When 16-year-old Shaun discovers a dead body in the lake of a quiet mining town in outback Queensland, he immediately reports it to the police. But when he returns to the site with the constable, the body is gone.  Shaun's father drowned a few years ago, and now his mum and the authorities questions whether he saw a body at all.

Determined to show the town the truth, Shaun and his best friend, Will, open their own investigation. But what they discover is far more sinister than a mining mishap or a murder and reveals a darkness below the surface of their small mining town.

The Giver, by Lois Lowry

The classic award-winning novel that inspired the dystopian genre and a major motion picture adaptation for 2014 starring Jeff Bridges, Meryl Streep, Katie Holmes and Taylor Swift. It is the future. There is no war, no hunger, no pain. No one in the community wants for anything. Everything needed is provided. And at twelve years old, each member of the community has their profession carefully chosen for them by the Committee of Elders.

Twelve-year old Jonas has never thought there was anything wrong with his world. But from the moment he is selected as the Receiver of Memory, Jonas discovers that their community is not as perfect as it seems.

It is only with the help of the Giver, that Jonas can find what has been lost. And it is only through his personal courage that Jonas finds the strength to do what is right.

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Stories of Australian peacekeeping and humanitarian operations

In the Hall of Memory at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra there are 16 stained glass windows. Each shows a figure dressing in military uniform, and under each figure is a word which describes a quality displayed by Australians during wartime.

One window features an infantryman with measuring devices, including a right-angle ruler. Originally referring to the self-discipline shown on the battlefields of the First World War, the solider also represents those Australians who have demonstrated composure and dependability while serving on peacekeeping and humanitarian operations.

The World Ends in April, by Stacy McAnutly

Eleanor Dross knows a thing or two about the end of the world, thanks to a survivalist grandfather who stockpiles freeze-dried food and supplies--just in case. So, when she reads about a Harvard scientist's prediction that an asteroid will strike Earth in April, Eleanor knows her family will be prepared. Her classmates? They're on their own!

But it's hard to keep quiet about a life-destroying asteroid--especially at a crowded lunch table--and soon Eleanor is the president of the (secret) End of the World Club. It turns out that prepping for TEOTWAWKI (the End of the World as We Know It) is actually kind of fun. But you can't really prepare for everything life drops on you. And one way or another, Eleanor's world is about to change.