LibGuides: NSW Premier's Reading Challenge: 2025 NSW Premier's Reading Challenge

Dreaming by Starlight

Jazz, short for Jasmine, and her parents have just moved to Brighton from Sydney, so that Jazz's dad, Mikey, can pursue his career as a music producer. Jazz is finding it difficult to fit into her new school, and her love of surfing seems destined to be quashed for ever. Not only do Brighton's beaches have stones instead of sand and the water is downright freezing but there's not a surfboard in sight. When she meets her older cousin, Amber, at a family dinner in London, Amber senses Jazz's unhappiness and tells her about the Moonlight Dreamers, a secret society of likeminded friends that she founded years earlier. Amber suggests that Jazz seek out a group of soulmates too and form her own Moonlight Dreamers. At first Jazz is wary, but then decides to leave postcards for prospective soulmates, just as her cousin had. And so a new group of Moonlight Dreamers is born. Allegra, Hope, Portia and Jazz may be very different but they soon become firm friends who are always there for one another. They listen to each other's problems and support each other's hopes – and help them make their dreams come true.

An Enola Holmes Mystery : The case of the missing Marquess

While searching the clues to her missing mother's whereabouts, fourteen-year-old Enola Holmes, the younger sister of Sherlock Holmes, suddenly gets involved in the kidnapping of a young Marquess and must put the search for her mother on hold in order to save the spoiled girl from her dangerous captors.

Amulet : Book One : The Stonekeeper

Emily's and Navin's mother is kidnapped and dragged into a strange and magical world where, it seems, the children's great-grandfather has been before. It's up to the children to set things right and save their mother's life.

The Librarian of Auschwitz

Fourteen-year-old Dita is one of the many imprisoned by the Nazis at Auschwitz. Taken, along with her mother and father, from the Terezin ghetto in Prague, Dita is adjusting to the constant terror that is life in the camp. When Jewish leader Freddy Hirsch asks Dita to take charge of the eight precious books the prisoners have managed to smuggle past the guards, she agrees. And so Dita becomes the secret librarian of Auschwitz, responsible for the safekeeping of the small collection of titles, as well as the 'living books' - prisoners of Auschwitz who know certain books so well, they too can be 'borrowed' to educate the children in the camp. But books are extremely dangerous. They make people think. And nowhere are they more dangerous than in Block 31 of Auschwitz, the children's block, where the slightest transgression can result in execution, no matter how young the transgressor.

No Ballet Shoes in Syria

Aya is eleven years old and has just arrived in Britain with her mum and baby brother, seeking asylum from war in Syria. When Aya stumbles across a local ballet class, the formidable dance teacher spots her exceptional talent and believes that Aya has the potential to earn a prestigious ballet scholarship. But at the same time, Aya and her family must fight to be allowed to remain in the country, to make a home for themselves, and to find Aya's father - separated from the rest of the family during the journey from Syria.

We Are Wolves

Sometimes it's good to be wild. Sometimes you have to be wild. When the Russian Army marches into East Prussia at the end of the war, the Wolf family must flee. Liesl, Otto and their baby sister Mia find themselves lost and alone, in a blizzard, in the middle of a war zone. Liesl has promised Mama that she will keep her brother and sister safe. But sometimes, to survive, you have to do bad things. Dangerous things. Wild things. Sometimes to survive, you must become a wolf.

Nevermoor : The trials of Morrigan Crow

Morrigan Crow is cursed. Having been born on Eventide, the unluckiest day for any child to be born, she's blamed for all local misfortunes, from hailstorms to heart attacks - and, worst of all, the curse means that Morrigan is doomed to die at midnight on her eleventh birthday. But as Morrigan awaits her fate, a strange and remarkable man named Jupiter North appears. Chased by black-smoke hounds and shadowy hunters on horseback, he whisks her away into the safety of a secret, magical city called Nevermoor. To stay in the safety of Nevermoor for good, Morrigan will need to pass four difficult and dangerous trials - or she'll have to leave the city and confront her deadly fate.

Grace Notes

This song has a grace note, a tiny note that's there for embellishment but can easily be ignored, not played. Tonight, I add it in - just because. We can all do with an extra note of grace. Grace Dalfinch is a talented violinist who longs to play contemporary music in bars, but her mum forbids her. James Crux is an aspiring street artist who promised his dad he wouldn't paint in public until he's finished school. When Crux witnesses Grace's impromptu performance on a deserted tram, he's inspired to paint her and her violin; and when Grace stumbles across her portrait in a Melbourne alley by an anonymous street artist, she sets out to find its creator. Grace Notes is a debut YA verse novel, set in one of the most locked-down cities in the world - Melbourne, 2020. For fans of Cath Crowley and Pip Harry. 'A classic in the making; Grace Notes is a vital balm of a book, a story to press into everybody's hands.' DANIELLE BINKS 'Poetry, music and art, woven together in an uplifting story about endless lockdowns and first love.' NOVA WEETMAN 'Comer captures the beats of Melbourne's 2020 and the unique experience of a generation of teens in one of the most locked-down cities in the world.' Books+Publishing 'Heart and soul triumph over Covid lockdowns and restrictions . . . Karen has used the verse novel to beguile, dance and demand layers of emotion and depth that only poetry can sustain. A masterful debut!' LORRAINE MARWOOD 'Like the grace note of the title, this beautiful story strikes the perfect tone, mixing colour, light and music at a time when we needed it most.' NICOLE HAYES 'A Romeo & Juliet tale of the modern era . . . Grace Notes [is] a compelling rallying cry for the pursuit of passion, of perseverance in the face of adversity, and the essential work of artists' Sydney Arts Guide

Murder Most Unladylike

When Daisy Wells and Hazel Wong set up a secret detective agency at Deepdean School for Girls, they can't find a truly exciting mystery to investigate. (Unless you count the case of Lavinia's missing tie. Which they don't). Then Hazel discovers the body of the Science Mistress, Miss Bell - but when she and Daisy return five minutes later, the body has disappeared. Now the girls have to solve a murder, and prove a murder happened in the first place. But will they succeed? And can their friendship stand the test?

Love & Gelato

The dying wish of 16-year-old Lina's mother was for her daughter to live in Tuscany and get to know her father, whom Lina has never met. "Howard is the best man I've ever known," her mother says, "he'll keep you safe." Why did her mother wait so long to tell her about him? Lina has a happy life in Seattle and doesn't want to leave. Shortly after she arrives at Howard's home, Lina meets Sonya, who gives Lina a diary that belonged to Lina's mother, the one she had kept while she was a photography student in Florence. While Lina is living her life and exploring Tuscany with her handsome neighbour, Ren, she follows in the footsteps of her mother and gets to know her as never before. She also finds out the truth about her father. Mostly she finds out about herself.

The Beauty is in the Walking

Everyone thinks they know what Jacob O'Leary can and can't do, and they're not shy about telling him either. But no one, not even Jacob, knows what he's truly capable of. And he's desperate for the chance to work it out for himself. When a shocking and mystifying crime sends his small country town reeling, and fingers start pointing at the newcomer, Jacob grabs the chance to get out in front of the pack and keep mob rule at bay. He's convinced that the police have accused the wrong guy; that the real villain is still out there. And he's determined to prove it, and himself, to everyone.

Dreaming by Starlight

Jazz, short for Jasmine, and her parents have just moved to Brighton from Sydney, so that Jazz's dad, Mikey, can pursue his career as a music producer. Jazz is finding it difficult to fit into her new school, and her love of surfing seems destined to be quashed for ever. Not only do Brighton's beaches have stones instead of sand and the water is downright freezing but there's not a surfboard in sight. When she meets her older cousin, Amber, at a family dinner in London, Amber senses Jazz's unhappiness and tells her about the Moonlight Dreamers, a secret society of likeminded friends that she founded years earlier. Amber suggests that Jazz seek out a group of soulmates too and form her own Moonlight Dreamers. At first Jazz is wary, but then decides to leave postcards for prospective soulmates, just as her cousin had. And so a new group of Moonlight Dreamers is born. Allegra, Hope, Portia and Jazz may be very different but they soon become firm friends who are always there for one another. They listen to each other's problems and support each other's hopes – and help them make their dreams come true.

An Enola Holmes Mystery : The case of the missing Marquess

While searching the clues to her missing mother's whereabouts, fourteen-year-old Enola Holmes, the younger sister of Sherlock Holmes, suddenly gets involved in the kidnapping of a young Marquess and must put the search for her mother on hold in order to save the spoiled girl from her dangerous captors.

Amulet : Book One : The Stonekeeper

Emily's and Navin's mother is kidnapped and dragged into a strange and magical world where, it seems, the children's great-grandfather has been before. It's up to the children to set things right and save their mother's life.

The Librarian of Auschwitz

Fourteen-year-old Dita is one of the many imprisoned by the Nazis at Auschwitz. Taken, along with her mother and father, from the Terezin ghetto in Prague, Dita is adjusting to the constant terror that is life in the camp. When Jewish leader Freddy Hirsch asks Dita to take charge of the eight precious books the prisoners have managed to smuggle past the guards, she agrees. And so Dita becomes the secret librarian of Auschwitz, responsible for the safekeeping of the small collection of titles, as well as the 'living books' - prisoners of Auschwitz who know certain books so well, they too can be 'borrowed' to educate the children in the camp. But books are extremely dangerous. They make people think. And nowhere are they more dangerous than in Block 31 of Auschwitz, the children's block, where the slightest transgression can result in execution, no matter how young the transgressor.

No Ballet Shoes in Syria

Aya is eleven years old and has just arrived in Britain with her mum and baby brother, seeking asylum from war in Syria. When Aya stumbles across a local ballet class, the formidable dance teacher spots her exceptional talent and believes that Aya has the potential to earn a prestigious ballet scholarship. But at the same time, Aya and her family must fight to be allowed to remain in the country, to make a home for themselves, and to find Aya's father - separated from the rest of the family during the journey from Syria.

We Are Wolves

Sometimes it's good to be wild. Sometimes you have to be wild. When the Russian Army marches into East Prussia at the end of the war, the Wolf family must flee. Liesl, Otto and their baby sister Mia find themselves lost and alone, in a blizzard, in the middle of a war zone. Liesl has promised Mama that she will keep her brother and sister safe. But sometimes, to survive, you have to do bad things. Dangerous things. Wild things. Sometimes to survive, you must become a wolf.

Nevermoor : The trials of Morrigan Crow

Morrigan Crow is cursed. Having been born on Eventide, the unluckiest day for any child to be born, she's blamed for all local misfortunes, from hailstorms to heart attacks - and, worst of all, the curse means that Morrigan is doomed to die at midnight on her eleventh birthday. But as Morrigan awaits her fate, a strange and remarkable man named Jupiter North appears. Chased by black-smoke hounds and shadowy hunters on horseback, he whisks her away into the safety of a secret, magical city called Nevermoor. To stay in the safety of Nevermoor for good, Morrigan will need to pass four difficult and dangerous trials - or she'll have to leave the city and confront her deadly fate.

Grace Notes

This song has a grace note, a tiny note that's there for embellishment but can easily be ignored, not played. Tonight, I add it in - just because. We can all do with an extra note of grace. Grace Dalfinch is a talented violinist who longs to play contemporary music in bars, but her mum forbids her. James Crux is an aspiring street artist who promised his dad he wouldn't paint in public until he's finished school. When Crux witnesses Grace's impromptu performance on a deserted tram, he's inspired to paint her and her violin; and when Grace stumbles across her portrait in a Melbourne alley by an anonymous street artist, she sets out to find its creator. Grace Notes is a debut YA verse novel, set in one of the most locked-down cities in the world - Melbourne, 2020. For fans of Cath Crowley and Pip Harry. 'A classic in the making; Grace Notes is a vital balm of a book, a story to press into everybody's hands.' DANIELLE BINKS 'Poetry, music and art, woven together in an uplifting story about endless lockdowns and first love.' NOVA WEETMAN 'Comer captures the beats of Melbourne's 2020 and the unique experience of a generation of teens in one of the most locked-down cities in the world.' Books+Publishing 'Heart and soul triumph over Covid lockdowns and restrictions . . . Karen has used the verse novel to beguile, dance and demand layers of emotion and depth that only poetry can sustain. A masterful debut!' LORRAINE MARWOOD 'Like the grace note of the title, this beautiful story strikes the perfect tone, mixing colour, light and music at a time when we needed it most.' NICOLE HAYES 'A Romeo & Juliet tale of the modern era . . . Grace Notes [is] a compelling rallying cry for the pursuit of passion, of perseverance in the face of adversity, and the essential work of artists' Sydney Arts Guide

Murder Most Unladylike

When Daisy Wells and Hazel Wong set up a secret detective agency at Deepdean School for Girls, they can't find a truly exciting mystery to investigate. (Unless you count the case of Lavinia's missing tie. Which they don't). Then Hazel discovers the body of the Science Mistress, Miss Bell - but when she and Daisy return five minutes later, the body has disappeared. Now the girls have to solve a murder, and prove a murder happened in the first place. But will they succeed? And can their friendship stand the test?

Love & Gelato

The dying wish of 16-year-old Lina's mother was for her daughter to live in Tuscany and get to know her father, whom Lina has never met. "Howard is the best man I've ever known," her mother says, "he'll keep you safe." Why did her mother wait so long to tell her about him? Lina has a happy life in Seattle and doesn't want to leave. Shortly after she arrives at Howard's home, Lina meets Sonya, who gives Lina a diary that belonged to Lina's mother, the one she had kept while she was a photography student in Florence. While Lina is living her life and exploring Tuscany with her handsome neighbour, Ren, she follows in the footsteps of her mother and gets to know her as never before. She also finds out the truth about her father. Mostly she finds out about herself.

The Beauty is in the Walking

Everyone thinks they know what Jacob O'Leary can and can't do, and they're not shy about telling him either. But no one, not even Jacob, knows what he's truly capable of. And he's desperate for the chance to work it out for himself. When a shocking and mystifying crime sends his small country town reeling, and fingers start pointing at the newcomer, Jacob grabs the chance to get out in front of the pack and keep mob rule at bay. He's convinced that the police have accused the wrong guy; that the real villain is still out there. And he's determined to prove it, and himself, to everyone.

Dreaming by Starlight

Jazz, short for Jasmine, and her parents have just moved to Brighton from Sydney, so that Jazz's dad, Mikey, can pursue his career as a music producer. Jazz is finding it difficult to fit into her new school, and her love of surfing seems destined to be quashed for ever. Not only do Brighton's beaches have stones instead of sand and the water is downright freezing but there's not a surfboard in sight. When she meets her older cousin, Amber, at a family dinner in London, Amber senses Jazz's unhappiness and tells her about the Moonlight Dreamers, a secret society of likeminded friends that she founded years earlier. Amber suggests that Jazz seek out a group of soulmates too and form her own Moonlight Dreamers. At first Jazz is wary, but then decides to leave postcards for prospective soulmates, just as her cousin had. And so a new group of Moonlight Dreamers is born. Allegra, Hope, Portia and Jazz may be very different but they soon become firm friends who are always there for one another. They listen to each other's problems and support each other's hopes – and help them make their dreams come true.

Year	Total books	Min PRC books	Max personal choice	Lists
7-10	20	10	10	5-6, 7-9, 9+
3-10	20	10	10	All Booklists

NSW Premier's Reading Challenge: 2025 NSW Premier's Reading Challenge

Welcome to the NSW Premier's Reading Challenge

How to lon into the PRC

How do I find PRC books in the Library Catalogue?

Ebooks and Audio books

Ebooks and Audiobooks

eBooks in our collection

Documents to use

Rules of the Challenge

Booklists

Recent additions/ recommendation

Dreaming by Starlight

An Enola Holmes Mystery : The case of the missing Marquess

Amulet : Book One : The Stonekeeper

The Librarian of Auschwitz

No Ballet Shoes in Syria

We Are Wolves

Nevermoor : The trials of Morrigan Crow

Grace Notes

Murder Most Unladylike

Love & Gelato

The Beauty is in the Walking

Dreaming by Starlight

An Enola Holmes Mystery : The case of the missing Marquess

Amulet : Book One : The Stonekeeper

The Librarian of Auschwitz

No Ballet Shoes in Syria

We Are Wolves

Nevermoor : The trials of Morrigan Crow

Grace Notes

Murder Most Unladylike

Love & Gelato

The Beauty is in the Walking

Dreaming by Starlight

Between the Bookshelves

Listen to the PRC podcast, Between the bookshelves!

References