Age, race, culture, loneliness, relationships and the pandemic are all neatly drawn together in this outstanding picture book for young children. Claire Malone and her cat, Marmalade are back in Claire Malones Makes a Friend, a delightful and charming picture book about life in lockdown. In her trademark style of positivity and action, Claire works through the loneliness and monotony of lockdown by looking outside her own life to affect change. Claire, yet again, shows us how to be an agent for positive change in our own neighbourhoods. A charming and relevant sequel to Claire Malone Changes the World with delightfully lively and colourful illustrations by Alisa Knatko.

When Jake Rollins isn't worrying about his dad going ape-shit, he's busy creating out-of- this-world manga and hanging out with his best mate. Jake and his mum spend their lives dodging Jake's dad's fists, but it's the last year of high school and Jake has the perfect plan to escape home. All he has to do is nab a scholarship to Tokyo where he'll learn how to be a professional manga artist. But before then, Jake has to navigate his final year of high school, and keep himself, his mum and their dog alive. Baba Ami may look like an ordinary Australian Terrier but she's more like Jake's spiritual guide. She's got tons of wisdom, plus she talks, but the only person who can hear her is Jake. She's not the only surprising thing about Jake's life - his anime hero, Takehiko sometimes inexplicably comes to life. He's Jake's role model for friendship, bravery and being true to yourself. And let's face it, Jake needs all the help he can get when he ends up complicating his life by kissing his best friend, Phee and getting in with Clay Perez, the local graffiti artist who is always in trouble with the police. Jake's life takes a turn for the worst when he's arrested after Clay Perez dobs him in. When his dad throws him out of the house, he ends up being a homeless teenager with nowhere to go. Thank goodness for best friends. Life gets even more complicated when Jake's portrait of his dad ends up in the local paper. It will be a miracle if they don't all end up dead like Jake's little sister, Katie. This is a story of survival, resurgence, and what it means to be bigger than where you come from. With themes of friendship, coming-of-age, family abuse, survival, creativity, courage and diversity, Can the Real JR Stand Up, Please? is a warm-hearted hopeful story about being true to yourself and learning to be brave.

Our closest friends are the people we trust the most. We tell them our secrets and share our lives with them. But, what happens if our friends and our secrets turn against us? Jenna's Truth, inspired by Amanda Todd's tragic story of bullying, is a book that tells us what can happen when we discover our friends are no longer who we think they are. The internet age offers many opportunities and makes life easier, but it also put us in great danger. Every post creates a digital trail that can't always be erased. Nadia L. King has woven together a contemporary teenage story, a lesson of empathy and self-awareness, and a tale about the dangers of digital life to create a book that is utterly captivating. Jenna's Truth is both bleak and full of hope.

A new generation of children... They are not afraid of taking responsibilities any more, but they are rather keen on addressing problems. Claire is one of them. The moment she sees the broken swing and the cracked slide in the children's park in her neighbourhood, she decides to take action. Not surprisingly, her way of reaching a solution is an interesting and innovative one. You will love the journey of Claire, a strong and ambitious girl, so much that you will want to read this book over and over again.

When Zaytoon wakes up feeling sad, she goes on a search to find her smile. From the kitchen to the garden, Zaytoon searches high and low to eventually discover her smile - it's smiling at her from her reflection in the window! The Lost Smile is a beautifully illustrated and colourful picture book demonstrating the importance of accepting our emotions. Zaytoon's journey shows children that it's okay to be sad and reassures young readers that sadness can be temporary. Themes include cultural diversity, emotional intelligence, family life and the importance of connecting with nature and animals.