Books with author Francis Brennan

The largest land animals on Earth, elephants are celebrated for their remarkable intelligence and physical power. Readers will learn about elephants complex social structure, how they stay cool in the hot weather of Africa and Asia, and which foods they prefer to eat. They will also learn how some humans hold these incredible animals in high esteem while others have wreaked havoc on elephant populations in certain parts of the world.

Thirteen-year-old Peter Paddington is overweight, the subject of his classmates' ridicule, and the victim of too many bad movie-of-the-week story lines. When Peter's nipples begin speaking to him one day and inform him of their diabolical plan to expose his secret desires, Peter finds himself cornered in a world that seems to have no tolerance for difference. His only solace is "The Bedtime Movies"—perfect world fantasies that lull him to sleep every night. But when the lines between Peter's fantasy life and his reality begin to blur, no one is safe from his imagination's machinations—especially Peter himself.

Set in a small town in the 1990s, this is the story of a girl on the edge—of a breakdown, of family secrets, of learning who she really is.Life has been a struggle for Toby Goodman. Her mother died by suicide five years ago, and her father left before Toby was born. Now a teenager living on her grandparents’ dairy farm, Toby has trouble letting people in. Convinced that she is destined to follow her mother’s path, she creates a plan to escape her pain.But with the news that her father is coming home and finally wants to meet her, Toby learns the truth of her parents’ story. Her father is gay and a world-famous female impersonator—in a time when these facts are a source of small-town whispers and secrets, and not something anyone had dared talk with her about before.As her careful plans go awry, Toby must rebuild her life from the ground up. While she might not follow an expected path, with the support of a quirky but lovable circle of friends and family, Toby will finally put together the many different pieces that make up her past, her present and her future.

What do you get when you cross the Virgin Mary with Brooke Shields, add a trash-talking beauty queen wannabe and throw in a couple of talking nipples? One of the most laugh-out-loud books you’ll read all year.Peter Paddington is 13, overweight, the subject of his classmates’ ridicule, and the victim of too many bad movie-of-the-week storylines. When Peter’s nipples begin speaking to him one day and inform him of their diabolical plan to expose his secret desires to the world, Peter finds himself cornered in a world that seems to have no tolerance for difference.Peter’s only solace is “The Bedtime Movies” — perfect-world fantasies that lull him to sleep every night. But when the lines between Peter’s fantasy world and his reality begin to blur, no one is safe from the depths of Peter’s imagination — especially Peter himself.

Jack Hart is severely burnt and his mother and sister perish when their house is destroyed by a German V1 flying bomb. Jack spends 6 months in hospital. Jack’s Father is a POW of the Japanese in Malaya; Jack has no one to care for him. On discharge from hospital, he is sent to Hastings as an evacuee. It is early 1945 and the children evacuation programme from London is almost at an end. Jack is sent anyway. The authorities believe that the relaxed atmosphere of the seaside will ease the trauma he has experienced. Jack meets Ben and they become good friends, enjoying together the adventures that only two eleven year old boys can. However, all good things must come to an end and Jack and Ben are returned to their local areas in London. On his return from being a prisoner of war, Jack’s father is a broken man. In spite of Jack’s efforts to help him, his Father can’t cope and eventually succumbs to the brutality of the Japanese on the Burma railway. This is Jack’s story of his search for love and about the people he meets on the way.

Finalist for the Governor General’s Literary Award for Young People’s Literature–Text Dads can be such a drag Life has been a struggle for Toby Goodman. Her mother died by suicide five years ago, and her father left their small town before Toby was born. Now a teenager living on her grandparents’ dairy farm, Toby has trouble letting people in. She keeps even her closest friend, the brash but endearing Trisha, at arm’s length, and recently ended her first relationship, with Trisha’s burnout brother, Mike. Convinced that she is destined to follow her mother’s path, Toby creates a plan to escape her pain. But after learning the news that her father is coming home and finally wants to meet her, Toby must face the truth of her family’s story. Not only is her father gay, but he’s also a world-famous female impersonator—and a self-absorbed, temperamental man-child who is ill-prepared to be a real parent. When Toby’s careful plans go awry, she is forced to rebuild the life she thought she knew from the ground up. While she may not follow an expected path, through the support of a quirky but lovable circle of friends and family, Toby may finally be able to put together the many different pieces that make up her past, her present and her future.

Is there a place for personal beliefs in public life?Is a Catholic health minister in a fit position to legislate on women's issues such as the right to an abortion pill? When the prime minister invokes church leaders' support in going to war with Iraq - and those church leaders tacitly approve this - is there a moral issue at stake?In Acting on Conscience Jesuit priest, human rights lawyer and academic Frank Brennan tackles these issues head on. He explores some of the legal, moral and ethical issues that capture the public imagination - and critically examine the figures in public life who pass judgement on them. Issues covered include:The War in IraqSame-sex marriage and parentingLate-term abortionPolitics and the judiciaryThrough detailed analysis of examples from both Australia and the US, Brennan asks: Is there a place for personal beliefs in public life? As citizens and voters, how can we ensure that in the future, our leaders will speak for us - but not out of turn?'In an age of fear and bigotry here is a welcome book of courage and conscience.' SENATOR BOB BROWN, Australian Greens