Wet Wet Wet

Australians really like water. We like the beach. We like swimming. It's a shame we don't have more water. So stick a bucket in the shower and check out these wet books.

Falling from Grace by Jane Godwin

Annie’s sister Grace goes missing at Point Nepean, and leaves behind questions. Where is Grace? What happened? And who is Ted? A psychological thriller.

Strange Objects by Gary Crew

When teenager Steven Messenger discovers some gruesome and bizarre relics from an ancient shipwreck, he plunges into history. He learns about the wreck of the Batavia in 1629, and the horrific events that followed. Then Steven goes missing. Is there a connection?

Mandragora by David McRobbie

Adam and Catriona stumble across a cave at the beach which contains some strange artefacts from the wreck of the Dunarling. The strange little dolls are made from mandrake roots, and they are cursed.

Undine by Penni Russon

As if being sixteen wasn’t already difficult enough, Undine is hearing strange voices. And she’s developing powers. She can call up a storm out of thin air. The ocean appears in her bedroom. But can she control these powers? Does she want to?
(Undine is followed by Breathe and Drift, out in April 2007).

Hope Bay by Nicole Plüss

Olga is magic. Possum is sure of it. That’s how she can call the dolphins to her. What makes Olga so special? Where did she come from? What happened to her when she was a little girl? A beautiful story about nature, the Australian wilderness, and the horrors of the Second World War.

Rino Chasers by Neil Grant

School is finished, and Goog and Castro are hitting the road. Friendship, water and revenge feature in this epic surfari.
(Rhino Chasers is followed by Indo Dreaming)

by the river by Steven Herrick

A verse novel about growing up in a country town. Harry’s life is simple: eating watermelon, running through clouds of butterflies, surviving school. But there are memories that are not so simple, and a mystery that needs to be solved.

Rose is on a road trip with her mother, along the coast to Port Fairy. Rose is quiet, withdrawn, unmotivated. But a year ago, things were completely different. What happened in between?

A baby is abandoned on a mountain, and is raised by a wild dog. As Boy grows up, he struggles to learn about people, and about himself. Is he a dog? A human? A great shaman? The world is parched and dry. Can Boy bring the water back?

A haunting story of a tiny village that gets flooded to make a new dam. In the months leading up to the flooding, the community itself is flooded with love, death, murder, grief and happiness.

A funny one. Hunter Vettori lives in Dogleg Bay – a town so full of old people that the richest man in town is the funeral director. All Hunter wants is to catch a record-breaking mulloway, and to kiss a girl (there’s only two to choose from, and they’re twins). Oh, and Hunter wants his father back.

Book Three in Nix’s Keys to the Kingdom series. Arthur Penhaligon wakes up in hospital with a broken leg… and then the ocean pours into the tiny room, and Arthur finds himself rescued by the eccentric crew of The Moth. Thus begins a swashbuckling adventure. Can Arthur get the third Key from Lady Wednesday (a huge whale)?

(and keep an eye out for Black Water, David Metzenthen’s new book, out in April 2007)