Oceania

Materials from Oceania

Below

On the day Cassie was born, they drowned her town. The mayor flipped a lever and everyone cheered as Old Lower Grange was submerged beneath five thousand swimming pools’ worth of water. Now, twelve years later, Cassie feels drawn to the manmade lake and the mysteries it hides — and she’s not the only one. Her classmate Liam, who wears oversized swim trunks to cover the scars on his legs, joins Cassie in her daily swims across the off-limits side of the lake. As the summer heats up, the water drops lower and lower, offering them glimpses of the ghostly town and uncovering secrets one prominent town figure seems anxious to keep submerged. But like a swimmer who ventures too far from shore, Cassie realizes she can’t turn back. Can she bring their suspicions to light before it’s too late — and does she dare?

Out of This Place

Luke spends his days hanging out at the beach, working shifts at the local supermarket, and trying to stay out of trouble at school. His mate Bongo gets wasted, blocking out memories of the little brother that social services took away from his addict mom and avoiding the stepdad who hits him. And Casey, the girl they both love, longs to get away from her strict, controlling father and start anew in a place where she can be free. Set in Australia and narrated in alternating points of view, here is an affecting look at the evolving lives of three friends.

The Mystery

When the old man who lives in Rourke Castle dies mysteriously, troubletwister twins Jack and Jaide Shield find themselves drawn into a search for something hidden in the castle–something that The Evil wants desperately–but they have no idea what it is they seek.

The Lumatere Chronicles: Quintana of Charyn

Separated from the girl he loves and has sworn to protect, Froi and his companions travel through Charyn searching for Quintana and building an army that will secure her unborn child’s right to rule. While in the valley between two kingdoms, Quintana of Charyn and Isaboe of Lumatere come face-to-face in a showdown that will result in heartbreak for one and power for the other. The complex tangle of bloodlines, politics, and love introduced in Finnikin of the Rock and Froi of the Exiles coalesce into an engrossing climax in this final volume.

Hedgehog’s Magic Tricks

Like many amateur magicians, Hedgehog finds that his tricks don’t always proceed as planned. Mouse doesn’t quite disappear, Rabbit (being larger than Hedgehog) is difficult to pull from the hat, and Duckling is not quite brave enough to endure a turn as magician’s helper. But when Hedgehog’s friends see how sad he is, they provide a surprise that results in everyone agreeing that Hedgehog is very good at magic after all. Preschoolers will delight in the sweet illustrations and in seeing what Hedgehog doesn’t — his friends helping to make his day magical.

Wash-A-Bye Bear

Flora loves her Bear dearly, but her mom says it’s time for him to go in the wash. Beautifully imagined scenes show Bear, in the wash, remembering how much fun they had getting grubby in the first place. When Bear is clean, he’s just not the same, so Flora sets out to have some fun and get him back to his dirty but lovable self again. Then, at the end of a long day, it’s Flora’s turn to have a wash–and good old Bear still loves clean Flora just the same.