he mixed with hustlers and hard men off the tankstand, while Greg Chappell’s trademark flick off and ‘never met a bad bloke’. Now, in this authorised the hip was invented because the best scoring opportunities biography, we learn why Johnny Lewis is not only at home lay on the leg side. This collection of stories about Australia’s greatest ever fight trainer, but why he is a our greatest cricketers and the backyards that made winner, and why those around him are winners too. them gets to the heart and soul of our national game. One of the world’s most beloved From the bestselling author of athletes tells his story The Rouseabout Open: An Autobiography Andre Agassi The Cattleman’s Daughter Rachael Treasure Forced by an obsessive father to practise tennis for hours every Born in the high country, Emily Flanaghan is locked in an day, Andre Agassi grew to resent the constant pressure while unhappy marriage in the suburbs. Following a traumatic driving himself to succeed. In 1992 he shocked the world by accident, she returns to the land of her childhood and winning Wimbledon, and became an overnight favourite − and falls in love with parks ranger Luke Bradshaw, only to media target. Alongside vivid portraits of rivals, Agassi gives face losing him and her beloved land in the greatest unstinting accounts of his time with Barbra Streisand, his challenge of all . . . Set in snow-gum country in the marriage to Brooke Shields, his depression and the mistake Victorian Alps, The Cattleman’s Daughter is a haunting that nearly cost him everything, his march to become the oldest and unforgettable tale of love, self-discovery and number one player and, finally, finding love with Steffi Graf. forgiveness from one of Australia’s best-loved authors. Babies and toddlers will adore this Children aged 0 to 100 instant classic will find this irresistible Itsy-Bitsy Babies Margaret Wild & Jan Ormerod The Wonky Donkey Craig Smith & Katz Cowley This itsy-bitsy baby sucks his thumb. I was walking down the road, and I saw a donkey . . . hee-haw! That itsy-bitsy baby bangs a drum… And he only had three legs. He was a wonky donkey . . . Delightful and rhythmic, Itsy-Bitsy Babies is the perfect Small children and kids at heart will be in fits of laughter at this read-aloud book for babies and toddlers. By the hilarious picture book about a three-legged donkey that, by multi-award-winning duo writer Margaret Wild and the end of the story, is a ‘spunky, hanky-panky, cranky, stinky, illustrator Jan Ormerod, this charmingly illustrated picture dinky, lanky, honky-tonky, winky, wonky donkey’. There’s book has become an instant classic, and promises to endless fun to be had listening to the award-winning bonus enchant and amuse children for generations to come. CD and trying to predict the new word for each clue given. Australian Women’s Weekly A warm and witty tale by one of Book of the Year Ireland’s great storytellers The Help Kathryn Stockett Homecoming Cathy Kelly It’s 1962. Newly graduated Skeeter returns home to find In Dublin’s Golden Square two women live side by side: her beloved maid, Constantine, gone. Aibileen is a black Rae, who runs the Square’s tearooms; and teacher Connie maid raising her 17th white child. Minny is Aibileen’s best O’Callaghan, who’s given up on love because no man friend and the sassiest woman in Mississippi. In The matches the heroes in her beloved romantic novels. Then two Help, these very different women come together in a new residents − Mrs Levine, an elderly American lady, and way that puts all their lives at risk. Filled with poignancy, Megan Bouchier, a young actress whose recent affair is all humour and hope, this New York Times bestselling over the papers – arrive in Golden Square, signalling change debut is a universal story about the rules we choose for all the women. Wise and compassionate, Homecoming to abide by and the lines made to be crossed. is a charming tale by a wonderfully entertaining writer. A romantic comedy of A delightful combination of fashion, sisters and secrets faux pas and federal politics Bittersweet Melanie La’Brooy Campaign Ruby Jessica Rudd When Mimi returns broke and unhappy from a backpacking Retrenched London investment banker Ruby Stanhope returns trip around the world, her famous soapie-star sister, to Australia to an unexpected job offer: financial policy adviser Sabrina, offers her a paid job – as her bridesmaid. Mimi to the federal leader of the Opposition. needs the money, but a long-running feud between the When an early election is announced, rookie Ruby is sisters threatens to destroy everything before they even thrown into the campaign. Through trial and plenty of error get started . . . Bittersweet is a warm and funny novel of (including wardrobe malfunctions, media mishaps and a sibling rivalry and star-crossed lovers by one of Australia’s palate for unsavoury men) she finds passion − not just a queens of women’s fiction. It’s also a revealing exploration flair − for her new career. Wonderfully fresh, Campaign Ruby of marriage, celebrity culture and the bonds of family. is written with a light touch and deft comic instincts. A masterful blend of romance An outrageously funny take on and adventure a great classic The Elusive Bride Stephanie Laurens Pride and Prejudice and Zombies Jane Austen & Seth Grahame-Smith In this exciting follow-up to The Untamed Bride and the second in the Black Cobra Quartet, battle-hardened Gareth A mysterious plague has struck the village of Meryton, and the Hamilton, a completely unstoppable ex-officer of the Crown, dead are returning to life! Feisty Elizabeth Bennet is determined confronts the deadly enemy known only as the Black to wipe out the zombie menace, but she’s soon distracted by Cobra. Focused on his mission, he sees Emily Ensworth, the arrival of Mr Darcy. A delightful comedy of manners ensues a woman he never dreamed he’d see again – now with an with civilised sparring and some blood-soaked fighting as assassin on her heels. Through peril, passion, desire and Elizabeth wages war against the undead. Pride and Prejudice ecstasy, they race to reach England − and their destiny. and Zombies features the original text of Jane Austen’s beloved The Elusive Bride is a spellbinding romantic adventure. novel with all-new scenes of bone-crunching zombie action. A compelling drama by one of A vivid evocation of 19th-century Australia’s most talented storytellers country Australia Pearl in a Cage Joy Dettman Summer at Mount Hope Rosalie Ham One midsummer’s evening in 1923 a young woman is It’s 1894. Phoeba Crupp lives with her parents found pregnant and unconscious in tiny Woody Creek. and sister on a small vineyard near Geelong. While Town midwife Gertrude Foote is unable to save her – but her sister makes a play for the local squatter’s the baby lives. When no one claims the infant, Gertrude’s son, Phoeba is content to spend her time with her daughter Amber and husband Norman take the child in. best friend, Harriet − until circumstances push her Jenny grows into an exquisite young woman. But who towards the world of men and money. Summer at were her parents? And why does she resemble Gertrude’s Mount Hope is a witty exploration of a woman’s lot philandering husband? Pearl in a Cage, the first book in at the turn of the 20th century, as Phoeba struggles the Woody Creek series, is a rich and riveting tale. to stay free in a world of duty and constraint. ‘Remarkable, illuminating’ Daily Mail ‘Beautifully written’ Herald Sun

Still Alice Lisa Genova Cleo Helen Brown When Harvard professor Alice Howland gets lost in her own For those who say they aren’t cat people but deep down neighbourhood she knows something is terribly wrong. know they are . . . When nine-year-old Sam was accidently Diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease at 50, she struggles killed, his family fell apart. But they somehow slowly to find purpose in her life. As her concept of self gradually began to pick up the pieces, thanks in no small portion slips away, her family struggle to keep the Alice they know to a cat called Cleo. In this candid true-life story, Helen for as long as possible. Alice is living in the moment, living Brown tells how a tiny black kitten, picked out by Sam for each day. But she is still Alice. Moving, haunting, with a before he died, helped heal her family. Rich in wisdom, wit stunning ending, Still Alice is a book you’ll never forget. and heart, Cleo has become a worldwide bestseller. An inspired re-imagining of ‘An elegant, light-spirited and very Shakespeare’s tale of ill-fated lovers European adult fable’ Kirkus Reviews Juliet Anne Fortier The Elegance of the Hedgehog Muriel Barbery Julie Jacobs inherits the key to a safety deposit box Renée Michel is the concierge of a grand Parisian in Siena that she’s told will lead to a family treasure. apartment building. Paloma Josse, the precocious Instead, her inheritance takes her on a perilous journey 12-year-old daughter of one of the most bourgeois families into the history of her ancestor, Giulietta, whose in the building, has decided that life is meaningless and legendary love for Romeo turned medieval Siena is making plans to commit suicide on her 13th birthday. upside down. It soon becomes clear that the curse − The upstart girl and the concierge are drawn together ‘A plague on both your houses’ − is still at work, and when the celebrated restaurant critic upstairs dies . . . This Julie is the next target. This romantic thriller weaves clever, enchanting novel is a crash course in philosophy the fates of two women into one unforgettable tale. interwoven with a charming platonic love story. ‘Atmospheric and beguiling’ A head-stretching fable from an New York Times award-winning author Her Fearful Symmetry Audrey Niffenegger Wonders of a Godless World Andrew McGahan When identical twins Julia and Valentina Poole are bequeathed On an unnamed island in the shadow of a volcano, a wordless a flat overlooking Highgate Cemetery they feel at last their orphan girl works the wards of a hospital for the insane and own lives can begin. But they soon discover they’ve been incapable. When a new patient arrives, strange phenomena deliberately entwined in a tangle of fraying lives, from the and bizarre murders throw this peculiar world into turmoil . . . obsessive-compulsive crossword setter who lives above to Wonders of a Godless World, the new novel from Miles their aunt’s elusive lover below, and even their aunt herself, Franklin Literary Award winner Andrew McGahan, is a who can’t quite leave her flat . . . Her Fearful Symmetry is powerful cautionary tale. Utterly unlike anything you have a delicious and deadly ghost story for the 21st century. read before, it will grip you until its nerve-tingling finale. A biting satire of the credit crunch It’s reality TV, not reality. by a bestselling author Fake it . . . Meltdown Ben Elton Loathing Lola William Kostakis For amiable City trader Jimmy Corby money is the new When a reality show offers to broadcast the life of 15-year- rock ’n’ roll. His whole life is a party, adrenalin charged and old Courtney Marlow, she decides to go through with it, cocaine fuelled. Rich, pampered and successful, Jimmy despite the fact she doesn’t watch much reality TV. Courtney lives the dream with saintly wife Monica, while bringing is determined to be a positive role model, someone on up their children with an army of domestic help. But then television without a boob job or an eating disorder. But as the global financial crisis hits and it all comes crashing events in her life are deviously manipulated to create drama, down. Jimmy discovers that anyone can handle success, Courtney begins to realise that ‘ordinary’ doesn’t translate but it’s how you handle failure that really matters . . . into ‘entertaining’ . . . A funny, edgy novel of our times. The first in this fast and funny series, Book 1 in the hot now a hugely popular TV show House of Night series Dead Until Dark Charlaine Harris Marked PC Cast & Kristin Cast Sookie Stackhouse can read minds and it’s driving her Sixteen-year-old Zoey Redbird is Marked as a fledgling crazy. So when she meets Bill and realises she can’t ‘hear’ vampire and must join the House of Night school to learn a word he’s thinking, she decides he’s the one. But Bill turns how to become an adult vampire. But Zoe is no ordinary out to have a few quirks of his own – for one thing, he’s a fledgling, having been especially chosen by the Goddess Nyx. vampire. Worse, he hangs with a creepy crowd that has a When Zoey discovers that the leader of the Dark Daughters, reputation for trouble . . . The first in this brilliant series by the school’s most elite group, is misusing her Goddess- Charlaine Harris, Dead Until Dark is an entertaining blend given gifts, Zoey must look within herself to embrace her of vampires and mystery that’s impossible to put down. destiny – with a little help from her new vampire friends. No 1 in the high-octane Three heavenly angels, two star- Alone series crossed lovers, one dark power . . . Chasers James Phelan Halo Alexandra Adornetto When 16-year-old Jesse and his friends Dave, When three angels, Ivy, Bethany and Gabriel, are sent to Mini and Anna crawl out from the wreckage protect the town of Venus Cove they soon realise they’re of a subway crash they discover a city in not the only supernatural power around. A new kid has chaos. Abandoned cars line the streets and arrived and he’s charming, seductive and deadly. He’s also buildings are in ruins. Worse, the only other after Bethany, who has meanwhile fallen for the handsome survivors seem to be infected with a virus that school captain, Xavier Woods. The angels and Xavier turns them into horrifying predators . . . The must work together to overcome the dark forces − but will first in this gripping post-apocalyptic trilogy Bethany survive the battle? An enchanting supernatural will keep readers on the edge of their seats. tale by the author of The Strangest Adventures trilogy. The stunning prequel to the worldwide A riotous take on the legendary bestselling Black Magician trilogy heroes of Camelot The Magician’s Apprentice Trudi Canavan The Dragons: Camelot Colin Thompson In the remote village of Mandryn, Tessia serves as assistant to In the days when dragons roamed the earth turning her father, the village Healer. Then, when a chance encounter people into toast, a mighty king called Arthur ruled reveals she has magical powers, Tessia is apprenticed the world from his castle in Camelot . . . The trouble to magician Lord Dakon. Initially overjoyed, Tessia soon with legends, though, is that useless twits are often realises her newly discovered gifts bring with them enormous turned into superheroes. This is the true story of King responsibility. Events are brewing that will lead nations Arthur, who was not a superhero by any stretch of into war, rival magicians into conflict, and spark an act of the imagination, but was instead a nasty, spoilt little sorcery so brutal its effects will be felt for centuries . . . brat who was totally up himself. Or was he . . . ? A novel about chance, change and A love story about the broken and everybody doing the wrong thing the broken-hearted Beatle Meets Destiny Gabrielle Williams Everything Beautiful Simmone Howell When your name is John Lennon but everyone calls Riley Rose doesn’t want to be at Spirit Ranch Holiday you ‘Beatle’ and your kooky mum has raised you on Camp. She wants to be partying with her best friend, a diet of horoscopes, superstitions and signs from Chloe. She wants to get away from the jumpsuit-wearing the universe, the word ‘coincidence’ isn’t in your counsellors, the feel-good mantras, the do-gooder campers vocabulary. So when Beatle meets Destiny McCartney, and the monotonous schedule of team-building exercises. he knows it must be fate. Unfortunately, there’s one But is everything as it appears at Spirit Ranch? What complication − Beatle already has the perfect girl. secrets are waiting in the abandoned Fraser house? And Fast, funny and streetwise, Beatle Meets Destiny is a why doesn’t anyone want to talk about the accident that madcap story about a bunch of Australian teenagers. landed the mysterious Dylan in a wheelchair last year? Bindi Wildlife Adventures Book 1 The first in the smash-hit series

Trouble at the Zoo Bindi Irwin Diary of a Wimpy Kid Jeff Kinney Bindi’s birthday party at Australia Zoo is going to be HUGE. Being a kid can really stink. And no one knows this better Karaoke, animal rides, dancing competitions − it’s all than Greg Heffley. It’s a new school year, and Greg finds happening! But when a spoilt ten-year-old decides he wants himself thrust into high school, where undersized weaklings to take home one of the zoo’s precious water dragons, chaos share the hallways with kids who are taller, meaner and ensues. This action-packed adventure by Bindi Irwin, daughter already shaving. The hazards of growing up are uniquely of the Crocodile Hunter, Steve Irwin, is the first in a fantastic revealed through words and drawings in this hilarious and series for children aged six to ten. Each story focuses on one or much-adored first book in the series. Now a feature film, two animals, and there are fact files at the end of every book. Diary of a Wimpy Kid has become a global phenomenon. ABC Radio is a proud supporter of Get Reading! 2010 Get online at www.getreading.com.au

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Get the message with Postcard Poetry

Get busy in the Kids’ Room

Get Reading! is an Australian Government initiative developed through the Australia Council for the Arts. To find out more visit us online at www.getreading.com.au

Get Reading! is an Australian Government initiative developed through the Australia Council for the Arts.