100 Australian Books To Read Before High School

When TES and the National Association for the Teaching of English released their survey results listing teachers’ top 100 fiction books all children should read before leaving primary school I was intrigued. I headed straight to the list and discovered many of my favourites were listed most of which are in our bookcase. But how many were Australian? Less than a handful by my estimate so I decided to challenge myself and create a list of the 100 Australian Books to Read Before High School.

Of course the list is not exhaustive. I have tried not to list my favourite authors over and over again. I could easily list all of Alison Lester, Mem Fox or Pamela Allen’s books and quickly complete the list, but that wouldn’t provide a diverse list at all. It’s well worth checking what other books the authors have written if you like an of the books on the list.

What Australian books would you add that I have missed?

1. A Bush Christmas CJ Dennis
2. A Little Bush Maid (Billabong, #1) Mary Grant Bruce
3. All Through the Year Jane Godwin and Anna Walker.
4. An Aussie Year Tania McCartney and Tina Snerling
5. Animalia Graeme Base
6. A Proper Little Lady Nette Hilton
7. Are We There Yet? Alison Lester
8. Arthur Amanda Graha
9. A Year on Our Farm Penny Matthews
10. Bamboozled David Legge
11. Belonging Jeannie Baker
12. Big Rain Coming Katrina Germein and Bronwyn Bancroft
13. Bilby and the Bushfire Joanne Crawford
14. Billy the Punk Jessica Caroll
15. Blabber Mouth Morris Gleitzman
16. Blinky Bill Dorothy Wall
17. Burke and Wills Roland Harvey
18. Diary of a Wombat Jackie French and Bruce Whatley
19. Dog in, Cat Out Gillian Rubinstein
20. Drac and the Gremlin Allan Baillie Jane Tanner
21. Edward The Emu Sheena Knowles and Rod Clement 
22. Fox Margaret Wild and Ron Brooks
23. Ginger Meggs Jimmy Bancks
24. Grug Ted Prior
25. Hating Alison Ashley Robin Klein
26. I Can Jump Puddles Alan Marshall
27. I Love You, Jason Delaney Diana Kidd
28. It’s a Miroocool! Christine Harris & Ann James
29. I Went Walking Sue Machin
30. John Brown, Rose and the Midnight Cat Jenny Wagner
31. Just Another Ordinary Da Rod Clement
32. Lockie Leonard Tim Winton
33. Looking for Crabs Bruce Whatley
34. Mary Poppins  P.L. Travers
35. Max Bob Graham
36. Meet Captain Cook Rae Murdie & Chris Nixon
37. Mirror Jeannie Baker
38. Mr Archimedes’ Bath Pamela Allen
39. Mr McGee and the Biting Flea Pamela Allen
40. Mulga Bill’s Bicycle A.B. Paterson 
41. My Farm Alison Leister
42. My Place Naida Wheatley
43. Noises at Night Beth R Glass and Susan Lubner
44. Not a Nibble Elizabeth Honey
45. Obernewtyn (Obernewtyn Chronicles, #1) Isobelle Carmody
46. Onion Tears Diana Kidd
47. Pearl Barley and Charlie Parsley Aaron Blabey
48. Penny Pollard’s Letters Robin Klein
49. Pete the Sheep-Sheep Jackie French
50. Playing Beatie Bow Ruth Park
51. Possum in the House Kiersten Jense
52. Possum Magic Mem Fox
53. Queenie the Bantam Bob Graham
54. Round the Twist Paul Jennings
55. Rowan of Rin Emily Rodda
56. Sebastian Lives in a Hat Thelma Catterwell and Kerry Argent
57. Seven Little Australians Ethel Turner
58. Shutting in the Chooks Libby Gleeson
59. Snap Went Chester Tania Cox
60. Snugglepot and Cuddlepie May Gibbs
61. Storm Boy Colin Thiele
62. Tales from Outer Suburbia Shaun Tan 
63. The ABC Book of Australian Poetry  Libby Hathorn and Cassandra Allen
64. The Adventures of Nelly Nolan: The Nelly Gang Stephen Axelsen
65. The Bunyip of Berkeley’s Creek Jenny Wagner
66. The Deliverance of Dancing Bears Elizabeth Stanley
67. The Giant Devil Dingo Dick Roughsey
68. The Hero of Little Street Gregory Rogers
69. The Lighthouse Keeper’s Lunch Ronda and David Armitage
70. The Little Refugee Anh Do
71. The Loaded Dog Henry Lawson 
72. The Magic Pudding Norman Lindsay
73. The Midnight Gang Margaret Wild
74. The Muddle-Headed Wombat Ruth Park
75. The Rabbits John Marsden
76. The Rainbow Serpent Dick Roughsey
77. The Red Wind Isobelle Carmody
78. The Silver Brumby Elyne Mitchell
79. The Terrible Plop Ursula Dubosarsky
80. The 13 Storey Treehouse Andy Griffiths and Terry Dento
81. The Trouble with Dogs Bob Graham
82. The Two Bullies Junko Morimoto
83. The Very Cranky Bear Nick Bland
84. The Water Tower Gary Crew 
85. The Wild One Sonya Hartnett
86. There’s a Sea in my Bedroom Margaret Wild
87. Tiddalick The Frog Who Caused a Flood Robert Roennfeldt
88. Too Loud Lily Sophie Lagua
89. To The Top End Roland Harvey
90. Uncanny! Paul Jennings
91. Victor’s Quest Pamela Freeman
92. Waltzing Matilda AB Paterson
93. Weirdo Anh Do  
94. Where is the Green Sheep? Mem Fox and Judy Horacek
95. Where the Forest Meets the Sea Jeannie Baker
96. Who Sank the Boat? Pamela Allen
97. Whose Tail? Jeannette Rowe
98. Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge Mem Fox
99. Wombat Stew Marcia Vaughan and Pamela Lofts
100. You and Me, Murrawee Kerri Hashmi