First Nations Fiction

 “Stories link us to our mob. Doesn’t matter if you are Koorie, Irish, Kiwi, Welsh or Indian. It’s the listening and telling of these stories that bring our people close, both young and old. Stories keep our culture strong and our faith alive”. Fuzzy Mac in ‘Grace Beside Me’

Grace Beside Me by Sue McPherson – *This is an absolute MUST READ!*

Life is not ordinary for Fuzzy Mac, but it should be. What could possibly be exciting about growing up with her Nan and Pop in a small country town?

This is such a great read, full of lively characters and yarns about day-to-day life through the eyes of Fuzzy Mac.

You will fall in love with Fuzzy and her Nan and Pop and the stories they tell and how finding ‘Grace beside you’ is a such a powerful feeling…

Grace Beside Me has also been developed as a television series and can be found on SBS on Demand and in our school ClickView Library!

Every Secret Thing by Marie Munkara

In the Aboriginal missions of far northern Australia, it was a battle between saving souls and saving traditional culture.

This story is a rough, tough, and often hilarious portrayal of Bush Mob and Mission Mob, and the unlucky clergy who is trying to convert them – everyone is fair game!

The Upwelling by Lystra Rose

Three misfits.
Two warring spirits.
One chance to save the world.

Kirra is the great-granddaughter of a truth dreamer, and, like Great Nanna Clara, no-one believes her night-visions are coming true. When an end-of-the-world nightmare forces her to surf where her brother was killed, she time-slips into a place that could ruin her life, here, and in the Dreaming.

Narn is the son of a well-respected Elder and holds an enviable role in his saltwater clan. Though he bears the marks of a man, many treat him like an uninitiated boy, including the woman he wants to impress.

Tarni is the daughter of a fierce hunter and the custodian of a clever gift. Somehow, she understands Kirra when no-one else can. But who sent this unexpected visitor: a powerful ancient healer or an evil shadow-spirit?

When death threatens all life, can a short-sighted surfer, a laidback dolphin caller and a feisty language un-weaver work together to salvage our future?

 The Boy from the Mish by Gary Lonesborough

It’s a hot summer and life’s going alright for seventeen-year-old Jackson and his family on the Mish. It’s almost Christmas, school’s out and he’s hanging with his mates, teasing the tourists and avoiding the racists in town. Just like every year, Jackson’s Aunty and little cousins visit from the city – but this time Tomas, with his mysterious and troubled past, comes with them…

Jackson finds he is questioning everything – relationships with family, friends, and his community all the while realising he is falling in love with Tomas. This is an honest, compelling, and heartfelt story of Jackson’s first love and how it will affect everything he thought he knew about himself.