Web of Spies (S.I.G.M.A. #1) (Tim Ayliffe, Affirm Kids)
Younger readers
Released September 2026, reviewed by Kirsten Barich.
Bestselling crime author Tim Ayliffe’s children’s debut, Web of Spies (S.I.G.M.A. #1), is a fast-paced and gripping middle-grade mystery that...
God AI: Boom or Doom? What to Expect When Machines Outsmart Us (Toby Walsh, La Trobe University Press)
Nonfiction
Released September 2026, reviewed by Anthony Morris.
As AI spreads throughout society, its uses and implications are increasingly hard to ignore. For those looking to cut through...
Sick Note (Olivia De Zilva, Pink Shorts Press)
Poetry
Released September 2026, reviewed by Clare Millar.
Sick Note is Olivia De Zilva’s (Plastic Budgie, Eggshell) debut poetry collection, exploring capitalism, work, chronic illness, un/underemployment and identity...
the long cloud (Hector MacKenzie, Scribe)
Fiction
Released September 2026, reviewed by Megan Cheong.
Written entirely in lowercase and with minimal punctuation, Hector MacKenzie’s debut novel, the long cloud, follows narrator Xander Alexander as...
In Plain Sight (Robyn Dennison, Text Publishing)
Fiction
Released September 2026, reviewed by Sophie Helfgott.
In Plain Sight by Robyn Dennison (Blind Spot) is a compelling literary crime novel filled with complex relationships and strong-willed...
I Call the Ocean Wardan (Ebony Froome, illustrated by Dellas Bennell & Korrine Bennell-Yarran, Fremantle Press)
Children’s picture book
Released September 2026, reviewed by Merril Darling.
Wardandi Noongar author Ebony Froome (Djinang Bonar: Seeing Seasons) has created another exquisite dual-language picture book, I Call the Ocean...
Five Voices (Tamara Moss, Allen & Unwin Children)
Young adult
Released September 2026, reviewed by Karys McEwen.
Tamara Moss’s Five Voices is an addictive, high-stakes YA murder mystery that will hook readers from its opening pages. When...
Otis Ottley and the School in the Sky (Will Kostakis, Allen & Unwin Children’s)
Younger readers
Released September 2026, reviewed by Charlotte Callander.
Otis Ottley and the School in the Sky, the debut middle-grade novel from award-winning YA author Will Kostakis (We Could...
The Wreck (Riley James, Allen & Unwin)
Fiction
Released September 2026, reviewed by Kate Frawley.
The Wreck by Riley James is a tense, atmospheric and altogether chilling survival thriller. Its cleverly plotted narrative centres on...
The Good Decision (Jo Dabrowski, illus Cate James, Affirm Kids)
Children’s picture book
Released September 2026, reviewed by Caitie Pestrivas.
Jo Dabrowski and Cate James’s The Good Decision reminds readers that good intentions don’t always lead to good outcomes. This...
Scion (Book One) (James Islington, Text Publishing)
Fiction
Released September 2026, reviewed by Ilona Urquhart.
Best known for his epic fantasy novels, James Islington ventures into thrilling science fiction with Scion, the first in a...
The Boy Who Loved Dolls (John A Scott, Puncher & Wattmann)
Fiction
Released September 2026, reviewed by Alex Durac.
Set in 1987 in Victoria, The Boy Who Loved Dolls by John A Scott (N, What I Have Written) initially follows...
What the Flora?: Incredible Stories from the Brilliant and Bizarre World of Plants (Vanessa Fuchs, Pantera Press)
Nonfiction
Released September 2026, reviewed by Ellie Pope.
In What the Flora?: Incredible Stories from the Brilliant and Bizarre World of Plants, science communicator Vanessa Fuchs, who works...
Eat to Heal (Lee Holmes, Rockpool Publishing)
Nonfiction
Released August 2026, reviewed by Jess Lomas.
In Eat to Heal, clinical nutritionist and wholefoods chef Lee Holmes (Heal Your Gut) turns her attention to inflammation, exploring...
Old Bertie (Vincenzo Perrella & Dan Osborn, Fremantle Press)
Young adult
Released August 2026, reviewed by Annie Waters.
Old Bertie is Vincenzo Perrella and Dan Osborn’s debut fiction collaboration, the pair having previously worked together on film, TV...
Bad Neighbours (Joanna Jenkins, Allen & Unwin)
Fiction
Released August 2026, reviewed by Tara Lee.
Joanna Jenkins (How to Kill a Client, The Bluff) examines the Australian property market through a feminist lens in her...
I Love the Whole World! (Victoria Hannan, Penguin)
Fiction
Released August 2026, reviewed by Adalya Nash Hussein.
In her third novel, I Love the Whole World!, Victoria Hannan (Kokomo, Marshmallow) takes a more playful, straightforward and fun...
The Grey Beret’s Guide to Surviving the Odds (Anna Battese, illus Erin Reeves, Simon & Schuster Australia)
Younger readers
Released August 2026, reviewed by Clare Millar.
Anna Battese’s debut middle-grade novel, The Grey Beret’s Guide to Surviving the Odds, illustrated by Erin Reeves, is the first...
There’s a Chicken in the House (Sonya Hartnett, illus Lucia Masciullo, Puffin)
Children’s picture book
Released August 2026, reviewed by Michaela Gallagher.
There’s a Chicken in the House by Sonya Hartnett (Blue Flower) and illustrator Lucia Masciullo (The Flower Garden) is a...
And in the Morning (Lenny Robinson, University of Queensland Press)
Fiction
Released August 2026, reviewed by Eleanor Jackson.
Lenny Robinson’s historical fiction debut, And in the Morning, quietly observes the grief of 3 Australian women grappling with their...
