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State of euphoria: Alison Evans on ‘Euphoria Kids’

8 November 2019
Reviewer Jordi Kerr says Alison Evans’ YA novel Euphoria Kids (Echo, February) is ‘a tender, contemporary fairytale about magic, friendship and gender identity’ that follows three trans kids ‘learning to...

When the wind changes: Justin D’Ath on ‘47 Degrees’ 

12 November 2018
Justin D'Ath's 47 Degrees (Puffin, January) follows 12-year-old Zeelie whose life is forever changed when temperatures soar one summer's day in 2009. Described as 'an extraordinarily fast-paced and visceral story that...

Stretching the truth: Jack Heath on ‘The Truth App’ 

30 August 2018
The Truth App (Scholastic, September) is the first book in YA author Jack Heath’s five-book junior-fiction series 'Liars', described by reviewer Heath Graham as a ‘non-stop action-adventure ride’ for readers who want ‘techno-thrillers...

Growing pains: Karen Foxlee on ‘Lenny’s Book of Everything’

30 August 2018
Karen Foxlee’s middle-grade novel Lenny’s Book of Everything (A&U) is ‘bittersweet tale about heartbreak and healing’ with ‘a sense of whimsy that never feels forced’. Reviewer Karys McEwen spoke to the author. Lenny’s brother...

A quiet place: Katrina Lehman on ‘Wren’

4 May 2018
Katrina Lehman’s picture book Wren (illus by Sophie Beer, Scribble, July) is filled with ‘fluid, rhythmic prose’ that ‘rolls off the tongue’, alongside ‘gloriously colourful’ illustrations, writes reviewer Bronte Coates....

Memory trick: Margot McGovern on ‘Neverland’

13 April 2018
Debut author Margot McGovern was inspired by her favourite childhood reads to create Neverland (Random House, April), ‘a dark and compelling examination of memory, self-determination and the dangers of romanticising...

Blast off: Sha’an d’Anthes on ‘Zoom’ 

7 September 2017
Sha’an d’Anthes is the first-time author and illustrator of Zoom (Lothian, November), a picture book about a young boy’s adventures in space. Reviewer Bronte Coates spoke to d’Anthes about visual...

Something wundrous: Jessica Townsend on ‘Nevermoor’

2 August 2017
Queensland author Jessica Townsend’s debut Nevermoor (Hachette, October) is a middle-grade fantasy about a cursed 11-year-old girl ‘that will hook readers aged 10 and up with intricate imaginative detail and...