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What was supposed to be a sixteenth birthday celebration cruise for identical twins Jilda and Rosa quickly turns into a nightmare. While her mother and sister are enjoying an excursion on a Fijian island, Jilda, who is unwell and remains onboard, finds their ship has sailed off, leaving most of its passengers stranded on shore.
An unknown group has overtaken the ship. After a few days, they collect thousands of new passengers from a distant archipelago, making conditions onboard overcrowded and uncomfortable. Nobody seems to know where they are headed, so the mood on the ship rapidly deteriorates. Though Jilda is desperate to reunite with her family, she meets someone who comforts her and will completely change her world. But how will her new friend Jade feel when she learns Jilda has a boyfriend back home?
Lara, an English language teacher, is falling in love with one of her adult Brazilian students. At the same time, her long-term relationship with partner Alex is drifting apart. Desperate for some time alone to discover who she truly is and what she really needs and wants, Lara successfully applies for a job in China. Alex meanwhile is conflicted, as their mutual friend Sondra makes a play for him soon after Lara departs overseas. Alex is strongly attracted to Sondra, but feels loyal to Lara. To help him decide the future of their relationship, Alex heads to China for a four week holiday with Lara. During this time, exploring the sights and experiencing the different culture, Alex and Lara's relationship begins to change. But will an unexpected element bring them closer together, or completely tear them apart?
Life in a small mining town can be like living in a fishbowl, where everyone knows everybody else's business. Fifteen-year-old Jodi's mother wants her father to quit his binge drinking and his dangerous job at the mine—even more so after a collapse leaves two miners dead and three trapped deep underground.
As tensions escalate both at home and around the town, Jodi seeks comfort with her friends but soon faces a double betrayal. Meanwhile, her ten-year-old brother Jake reacts by joining a gang of schoolyard bullies who engage in increasingly dangerous antics.
As Jodi struggles to gain autonomy over her life, she begins to discover the person she really is. But with everything around her spiraling out of control, it may not be the right time to let her family, friends, and ultimately the whole town know—no matter how much she wants to.
Sixteen-year-old Rebecca is consumed by grief after the sudden, tragic death of her boyfriend, Alastair. Her pain is exacerbated by the fact that their relationship was a secret, a love story hidden from the world. Now, as she mourns in silence, she feels trapped, torn between the anguish of losing him and the guilt of revealing their bond.
Calum, Alastair's brother, remains unaware of their relationship. As Rebecca grows closer to Calum, their friendship takes an unexpected turn when they stumble upon a mysterious suitcase in an abandoned icehouse in the remote northern Scottish village of Cromarty. They also find a 19th-century diary written in code by a girl named Martha, also sixteen, whose secrets echo Rebecca’s hidden grief.
As Rebecca and Calum work together to decode the diary and uncover the truth behind Martha’s life, their bond strengthens. But with each revelation, Rebecca is forced to confront her own secrets and the emotional burden she has been carrying since Alastair’s death. The discovery tests their growing relationship, as Rebecca struggles with the question: Is it better to keep our deepest secrets hidden, or should we reveal them and let others help carry the weight of our grief?
ALBA explores the delicate balance between love and loss, secrecy and truth, and the healing power of sharing one’s heart with those willing to listen.
It is 1974 and Kirsten is looking forward to Christmas. But this Christmas turns out to be very different because Kirsten lives in Darwin, and Cyclone Tracy is coming. Will things ever be the same again?
Brave animals have helped people in wars throughout history. The book looks at four animals’ stories – a packhorse called Bill, a clever Pointer dog, a bomb-sniffing German Shepherd dog and a little grey kitten who is smuggled onto a battleship.