Showing results by author "James Moloney" in All Categories

Margot Baumann has left school to take up her sister's job in the mailroom of a large prison. But this is Germany in 1944, and the prison is Sachsenhausen concentration camp near Berlin. Margot is shielded from the camp's brutality as she has no contact with prisoners. But she does handle their mail and, when given a cigarette lighter and told to burn the letters, she is horrified by the callous act she must carry out. So Margot steals a few letters, intending to send them in secret, only to find herself drawn to their heart-rending words of hope, of despair, and of love.

Their grandmother loved blue. She also hated her grey hair. Sonya and Margo knew what to do.

Gracey's come home to Cunningham on holidays. But now she's a state athletics champion and a private school student, and everything looks different - even frightening. Part history, part mystery, Gracey is a challenging story about the past and the present, murder and compassion, and black and white identity.

Peter, a new boy at Park Ridge school, is thankful to be rescued from the school bullies by Anton the Swashbuckler. Even if Anton does speak in such a weird way and wears outlandish garments. After this Peter and Anton become firm friends and discover that they each have family problems. Together they turn those problems into challenges to be tackled in true Swashbuckler style.

When Dougy's sister, Gracey, is picked for the state athletics championships, not everybody in their small bush town in pleased. 'Aborigines get special treatment', some of the angry white people say. The championships change everything for Gracey and trigger dramatic events in the town too: Black and white relations reach explosion point. The time is ripe for the mysterious Moodagudda to seek a victim. In the end, it's up to Dougy to save his family - and to prove himself.

For Xavier McLachlan, rugby is life. Winning his first XV jersey means everything - Until he meets Nuala Magee. Has there ever been a girl like her? She's feisty, she's troubled, she's dangerous. What will his mates think? Does he even care? Everything looks different now. Xavier McLachlan is in love.

Angela and Gracey were going to be 'best friends forever' and make it into the same university as care-free first-year students. But for Gracey, her Aboriginal heritage takes on a new significance. While Angela falls in love for the first time, Gracey is drawn into Black politics and their friendship drifts apart. Then Angela discovers that she too has a heritage - one her family would sooner deny. The conflict of the past possesses the power to draw the friends together, but it could as easily blow them apart forever.

A classic coming-of-age story. Carl Matt - even his name mocks him. The people of Wattle Beach do their best to grind him under foot. Why are the Matts such pariahs? The answer lies in Wiseman's Cove, a short ride across the strait, where Carl finds refuge in the most unlikely place. Wiseman's Cove has been waiting for Carl - waiting a long time.

Brian knows the removalists are taking away the wrong house. Yet no one believes him - not his father, not the removalists. How can he stop them?

David was the best model maker in the world. But one day a strange man sent him a picture of a very strange ball. Could he build that?

Mervyn was interested in everything, but most of all he loved animals. And animals loved Mervyn, especially the chicks he discovered at school.

Four short stories : The Red Boxing Gloves by David Metzenthen, Jack and the Aliens by Damien Broderick, Intergalactic Heroes by James Moloney, and Clever Sandwiches by Rowena Cory Lindquist.

Grommet lives life on the edge. When this gets him into trouble at Scream World, the manager sets him the biggest challange of his life. It could be tough just staying alive...

Jock can make a special sound like a duck! Can you make it, too? Can you help Jock rescue the little duck from the duck hunter?