Readings.com.au: CBCA Shortlist 2008 - Younger Readers

Sixth Grade Style Queen (Not!)

Told in the form of a verse novel, Sherryl Clark brings to life all the beauty, vulnerability and pain of twelve-year-old emotions. Dawn doesn't know where she belongs. It's not with the style queens at school. And it's not at home, where all her parents do is fight. Even her best friend, Emily, doesn't seem to want to be best friends any more. With words that are more like snapshots, Sherryl lets us into Dawn's world: a world that is dark at times, but can also feel like 'sunlight'.

Shaggy Gully Times

Who knew that the famous wombat diarist, Josephine the ballet-dancing kangaroo and hairdresser Pete the Sheep all lived in the same country town? Here’s the town’s newspaper, demonstrating that if Australia’s short on water, it’s happily still long on shaggy stories. Packed with news,ads, puns, jokes, a ‘horror scope’ and letters to an agony aunt who’s a parrot, this is a breathless romp through the bush that will leave you gasping for ‘mouse-to-mouse resuscitation’. Age 7+

Amelia Dee And The Peacock Lamp

Amelia Dee sometimes imagined she was the only person in the whole world who knew the secrets of the Peacock Lamp.' Amelia Dee lives in a house on Marburg Street, with a rare Peacock Lamp outside her bedroom door. Her father is an inventor, her mother is a sculptor, and the enigmatic LK Vishwanath practises yoga in her garden. Amelia herself has a lively curiosity and a talent for writing. Intrigued by Mr Vishwanath and his one-and-only student, Amelia stumbles into the secret life of Princess Parvin Kha-Douri. Why does Mr Vishwanath bother to teach such an unpleasant woman? And why does this tragic princess share Amelia's fascination for the Peacock Lamp? In solving the mystery, Amelia discovers more than she ever imagined about history, philosophy, creativity, pride and - above all - the power of stories. Odo Hirsch at his most accomplished, writing in the tradition of Antonio S and the Mystery of Theodore Guzman and Hazel Green, offers a funny, touching new novel peopled with memorable characters and charged with ideas.

Winning The World Cup: Aussie Nibbles

Marco and his friends live in Australia, but they come from countries all over the world. And when they play soccer, they play for the World Cup!

The Key To Rondo

There are three rules to the old painted, music box: Wind the box three times only. Never shut the box when the music is playing. Never move the box before the music stops. Leo wouldn't dream of breaking these rules, but does his stubborn cousin Mimi listen? She winds the box four times -- and suddenly the paintings on its side come to life and a powerful witch is released. Now its up to Leo and Mimi to stop the witch, if only they can find the key to the music box -- and the magical world it controls.

Dragon Moon

In the finale of the Dragonkeeper trilogy, Ping leaves Beibai Palace to return Danzis son to a place where dragons are safe from humans. But their journey isnt easy and they cross paths with old and new enemies. This novel is an enlightening and sensitive end to the trilogy and is as beautifully written as the first two novels.

Miriam DiNapoli (aged 12) is a customer at Readings Hawthorn.