Live and Laugh with Dementia

Ariana Treasure loves helping her friends and Maya definitely needs her help. There’s a talent show at school, but Maya thinks she has no talent. To add to Maya’s dilemma, she is desperate to impress her grandfather who is visiting all the way from Sri Lanka. Can Ariana help Maya discover her special talent before show day? Afterall Ariana knows we all have talents.

In the Ariana Treasure early reader series there are always problems to solve and fun to be had.

Ariana often saves the day with her quick thinking and thoughtful spirit. The stories explore friendship, families, courage, diversity and sustainability. With simple sentence structures, accessible vocabulary, familiar characters and relatable storylines, the stories in the Ariana Treasure series would suit eager beginner readers. Whether it be making new friends, saving a kitchen disaster or finding an act for the talent show, Ariana is ever ready to step up and help those in her community.

Ray Johnston and his best friend Tom, nearing the end of their first year in high school in Melbourne's vibrant inner-western suburbs, develop a fascination with Melbourne's new West Gate Bridge. After school, they regularly go to the bustling construction site to talk to the workers and collect mementos from the debris.  To Ray and the community, the bridge symbolizes more than a mere transportation link from the western suburbs to Melbourne's central business district. It represents progress, superiority, and power, filling Ray with immense pride as his father, Doug Johnston, serves as the lead rigger, and his neighbor, George Demetriou, works as an ironworker.  One fateful day, Ray stumbles upon a conversation between a bridge engineer and a foreman. They express serious concern about a buckle in the bridge and discuss plans to loosen the bridge’s bolts the following day. 

Tormented by this secret, Ray confides in Tom and ultimately decides to share his fears with his father. But his father tells him to keep quiet about it. Although Ray fears for his father’s and George’s safety, he agrees.  The next day, shortly before noon, Ray is in his class at school when he hears piercing sirens wailing. He sprints toward the bridge, only to find a scene of utter devastation and chaos. Driven by desperation, he joins the courageous team of workers, relentlessly searching for his father amidst the wreckage—fighting against time to save lives.  Hours pass like an eternity as Ray, with his torn and dirt-streaked shirt, abandons his identity as a schoolboy. And then, a glimmer of hope—the unimaginable happens—Ray finds his father alive and well. 

As months pass, Ray is haunted by the bridge as it hooks his fragmented heart, and he refuses to pass it on his way to Tom’s house. Although he feels somewhat older since the accident, it’s not until Ray learns the biggest lesson of all—to forgive himself—that he is finally free.  And just like the weathered, stressed and damaged pieces of glass he loves to collect, Ray begins to notice they too can be reshaped and strengthened into something new, ultimately reflecting a new perspective and a new way of looking at the world.   

On the cusp of adulthood, the two young friends face their own individual rites of passage as they wrestle with tragedy, justice, and a loss of innocence, which will not only define them but change their lives forever. 

Reading age of 12+, Interest age 14+ Rhiza Shorts are teen novellas for reluctant readers. 

Flip is a contemporary Australian young adult drama that explores big issues with soul and sensitivity. Its high-low content and feel-good finale make it a perfect read for both lovers of the genre and non-confident readers.

Issues and themes flowing through Flip are timely and relevant, including a housing crisis, bullying, loss and grief, finding yourself and a sense of belonging, friendship and family dynamics, starting over in a new town and school, and the impacts of cancer and dementia. 

Denim Davies wishes he could flip his life, just like the vintage items and clothing he finds at garage sales and thrift stores and sells online. With the worsening housing crisis, Denim and his dad have spent a year moving from town to town in search of sustainable work and a home they can call their own. Every move means starting over in a new school. Denim feels he’s drifting through life without an anchor.

When Denim and his dad arrive in the coastal town of Driftwood Heights, Denim knows things are only going to get worse. The only accommodation is in the trailer park, he’s just started Year 10, and in this small town where everyone knows each other he feels more of a misfit than ever. Besides, what’s the point of getting close to anyone if you’re just going to move away again?

When Denim befriends Mina, a quirky girl with a carefree attitude, Driftwood Heights starts to look a little brighter. But then a vintage find that seems too good to be true goes horribly wrong, and he has a tough decision to make—one that could ruin his friendship forever.  What do you do when flipping your life has too high a price? 

Reading age of 10 +, Interest age 14+. Rhiza Shorts are teen novellas for reluctant readers.

An exciting time travel journey, combining suspense and adventure with problem solving as Harper tries to keep history on the right course and save a missing girl.  Harper Wells finally gets a room of her own, away from her annoying big brother and the grief they both feel at the disappearance of her mother. But on the first night in her brand-new bed, she wakes up in the past and meets a young girl named Edie. Not knowing where she is or how she got there, Harper eventually wakes up back in her room at home.  When another night’s sleep turns into a second visit to Edie, she’s grabbed by a boy her age, who identifies himself as Maximilian. He’s a time officer and reveals that Harper has accidentally bought a time-travelling bed and her encounter with Edie could have changed Australian history. He tells her that the World Office of Timeline Officials—WOTO for short—will kill her if they realize she’s using a Wollemi Bed without authorization or training.   Has Harper changed the future or can things be restored? And who does her new bed really belong to? 

The answer throws her into a world of time-travelling spies and puts her life in danger as she tries to restore Edie’s timeline and find the missing time officer.  

Harper Wells: Renegade TimelineOfficer is an exciting story ideal for ages 10 and up. It covers grief and loss, as well as important moments in Australia’s history. It has a feisty heroine who knows how to stand up for herself and tries to set things right instead of walking away.  

Juniper is stuck in her beachside home. All she wants is to play on the sand, collect shells, and look for mermaids in the shallows. But it's too wet and Mamma's busy with work. Juniper tries to keep busy with indoor games—like a tea party with her dolls, and building a blanket cave with Teddy. Eventually, she runs out of things to do. Mamma suggests she paint a picture, so Juniper decides to paint her beloved beach. She starts with the sky that stretches down to the deep sea green, then adds red sailboats and darting silverfish. By the time it’s complete, Juniper is surprised to see that something has changed! The storm has passed and Mamma is ready to go to the beach. Did her painting change the world outside? Maybe her imagination is more powerful than she thought …

With captivating illustrations, Juniper’s Painting helps children patiently navigate disappointment, embrace their creativity, and find enjoyment in the present.