The PRC Booklists provide suggestions for books that can be read as part of the Premier's Reading Challenge. Students will need to access books to read for the challenge from other places, as books are not able to be downloaded or read from the PRC site. 


At this time, we recognise that there may be additional complications in accessing books to read. Please find below some suggestions for finding reading material at home. 


School libraries 

Your teacher librarian or PRC coordinator will be able to help you locate books in your library collection that are on the PRC booklists. 

Some schools are organising "click and collect" or remote borrowing options for students who would like to borrow hard copies of books from the library, but are not attending school. These arrangements vary from school to school, so check with your PRC coordinator, teacher, or teacher librarian about what your school is offering. 

Your school library may have a subscription to ebooks and audiobooks that you can borrow and access online. Check with your Teacher Librarian to see what digital books you are able to borrow from home. 


Public libraries are excellent sources of reading material! If you are not already a member of your local library, check out their website to see how you can join. Local libraries will have access to a lot of print copies of books on the PRC booklists, as well as ebooks and audiobooks available through their online platforms. 


Other online sources for PRC books are changing rapidly, so it's not possible to list every site here! Please check whether books from online sites are the full version of the text, and not a shortened/ abridged one before you read it for the PRC, and check with your parent/ carer/ teacher before you download anything. 


Important note: not all books featured on sites or sources suggested below are recommended on the PRC booklist. Please consult with an adult before you visit online sites, or download anything.

Any books accessed online via an audio or video source should also be read via text if possible, for example turning on subtitles on YouTube videos.


Some online sites you can books from home include

  • Sydney Opera House has developed the Footlights and Booklists series, which provides videos of a range of picture books read by authors and celebrities in the beautiful Opera House setting.
  • Publishers have made available a range of read-aloud stories on their social media platforms. Many of these are hosted on YouTube, for example the Penguin Read Aloud Stories playlist. Please check individual publisher websites for information about books and read-alouds that they they may have made available online. 
  • Storyline Online features a wide range of picture books read by popular celebrities, and can be viewed with subtitles turned on so students can read along with the narrator. 
  • Project Gutenberg - provides access to books that are not covered by copyright, so are able to be shared freely online.  There is a listing of children's literature with links to copies of these books for download: Project Gutenberg Children's Literature Bookshelf. These are mostly classics, such as Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Peter Pan, Little Women, The Velveteen Rabbit, and The Jungle Book. 
  • ebooks through major digital platforms are often available for free or at a reduced cost, so check out any ebook platforms you have access to through your digital devices (for example, Google Books, Apple iBooks). 
  • Author and illustrator sites - many Australian and international authors and illustrators are running storytimes and shared reading sessions online during the Covid-19 crisis. It's not possible to list them all, as the sessions available are growing and changing daily. Please check the availability of these storytimes on the author's websites and social media pages.


Please contact your teacher or PRC coordinator if you need additional help in finding books to read.