Junior Book Club – this month’s reads
Friday, 3 October 2025 Books+Publishing @booksandpublishing
Searching for your next great read to share with kids? Our Junior Book Club highlights 10 new titles each month that are perfect for classrooms, libraries and family reading time. From fun and imaginative adventures to books that spark curiosity and conversation, these are the latest releases worth adding to your shelves and sharing with young readers of all ages.
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Big Aussie Animal Bush Bash Brentos Affirm ISBN 9781923419575 RRP $22.99 Age: 3–99 |
| Why young readers will love it: ‘Like all Brentos books, Big Aussie Animal Bush Bash is perfect for all ages: children will delight in learning the collective nouns for each group of animals and the search-and-find element on each spread, while grown-ups will enjoy the music festival setting and music culture references. Coinciding with Ausmusic Month in November is fitting, considering talented bush animals like Midnight Owl, Kylie Minnow and Savage Gumnut are featured throughout. As a bonus, readers can keep the party vibes going by scanning the QR code for a custom Spotify playlist of the epic Aussie bush bash.’ – Tash Besliev, publishing director, S&S | |
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Elif’s Itchy Palm (The Cockatoo Crew #1) Lora Inak, illus Kruti Desai UWA Publishing ISBN 9781760803148 RRP $15.99 Age: 6+ |
| Why young readers will love it: ‘Elif’s Itchy Palm is the first book in the new Cockatoo Crew series by Lora Inak and Kruti Desai. Book 1 is a fun-filled adventure set at Cockatoo Hill English Language School. Young readers will love meeting the rambunctious and multicultural cast of characters and learning about Elif’s Turkish heritage. This is a beautiful book that reflects the diversity of many Australian primary schools. Book 2 (Sambu Won’t Grow) is also being published simultaneously, so kids don’t have to wait for the next book in the series.’ – Lauren Pratt, communications officer, UWA Publishing | |
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Going Fishing with Nana Lindsay Haji-Ali & Frances Haji-Ali, illus Karen Briggs Magabala ISBN 9781922864048 RRP $27.99 Age: 4–9 |
| Why young readers will love it: ‘This beautifully illustrated children’s picture book takes readers on an exciting fishing trip with Nana in the far north of Australia. Through repetition and rhyme, readers are introduced to early education concepts such as ordinal numbers, counting by twos, and adjectives, all while seeing many cute and cheeky outback animals along the way.’ – Margaret Whiskin, managing editor, Magabala | |
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The Great Shark Egg Case Hunt Kasey Whitelaw, illus Sylvia Morris CSIRO Publishing ISBN 9781486318308 RRP $26.99 Age: 5–9 |
| Why young readers will love it: ‘This stunning picture book takes kids on a journey to explore the weird and wonderful shark egg cases that wash up on beaches all over the world. Children will enjoy discovering strange new facts about the natural world, the different marine animals, the unusual egg case shapes, and how they can become an “egg case hunter” too! This picture book is perfect for learning about our environment and links to a global citizen science project.’ – Amelia Rockliff, marketing and communications coordinator, CSIRO Publishing | |
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The Illustrated Encyclopaedia of Fast and Slow Animals Sami Bayly Lothian ISBN 9780734421418 RRP $32.99 Age: 7–12 |
| Why young readers will love it: ‘Discover not one, not two, but sixty of the world’s fastest and slowest animals in this beautifully illustrated encyclopaedia from award-winning author and illustrator Sami Bayly. From the super speedy cheetah to the oh-so-slow gila monster, young readers will encounter animals both delightfully familiar and exceedingly strange, learning amazing new facts about them along the way!’ – Jeanmarie Morosin, head of children’s publishing, Hachette | |
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The Lost Island (Dolphin Twins #1) Anh Do & Tegan Clancy Scholastic ISBN 9781761723773 RRP $17.99 Age: 8+ |
| Why young readers will love it: ‘The Lost Island is the first book in the new Dolphin Twins series from Anh Do and Tegan Clancy. Noah and Skye are twins stranded on a remote island who must learn how to survive in the wild. They face deadly orcas and ravenous sharks, but also befriend a family of amazing dolphins who end up helping them find food and safety. Readers will love the dual narrative – jumping from one twin’s perspective to the other’s – in this thrilling adventure by the sea.’ – Rebecca Young, senior publisher, Scholastic | |
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Ningaloo Tim Winton, illus Cindy Lane Fremantle ISBN 9781760995324 RRP $29.99 Age: 8–12 Teacher’s notes |
| Why young readers will love it: ‘Ningaloo is ideal for kids who might want to be in a book club but may not necessarily want to pick up a novel. Junior readers hankering for non-fiction, who are curious about the natural world, will love this book. Tim Winton’s extensive and meticulous knowledge of the area is engaging. Cindy Lane’s stunning illustrations show megafauna, microfauna, and everything in between, inhabiting one of the world’s most unique places. – Alex Allan, CEO, Fremantle Press | |
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Prayer for a River Andrew Kelly & Uncle Glenn Loughrey, illus Uncle Glenn Loughrey Wild Dog Books ISBN 9781742036915 RRP $24.99 Age: interest level 5+, reading level 6+ Teacher’s notes |
| Why young readers will love it: ‘Young readers will love this book for the simple, poetic language and the vibrant illustrations highlighting the connections between waterways, plants and animals. There is so much detail in the artworks for readers to discover. Prayer for a River is a passionate book that speaks to the desire to protect our environment and engage with Country.’ – Lisa Mclellan, editorial assistant, Wild Dog Books | |
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There’s a Prawn in Parliament House: The Kids’ Guide to Australia’s Amazing Democracy Annabel Crabb, illus First Dog on the Moon A&U ISBN 9781760637750 RRP $24.99 Age: 8–12 Teacher’s notes |
| Why young readers will love it: ‘There’s never been a more important time to understand how the Australian government works and what makes our democracy so special. With her trademark wit, wisdom and insight, political writer and commentator Annabel Crabb tells you and your tween everything you need to know about Australia’s democracy. Entertaining and informative with helpful diagrams from cartoonist First Dog on the Moon, it is the perfect book for the budding debater, the young person wanting to know how the world works, or anyone who wants to understand Australian politics.’ – Anna McFarlane, publisher, A&U | |
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Time Lions and the Chrono-Loop Krystal Sutherland & Martin Seneviratne Penguin ISBN 9780143779377 RRP $16.99 Age: 9+ |
| Why young readers will love it: ‘History has never been more fun! This laugh-out-loud time travel adventure is perfect for fans of Back to the Future and Jane Doe and the Cradle of All Worlds. When genius twins Pearl and Patrick travel back in time, they break the rules of The Interdimensional Misconduct Enquiry (TIME) agency; cue wonky timelines, the butterfly effect, and the secrets a secret organisation DON’T want you to know. Young readers looking for adventure will love it.’ – Sara Zarriello, children’s digital marketing executive, PRH | |
Category: Book Club
