Two Can Play That Game (Leanne Yong, A&U Children’s)
22 November 2022
Leanne Yong’s debut Two Can Play That Game is a joyful and fun addition to the growing Asian-Australian Own Voices YA movement, joining the likes of Tiger Daughter and The...
Running with Ivan (Suzanne Leal, HarperCollins)
22 November 2022
Having previously won the Nib People's Choice Prize for her historical adult novel The Deceptions, Suzanne Leal tackles a similar era in her first book for younger readers, a time...
Hedgehog the Wonder Dog (Dannika Patterson, illus by Ross Morgan, Ford Street)
15 November 2022
Hedgehog the Wonder Dog is a picture book with a beautiful aura around it, both visually and figuratively, telling a tender and soul-soothing story of the power of connection—in this...
Tumbleglass (Kate Constable, A&U Children’s)
15 November 2022
Rowan is helping her big sister Ash with painting her room when suddenly they find themselves in 1999, at a party in the very same house. While Ash wants to...
This Time it’s Real (Ann Liang, Penguin)
15 November 2022
Ann Liang’s This Time it’s Real is a vibrant young adult romantic comedy with its heart in the right place. When 17-year-old Eliza Lin’s school essay about her fabricated love...
Koko and the Coconut (Turia Pitt & Celestine Vaite, illus by Emilie Tavaearii, Puffin)
8 November 2022
Koko and the Coconut is the first picture book by author and humanitarian Turia Pitt, written in collaboration with her mum Celestine Vaite. While the story is simple—a crab sheds...
Brain is (Not) Always Right (Scott Stuart, Scholastic)
8 November 2022
Scott Stuart may have come to creating books for children in an unconventional way, but the social media storm surrounding his support for his child to be everything they could...
The Cockatoo Wars (Helen Milroy, Magabala)
1 November 2022
The Cockatoo Wars is the latest picture book in Helen Milroy’s vibrant Tales from the Bush Mob series. Featuring a cast of Australian animals including Dingo, Willy Wagtail, Platypus and Wombat, and drawing...
Timeless (Kelly Canby, Fremantle Press)
1 November 2022
A topical theme in these social media-obsessed days, Timeless tells the tale of Emit, a young boy whose parents are always too preoccupied to pay attention to him. Tired of...
Au, Burton, Archbold win 2022 Readings Prizes
27 October 2022
The winners of the three Readings Prizes for children’s, young adult and new Australian fiction have been announced. The winners are: New Australian Fiction Prize Cold Enough for Snow (Jessica...
Ampersand Prize 2022 shortlist announced
4 October 2022
Hardie Grant Children’s Publishing (HGCP) has announced the shortlist for the 2022 Ampersand Prize for unpublished young adult and middle-grade manuscripts. The winner receives an advance and publishing contract from...
Tjitji Lullaby (Michael Ross & Zaachariaha Fielding, illus by Lisa Kennedy, ABC Books)
27 September 2022
A lyrical storytelling beauty aligned with rich bedtime qualities of calm and serenity featuring diverse Australian wildlife. Tjitji Lullaby, the hardcover board book for babies to two-year-olds, originates from the...
UQP acquires Plozza middle-grade novel
27 September 2022
UQP has acquired ANZ rights to Meet Me at the Moon Tree, a new middle-grade novel by Shivaun Plozza. Meet Me at the Moon Tree follows 10-year-old Carina grieving the...
Nice and Slow (Sarah Ayoub, illus by Mimi Purnell, HarperCollins)
20 September 2022
With the soothing sensation of a lullaby, Nice and Slow lulls its young audience into a peaceful state of mindfulness, joy and creativity, while encapsulating the importance of quality time...
Environment Award for Children’s Literature, Karajia Award 2022 winners announced
16 September 2022
The Wilderness Society has announced the winners of the 2022 Environment Award for Children’s Literature and the inaugural Karajia Award for First Nations children’s storytelling. The winners in each category...
Deakin, Copyright Agency announce $20K children’s author residency
15 September 2022
Deakin University and the Copyright Agency have partnered to create a new residency for children's authors. The Deakin University/Copyright Agency Children’s Writer-in-Residence program offers a $20,000 stipend and a three-month...
Going to Big School (Laura Sieveking, illus by Danielle McDonald, Scholastic)
13 September 2022
Appealing to a diverse readership, Going to Big School inhabits the viewpoints of two children, Ava and Jack, on their first day at school. With contrasting personalities, Ava and Jack...
Waiting for the Storks (Katrina Nannestad, ABC Books)
6 September 2022
Waiting for the Storks is the latest historical fiction title from Katrina Nannestad, transporting the reader to the Second World War and the time of Himmler’s Lebensborn Program, in which...
Hachette acquires two new Binks novels
25 August 2022
Hachette Australia has acquired ANZ and UK rights to a new middle-grade novel from Danielle Binks in a two-book deal, via Jacinta di Mase Management. Publisher Kate Stevens acquired upper...
Koori Princess (Anita Heiss, Magabala)
23 August 2022
Anita Heiss is an award-winning author who has published across the gamut of Australian writing: from adult fiction and memoir to children’s novels, she’s seemingly done it all. Koori Princess...
A Tiny Light (Alison Lester, UQP)
23 August 2022
It’s always a delight when Alison Lester, one of Australia’s most well loved picture-book creators, releases a new story. A Tiny Light is her latest offering, a charming narrative in...
Berani (Michelle Kadarusman, A&U)
20 August 2022
Berani is a powerful middle-grade story about animal activism set in Indonesia, by the Indonesian-Australian author of Music for Tigers. Weaving in two interconnected stories and three voices, including that...
CBCA announces 2022 Book of the Year Awards
19 August 2022
The Children’s Book Council of Australia (CBCA) has announced the winners of the 2022 Book of the Year Awards. The winning books in each category are: Older readers Tiger Daughter (Rebecca...
Diary of a Rescued Wombat (Jackie French, illus by Bruce Whatley, HarperCollins)
16 August 2022
Who says prequels are only for YA epics and fantasy novel franchises? Jackie French and Bruce Whatley have decided it’s time for us to learn the backstory of the protagonist...
The Reindeer and the Submarine (Beverley McWilliams, Pantera)
16 August 2022
Having previously been awarded a notable CBCA commendation for her picture book on aviator Captain Harry Butler, Beverley McWilliams now makes a quirky and charming foray into middle-grade fiction. The...
Berbay partners with Vision Australia on children’s series
16 August 2022
Berbay Books is partnering with Vision Australia on a new series of children’s books due to be published in 2023. The 32-page hardcover picture books will portray ‘significant Australians living...
Readings announces Children’s Book Prize 2022 shortlist
12 August 2022
The shortlist for the 2022 Readings Children’s Book Prize has been announced. This year’s six shortlisted books are: A Glasshouse of Stars (Shirley Marr, Puffin) Little Gem (Anna Zobel, Puffin)...
‘Atua: Māori gods and heroes’ wins Margaret Mahy Book of the Year
12 August 2022
Author and illustrator Gavin Bishop has won three categories in the 2022 New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults, including the Margaret Mahy Book of the Year, for...
To Greenland! (Pip Smith, illus by Beau Wylie, Scholastic)
9 August 2022
To Greenland! is the joyous new picture book from Pip Smith and Beau Wylie, who last collaborated on Theodore the Unsure. This new adventure follows Ellie the elephant, who resides...
Amazing Animal Journeys (Jennifer Cossins, Lothian)
9 August 2022
Tasmanian artist Jennifer Cossins hit world picture-book fame with 101 Collective Nouns, and has since collected a swag of CBCA and other accolades. Her newest title, the nonfiction Amazing Animal...
