Book picks similar to
Train Party by Karen Blair


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children-s
australian
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Where the Streets Had a Name


Randa Abdel-Fattah - 2008
    To know if I will have the courage to go ahead with my plan. The two nurses look frazzled and smile wearily at me. 'We must leave now,' they say in urgent tones. 'I won't be long,' I reassure them and I jump up onto the back of the ambulance. I can smell the air of her village, pure and scented. I can see her village as though it were Bethlehem itself. I can smell the almond trees. Hear my heels click on the courtyard tiles. See myself jumping two steps at a time down the limestone stairs. I can see Sitti Zeynab sitting in the front porch of the house. I only have to remember that walk through her memories and I know I can make my promise. I've already lost once. I refuse to lose again. 'Stay alive,' I whisper. 'And you shall touch that soil again.'Thirteen-year-old Hayaat is on a mission. She believes a handful of soil from her grandmother's ancestral home in Jerusalem will save her beloved Sitti Zeynab's life. The only problem is the impenetrable wall that divides the West Bank, as well as the check points, the curfews, the permit system and Hayaat's best-friend Samy, who is mainly interested in football and the latest elimination on X-Factor, but always manages to attract trouble.But luck is on their side. Hayaat and Samy have a curfew-free day to travel to Jerusalem. However, while their journey may only be a few kilometres long, it may take a lifetime to complete.

Froggy Dearest (Kiss me, my love!)


Scott Gordon - 2014
    Soft spoken and ever courteous, you've never met a creature quite so charming. But tread carefully, for this frog has quite a secret to share!Approximately 40 pages in all. Originally this picture book was intended for children 3 to 6, but as I wrote it, I realized that it's really meant for all children AND their parents. (Read it together. You'll get a big laugh at the end!)Descriptions of my other popular children's books are included after the main feature (an additional 5 pages).

Everything is Changed


Nova Weetman - 2016
    As guilt closes in on Jake, he becomes increasingly determined to confess to the police. But Alex just wants to move on with life. He's got a cool new girlfriend, fancy new house and posh new school, and doesn't want his future to be ruined by a mistake in his past. Told backwards in alternating viewpoints, this gritty novel takes us through the wreckage of a broken friendship, back to the moment when everything changed.

We Are the Gardeners


Joanna Gaines - 2019
    Turns out, trying something new isn't always easy, but sometimes, it's the hardest work that leads to the greatest reward.

Dudley the Dinosaur: Short Stories, Games, Jokes, and More!


Uncle Amon - 2015
    All the other dinosaurs are afraid of him. Can Dudley convince the other dinosaurs that he is friendly? Follow the adventures of Dudley the dinosaur. This is an excellent read for beginning and early readers. Each story is easy to read and exciting. Cute and bright illustrations for younger readers and a free coloring book. This book is especially great for traveling, waiting rooms, and read aloud at home. Fun games and puzzles included Excellent for beginning and early readers Cute short stories that are great for a quick bedtime story Funny and hilarious jokes & illustrations for kids FREE coloring book downloads included This story is great for a quick bedtime story and to be read aloud with friends and family. WHAT A GREAT DEAL! => 5 FUN STORIES, JOKES, GAMES, ACTIVITIES, AND A COLORING BOOK! Your child will be entertained for hours!Story List & Activities: FREE GIFT! Enter Dudley Fly Away Home Faster Than A Speeding Turtle! But Just Barely Dino-Dentistry Bad Decisions Funny Dinosaur Jokes Games and Puzzles Game and Puzzle Solutions Free Coloring Book Downloads *** FREE GIFT with your purchase! *** Free children's book download included!(see inside for link) Scroll up and click 'buy' and spend some quality time with your child! 100% Money Back Guaranteetags: dinosaur, dinosaurs, dinosaur books, dinosaurs books, dinosaur books for kids, kids books, children's books bedtime stories for kids, bedtime storybook collection, bedtime storybook, kids stories, bedtime stories for children, bedtime reading, free childrens books, Children's books, short stories, kids stories, stories for kids, stories for children, kids ebooks, short stories, bedtime stories, kids stories, stories for kids, short stories for kids, short stories, stories for kids, jokes, kids stories, childrens stories, kids books, childrens books, books for kids, bedtime stories, kids books, ebooks, books for kids, jokes, kids, hilarious, children, kid, kids books, childrens books, childrens book, kids book about animals, elementary, kids book, books for kids, childrens book, book, kindle book, kindle ebook, comedy, kindle unlimited, kindle unlimited books for kids, kindle unlimited books for children, humor, early reader, beginning reader, kids comedy, bedtime stories, free ebooks, ebooks free, stories for kids, preschool, ages 3-5, ages 6-8, ages 9-12, preteen, beginning readers, beginner reading, kids stories, children stories

Lenny's Book of Everything


Karen Foxlee - 2018
    I knew when he talked too much about Timothy his imaginary pet eagle. He was scared.'Whatever you do,' I said to Davey on the walk to school, 'Do not tell people about your eagle. Do not tell Miss Schweitzer about your eagle.'He looked crestfallen. His shoulders slumped. He looked to make sure Timothy hadn't fallen off.Lenny, small and sharp, has a younger brother Davey who won't stop growing - and at seven is as tall as a man. Raised by their single mother, who works two jobs and is made almost entirely out of worries, they have food and a roof over their heads, but not much else. The bright spot every week is the arrival of the latest issue of Burrell's Build-It-at-Home Encyclopedia. Through the encyclopedia, Lenny and Davey experience the wonders of the world - beetles, birds, quasars, quartz - and dream about a life of freedom and adventure, visiting places like Saskatchewan and Yellowknife, and the gleaming lakes of the Northwest Territories. But as her brother's health deteriorates, Lenny comes to accept the inevitable truth; Davey will never make it to Great Bear Lake. An outstanding novel about heartbreak and healing by an award-winning author.

Arkie's Pilgrimage to the Next Big Thing


Lisa Walker - 2015
    I am on the run from my husband's divorce lawyer, my mojo is still missing in action and my demon ex-lover is lurking . . . But, all things considered, my pilgrimage is going well . . .'Arkie used to be a trendspotter, running a successful business advising companies on ‘the next big thing'. Until she lost her marriage and her mojo along with it.Her eccentric new friend Haruko suggests a pilgrimage in Japan. But funds are tight, so instead Arkie's going on a very Australian trip, to all the ‘Big Things'.With Haruko as her guide, magic is everywhere. A Buddha appears next to the Big Redback, the Big Macadamia rises from the jungle like a lost temple and inside the Big Shell she can hear a tinkling voice, reminding her of the child she never had.As her improbable adventure unfolds, realisation dawns: could it be that, despite her celebrated foresight, Arkie's been missing what was right before her eyes?

Paul Kelly: The Man, The Music and the Life in Between


Stuart Coupe - 2020
    With Paul's blessing and access to friends, family, band mates and musical collaborators, Coupe shows Paul's evolution from a young man who only really picked up a guitar in his late teens, to an Australian music icon.Through hundreds of interviews, Coupe details the way Paul juggled the demands, temptations and excesses of rock'n'roll with real life. Revealing Paul Kelly's personal relationships, his friendships, his generosity and support of other artists, such as Archie Roach, Kasey Chambers, Kev Carmody, Vika and Linda Bull and Courtney Barnett, the force of Kelly's powerful storytelling, his musical creativity, his activism and his work ethic also shines through.PAUL KELLY: THE MAN, THE MUSIC AND THE LIFE IN BETWEEN is honest, revealing and a must-read for anyone interested in one of Australia's greatest artists.

The Good-Pie Party


Liz Garton Scanlon - 2014
    Only their favorite activity can comfort the girls: baking pie! And when they realize they can host a good-pie party instead of a good-bye party, the sad situation becomes a sweet gathering for their entire community. THE GOOD-PIE PARTY celebrates good friends, good memories, and the joy of the just-right good-byes.

The Ties That Bind


Lexi Landsman - 2016
    One by the smallest bruise. The other by a devastating bushfire. And both by a shocking secret . . .Miami art curator Courtney Hamilton and her husband David live the perfect life until their ten-year-old son Matthew is diagnosed with leukaemia. He needs a bone-marrow transplant but, with Courtney being adopted, the chances of finding a match within his family are slim. Desperate to find a donor, Courtney tracks the scattered details of her birth 15,000 kilometres away, to the remote town of Somerset in the Victorian bush. Meanwhile Jade Taylor wakes up in hospital in Somerset having survived the deadly bushfire that destroyed the family home and their beloved olive groves. Gone too are the landmarks that remind her of her mother, Asha, a woman whose repeated absences scarred her childhood.As Jade rallies her fractured family to rebuild their lives, Courtney arrives in the burnt countryside to search for her lost parents - but discovers far more . . .

The Boy who Spoke to the Earth


Chris Burkard - 2015
    Join the Earth and the boy in this epic tale as you experience your own journey to happiness. You may learn together what it means to stand still for just a moment and find joy every step of the way.

The Curlew's Eye


Karen Manton - 2021
    A shack perched halfway up a hill in an other-world of bizarre shadow plants and dark sentinel trees . . . Every road had been leading here, to this place.'Greta's partner Joel grew up with five brothers and a sister in a feisty household on an isolated NT property. But he doesn't talk about those days-not the deaths of his sister and mother, nor the origin of the scars that snake around his body.Now, many years later, he returns with Greta and their three young boys to prepare the place for sale. The boys are quick to settle in, and Joel seems preoccupied with work, but Greta has a growing sense of unease, struggling in the build-up's oppressive heat and living in the shadow of the old, burned-out family home. She knows she's a stranger in this uncanny place, with its eerie and alluring landscape, hostile neighbour, and a toxic dam whose clear waters belie its poison. And then there's the mysterious girl living rough whom Greta tries to befriend.Determined to make sense of it all, Greta is drawn into Joel's unspoken past and confronted by her own. Before long the curlew's haunting cry will call her to face the secrets she and Joel can no longer outrun.

Forgetting Foster


Dianne Touchell - 2016
    It was this: Dad was going away somewhere all on his own. And Foster was already missing him.Foster Sumner is seven years old. He likes toy soldiers, tadpole hunting, going to school and the beach. Best of all, he likes listening to his dad's stories.But then Foster's dad starts forgetting things. No one is too worried at first. Foster and Dad giggle about it. But the forgetting gets worse. And suddenly no one is laughing anymore.A heartbreaking story about what it means to forget and to be forgotten.

Kalinda


Evan Green - 1991
    The book starts with Adam living openly with his voluptuous half-caste lover on his desert station in the outback, and gradually the fates of succeeding generations intertwine in this Australian family saga.

Ladybug Blue


Laura Yirak - 2012
    There's a problem outside and this cute bug is going to fix it by swapping colors. TThis is a fun and colorful, fully illustrated ebook, for ages 18 months and up.