Frizzle and Me (Ellie Royce, illus by Andrew McLean, Ford St)
30 March 2021
Frizzle and Me jumps on board a current—and vital—trend for books celebrating diversity, and makes a respectable contribution to the cohort. The premise is that the definition of ‘family’ is...
CBCA 2021 Book of the Year shortlists announced
30 March 2021
The Children’s Book Council of Australia (CBCA) has announced its 2021 Book of the Year shortlists. The shortlisted books in each category are: Older readers The End of the World...
Why Do Tigers Have Whiskers? (ed by Sunanda Creagh, Thames & Hudson)
23 March 2021
Curated from the Curious Kids section of the academic-authored news website The Conversation, this book is compiled as a series of questions provided by kids and answered by a range...
A Human for Kingsley (Gabriel Evans, Little Hare)
23 March 2021
Kingsley, a dog who has decided to own a human, sets off on a journey to find just the right one. The problem is, there are so many humans to...
Text signs Sheppard in two-book deal
17 March 2021
Text Publishing has acquired world rights to The Brink, the second YA novel by Holden Sheppard, in a two-book deal via Gaby Naher of Left Bank Literary Agency. The Brink follows a...
Elsewhere Girls (Emily Gale & Nova Weetman, Text)
16 March 2021
Acclaimed authors Emily Gale and Nova Weetman have teamed up to write this beautifully rendered time-slip narrative that delves into the personal and social struggles of young women past and...
Bear and Rat (Christopher Cheng, illus by Stephen Michael King, Puffin)
16 March 2021
This picture book is a heartwarming, tender tale of the loving relationship between two friends. The elegantly simple story in Bear and Rat holds a timeless, universal appeal with themes...
Can’t Say it Went to Plan (Gabrielle Tozer, HarperCollins)
10 March 2021
Schoolies is revered as a holiday unlike no other, where, for the first time, teenagers are free—from school, from adults, from responsibility. Can’t Say it Went to Plan follows three...
Common Wealth (Gregg Dreise, Scholastic)
2 March 2021
In light of the recent change to the lyrics of ‘Advance Australia Fair’, as well as the ongoing debate surrounding January 26, this impassioned plea for recognition and unity from...
Fil & Harry (Jenny Blackford, illus by Kristin Devine, Christmas Press)
2 March 2021
This charming novel is the first book in a new list from Christmas Press aimed at that tricky age between picture books and middle fiction. Written by Jenny Blackford, whose...
UQP acquires Atkins picture book
25 February 2021
University of Queensland Press (UQP) has acquired world rights to Egg, the first picture book by YA author Clare Atkins. A ‘multi-layered picture book with thought-provoking metaphors around environment, generational...
CBCA 2021 Notable Books announced
24 February 2021
The Children’s Book Council of Australia (CBCA) has announced its list of Notable Books for 2021. The books in each category are: Older readers The F Team (Rawah Arja, Giramondo)...
Text announces Steph Bowe Mentorship for Young Writers
23 February 2021
Text Publishing has announced the Steph Bowe Mentorship for Young Writers, a new initiative designed to nurture and encourage a new Australian children’s writer under the age of 25. The...
WAYRBA 2021 shortlists announced
18 February 2021
The shortlists for the 2021 West Australian Young Readers’ Book Awards (WAYRBA) have been announced. The shortlisted titles in each category are: Picture books Pig the Blob (Aaron Blabey, Scholastic) Twelve...
Inaugural Little Hare Illustration Prize winner announced
17 February 2021
Hardie Grant Children’s Publishing (HGCP) has announced Meg Rennie as the winner of the inaugural 2020 Little Hare Illustration Prize. ‘Meg’s artwork enchanted the judging panel with her vivacious character...
Tish (Edwina Wyatt, illus by Odette Barberousse, Berbay)
17 February 2021
Due to their very definition, imaginary friends can come in all shapes and sizes, and Tish is no exception. Resembling a woolly mammoth but with wings and an odour problem...
Avery signs four-book deal after Walker Wednesday submission
17 February 2021
Walker Books Australia has acquired world rights to two picture books and two graphic novels by Western Australian author Sean E Avery, after he submitted his manuscripts to Walker Wednesday....
The Katha Chest (Radhiah Chowdhury, illus by Lavanya Naidu, A&U)
17 February 2021
In Radhiah Chowdhury and Lavanya Naidu’s book, elegant textile patterns are patchworked together with descriptive snapshot stories of young Asiya’s family members and their histories. Asiya delights in every one...
The Prison Healer (Lynette Noni, Penguin)
10 February 2021
Lynette Noni, the winner of the 2019 Gold Inky for her dystopian sci-fi novel Whisper, returns to fantasy with The Prison Healer. Kiva’s daily life as prisoner and prison healer...
Huda and Me (H Hayek, A&U)
10 February 2021
When their parents make a sudden trip back to their home country of Lebanon, Huda and Akeal find themselves left with their fellow siblings under the care of a family...
Inaugural Little Hare Prize for Illustration shortlist announced
3 February 2021
The shortlist for Hardie Grant Children’s Publishing’s (HGCP) inaugural Little Hare Prize for Illustration has been announced. The shortlisted artists are: Jennifer Goldsmith Jake Minton Meg Rennie Hyo Young Yim....
Paws (Kate Foster, Walker Books)
3 February 2021
Kate Foster is a literary agent and now, with her middle-grade novel Paws, a published children’s author. Eleven-year-old Alex loves dogs, sketching and computer games. But he doesn’t have any...
Wonder Earth (Zanni Louise & Tiff Bollhorn, illus by Sophy Louise Smith, Five Mile)
3 February 2021
Wonder Earth is a slightly strange hybrid of science reference and imaginative meditation. The authors set out to help children connect with the Earth at both an emotional and a...
The Edge of Thirteen (Nova Weetman, UQP)
28 January 2021
The Edge of Thirteen is the latest offering by acclaimed middle-grade author Nova Weetman. Following the characters from Weetman's 'The Secrets We Keep' series, yet working as a standalone story,...
9 Things to Remember (and one to forget) (Alison Binks, Berbay)
28 January 2021
This picture book opens with a girl relaxing on a hammock somewhere in the forest, along with the words, ‘If you sleep outside remember that birds wake up very early...
Rajah Street (Myo Yim, Walker Books)
20 January 2021
In this sunny picture book, three-year-old Junya watches the world outside his window as he waits hopefully for the arrival of one of his most favourite things ever: the garbage...
Waking Romeo (Kathryn Barker, A&U)
20 January 2021
Waking Romeo is a stunning reimagining of the classic tale of Romeo and Juliet—meets Wuthering Heights, meets epic time-travelling extravaganza. The main story revolves around Juliet and a group of...
The Gaps (Leanne Hall, Text)
13 January 2021
The fourth novel by 2009 Text Prize winner Leanne Hall is simultaneously harrowing and enchanting. The Gaps begins as abruptly as a slap, with a newscast declaring schoolgirl Yin Mitchell...
The Detective’s Guide to Ocean Travel (Nicki Greenberg, Affirm)
13 January 2021
Award-winning picture book and graphic novel author and illustrator Nicki Greenberg has turned her attention to middle-grade mystery in her newest work, The Detective’s Guide to Ocean Travel. Perfect for...
Main Abija My Grandad (Karen Rogers, A&U)
13 January 2021
Written as a tribute to the author and artist Karen Rogers’s grandfather, who was instrumental in teaching her about her ancestry and Country, this picture book is a celebration of...
