Category: Ages 9–11

Kathryn Lefroy and Paper Bird Children’s Books & Art will launch The Secret of the Stone at a special family-friendly event on Saturday 21 September at 10.30 am. The Secret of the Stone is a heartwarming and humorous contemporary story full of intrigue, mystery and a hint of the supernatural. Written in her signature high-energy, cinematic and action-packed […]

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 […]

Activity Sheet

'Set The Stage/Dance Challenge'

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Mark Greenwood shares mysterious true Australian stories in his junior fiction series, beginning with The Dragon’s Treasure and The Vanishing. In the teaching activity for The Dragon’s Treasure, budding reporters share the story of discovering treasure on a remote West Australian beach, using the newspaper template for the Pirate Times. For The Vanishing, kids create their own comic strip: drawing the moment […]

Activity Sheet

'Create A Comic/Dig Up A Story'

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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 […]

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'Create A Profile For These African Countries'

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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 […]

What do good illustrators and authors do when they sit down to write a book? Sally Tinker, the leading character of Brobot: now available in colour, ponders this question with her author and creator James Foley. James’s new edition of Brobot: now available in colour is available in all good bookshops and online. Gastronauts: now available in colour is due for release […]

In this episode, we are tuning in to listen to children’s author James Foley speak with his lead character, Sally Tinker, about how the big ideas come to be and where you can find them. James’s new edition of Brobot: now available in colour is available in all good bookshops and online. Gastronauts: now available in colour is due […]

Children’s publisher Cate Sutherland can’t resist a dog book – especially written by master storyteller Deb Fitzpatrick. She asked Deb to share all the waggily, woofy goodness of writing Deb’s entertaining new adventure Kelpie Chaos. Tell us about your latest book and why you wrote it. Kelpie Chaos is a novel for younger middle readers […]

Children’s publisher Cate Sutherland says she loves the way Cristy Burne’s Into the Blue combines a snorkelling adventure with real-life conundrums that kids face every day. We asked Cristy to share more about the book’s themes and her writing process. Tell us about your latest book and why you wrote it. My latest book is Into the Blue […]

In Into the Blue, what starts as a fun snorkelling adventure quickly becomes a test of character and conscience when Blair loses his brother’s beloved GoPro in the sea. On this map of the Omeo wreck on Coogee Beach, draw and label the plants, animals, lost objects, trash and treasure you might see on an old […]

Activity Sheet

'Ship to Shore'

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In Kelpie Chaos, a kelpie puppy is about to be sent to the pound and Eli knows he has to do something to save him. After adopting the flame-chested kelpie, now named Zoom, the family falls in love, but they soon learn there’s a lot to remember when raising a working dog. In this activity, kids are […]

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'Draw A Dog You Know with Deb Fitzpatrick'

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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 […]

Sister Bullwinkel was a WWII hero who tended to patients in a Japanese prisoner of war camp in Indonesia. Find the right illnesses to diagnose the WWII patient like Vivien Bullwinkel does in Courage Be My Friend. We’ve collated some common diseases she may have encountered. Use the internet to come up with your best […]

Activity Sheet

'Diagnose the WWII illness'

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Find the right words to fill out the ad-lib poem or write your own Fibonacci poem (sometimes called a Fib). Right Way Down and other poems is an accessible poetry collection that covers a wide variety of topics in an illustrated, read-aloud format. It offers plenty of opportunities for engagement through performance, creative writing, art and […]

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'DIY Poetry'

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Ever wondered what makes an idea good or bad? Sally Tinker, the world’s foremost inventor under the age of twelve, asks author and illustrator James Foley just what is the big idea?

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 […]

Find the Wongutha Words in this crossword and unlock the tales of the Wongutha people. From Indigenous traditional teaching stories of the Wongutha people, to stories based on the author’s childhood at Mount Margaret Mission, Wongutha Tales is a unique collection bringing together May L. O’Brien’s beautiful stories for the first time. This activity sheet is an […]

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'Wongutha Words'

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Crow Baby is a story that will capture the imagination of both young and older readers, inspiring them to embrace their unique gifts. Here’s Helen Milroy to tell you more about it.

Fremantle Press Children’s Publisher Cate Sutherland announced the co-publication of Right Way Down and other poems with fellow local publishing house Alphabet Soup Books. Right Way Down is a creative collection of poetry for middle readers full of entertaining poems by writers including Sally Murphy, A.J. Betts, Cristy Burne, Cheryl Kickett-Tucker, Cass Lynch, Amber Moffat, […]

To celebrate the release of Chenée Marrapodi‘s debut novel, One Wrong Turn, one lucky person will get the chance to win a copy of the book and a double pass to WA Ballet’s performance of The Nutcracker by showing off their best dance moves.

Activity Sheet

'One Wrong Turn bookcover'

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Inspired by Chenée Marrapodi’s debut junior fiction novel, One Wrong Turn, get ready to put your best foot forward with these activity sheets.

Activity Sheet

'Famous, infamous or fictional?'

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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 […]