Welcome to Riverbend Standing Orders for July 2023
We are delighted to bring to you a great selection of titles.
Kind Regards, Pauline and Trish
Picture Books
I’m Your Favourite Book – Maggie Hutchins; illus. Jess Racklyeft (3+ themes of reading, love for books, nostalgia, experiences Teacher Notes)
One Little Duck – Katrina Germein; illus. Danny Snell (3+ themes of families, natural world, belonging, humour, Teaching Guide)
The Lucky Shack – Apsara Baldovino; illus. Jennifer Falkner (3+ themes of belonging, resilience, natural world, time, attachment, seasons, cycle of life, natural world, Teaching Guide)
The Wheelbarrow Express – Sue Whiting; illus. Cate James (3+ themes of grandparent/child relationship, life on a farm, saying goodbye, family, Publisher Notes)
Primary Fiction
How to Be… A Friend – Anna Brandford (8+ themes of family, friendship, relationships, kindness, prejudice, conflict, secrets)
I Spy, A Bletchley Park Mystery – Rhian Tracey (9+ themes of spying, mystery, historical novel, friendship, WWII)
Meet Me at the Moon Tree – Shivaun Plozza (10+ themes of love, grief, acceptance, hope, courage, science, trees, magic, death of a parent, animals, Teaching Guide)
The Unlikely Heroes Club – Kate Foster (8+ themes of adventure, mystery, teamwork, friendship, autistic character, diversity, Publisher Notes)
Middle School Fiction
Hamlet is Not Ok – R.A. Spratt (13+ themes of grief, despair, mental health, ethics & morality, revenge, corruption, appearance vs. reality, parental expectations, friendship, dyslexia, reference to suicidal ideation in Shakespearean context, intertextuality, Teacher Notes)
Picasso and the Greatest Show on Earth – Anna Fienberg (10+ themes of friendship, family and love; the healing power of nature; art and individual expression; school, bullying and bravery; death and forms of grief; anxiety and mental illness; secrets, loneliness and isolation, Teacher Notes)
Saving Charli – Di Walker (10+ themes of loss, grief, siblings, twins, transcendence of love, the importance of friendship, perception, family and connection)
The Tale of Truthwater Lake – Emma Carroll (10+ themes of time-slip, loss, enduring friendship, memories, swimming, environmental damage, global warming, drowned towns)
Secondary Fiction
Inkflower – Suzy Zail (15+: themes of alternate timelines, set in the 1980s, flashbacks to WWII Holocaust, family, secrets, depiction of MS, disability, grief and loss, discrimination, based on a true story, adapted from an adult memoir, memories, growing up, identity, friendships, romance, storytelling, Teacher Notes)
Stateless – Elizabeth Wein (15+ themes of historical fiction, Pre-WWII, European setting, pilots, murder mystery, friendships, secrets, suspense, sabotage, betrayals, romance, prejudice, feminism, twisty)
The Secret History of the Rainbow Trout Hotel – David Metzenthen (15+ themes of contemporary, regional Australia, gap year, friendships, diversity of ideas and beliefs, secrets, relationships, dysfunctional families, identity, environment, depictions of depression, travel, hotel life, generational, Teacher Notes)
We Didn’t Think it Through – Gary Lonesborough (15+ themes of contemporary, First Nations protagonist, family, siblings, friendships, cancer, LGBT, Depictions of self-harm, some violence and intimidation, strong language, underage drinking, drugs, juvenile detention centre, rehabilitation, flashbacks, identity, coming-of-age, writing, racism and
discrimination.)
Adult Fiction
The Watchful Wife – Suzanne Leal
Wifedom – Anna Funder
Primary Fiction (Boys Only Pack)
Being Jimmy Baxter – Fiona Lloyd (9+ themes of Depression, grief, bullying, racism, learning difficulties, loneliness, the power of friendship, resilience, hope, perseverance, gratitude, being true to who you are, coming of age, Teacher Notes)
I Spy, A Bletchley Park Mystery – Rhian Tracey (9+ themes of spying, mystery, historical novel, friendship, WWII)
The Dragon on the Train – Ben Brooks (8+ themes of magical trains, dragons, adventure, mystery, friendship, love, and loss, and the magic of hope and family)
The Unlikely Heroes Club – Kate Foster (8+ themes of adventure, mystery, teamwork, friendship, autistic character, diversity, Publisher Notes)
Middle School Fiction (Boys Only Pack)
Hamlet is Not Ok – R.A. Spratt (13+ themes of grief, despair, mental health, ethics & morality, revenge, corruption, appearance vs. reality, parental expectations, friendship, dyslexia, reference to suicidal ideation in Shakespearean context, intertextuality, Teacher Notes)
Picasso and the Greatest Show on Earth – Anna Fienberg (10+ themes of friendship, family and love; the healing power of nature; art and individual expression; school, bullying and bravery; death and forms of grief; anxiety and mental illness; secrets, loneliness and isolation, Teacher Notes)
I Know You’re Lying – Daphne Benedis-Grab (10+ themes of criminal behaviour, suspicious acts and actions, bullying, twists and turns, theft, secrets, frienships, enemies)
Wild – Ele Fountain (11+ themes of grief and loss, family disunity, destructive behaviours, gangs, skipping school, feelings of anger and abandonment, adventure, rainforest, courage and making a difference, environment)
Secondary School Fiction (Boys Only Pack)
Boy in the Blue Hammock – Darren Groth (15+ themes of dystopia, regressive regime, disintegration of humanity, intellectually disabled autistic main character, point of view from Tao the service dog, militant groups, friendship trust, relationship between humans and animals, adventure and hope)
Stateless – Elizabeth Wein (15+ themes of historical fiction, Pre-WWII, European setting, pilots, murder mystery, friendships, secrets, suspense, sabotage, betrayals, romance, prejudice, feminism, twisty)
The Secret History of the Rainbow Trout Hotel – David Metzenthen (15+ themes of contemporary, regional Australia, gap year, friendships, diversity of ideas and beliefs, secrets, relationships, dysfunctional families, identity, environment, depictions of depression, travel, hotel life, generational, Teacher Notes)
We Didn’t Think it Through – Gary Lonesborough (15+ themes of contemporary, First Nations protagonist, family, siblings, friendships, cancer, LGBT, Depictions of self-harm, some violence and intimidation, strong language, underage drinking, drugs, juvenile detention centre, rehabilitation, flashbacks, identity, coming-of-age, writing, racism and
discrimination.)
Riverbend Standing Orders 