Charlotte's Web
by E.B. White

A tale of friendship and kindness between a little girl named Fern, a fat piglet named Wilbur and a clever spider named Charlotte. A beautiful story for every childhood... more

The BFG
by Roald Dahl

Everyone’s favourite giant, the loveable BFG gave us such words as gobblefunk, whizzpopper and crockadowndillies… “Words," he said, "is oh such a twitch-tickling problem to me all my life... more

The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-Time
by Mark Haddon

Award winning, best selling, crowd-pleasing; this wonderful little mystery is narrated by Christopher and has been voted among the ‘top endings of all time’ by BBC readers... more

Tomorrow, When The War Began
by John Marsden

Nothing took away our teenage innocence quite like the Tomorrow series. We all stood bravely by Ellie and the gang as they bombed the bridge that night and fought the occupation. A rite-of-passage for the 90's Aussie teen... more

The Book Thief
by Marcus Zusak

A highly convincing alternative to established western history. Guns, Germs And Steel is a Pulitzer Prize winning, trans-disciplinary non-fiction must-read... more

Wolf Hall
by Hillary Mantel

Arguably one of the best historical novels ever, this fictionalised biography of Thomas Cromwell brings a new perspective to the events surrounding Henry VIII’s reign; and subverts our understanding the lessons history books taught us... more

Follow The Rabbit-Proof Fence
by Doris Garimara Pilkington

Giving a voice to the stolen generation, this true Australian story joins three young girls as they follow the rabbit proof fence back to their homeland they had been forcibly removed from... more

The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle
by Haruki Murakami

Haruki Murakami takes the mundane and makes it magical in all of his books – choosing a favourite for fans is often a struggle but this mysterious and often psychedelic read shows him in all his genius and will challenge the thinking of any reader... more

To Kill A Mockingbird
by Harper Lee

Harper Lee's American award-winning classic novel tops more 'must-read' lists than any book on this list, and rightly so. To Kill a Mocking Bird explores racial injustice in the deep South during a time of great social change... more

Animal Farm
by George Owell

We could only pick one - and it had to be Animal Farm. A brilliant social commentary that needs very little introduction: “Four legs good, two legs better! All Animals Are Equal. But Some Animals Are More Equal Than Others... more

In Cold Blood
by Truman Capote

Author, playwright and socialite, Capote brought us the first non-fiction novel, with his true crime work of art, In Cold Blood, which he infamously researched with friend and fellow author (also featured in this list), Harper Lee... more

A Fortunate Life
by A.B. Facey

An adored Australian autobiographical favourite, A Fortunate Life captures the extraordinary life and times of on ordinary man, Mr. Albert Facey. While most would have called it an unfortunate life, Mr. Facey only saw the good... more

A Long Walk to Freedom
by Nelson Mandela

The autobiographical work of the late Nelson Mandela and his journey to apartheid is a must for any biography fan. Most are aware of his life story but not the extent of the sacrifices he made along the way and the incredible strength he had to survive... more

The Tipping Point
by Malcolm Gladwell

The Tipping Point is a fascinating social read about how the little things in everyday life can ‘tip’ and change the course of a new idea or trend. Gladwell’s reasoning became part of everyday vernacular and is taught in uni lecture halls around the world... more

Where The Wild Things Are
by Maurice Sendak

After being punished to his room, Max sails away to where the wild things are and becomes king of all the beasts – “let the wild rumpus start!” An acclaimed children’s picture book, adored by generations now and to come... more

The Harry Potter Series
by JK Rowling

No series has spanned generations of readers and ignited a passion for reading quite like Harry Potter. J.K. Rowling let our Muggle imaginations escape into the greatest magical story of all time - each book better, bigger and heavier than the last!... more

The Hunger Games
by Suzanne Collins

Katniss Everdeen is a striking and powerful leader in this dark, fight-to-the-death young adult trilogy. In recent days protesters in Thailand are invoking the Hunger Game’s three-fingered salute in protest to the new Thai totalitarian regimes. Is this trilogy a real life social game-changer?... more

The Perks Of Being A Wallflower
by Stephen Chbosky

This cult classic is an emotional coming-of-age novel following Charlie’s transition from home school to high school, and the highs and lows of fitting in and growing up... more

Cloudstreet
by Tim Winton

Iconic Australian literature, Tim Winton’s classic novel tells the tale of two families in working-class Australia. This award-winning novel beautifully examines the existential struggle of family in post-war Perth... more

The Spy Who Came in from the Cold
by John Le Carre

In a time of great political tension, nothing inspired a spy novel quite like The Cold War. An international bestseller, The Spy Who Came in from the Cold has been selected for the All-Time 100 Novels by Time magazine... more

Neuromancer
by William Gibson

Penned in 1984, this genre-changing novel created a vision of the future that we’re now (mostly) living in, foreshadowing current technology and our increasing reliance on it, along with the detachment and sense of isolation so many people face... more

A Fine Balance
by Rohinton Mistry

A life-changing book. This is a tragic but delicious story of four characters who are brought together by economic forces changing India. Once selected for Oprah's Book club, it was also shortlisted for the Booker Prize in 1996... more

Persuasion
by Jane Austen

From the great romance novelist who brought us Mr Darcy, this was Austen's final, and some would argue best, novel... more

Catch-22
by Joseph Heller

A favourite among many, Catch 22 is a satirical novel and often cited as one of the greatest literary works of the twentieth century. Set during World War II, it focuses on Yossarian and the other airmen at camp as they attempt to keep their sanity so they can return home... more

Guns, Germs And Steel
by Jared Diamond

A highly convincing alternative to established western history. Guns, Germs And Steel is a Pulitzer Prize winning, trans-disciplinary non-fiction must-read... more

A Really Short History Of Nearly Everything
by Bill Bryson

Bill Bryson travels through space and time to bring us a highly entertaining summary on - just about everything! Who better than Bryson to give us a light hearted and digestible take on the most interesting (or dullest) of subjects?... more

The Brain That Changes Itself
by Norman Doidge

A fascinating and straight forward look at the brain’s ability to adapt, rewire, expand and learn under incredible circumstance. A wonderful contribution to the popular science non-fiction genre... more

Gallipoli
by by L.A. Carlyon

This is the definitive account of what could be considered one of the most important events in Australian history and the creation of the Australian identity – the ANZAC legend... more