Darling Newspaper Press: 40 books

Four lovely read-aloud stories to delight smaller children. Mulhooney the leprechaun has adventures such as these: Invaded by Wreckers, Crowtoe the Witch, The Spinning Sheep, The Giant Red Dragon. These are ideal for parents seeking entertaining tales that also instil moral values.

A British migrant family, determined to prosper, created a newspaper to dazzle the forested suburbs east of Perth, Western Australia. Over 21 years it battled media giants to pioneer the state's suburban press. This memoir relates the odd events and zany characters met along the way, starting without capital in a derelect haunted hotel. It shows how any community is a trove of wonder.

Strange yet true, American Olympian Jesse Owens encountered, and personally confirmed, a sprinting freak in the Malayan jungle in the 1950s. Reported first-hand by a witness to the event, it also gives rare insight into the great athlete’s humble nature. Reporter Charles Bryce accompanied Owens in this visit to frontline troops.

A young couple with children buy a house at suspiciously low price. The ghostly urgings that follow could not be denied. An old well can hold all manner of things. In this creepy yarn, the suspense is well written, the denouement amusing, and the final twist a chilling horror. Ann Morven knows how to grip from her very first sentence.

In colonial days, being a great white hunter was frequent imperial recreation, “the done thing”. But jungle wildlife can dish up nasty surprises. A memoir from the 1950s.

Marrying for money would save the career of a penurious young captain. But winning the daughter of The Wangler, an English tycoon, was a prospect to fear. Author John Ivor delights with this humorous account of bride-seeking in the early 1800s. The characters interact in an unusual, yet richly endowed, county mansion.

Small yet smart, Mousedeer outwits a wizard who has cast an evil spell over the jungle.

Sentenced to hang in 1828 Scotland, Maggie, 9, discovers there are things worse than death.

Black and comely is she, but disaster swoops when love poems fall into the wrong hands. This is a spoof on the British Raj at its peak in the Far East.

Hilarious! On the eve of World War 2, the British Raj encounters a child more troublesome than militant Japan. A short-story of 3750 words by Bryce McBryce.

In the twilight of the British Raj, Wee Charlie strives to understand the peculiar ways of adults. He lives with his Army parents in a remote fortress, where the Colonel regards him as a bigger menace than militant Japan. When a terrorist disguises a bomb as a coconut, Charlie discovers there can be a close link between holiness and murder.

Fact, not fiction. A sea captain describes destroying American coastal forts and landing a British army to seize the White House. This concise history begins "Captain Striver" ($2.99), a book that reveals how one man beat impossible odds and family disgrace to create convict Australia's first Free Settlement, blueprint for the nation known today.

Most people agree that superstitions are silly, yet those same people think twice about flouting them! In this light-hearted family tale, author Ann Morven captures the instincts and frustrations that motivate all mums, and there’s an end twist that inspires. This tale is short and sweet, yet could well charm your own vital goodluck.

Christmas ain't happy when you're next target of an unknown killer. This award winning short-story of 3240 words is by the whodunit diva Ann Morven.