Reviews
Adult fiction
How to Kill a Guy in Ten Dates (Shailee Thompson, Atria Australia)
Released February 2026
Shailee Thompson’s debut, How to Kill a Guy in Ten Dates, is a genre-blending good time that captures the zeitgeist with its mélange of romantic comedy and horror, movie quotes and Taylor Swift references. The story follows Jamie, a horror-film expert, who attends a local speed-dating event with her best friend, Laurie. When a sudden… Read more
The Duke’s Secret (Sue Williams, A&U)
Released February 2026
In The Duke’s Secret, the latest historical fiction by Sue Williams (The Governor, His Wife and His Mistress), journalist Ava Washington sets out to verify a family legend. According to the story, her great, great, great grandmother, Mary Ann Marshal, bore an illegitimate daughter fathered by the Duke of Wellington. Mary Ann had joined the… Read more
Adult nonfiction
Bush Tukka Guide for Kids (Samantha Martin, Hardie Grant Explore)
Released February 2026
Bush Tukka Guide for Kids by Samantha Martin, a descendant of the Jaru people, is an exceptional book that is about so much more than food. Known as the “Bush Tukka Woman”, Martin invites children aged 7 to 12 to explore thousands of years of First Nations knowledge and ways of living on Country. While the… Read more
Wurnan: Sharing on Ngarinyin Country (Wilinggin Aboriginal Corporation, Magabala)
Released February 2026
Wurnan: Sharing on Ngarinyin Country, created by the Wilinggin Aboriginal Corporation, is a powerful cultural record that documents the people, artists, stories, traditions and artefacts of Ngarinyin Country in the Kimberley. Wurnan is the traditional Ngarinyin system of sharing and a guiding philosophy for caring for community, culture and Country. The book moves between personal… Read more
Children's picture books
Muttonfish Magic (Ruth Simms & Lucy Robertson, illus Jasmine Seymour, Magabala)
Released February 2026
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 Lucy Robertson depict a loving First Nations family inspired by Simms’s own childhood in the area. The book’s title is intriguing and invites readers aged… Read more
My Sister, the Todzilla (Jacinta Froud, illus Matt Shanks, Affirm)
Released February 2026
Many parents and older siblings of toddlers will relate to the premise of Jacinta Froud’s My Sister, the Todzilla – a hilarious and entirely recognisable take on toddler tantrums, presented on an epic scale. The story follows a big brother’s desperate but endearing attempts to calm his baby sister during her “past nap time” meltdowns.… Read more
Younger readers
How to Make Friends and Go Viral by Accident (YK Willemse, Rhiza Edge)
Released February 2026
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 it causes him. When his parents enrol him in singing lessons to help build his confidence, he’s surprised to discover a natural talent. Hayden’s newfound… Read more
The Break Up (It’s a Twin Thing! #1) (Kristin Darell, illus A Yi, Penguin)
Released February 2026
Kristin Darell’s The Break Up, the first in a new series illustrated by A Yi, is a middle-grade novel that explores the complexities of primary school friendships with drama, humour and emotional insight. Identical twins Brook and Abi have always been inseparable. They share the same friends and interests, and even experience “twin–tingles” that tell… Read more
Young adult
A Murder is Going Down (Kate Emery, A&U Children’s)
Released November 2025
Kate Emery (My Family and Other Suspects, The Not So Chosen One) returns with a mystery within a mystery in A Murder is Going Down, while remaining true to her award-winning brand of funny and quirky young adult novels. Marianne, a woman in her 40s dressed in a power suit, and Heidi, a socially awkward 16-year-old… Read more
Eggshell (Olivia De Zilva, Espresso)
Released November 2025
Tender yet unsparing, Olivia De Zilva’s debut young adult novella, Eggshell, is a piercing meditation on adolescence, grief and belonging. Set in Adelaide’s working-class suburbs, Eggshell centres Kira, a mixed-race teenager in her final year of high school who is navigating the imminent loss of her apoh (grandmother) – her caregiver and cultural anchor. De… Read more
Recently released titles
Otto’s Ink-Redible First Day of School (Rory H Mather, illus by Rebel Challenger, Larrikin)
Released December 2025
Otto’s Ink-Redible First Day of School is a playful and reassuring picture book about a shy octopus learning to find his place. Rory H Mather’s rhyming text bounces along with warmth and humour, capturing the familiar nerves of a first day at school with an underwater twist. Otto’s tendency to release ink whenever he feels… Read more
Power Moves (Leesa Ronald, A&U)
Released December 2025
In Power Moves, Leesa Ronald delivers a sharp and witty follow-up to her much-loved debut, Special Delivery. The novel follows Camilla “Millsy” Hatton, media director for the NSW Minister for Education. For Millsy, work is life, and she will do anything to ensure her boss is re-elected in the upcoming election – even if that means… Read more
