Category: Ages 12+
In Annie and Maeve Are Definitely Not Friends by Olivia Muscat, Maeve loves using her fancy-pants dictionary to look up words. In this activity sheet for ages 12+, students solve the clues and then search for words. For more teaching ideas, why not try: Download our free teaching notes for more ideas on how to […]
Bring the special anniversary edition of In Flanders Fields by Norman Jorgensen and Brian Harrison-Lever to life with a hands-on activity that explores how soldiers stayed safe in the trenches. Students will use two empty milk cartons and two small mirrors to create their own periscopes and understand how they work. With free teaching notes […]
Bring the new edition of Lighthouse Girl by Dianne Wolfer (illustrated by Brian Simmonds) to life with a hands-on activity inspired by the way people once communicated across distances: semaphore. In this free activity, students will make their own pair of flags, learn the semaphore alphabet and use it to send messages to a partner. […]
Looking for a rich springboard into text types and visual literacy? A New World Rises: Tales of a LEGO® Future is loaded with engaging and interactive text types that invite students to explore how writers shape meaning across different formats. Author Cristy Burne, who wrote the text for A New World Rises based on the […]
Step into the future and think visually in two new free teaching activities inspired by A New World Rises by Alex Towler, Jackson Harvey and Cristy Burne! In activity one, students can draw their own futuristic scene with bricks and minifigures, complete with an eye-catching headline worthy of the Post-Human Times. In activity two, have […]
Could you imagine being stuck underground in a dark, flooded mine? Well, this was the reality for one Bonnie Vale miner in 1907. Trapped! is a true story by Julia Lawrinson, told entirely in verse and through the eyes of the trapped miner’s son, Joe. In this activity based on the book, have students think […]
Follow Robin Miller’s journey as she pursues her dream of being a flying nurse. In this fun crossword, students will visit pivotal moments in Robin’s life and some of the places she flew to across Western Australia – and beyond! Complement the activity with our teaching resources, and encourage students to: You can download the […]
From the high country of Victoria to the desert sand of Egypt, from the waters off Gallipoli to the battlefields of France, The Last Light Horse is the extraordinary story of Sandy, the only returning warhorse. ‘The idea for this book was sparked over ten years ago when I was researching Light Horse Boy,’ says […]
Kathryn Lefroy might be a fantasy writer for children, but there’s nothing fantastical about her connection to Jane Austen’s Mr Darcy. Her great-great-great-great-great uncle was Jane Austen’s inspiration for Mr Darcy, one of world’s most lusted after characters – both on the page and on screen. Given the iconic literary connection, teamed with the fact that she […]
In activity one, ask your students to draw the elements of a stage. Working together or solo, have them plan a dance, making sure it has all the elements to wow an audience. Activity two teaches dance vocabulary using a crossword puzzle. Further discussion questions for Breaking Pointe include: You can download the activity sheets here and, for more […]
Mark Greenwood is a history hunter. He enjoys searching for lost explorers and glittering treasure, delving into baffling mysteries and investigating famous cold cases. In this piece, he shares his passion for the unexplained and how that resulted in a new series of books. Why these mysteries in particular? I’m hooked on mystery, history and […]
Holding a published copy of One Wrong Turn in my hands was a dream come true. I never entertained the idea of there being a sequel and the fact that it now exists is largely thanks to the enthusiasm of Australia’s dance community and of course, the wonderful team at Fremantle Press! Dance has been […]
In 1989, Mecak Ajang Alaak led the Lost Boys on a four-year journey from Ethiopia to Kenya to protect them from becoming child soldiers. To understand these countries better, create a country profile for each of the following four countries: South Sudan, Sudan, Ethiopia and Kenya. This activity gives kids the opportunity to learn practical […]
Children’s publisher Cate Sutherland says, ‘When we first shortlisted Father of the Lost Boys for the City of Fremantle Hungerford Award, we didn’t know then what we know now – that the book would be embraced by readers and that working with Yuot would be such a delight. Both are great reasons for us to […]
Published in association with THEATRE 180, Courage Be My Friend by Jenny Davis OAM is the story of Sister Vivian Bullwinkel, who was the only survivor of the Bangka Island Massacre during World War II. Vivian’s selfless efforts to support her fellow prisoners of war in a Japanese camp garnered her many medals and saw her go on to […]
Nedingar: Ancestors by Isobel Bevis and Leanne Zilm, I Am the Mau and other stories by Chemutai Glasheen and Timeless by Kelly Canby have been named Notable books by the Children’s Book Council of Australia. Fremantle Press children’s publisher Cate Sutherland said she was extremely proud of her list and excited to see diverse debut […]
Cristy Burne Remember the first time you spotted a fish swimming in the ocean? Or the fun of jumping waves? Or that full-body shiver as you plunge into the chilly, salty sea? A child’s emotional connection to nature is a vital and revitalising superpower – and I want to grow it whenever I can. Our […]
Chemutai Glasheen is a teacher and a sessional academic at Curtin University. She writes fiction for young people and her work is influenced by her upbringing in Africa and the duality of growing up between two different cultures. In this piece Chemutai shares the behind-the-scenes of her first book I am the Mau and Other […]
In One Wrong Turn Chenée Marrapodi has made all the right turns (of phrase that is). It’s a great book for middle readers and a wonderful retelling of the traditional ballet story. Told with subtlety and honesty, she replaces the ballet clichés with a realistic portrayal of the grit, determination and teamwork required by our […]
Two gripping new productions will provide theatre audiences with a powerful fusion of great Fremantle Press books, live theatre and cinema. Based on Dianne Wolfer’s award-winning quartet of picture books for older readers, The Lighthouse Girl Saga will open at Albany’s Princess Royal Theatre (Albany Entertainment Centre) on 23 February before playing in Busselton on […]
The Wreckers’ Revenge is the second book following on from Norman Jorgensen’s The Smuggler’s Curse. This children’s fiction adventure series follows Red Read who is sold to an infamous smuggler plying his trade off the north-west coast of Australia in the closing days of the 19th century. The Shipwreck Survival activity sheet was designed to […]