Foreign Return: On Art and Inhabitation (Neha Kale, NewSouth)
Tuesday, 14 July 2026
Neha Kale’s debut, Foreign Return: On Art and Inhabitation, is an elegantly rendered work of literary nonfiction stylised as a memoir-in-essays, revealing a life as told through encounters with art....
The Grey Beret’s Guide to Surviving the Odds (Anna Battese, illus Erin Reeves, Simon & Schuster Australia)
Tuesday, 23 June 2026
Anna Battese’s debut middle-grade novel, The Grey Beret’s Guide to Surviving the Odds, illustrated by Erin Reeves, is the first in a planned trilogy. The book perfectly fills a gap...
An Ocean and a Day (Hannah Richell, 4th Estate)
Tuesday, 19 May 2026
Hannah Richell’s profoundly moving memoir, An Ocean and a Day, is both a tender love letter and a study of loss and hope, shaped by a devastating voyage through grief...
I Made This Just for You (Chris Ames, Ultimo)
Tuesday, 19 May 2026
Chris Ames’s short story collection, I Made This Just for You, is an astonishing debut and a highly anticipated one after winning the 2025 Victorian Premier’s Literary Award for an Unpublished...
Being: Why It’s Harder to Be Human Than a Hamster or a Herring (Rachel E Menzies & Ross G Menzies, A&U)
Tuesday, 12 May 2026
In Being: Why It’s Harder to Be Human Than a Hamster or a Herring, daughter–father writing team Rachel E Menzies and Ross G Menzies (Mortals: How the Fear of Death...
Good Intentions (Jessy Wu, Macmillan)
Tuesday, 5 May 2026
Personal and professional integrity face off in Jessy Wu’s highly engaging debut, Good Intentions – a fast-paced millennial romance set in the worlds of investigative journalism and futures trading. Nadia...
One Word (Melissa-Jane Fogarty, Lothian)
Tuesday, 5 May 2026
Melissa-Jane Fogarty’s One Word is a gentle yet powerful First Nations story about a young girl, Myra, who loves to stay with Pop. When she overhears him speaking to his...
I’m Not Afraid of Spiders (Caitlin Henderson, illus Annie Henderson, CSIRO Publishing)
Tuesday, 28 April 2026
For many children, fear of spiders can get in the way of appreciating just how fascinating they really are. In I’m Not Afraid of Spiders, nature-loving sisters – award-winning wildlife...
Tearing Myself Together (Anna Whateley, A&U Children’s)
Tuesday, 24 March 2026
Anna Whateley’s raw, authentic representations of neurodivergent young women in Tearing Myself Together offer the kind of windows and mirrors that are still too rare in Australian young adult fiction....
The Thornbacks (Chloe Wilson, Hamish Hamilton)
Tuesday, 10 March 2026
Chloe Wilson’s debut novel, The Thornbacks, follows stepsisters Gertie and Tabitha: a pair of morticians who – apart from a sinister hobby – are mostly harmless. Come “date night”, they...
Henry Goes Bush (Wayne Marshall, Picador)
Tuesday, 10 March 2026
Wayne Marshall blends fact and fiction (including time travel) to explore alternative versions of Henry Lawson’s 1892 trip to Bourke. Lawson was 25, depressed, nearly deaf and already battling alcoholism...
Fitzroy North 3068 (Yvette Henry Holt, Upswell)
Tuesday, 10 March 2026
Fitzroy North 3068 by multi-award-winning poet Yvette Henry Holt is more than a collection of poems – it is an experience. To call it “immersive” feels almost inadequate for a...
Life and Breath: Stories (Ursula Dubosarsky, Christmas Press)
Tuesday, 3 February 2026
Life and Breath: Stories brings together 13 short stories by Ursula Dubosarsky, offering a delightful showcase of her distinctive ability to inhabit the shifting borderlands between memory, imagination and self-discovery. Though...
The Belly of a Wolf (Julianne Negri, UWA Publishing)
Tuesday, 3 February 2026
The Belly of a Wolf is a powerful young adult verse novel by award-winning writer Julianne Negri. Little Red is grieving and struggling to return to school and connect with...
The Flower Garden: A Changi Secret (Claire Saxby, illus Lucia Masciullo, Walker)
Tuesday, 3 February 2026
Complex history becomes accessible to young readers when told through intimate, human stories; The Flower Garden: A Changi Secret uses this technique elegantly. CBCA-winning author Claire Saxby (Iceberg) and illustrator Lucia...
Forever & Ever (Allanah Hunt, Text)
Tuesday, 27 January 2026
Forever & Ever is Barkindji and Malyangapa author Allanah Hunt’s debut novel and a devastating exploration of first love, loss and the perilous work of growing up. Set in the...
Good Young Men (Gary Lonesborough, A&U Children’s)
Tuesday, 27 January 2026
Good Young Men is the 4th novel from award-winning Yuin author Gary Lonesborough (I’m Not Really Here), told from the perspective of 3 First Nations boys in Year 12 who...
Genie Snail (Bethany Loveridge, illus Chris Kennett, Little Book Press)
Tuesday, 27 January 2026
In Genie Snail, author Bethany Loveridge (Renegade Timeline Officer) and illustrator Chris Kennett combine forces to deliver a bright, engaging and hilarious story about a young child who meets a...
Nature Knows (Yvette Farmer, illus Chloe Jasmine Harris, T&H)
Tuesday, 20 January 2026
Nature Knows is a gentle picture book that steps quietly into the growing conversation around children’s wellbeing and the restorative power of time outdoors. Yvette Farmer, a primary school teacher with...
Ruby’s Web (Ellen van Neerven, Magabala)
Tuesday, 20 January 2026
In Ruby’s Web, Ellen van Neerven (Heat and Light, Comfort Food) situates a coming-of-age story against the backdrop of the 2023 Voice referendum, highlighting the severity of online abuse faced...
The Woman in the Spotlight (JR Lonie, HarperCollins)
Tuesday, 13 January 2026
In JR Lonie’s newest historical thriller, The Woman in the Spotlight, a young performer must outwit the oppressive control of the Nazi regime. Monika Varády, a Bavarian actress newly arrived...
Red Star Rebels (Amie Kaufman, A&U Children’s)
Tuesday, 9 December 2025
Amie Kaufman is a well-known name in young adult speculative fiction, particularly for the bestselling Starbound and Illuminae Files series (co-authored with Megan Spooner and Jay Kristoff respectively). Red Star...
My Brother Otto (Ingrid Laguna, Text)
Tuesday, 9 December 2025
In My Brother Otto, Ingrid Laguna (Edie Tells a Lie) explores the emotional upheaval of welcoming and losing a new sibling. Quinn is 11 years old and happy being an...
Saving Shark Pup: The Incredible True Story (Sharon Dalgleish, illus Amandine Thomas, A&U Children’s)
Tuesday, 9 December 2025
Saving Shark Pup: The Incredible True Story is an intriguing and emotive retelling of a great white shark pup’s dramatic rescue from Manly Beach, sure to captivate readers aged 4...
Bugger (Michael Mohammed Ahmad, Hachette)
Tuesday, 9 December 2025
Bugger by Michael Mohammed Ahmad (The Lebs, The Tribe) is a heart-wrenching investigation into child sex abuse. Its protagonist, Hamoodi, is an isolated 10-year-old who adores Power Rangers and lives...
How to Make Friends and Go Viral by Accident (YK Willemse, Rhiza Edge)
Tuesday, 2 December 2025
The novella How to Make Friends and Go Viral by Accident by YK Willemse (Jerry’s Window) follows 13-year-old Hayden Connor as he struggles with a speech impediment and the anxiety...
Bush Tukka Guide for Kids (Samantha Martin, HG Explore)
Tuesday, 2 December 2025
Bush Tukka Guide for Kids by Samantha Martin, a descendant of the Jaru people, is an exceptional book about so much more than food. Known as the “Bush Tukka Woman”,...
Muttonfish Magic (Ruth Simms & Lucy Robertson, illus Jasmine Seymour, Magabala)
Tuesday, 2 December 2025
Muttonfish Magic honours the Kameragyl and Bidjigal people, the traditional custodians of the land around Kamay (Botany Bay) and Guriwal (La Perouse). With sensory lyricism, Bidjigal Elder Ruth Simms and...
The Last Resort (Amanda Hewitt, Echo)
Tuesday, 25 November 2025
Amanda Hewitt’s debut, The Last Resort, opens with Abbey, newly divorced and reeling from the end of her marriage, as she seeks solace in the Maldives. During a late-night swim,...
How to Get Home (Deborah Frenkel, illus Karen Blair, Affirm)
Tuesday, 11 November 2025
How to Get Home is a charming collaboration between author Deborah Frenkel (The Truck Cat) and illustrator Karen Blair (When I’m BIG, Train Party) that revels in the everyday words surrounding...
