The Loaded Dog by Henry Lawson

The Loaded Dog is Henry Lawson's most popular comic story. Mates Dave, Jim and Andy are sinking a shaft at Stony Creek in search of gold. They like to go fishing in the creek and one day Dave decides it would be easier to blast the fish out with a cartridge of dynamite than to angle in the normal way given the muddy state of the water and banks. The trouble is they own a big, dopey retriever dog known for his idiotic slobbering. Well, as fate would have it, it is not long before the four-footed mate is terrorizing the town with his find. This hardback is filled with the detailed and colourful illustrations of Walter Cunningham who fully captures the amiable silliness of the dog. The end papers of the gold claim are also very effective and interesting to look at.

Undone! by Paul Jennings

This book, a multi award winner, is another collection of short stories from Jennings and they all have twists in their tails. There are eight stories in all. Here is a brief summary about each...

Batty: This story is set in the bush and its all about a boy who has been raised by bats.

Moonies: An illiterate boy moves to a new school, and after signing a contract he can't read, discovers that he has to moon the principal. Now, this is definitely something that someone in their right mind would never do.

Noseweed: A boy is staying with his grandad and is a bit over all the healthy food he has to eat there. One day the boy has to drink cod liver oil that has been mixed with museli and he just can't bring himself to swallow it. That is when a strange sprout appears from his nose.

Wake Up to Yourself: This story is about dreams and reality and there is a young lad who can't distinguish one from the other and all the problems that are associated with this.

Thought Full: Set on a farm this tale features a magic bottle. Now when you drink from this bottle it enables you to read other peoples' minds.

Clear as Mud:er Imagine becoming invisible when you are bitten by a bug. Well in this story magic, biting bug meets bully boy Eric Mud who is about to get much more than he bargained for.

What a Woman: Sally doesn't want to go to school, and you can't really blame her. You see, she is the only girl in the school. The boys are relentless in their bullying of her but one day something happens to turn her luck around...

You Be the Judge: If you eat someone, you are a cannibal. What are you then, if you drink someone? Is this even possible. This story is set in the desert and the main character is in a desperate situation.

There are three copies of this book in the Little Library of Rescued Books so you could read it along with a couple of friends.

Here is the covers from the other version of the book. This one overlays the one below.

Between You & Me edited by Suzette Boyd

This little book of stories written by Australian authors starts with the hard hitting How Johnny went over the edge. I believe the main idea behind this story is to get students thinking hard about the consequences of being a bystander, and that by not acting in some situations, it could lead to very tragic outcomes. Then there's the story about Parker-Hamilton by Robin Klein which is all about a family who buys a robot to assist with the housework only to find out it is a snob, is obsessive compulsive and that it makes everything so bright and shiny that they all have to resort to wearing sunglasses.

Stories to Eat With Watermelon by Jackie French

This the sequel to Stories to eat with a Banana but can be read without having read its predecessor. Phredde and Pru go off to save Sleeping Beauty from the handsome Prince, and meet a frog named Bruce who is no help whatsoever. Also there is the girl who likes eating rose bushes, pirate ships, a giant Thingummie, piranas in the moat and a werewolf brother who will keep lifting his leg on the geraniums. There are five stories in all and I must say I thought they were all a lot of fun and a good book when your brain wants something light to munch on.

The Fifth Usborne Book of Puzzle Adventures by Martin Oliver

This book contains three exciting adventure stories which will take you on a journey full of intrigue and mystery: Agent Arthur's Desert Challenge, The Dark Dark Knight and The Crimebusters Investigate. There are challenging puzzles on nearly every double page which you have to solve in order to understand the next segment of each story. If you do happen to get stuck you can ask me for a clue or look in the back of each of the story segments for some additional and very handy clues. Enjoy.

Nestle Write Around Australia

Eight great little stories written by young Aussie kids in grade 5, 6 and 7. These were the winners of the 2005 Nestle Write Around Australia competition. They are well worth the read, some of humorous like Hidden Agenda presented by a sufferer of acute paranoia, and some are very sad like The Diary of my Grandma which deals with the sadness that Alzheimers Disease can bring to a family.

Paul Jenning's Spookiest Stories by Paul Jennings

The author Paul Jennings is a former teacher and university lecturer who believes that kids who don't like to read are just disinterested. To prove it, he came up with an approach that appeals to even the most reluctant reader. This book, like his other collations of stories won't disappoint. This anthology boasts twenty of Paul's spookiest, fun-filled yarns, hand picked by Paul himself from his 'UN' collection. Below is a link to Paul talking about himself and his suburb:

http://www.pauljennings.com.au/video.asp