Every year we dive into the Reading Australia website analytics to figure out which books teachers have been loving. In the last twelve months, teachers have been reaching for the classics as well as exploring a few newer titles. How many of the books on this list do you use in your classrooms?
The resource for the modern classic Tomorrow, When the War Began shot straight to the top of the list within twelve months of being published, while the Young Dark Emu unit, which was only published in January, has made it to the top ten. Given its best-seller status, it’s not surprising that this Indigenous-authored book is on this list. In fact, five of these titles are written or illustrated by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders, including the play, The 7 Stages of Grieving, which this year is celebrating its 25th anniversary.
1. Tomorrow, When the War Began by John Marsden (Secondary, Year 10)
2. Past the Shallows by Favel Parrett (Year 11/12)
3. Who Sank the Boat? by Pamela Allen (Foundation)
4. Don’t Call Me Ishmael by Michael Gerard Bauer (Year 8)
5. Are We There Yet? by Alison Lester (Year 3)
6. The Little Refugee by Anh Do, Suzanne Do and Bruce Whatley (Year 3)
7. Young Dark Emu by Bruce Pascoe (Year 6)
8. My Place by Nadia Wheatley and Donna Rawlins (Year 3/4)
9. The Rainbow Serpent by Dick Roughsey (Year 2)
10. The Lost Thing by Shaun Tan (Year 7/8)
11. Storm Boy by Colin Thiele (Year 6)
12. Amy and Louis by Libby Gleeson and Freya Blackwood (Year 1)
13. Big Rain Coming by Katrina Germein and Bronwyn Bancroft (Foundation)
14. Where the Forest Meets the Sea by Jeannie Baker (Year 2)
15. Stolen Girl by Trina Saffioti and Norma MacDonald (Year 4)
16. The 7 Stages of Grieving by Wesley Enoch and Deborah Mailman (Year 10)
17. Once by Morris Gleitzman (Year 6)
18. The Peasant Prince by Li Cunxin and Anne Spudvilas (Year 3/4)
19. My Two Blankets by Irena Kobold and Freya Blackwood (Year 2)
20. Little Brother by Allan Baillie (Year 5/6)
If we look further into the past we can see which resources have been the most popular since the launch of the Reading Australia website. Looking for Alibrandi, Blackrock and Away have been the top three most clicked on resources since 2018, and Are We There Yet?, Little Brother, and My Place are the primary resources that have been viewed the most.
1. Looking for Alibrandi by Melina Marchetta (Year 9)
2. Blackrock by Nick Enright (Year 11)
3. Away by Michael Gow (Year 10)
4. Are We There Yet? by Alison Lester (Year 3)
5. The Arrival by Shaun Tan (Year 10)
6. Follow the Rabbit-Proof Fence by Doris Pilkington (Year 9)
7. Little Brother by Allan Baillie (Year 5/6)
8. Cloudstreet by Tim Winton (Year 12)
9. My Place by Nadia Wheatley and Donna Rawlins (Year 3/4)
10. No Sugar by Jack Davis (Year 12)
11. The Rainbow Serpent by Dick Roughsey (Year 2)
12. Stasiland by Anna Funder (Year 11)
13. Swallow the Air by Tara June Winch (Year 11)
14. Who Sank the Boat? by Pamela Allen (Foundation)
15. Don’t Call Me Ishmael by Michael Gerard Bauer (Year 8)
16. Where the Forest Meets the Sea by Jeannie Baker (Year 2)
17. Big Rain Coming by Katrina Germein and Bronwyn Bancroft (Foundation)
18. The Lost Thing by Shaun Tan (Year 7/8)
19. Amy and Louis by Libby Gleeson and Freya Blackwood (Year 1)
20. My Girragundji by Meme McDonald and Boori Pryor (Year 5/6)