Under My Bed (John Dickson, illus by Guridi, Berbay)
Friday, 13 April 2018
Most people will remember the spine-tingling feeling of lying in bed at night and imagining there are monsters in their bedroom—and the comfort of realising that they’re safely snuggled up...
Lifel1k3 (Jay Kristoff, A&U)
Friday, 13 April 2018
Set in a savage post-apocalyptic California (or Kalifornya as it’s remembered now), Lifel1k3 (Lifelike) follows 15-year-old Eve, who makes a living building robots out of scraps and using them to...
Bonesland (Brendan Lawley, Text)
Friday, 13 April 2018
Sixteen-year-old Bones Carter has a lot going on. With his obsessive-compulsive tendencies, anxiety, germ-phobia, separated parents and regular harassment at the hands of his older brother Trav and school bully...
The Singing Seal (Merv Lamington, illus by Allison Langton, Affirm Press)
Friday, 13 April 2018
The first book in Affirm Press’ new ‘True Animal Tales’ series is an amiable and accessible glimpse into the cheeky imagined world of the real-life New Zealand fur seal who...
It’s Hard to Love a Tiger (Anna Pignataro, Scholastic)
Thursday, 12 April 2018
Kittens and cats are so passé; how much more fun would it be to have a pet tiger instead? The cover—with its smiley little blonde girl trying to affix a...
The Peacock Detectives (Carly Nugent, Text)
Thursday, 12 April 2018
Eleven-year-old Cassie Anderson, Peacock Detective, like all great detectives, is good at noticing things. She notices the scratches in the corner of the cage when the peacocks William Shakespeare and...
The Learning Curves of Vanessa Partridge (Clare Strahan, A&U)
Thursday, 12 April 2018
Vanessa Partridge is a clever, talented and awkward teen facing her final year of high school in the midst of hormonal adolescence. She’s full of thoughts about kissing and sex...
Stone Girl (Eleni Hale, Penguin)
Thursday, 12 April 2018
Sophie grows up saddled with a missing dad and an unreliable alcoholic mother. At the tender age of 12, she finds her mother dead and blames herself. As there is...
Neverland (Margot McGovern, Random House)
Thursday, 12 April 2018
Like Alice through the looking glass, Dorothy in Oz and Wendy in Neverland, Kit Learmonth’s childhood was full of fantastical adventures: pirates, witches, fairies and battles with terrible monsters. But...
February and March reviews unlocked
Thursday, 1 March 2018
Reviews of children’s and YA new releases published in February and March are now free to view on the Books+Publishing website. They include: Picture books A Boat of Stars: New...
The new normal: Adam Cece on ‘The Extremely Weird Thing That Happened in Huggabie Falls’
Thursday, 1 March 2018
Adam Cece won the 2017 Text Prize for The Extremely Weird Thing That Happened in Huggabie Falls (Text, April). Reviewer Holly Harper describes it as ‘a funny read full of...
Small Spaces (Sarah Epstein, Walker Books)
Thursday, 1 March 2018
As a child, Tash Carmody witnessed the kidnapping of Mallory Fisher. Yet nobody would believe her account of the event—that Mallory was abducted by Tash’s imaginary friend Sparrow. Nine years...
Amelia Westlake (Erin Gough, Hardie Grant Egmont)
Thursday, 1 March 2018
After her Ampersand Prize-winning debut The Flywheel, Erin Gough’s second novel has been eagerly anticipated. Amelia Westlake has been worth the wait. This is a brilliant social satire with a...
The Poppa Platoon in World War Chew (Danny Katz, illus by Mitch Vane, Scholastic)
Thursday, 1 March 2018
‘Little Lunch’ creators Danny Katz and Mitch Vane have teamed up again in ‘The Poppa Platoon’ series, beginning with The Poppa Platoon in World War Chew. The ‘chew’ in the...
The Long Class Goodnight (Sammy J, Five Mile)
Thursday, 1 March 2018
Comedian Sammy J is a natural storyteller, and his debut children’s novel is a testament to his ability to craft an entertaining tale. This first title in a planned series...
How to Win a Nobel Prize (Barry Marshall & Lorna Hendry, illus by Bernard Caleo, Piccolo Nero)
Thursday, 1 March 2018
Ten-year-old Mary loves science, and dreams of one day winning a Nobel Prize. When her mother arranges for her to meet the Australian Nobel laureate Barry Marshall, Mary stumbles on...
Message in a Sock (Kaye Baillie, illus by Narelda Joy, MidnightSun)
Thursday, 1 March 2018
Message in a Sock is a delightful picture book based on a true exchange between an Australian soldier and a young girl in World War I. Tammy and her mother...
Bouncing Back: An Eastern Barred Bandicoot Story (Rohan Cleave & Coral Tulloch, CSIRO Publishing)
Thursday, 1 March 2018
Best known for their conservation-focused picture book Phasmid, Rohan Cleave and Coral Tulloch have now turned their attention to the endangered Eastern Barred Bandicoot in Bouncing Back. The story makes...
The Last Peach (Gus Gordon, Viking)
Thursday, 1 March 2018
Gus Gordon delights and entertains with his newest picture book, a fable about two bugs who come across the most beautiful peach they’ve ever seen. In the beginning they’re overjoyed...
The Extremely Weird Thing that Happened in Huggabie Falls (Adam Cece, illus by Andrew Weldon, Text)
Wednesday, 28 February 2018
Welcome to Huggabie Falls, where, on a normal day, you might encounter mad scientists, vegetarian piranhas and a spell-slinging schoolteacher with a penchant for turning students into hippopotamuses. In a...
Up for a challenge: Nelly Thomas on ‘Some Girls’
Thursday, 1 February 2018
When comedian Nelly Thomas came up with the idea for Some Girls, an early childhood picture book that challenges gender and other stereotypes in young girls, she decided to crowdfund...
Down through the blue: Alison Lester and Jane Godwin on ‘The Silver Sea’
Thursday, 1 February 2018
Alison Lester and Jane Godwin's The Silver Sea (Affirm, March) was created in collaboration with children from Melbourne’s Royal Children’s Hospital, with all profits from the book going to the...
White Night (Ellie Marney, A&U)
Thursday, 1 February 2018
Bo Mitchell is a typical guy in Lamistead. He’s nice, sporty, and doesn’t do anything that will make him stand out. Aurora Wild stands out in all the wrong ways....
Turtle Trackers (Samantha Wheeler, UQP)
Thursday, 1 February 2018
Ten-year-old Isaac and his mum run a caravan park on the coast of Queensland. Things have been tough since the death of Isaac’s father, with Isaac having to take on...
The Endsister (Penni Russon, A&U)
Thursday, 1 February 2018
Penni Russon’s new middle-grade novel centres on the rowdy but lovable Outhwaite family. When they inherit an old mansion on the other side of the world, otherworldly encounters ensue. The...
Lucy’s Dawn (Juliet Blair, NLA)
Thursday, 1 February 2018
This is a charming historical novel, based on a series of events in pre-federation Sydney. Told through the diary entries of the fictional 14-year-old Lucy Coombes, the book delves into...
Stephanie Chiocci and the Cooper’s Hill Cheese Chase: Footy Stars Book One (Matt Porter, Ford Street Publishing)
Thursday, 1 February 2018
Stephanie Chiocci, captain of the Collingwood AFLW team, is taking some time away from footy training to compete in the Cooper’s Hill Cheese Chase in England—a race to catch a...
From Nerd to Ninja: Ninja Kid Book One (Ahn Do, Scholastic)
Thursday, 1 February 2018
When Nelson wakes up on his 10th birthday with a spider on his nose, things are not looking good. In his scramble to get it off he gets tangled in his...
Breaking News: Kensy and Max Book One (Jacqueline Harvey, Random House)
Thursday, 1 February 2018
Kensy and Max are 11-year-old twins whose slightly eccentric lives change overnight after a string of strange occurrences sees them racing across international borders to London accompanied by their Nanny...
I Wanted a Giant Chocolate Egg but All I Got Was This Stupid Book (Merv Lamington, illus by Makoto Koji, Affirm Press)
Thursday, 1 February 2018
Forget about any religious symbolism, for kids (and a fair few adults), Easter is all about chocolate eggs brought by the stealthy Easter bunny. This cute little self-referential picture book...
