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.

The House Guest by Eleanor Nilsson

This book has been rated as a top read for boys and girls would love it too. It's another Australian gem I couldn't put down. Gunno and his gang regularly skip school and raid houses for fun, stealing cash only. When Gunno and the gang break into The Big House, he finds that his life changes as this house in the valley is different and it holds some fascination for him. He is continually drawn back to it. and starts visiting regularly thinking of it as his house; he loves the little dog there and day by day is learning about the lives of the owners. And there's also Hugh's room, but where is Hugh?His bedroom is musty and his books and belongings are all covered in dust. Eleanor Nilsson first thought of the story of Gunno and Hugh after she saw an old rambling house near Adelaide. The house seemed welcoming yet elusive and mysterious. This is the house in The House Guest. The dog in the story was inspired by Lochie, Eleanor's own Shetland Sheepdog.

Radical Take Offs by Glyn Parry

Radical Take Offs is a versatile collection of short stories whose range of storylines will absorb young adults. Some great use of idioms in this book and its structured prose catches adolescent bravado and the usual anxieties teens pretend they don’t have. This is author Glyn Parry’s second book and it won The Western Australia’s Premier’s Award. Glyn has his own blogspot and it’s an interesting read:

http://www.glynparry.blogspot.com/

Secrets of Walden Rising by Allan Baille

Brendan and his dad move to Australia after his mum leaves home. Settling in a drought-ridden outback town does not seem much of an improvement over a green English village he is used to, and Brendan finds the local kids to be mean, narrow minded and positively hostile. They don't even use his name , to them he is just "the Pom." However, things take a turn for the better when he discovers that something weird is happening outside the dusty town and no-one else seems to have noticed. Everyone else is far too preoccupied waiting for rainfall which will break the terrible drought. It is as if a whole new town from the past has suddenly risen out of the water in front of him. Walden Rising is another worthy read from one of Australia’s best known writers, Allan Baillie

Bruises, Boys Don't Cry by Archimedes Fusillo

"So you think what you guys did is funny?" Gibbo stepped right up to Ape, almost toe to toe with him. Falco drew a breath. It was never a good idea to confront Ape like this.

Welcome to bunkhouse five, the scene of power struggles, hidden agendas, drama and power plays. There's Brad with the troubled past, there’s fat, harmless Mountain-Man Singh and then there’s cowardly Anthony Cannucia , and also the charismatic, dangerous Ape who keeps constant pressure on the group. Finally, there’s Falco, a guy who didn’t want to come on camp in the first place. He has more than enough to deal with at home and now he’s been made leader here at camp! Be a bystander OR be an upstander, this is a major theme in this book.

Author Archimedes writes primarily for boys in thier teenage years trying to make sense of the worlds and looks at the pressure placed on them in different social situations.

Read this interesting article Bullying Boys to gain more idea of whether this book could interest you:

http://januarymagazine.com/kidsbooks/bruises.html

Witch Music and Other Stories by Gillian Rubinstein

Again, if you like the pleasure of reading a story in a sitting this may be a book you would enjoy. It contains eight short stories which mainly deal with social situations. They are like magical realism in many respects; very typical of this author. My favourite magical realism author is Isabel Allende, a Chilean writer, who has written three books for children in recent years.These stories from Rubinstein are in fact magical stories set in ordinary settings such as primary school, at the beach and at home. Each story is prefaced by a detailed ink depiction of the story by artist Malcolm Liddell. My favourite story is The Unproper Father about Mr Williams who drank, never became violent, but was a bit hazy. Once he came to your house it was hard to make him leave. One scene is reminiscent of the times when I used to put my ear to the rails of the tracks of the very narrow train bridge which ran over the Leven Bridge in Ulverstone on the north-west coast of Tasmania, to check for the possibility of a train before scurrying across it with athletic-speed. Hopefully kids don't do dumb things like this these days. Many incidents in this story remind me of my childhood. so maybe that it why it appealed to me.

Captain Cobwebb and the Red Transistor by Gordon Boshell

I was really intrigued by this little book I purchased for a mere 20 cents. It's in great condition. I set about trying to find out about the author, Gordon Boshell. Gosh, how elusive is this author! Almost nothing exists about him on the internet. This is the only book by him I have ever come across and I have just started reading it. So what have I found out so far about the author? From what I can gather, there are ten books in this series. This book gets four or five stars in reviews, but nobody writes about it. It’s not cheap to buy anymore around $30 a copy. But since I have contacted this books it’s probably worth a drop in the ocean. The Million Pound Randsom is worth a hell of a lot more. Gordon Boshell was a journalist for more than 40 years. He also worked as a scriptwriter and a feature editor for the BBC. He wrote two adult novels. In 1951 he left Fleet Street to join The World Health Organisation as an information officer, whatever that is. He worked in South East Asia and the Western Pacific, as well as in the organisation’s headquarters in Geneva. He was born in Blackburn, Lancashire, returned to Britain in 1967 and he and his wife live in Wells, Somerset, where he wrote the stories about David and Toby Green, which were his first books for children. He illustrated his own books with cute little ink drawing of the characters. More on this once I have read the book