BARRENJOEY HIGH
SCHOOL READERS'
CHALLENGE
Note: This list is not prescriptive. Other books may be chosen but should be shown to your
teacher for approval.
Cory Doctorow
Little Brother
After being interrogated for days by the Department of Homeland Security in the aftermath
of a major terrorist attack on San Francisco, California, seventeen-year-old Marcus,
released into what is now a police state, decides to use his expertise in computer hacking to
set things right.
Elise McCredie
Nowhere Boys
Four teenage boys are hiking in the bush when they are caught in a freak storm. After
surviving the night, the boys expect a hero's welcome, but instead they find that nobody
knows who they are. Not their family. Not their friends.
Kate Constable
Crow County
Living in the country takes on new meaning, especially when Crow gives Sadie a secret to
keep and a mystery to solve.
Steve Worland
Paper Planes
Twelve year old Dylan Webber lives in a small country town in outback Western Australia.
When he discovers a talent for folding and flying paper planes, Dylan aims for the World
Junior Paper Plane Championships
Neil Gaiman
Stardust
A fairy tale about a young man's hunt for his heart's desire, told in clear, rolling prose.
David Almond
Skellig
A story of love and faith, written with exquisite heart-fluttering tenderness.
Abbas Kazerooni
The Boy With Two Lives
Abbas's extraordinary resilience in the face of overpowering odds makes this story based on
true events inspiring and unforgettable.
Willis Hall
The Last Vampire
Bite into the Vampire series - it's fangtastic!
Barry Jonsberg
My Life As An Alphabet
Candice Phee wants to bring light and laughter to those around her, and somehow she
succeeds despite the bizarre mix-ups and the confusion she effortlessly creates.
Elizabeth Laird
The Fastest Boy In The World
Eleven-year-old Solomon loves running and dreams of being a gold-medal-winning athlete.
Set in Ethopia, Solomon's Grandfather collapses and it's a 20 mile run to get home and help.
Can the barefooted runner with the big heart do it?
David Levithan
Every Day
Every day a different body. Every day a different life. Every day in love with the same girl.
Isaac Asimov
Foundation
First volume of Asimov's world-famous trilogy, one of the great classics of science fiction.
Kate De Goldi
The 10pm Question
Frankie Parsons is twelve going on old man, an apparently sensible, talented boy with a
drumbeat of worrying questions steadily gaining volume in his head.
Tristan Bancks
Two Wolves
Gripping and unpredictable, with a hero you won't forget.
Patrick Ness
The Ask And The Answer
If you loved The knife of never letting go you will love this second book in this series - Chaos
walking.
Jackie French
Pennies For Hitler
In order to survive, George is smuggled into Australia to begin a new life with a different
name and family.
Meg Rosoff
What I Was
Intelligent, ironic and darkly funny.
Gillian Rubinstein
The Whale's Child
Ken has been having problems with his training for squad swimming. The unexpected
discovery of a Japanese relative and her tales of the migratingÿwhales help him to succeed.
Leah Thomas
Because You'll Never Meet Me
Ollie, who has seizures when near electricity, lives in a backwoods cabin with his mother
and rarely sees other people, and Moritz, born with no eyes and a heart defect that
requires a pacemaker, is bullied at his high school, but when a physician who knows both
suggests they begin corresponding, they form a strong bond that may get them through
dark times.
Diana Chase
No Borders For Josef
Orphaned in the brutal Balkans conflict, thirteen-year-old Joseph is forced to flee across the
border. Come and join him on his amazing encounters.
Rachel Campbell-Johnston
The Child's Elephant
Scary, funny, heart-warming!
Prue Mason
Camel Rider
Set in the panic and confusion of a wartime attack, two boys from different cultures must
rely on each other to survive in the desert.
Cynthia Rylant
I Had Seen Castles
Set in World War two this is both a love story and a coming-of-age tale, a book with a
passionate anti-war message
Jack London
The Call Of The Wild
Stolen from home, a privileged dog named Buck, must quickly learn the harsh law of
survival among the men and dogs of a rugged country region.
Kate Forsyth
The Gypsy Crown
The first book in the exciting six-book series about the adventures of two daring children, a
monkey, a dog, and a dancing bear in search of the chain of charms.
John Steinbeck
The Pearl
The Pearl is a parable about wealth and the evil it can bring.
Patricia Bernard
Claw Of The Dragon
This is a adventure story about survival in a dangerous world of treasure hunters and
underworld crime and mutiny.
Chris Morphew
Arrival
This is the first in a six part science fiction and adventure series where the main character,
Luke Hunter and his recently divorced mother Emily, move to Phoenix. Luke soon discovers
that the town is plotting to wipe out the human race outside of Phoenix in a 100 days time!
Sonya Hartnett
The Midnight Zoo
Two boys are fleeing from a war-ravaged country and come across a zoo untouched by war
- both animals and boys are in need of hope.
Neil Grant
The Ink Bridge
Two boys meet at the culmination of separate compelling journeys. Omed is a boy from
Afghanistan seeking anylum in Australia and meets Hector at a candle factory where both
find work. But secrets fester behind the monotonous routine of the assemby line, secrets
with terrible consequences. Ultimately, it is up to Hector to determine how the story ends.
Anna Pershall
A Term In Year Seven
Whatever happens at high school, I know what I don't want to happen. I never want to be a
loner or a loser or a dork ever again!
William Osborne
Hitler's Angel
Otto and Leni have escaped to England from Nazi Germany. Their mission is to find and
kidnap a girl who could bring down Hilter and so begins their bravest journey yet.