Most Popular Books by Phillip Gwynne

''Deadly, unna?'' He was always saying that. All the Nungas did, but Dumby more than any of them. Dumby Red and Blacky don''t have a lot in common. Dumby''s the star of the footy team, he''s got a killer smile and the knack with girls, and he''s a Nunga. Blacky''s a gutless wonder, needs braces, never knows what to say, and he''s white. But they''re friends... and it could be deadly, unna? This gutsy novel, set in a small coastal town in South Australia is a rites-of-passage story about two boys confronting the depth of racism that exists all around them.

Max, Lily, Boaz and Jesse are stuck in Kids'' Club at an island resort, forced to watch endless Pirates of the Caribbean re-runs while their parents relax by the pool. After eight days they decide to break out and let the real fun begin ...

A delight for parents to read aloud, and for children to chant along, this gorgeously illustrated picture book will encourage young children to have fun and feel safe in the water. ''Ruby Learns to Swim is a great book. I read it to my kids at bedtime - a well written story that reinforces a strong message about learning to swim, which I believe is a must for kids of all ages.'' Michael Klim.

Call me Bin Chicken Call me Tip Turkey Call me Picnic Pirate... But... there is a lot more to my song than you might think. And maybe I''ve got something to teach you too.

Nukkin Yais the sequel to Deadly, Unna?. Fifteen-year-old Gary Black, ''Blacky'', isn''t sure what he wants or where he is going. The one thing he does know is that he wants to escape the small country town he''s grown up in

Stuff Happens is an important new series for boys about everyday challenges. Created by Susannah McFarlane, the series editor, the series is written by established authors Tony Wilson, Andrew Daddo, Philip Gwynne, Will Kostakis, Scot Gardner, Justin D''Ath, James Roy, Pat Flynn and Alex McDiarmid. Each book features a different character and follows them as they overcome a particular everyday challenge. Aimed at boys aged between 7 and 11, the Stuff Happens series explores those everyday struggles in life that boys can sometimes be reluctant to express: quarrels with mates, a bad day at school, fear of disappointing mum and dad, rejection and not fitting in. Stuff Happens. Real-life stories for boys. Suitable for beginner and newly confident readers. Stuff happens sometimes. Everyday stuff. At school, at home, with sport, with mates. For Michael it happened when he thought he was letting his parents down. Michael is the best swimmer in the school, probably the state, maybe the country. He trains all the time, determined to do his best for himself, for the coach, for his parents, for everyone. Then one day he sees a skater fly down the hill on a board and he starts to wonder if there is more to life than swimming. http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/special-features/books-for-boys-series-stuff-happens-helps-show-boys-how-to-deal-with-their-emotions/story-fni3wj64-1227246165147 Praise for Stuff Happens ''Stories about boys, aimed at boys and containing real-life stories of their school and home life are rare. Even rarer are those that have readily identifiable characters and situations, and engage, amuse and inform. But here they are.'' ''An exciting new series written specifically for boys aged from seven to eleven . . . great additions for school libraries and for engaging reluctant boy readers. Outstanding!'' Read Plus ''The fantastic Stuff Happens series.'' reviewZOO ''I love a book that talks in a kid''s voice. It makes us feel important and special. The thing I like the most about these books are that they tell different perspectives of everyday things in life.'' Mr 10 – Readingtree.com.au ''The awareness of the emotional life of boys is slowly being recognised as a critical factor into the development of boys to be strong and courageous sensitive men. Stuff Happens explores feelings and emotions in an entertaining and humorous way, allowing boys to understand that it is OK to express emotion. This can only be positive! I highly recommend and love the books!'' Deborah Jepsen, Educational and Developmental Psychologist – Melbourne Child Psychology / School Psychology Services ''As a mum to two boys aged 8 and 10, I was thrilled to find a book series that provided very real ''boy dilemmas'' and connected feelings and behaviours, which can be really confusing for boys. What was even more exciting was how much the boys ate it up. My eldest read the first book in one sitting and I was back at the bookshop the next day to buy the entire series! My youngest loved being read to and was so engaged and interested in all the characters and their issues. Can''t wait for the next instalment.'' Marita Evans – Mum to Rupert, 10, and Henry, 8

Everyone in Rick Bickworth''s class is good at something, except him. One day, though, Rick discovers that he was born to bake. And there''s nothing average about that-especially when it puts him in competition with his mom at the Royal Show! Our popular series offers a reading buffet for every appetite and skill level. When you dish up just the books kids are ready for, they''ll bite, and grow into voracious readers. The three drool-worthy selections on our menu start with Nibbles, appetizer-sized portions for new readers. Bites give a larger helping of more advanced reading to the kids who are ready for more. Finally, they graduate to full-sized middle grade novels we call Chomps. Dessert, anyone? Each book has a bite taken out of it, indicating its reading level to parents while tipping off kids that they''re in for a real treat. Written by a host of top-notch, award-winning children''s authors!

Es gab einmal eine Zeit, da musste ich so was nicht tun: Überraschung vortäuschen, endlose Lügen erzählen. Doch jetzt, seit dem Clan, scheint es das Einzige zu sein, was ich tue. Dom Silvagni hat die Nase voll vom Clan. Er will nicht länger das Leben eines Gejagten führen, seine Freunde belügen und in Gefahr bringen. Doch die geheime Mafia-Organisation ist noch nicht fertig mit ihm und stellt Dom eine weitere Aufgabe, die ihm alles abverlangt: Während der Earth Hour muss er die Lichter der gesamten Südostküste Australiens ausschalten. Ein Wettlauf gegen die Zeit beginnt - und um sein Leben!

For Detective Dusty Buchanon, a female cop in the very male world of the Northern Territory Police Force, it always pays to expect the unexpected.During the stifling pre-monsoon season known as the Build Up, a body is found in a billabong near a Vietnam veterans camp site. To Dusty it''s the chance she''s been looking for: a spectacular case to revive her flagging career.But wherever Dusty goes, trouble tends to follow, and when she''s taken off the case and busted back to uniform it looks like someone''s just gotten away with murder. Can a former detective, with some unlikely help - a good-looking German twitcher, a reluctant rock ''n'' roll black tracker, a pot-bellied pig - solve a case that becomes more complex and more chilling the closer Dusty gets to it?Phillip Gwynne has written a page-turning crime thriller that is also a wonderfully detailed evocation of Darwin: a hustling, exotic melting pot of cultures. And he has created an unforgettable character in Detective Dusty Buchanon. Compelling, tense, yet darkly funny, The Build Up introduces a major new voice to crime writing.

A fast-paced rite-of-passage from the bestselling author of Deadly Unna?. Growing up with the famous Bali surf at his back door, sixteen-year-old Taj had an idyllic childhood – until ten years ago when his father was arrested for smuggling drugs. He’s been on death row in Bali’s infamous Kerobokan Jail ever since, leaving Taj in an uneasy limbo. When an execution date is set, Taj is left with one course of action: bust his dad out of jail and hightail it back to Australia. What follows is the desperate, dangerous ride of a father and son on the run. As events unravel and time runs out, Taj uncovers startling truths about his family, his girlfriend and the stranger he is rapidly falling for.

Book three of a high-octane thriller series. Dom has four more Herculean tasks to perform... or lose a pound of flesh. In this instalment he has to find a valuable and mysterious piece of technology.

One of the country''s finest young cellists, 16 year-old Hugh Twycross has a very bright future. A future that has been mapped out by his parents, his teachers, by everybody, it seems, except Hugh Twycross. Hugh has a secret, though: he loves cars and he loves car racing. When his newly discovered grandfather, Poppy, asks him to go on a road trip to Uluru in his 1970 Holden HT Monaro, Hugh decides, for once in his life, to do the unexpected. As they embark on a journey into the vast and fierce landscape of the Australian interior, Hugh discovers that Poppy has a secret that will unravel both their lives and take them in a direction they never expected. Visit betweenthelines.com.au - the destination for Young Adult books.

This gentle send-up of the new-age dad by Phillip Gwynne is written in his trademark dry style, and illustrated by the ever-witty Andrew Joyner. The neighbors have moved out and now there is no one living next door—no music, no yowling cat, no howls of laughter. Peace and quiet at last, so Dad can do his yoga and be happy. But then Tubby, Ferret, and King Wally Kahuna move in. They love throwing parties and playing air guitar. They have dogs and cats and bad hair. Worst of all, they are ... yobbos! Everyone knows that yobbos and yoga don''t mix—or do they?

Book four of the high-octane thriller series, and this time the challenge is international! Dom has three more Herculean tasks to perform...or lose a pound of flesh. In this instalment he must find and bring home an expert underwater archaeologist from the other side of the world.

There are ten chooks in the beautiful new chook-house, but Chris''s favourite, Happy Harry, isn''t pulling her weight. Can Chris save Harry when his dad wants to get rid of her? AUSSIE BITES You''ll be hungry for more! START COLLECTING NOW!

Milly loves the small town she lives in and she loves playing basketball with her friends. The trouble is, families keep leaving, and soon they won''t have enough players for a team. But when Milly learns at school about the refugees who have nowhere to live, she has a great idea - invite them to Gong Gong!

The Debt was the worst thing to have come into my life. It had almost killed me about a dozen times in a dozen different ways. But here I was wanting, willing, it to contact me. To give me the next instalment.After Rome, Dom has quit running. He''s still training, though. Swimming lap after lap of the pool. And waiting.

The sixth and final book in this high-octane thriller series. Dom has the last Herculean task to perform... or lose a pound of flesh. The Debt''s orders are clear: take a human life and the debt will be repaid.

What IS wrong with the wobbegong?Anything? Nothing?Who can tell, when he never says a word ...This witty and elegant story, by award-winningauthor Phillip Gwynne and Kate Greenawaymedallist Gregory Rogers, shows what canhappen to people who think too little and talktoo much ...

Rick Bickworth has decided he is average. Not good, not bad, just average. Then makes a discovery - he is born to bake! The problem is, Rick is now in competition with his mum. How can he keep baking and keep the peace?

The Lord family live in the worst house on the best street. It might have been different if Suzi Lord''s rock ''n'' roll parents, Strum and Miss Katy, hadn''t stumbled on their way to stardom but after one hit single in Finland, it''s been Lentil Slop Thing for dinner ever since. But life is about to get a lot more interesting at 92 Melody Street. Renting out their spare room on ZedBedZ seemed like a good idea but with the ghost of a grumpy drummer, a long-lost grandfather as their first guest, angry opposition from a residents action group, AND a broken leg in the first practice match of the soccer season, Suzi ain''t havin'' much of a rockin'' good time. Then she dares to pick up a set of drum sticks and things really get wild. With the driving beat of a rock anthem, the heart of a country ballad, and the vibe of the latest hip-hop hit, this hilarious mash-up proves that you just can''t stop the music!

An hilarious, very quirky novel novel full of charming Australian characters and unique settings. Philip Gwynne brings Hunter - the witty, cynical narrator - and his crumbling bay-side town to life in the tale of sadness, laughter, funeral homes and fishing! Ages 11+.

Book One of a high-octane thriller series. Fifteen-year-old Dom is cast out of his comfortable life in the Gold Coast''s Halcyon Grove when he inherits an ancient debt. Now, he has six Herculean tasks to perform... or lose a pound of flesh. Ages 10+.

Book two of a high-octane thriller series. Dom has five more Herculean tasks to perform...or lose a pound of flesh. In this instalment Dom has to turn the power off during Earth Hour--for the entire Gold Coast.

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When Little Owl falls from his nest and opens his eyes for the very first time he has one big question. Whooooo? Whoooo? Whoooo am I? Little Owl nibbles on a blossom with a hungry sugar glider, hangs upside down with the bats in the branches, and struts on the ground like the cranky cockatoo. But at the end of the day, Little Owl still isn''t sure who he is. Until from out of the darkness comes a distant Whoooo. Whoooo. Whoooo. This simple repetitive text by Phillip Gwynne accompanied by the sumptuous illustrations of Sandy Okalyi will be a favourite for early readers.

Everyone has someone to play with. Except Penguin. She sits by herself. All alone. Can Penguin overcome her loneliness?

Trois mois se sont écoulés depuis que Dom est revenu des Jeux mondiaux de la jeunesse à Rome. Il attend de recevoir son cinquième contrat mais La Dette tarde à se manifester. Il est néanmoins persuadé que l''organisation mafieuse va lui demander de mettre la main sur l''or de Yamashita. Ce trésor serait enfoui au fond de l''océan, près des côtes australiennes... Comment arriver à le localiser ? Et surtout, existe-t-il vraiment ou bien n''est-ce qu''une légende ? Dom n''a pas d''autre choix que d''essayer d''en savoir plus. Mais il n''est pas le seul sur la piste de l''or..

Dom voudrait se concentrer sur sa prochaine course mais La Dette a d''autres plans pour lui. Son nouveau contrat ? Trouver et dérober le Cerberus, un prototype de smartphone high-tech qui ne semble exister qu''à l''état de rumeur sur Internet. La mission paraît impossible : comment Dom pourrait-il voler quelque chose qui n''existe pas ? Mais il sait bien qu''on ne plaisante pas avec La Dette...

Dom n''ira pas à Rome : à une place près, il a manqué la qualification pour les jeux Olympiques de la jeunesse. Mais La Dette se moque des règles sportives. Elle exige qu''il se rende en Italie. Et ce que La Dette exige, elle l''obtient. Une fois à Rome, Dom recevra son quatrième contrat : trouver E. Lee Marx, le célèbre archéologue sous-marin, et le convaincre de l''accompagner en Australie. Mais ce voyage au pays de ses ancêtres sera surtout l''occasion pour Dom d''en apprendre davantage sur sa famille ; de sombres révélations qu''il n''obtiendra qu''au péril de sa vie...

Dom Silvagni a de la chance : il vit au soleil, ses parents sont riches et il est promis à une brillante carrière sportive. Mais le jour de ses 15 ans, son univers bascule. Il apprend que sa famille a une dette envers la Mafia... une dette dont il est l''héritier ! Dom est contraint d''exécuter six contrats pour ces criminels, ou il subira un terrible châtiment.