Horse Warrior (Meredith Jaffé, Harbour Publishing)
Thursday, 7 March 2019
In this medieval fantasy for middle-grade readers, 11-year-old Maia is desperate to compete in the annual Tournament of Avenal, a showcase of riding and shooting skills. But girls are not...
Sherlock Bones and the Natural History Mystery (Renée Treml, A&U)
Thursday, 7 March 2019
Middle primary readers seem to have an unquenchable thirst for illustrated, funny novels, with kids devouring series after series of the ‘Treehouse’ books, ‘The Bad Guys’, and ‘Dog Man’. Renée...
Rebellion at Eureka (Alan Tucker, Scholastic)
Thursday, 7 March 2019
It’s 1854, and now that Alf is 13 years old and finally done with school, he wants some independence. But his mum has other ideas, moving their general store business...
The Honeyman and the Hunter (Neil Grant, A&U)
Thursday, 7 March 2019
When 16-year-old Rudra’s estranged grandmother arrives from India to reunite with her only daughter, it unlocks a side of Rudra’s family and culture that he never knew; born and raised...
One Tree (Christopher Cheng, illus by Bruce Whatley, Puffin)
Thursday, 7 March 2019
Grandfather used to live happily on a farm, nearest the tallest tree on a mountain. Now he lives with his family in a small apartment in a crowded city and...
The Secret Runners of New York (Matthew Reilly, Macmillan)
Thursday, 7 March 2019
A school for the children of the wealthy elite is not where you would expect a book about the end of the world to be set, but that's what Matthew...
Learning to be brave: Anna Walker on ‘Lottie and Walter’
Thursday, 7 February 2019
Anna Walker’s Lottie and Walter (Picture Puffin, March) tells the story of a little girl who is scared to get in the water, but who finds courage in a singing walrus...
Let Me Sleep, Sheep (Meg McKinlay, illus by Leila Rudge, Walker Books)
Thursday, 7 February 2019
The award-winning duo behind the animal adventure picture books No Bears and Once upon a Small Rhinoceros are back with a new book that tells the story of young sleep-deprived...
Baz & Benz (Heidi McKinnon, A&U)
Thursday, 7 February 2019
The titular Baz and Benz are a pair of owls: a small blue one and a larger green one. At the start of the book, they agree wholeheartedly that they...
52 Mondays (Anna Ciddor, A&U)
Thursday, 7 February 2019
52 Mondays is the latest middle-grade novel from Anna Ciddor, written in the same classic storytelling tradition as her previous work, The Family with Two Front Doors. A fictionalised account...
Ivanhoe Swift Left Home at Six (Jane Godwin, illus by A Yi, A&U)
Thursday, 7 February 2019
Despite his parents’ concerns, Ivanhoe Swift leaves home at the age of six to see the world for himself. And so begins a dreamlike journey of self-discovery and gaining independence....
Catch a Falling Star (Meg McKinlay, Walker Books)
Thursday, 7 February 2019
It’s the late 1970s in rural Western Australia, and 12-year-old Frankie’s life isn’t always easy. Her mother works all the time, so Frankie looks after her very smart but not...
You Must Be Layla (Yassmin Abdel-Magied, Penguin)
Thursday, 7 February 2019
Thirteen-year-old Layla has landed a scholarship at a prestigious private school where no one looks like her. She’s a creative kid who loves singing and making jewellery, but many of...
Underdog: #LoveOzYA Short Stories (ed by Tobias Madden, Nero)
Thursday, 7 February 2019
Following the success of its predecessor Begin, End, Begin: A #LoveOzYA Anthology, new anthology Underdog celebrates up-and-coming writers of Australian young adult fiction, with submissions received via an open call-out....
When the wind changes: Justin D’Ath on ‘47 Degrees’
Monday, 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...
Stella the Unstoppable: The Talent Show Fiasco (Richard Newsome, Affirm)
Friday, 9 November 2018
Richard Newsome is known for action-packed adventure tales like his Text Prize-winning ‘Billionaire’ series, but his newest series, ‘Stella the Unstoppable’, is a little bit of a departure. Aimed at...
Fish Kid and the Lizard Ninja (Kylie Howarth, Walker Books)
Friday, 9 November 2018
Bodhi is a boy who travels the world with his parents (a scientist and a photographer) as they study marine environments, in this case the Galapagos Islands. He would much...
Gorski’s Bitemare (Robert Favretto, illus by Danny Willis, Ford St)
Friday, 9 November 2018
Gorski Dragonovski lives with his mum and dad and his sister Drusella. Their home is a castle outside of town and they sleep all day, in coffins. Gorski and his...
Tilly Maguire and the Royal Wedding Mess (Emma Grey, HarperCollins)
Friday, 9 November 2018
Author Emma Grey declares this gloriously soapy book an ‘unapologetic fairytale’. Grey has fun with classic fairytale elements as well as modern pop culture: indeed, the book features run-ins with...
Melody Trumpet (Gabrielle Tozer, HarperCollins)
Friday, 9 November 2018
Melody’s parents are world-famous musicians (and narcissistic bores) who expect their only daughter to have inherited their incredible talent, but poor Melody can’t play any instruments and sounds like a...
The Day We Built the Bridge (Samantha Tidy, illus by Fiona Burrows, MidnightSun)
Friday, 9 November 2018
Samantha Tidy and Fiona Burrows take the creation of a national icon, the Sydney Harbour Bridge, and strip it back to a streamlined, succinct story of a need, an idea...
Yahoo Creek (Tohby Riddle, A&U)
Tuesday, 30 October 2018
In this imaginative work, Tohby Riddle delves into the mystery of the yahoo (or the yowie, as it is commonly known today). Reported sightings of these large, hairy beasts were...
Queen Celine (Matt Shanks, Walker Books)
Tuesday, 30 October 2018
Matt Shanks’ latest picture book introduces us to Celine Beaufort. Celine lives a fairly ordinary life, doing ordinary things, but sometimes she gets to be the queen of a very...
Mallee Sky (Jodi Toering, illus by Tannya Harricks, Walker Books)
Tuesday, 30 October 2018
The Australia of Mallee Sky is a familiar one—wide, red-brown, drought-stricken, unforgiving, yet strikingly beautiful—but never a cliche. The book avoids patronising children, instead welcoming them into a mature literary...
47 Degrees (Justin D’Ath, Puffin)
Tuesday, 30 October 2018
Author Justin D’Ath lost his home in Victoria’s Black Saturday bushfires, and the story of that harrowing day forms the basis for his new novel, 47 Degrees. The morning of...
Lottie and Walter (Anna Walker, Picture Puffin)
Tuesday, 30 October 2018
Following in the tradition of her previous works Mr Huff and Florence, Anna Walker once again pays tribute to the creativity and resilience of children in this tale of a...
A right royal romance: Emma Grey on ‘Tilly Maguire and the Royal Wedding Mess’
Tuesday, 30 October 2018
Emma Grey’s Tilly Maguire and the Royal Wedding Mess (HarperCollins, December) follows an 18-year-old aspiring writer who wins a six-week internship at a top London PR firm, and somehow gets wrapped...
The Tales of Mr Walker (Jess Black, illus by Sara Acton, Puffin)
Thursday, 4 October 2018
Mr Walker is a golden labrador who has been hired as the Melbourne Park Hyatt’s canine ambassador. Based on his real-life counterpart, this middle-grade chapter book comprises four beguiling vignettes...
The Slightly Alarming Tale of the Whispering Wars (Jaclyn Moriarty, A&U)
Thursday, 4 October 2018
Though this middle-grade fantasy chapter book shares the same world as Jaclyn Moriarty’s earlier book, The Extremely Inconvenient Adventures of Bronte Mettlestone, this is not really a sequel. While Bronte...
Midnight at the Library (Ursula Dubosarsky illus by Ron Brooks, NLA)
Thursday, 4 October 2018
This outstanding book by two acclaimed Australian creators is thought-provoking and informative. Ursula Dubosarsky’s text, combined with Ron Brooks’ illustrations, refers to the fascinating story of books—how they are created, preserved and connected...
