Category: Ages 9–11

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 […]

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'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 […]

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'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.

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'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.

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'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 […]

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 […]

Bella and the Voyaging House by Meg Mckinlay is the second installment in the Bella series. In this novel, Bella and the house go in search for her grandfather’s figurine but things don’t quite go to plan. The Search with Bella activity sheet develops word recognition skills, visual cues, spelling and improves concentration. For more […]

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'Bella and the Voyaging House Activity'

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In The Vexatious Haunting of Lily Griffin, Lily works to solve the mysteries surrounding her family in this three part book packed full of adventure, magic and a little bit of history. This Word Find activity sheet fosters and builds word recognition skills, visual cues, spelling and improves concentration. For more teaching activities, download the […]

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'Solve a mystery with Lily Griffin'

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In Alex and the Alpacas Ride Again by Kathryn Lefroy, Alex, Leeui and Grandpa Jacob work together to transcribe an ancient language and crack the code in order to save the day. This code breaker activity sheet is designed for kids to create their code and write a message to a loved one. For more […]

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'Code Breaker'

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Mel and Shell is about two best friends living in 1979. Swedish pop group ABBA rules the airwaves and roller skating is cool. Confiding in her pen pal from 1829, Shell discovers she has a lot to learn about loyalty and honesty. The Dear Pen Pal activity sheet encourages research into history and fosters imagination. […]

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'Mel and Shell Activity'

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To the Lighthouse is a children’s adventure novel about two children exploring Rottnest Island. Cristy Burne wrote this novel to inspire creativity, daring and resilience in her readers. The Design Your Own Holiday Adventure activity sheet encourages creative thinking, geography skills and visual learning. For more teaching activities, download the free teaching notes here.

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'To the Lighthouse Activity'

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The Vexatious Haunting of Lily Griffin is the whopper doorstop of never-ending educational resources and inspiration for students ages 8–13. Here some activities for the classroom. Real-life issues/themes The Vexatious Haunting of Lily Griffin is a supernatural fantasy of epic proportions, but wrapped up in all the haunting, high jinks and history lies an earnest and […]

Jayden Boundry has been hard at work behind the scenes recording an online pronunciation guide to support readers of Noongar Boodja Waangkan: First Noongar Words. Launched to coincide with the United Nations International Year of Indigenous Languages, the book was co-created by Jayden, a Wadjak Ballardong Noongar and Badimaya Yamatji man, and Tyrown Waigana, a […]

It’s 17 years since Dianne Wolfer and Brian Harrison-Lever’s award-winning and acclaimed picture book for older readers was released. And it’s 80 years since the Kokoda Track battles it depicts took place. Published on 30 July 2005 and set in 1942, Photographs in the Mud is told from the point of view of two soldiers, […]

My omnibus (best word ever), The Vexatious Haunting of Lily Griffin grew out of my first middle reader novel Lily in the Mirror (CBCA Notable 2017 – just saying). Lily is a character that appeared one day and spoke to me, I felt like she was whispering in my ear. Don’t judge. Then she wrapped […]