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Red Star Rebels (Amie Kaufman, A&U Children’s)
Released February 2026
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... Read more
Romeo v Juliet (RA Spratt, Penguin)
Released February 2026
Bestselling author RA Spratt’s Romeo v Juliet is a light-hearted time-travelling comedy that will appeal to older middle-grade and younger YA audiences aged 12 and up. When 16-year-old Selby, a... Read more
My Brother Otto (Ingrid Laguna, Text)
Released February 2026
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... Read more
The World from Here (Cassy Polimeni, illus Mel Armstrong, CSIRO Publishing)
Released February 2026
Cassy Polimeni, whose junior fiction novel Ella and the Amazing Frog Orchestra won the Wilderness Society’s Environment Award, brings her gift for accessible science to The World from Here. In... Read more
Saving Shark Pup: The Incredible True Story (Sharon Dalgleish, illus Amandine Thomas, A&U Children’s)
Released February 2026
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... Read more
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... Read more
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 about so much more than food. Known as the “Bush Tukka Woman”,... Read more
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... 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... 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... Read more
How to Get Home (Deborah Frenkel, illus Karen Blair, Affirm)
Released January 2026
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... Read more
Let’s Make an Adventure (Carrie Gallasch, illus Kïa Hing Fay, Little Book Press)
Released January 2026
Let’s Make an Adventure by Carrie Gallasch (Cherries, Stitches and Stuffing) encourages independence and agency from the outset: it’s not let’s have an adventure, but let’s make one. The onus... Read more
How to Have the Best School Year Ever (Jess Sanders, illus Andrea Onishi, Affirm)
Released December 2025
For many young children, starting the school year can be a daunting experience filled with many unknowns. Jess Sanders’s How to Have the Best School Year Ever is the perfect... Read more
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... Read more
The Fishmonger and the Pastry Chef (Sophie Masson, illus Cheryl Orsini, HGCP)
Released December 2025
Sophie Masson (The Giant) draws inspiration from her family history in the seaside town of Biarritz for The Fishmonger and the Pastry Chef. Set in a charming coastal village, this... Read more
Dogs with Jobs: The Heroic Hounds Who Make a Difference (Andrea Rowe, illus Julia Murray, HGCP)
Released November 2025
Dogs with Jobs: The Heroic Hounds Who Make a Difference is an engaging and brilliantly designed nonfiction picture book by award-winning children’s author Andrea Rowe (In the Rockpool). Ideal for... Read more
How to Go to Big School (Sarah Ayoub, illus Mimi Purnell, HarperCollins)
Released December 2025
After the success of How to Be a Friend, Sarah Ayoub and Mimi Purnell return with another heartfelt guide. How to Go to Big School offers practical tips for children aged... Read more
The Very Stinky Fly Hunt (Andrea Wild, illus Karen Erasmus, CSIRO Publishing)
Released November 2025
The Very Stinky Fly Hunt is a lively and humorous narrative nonfiction picture book inspired by the work of real-life dipterist (fly expert) Keith Bayless. Andrea Wild takes children on an... Read more
This Is Us: Essential Poems for Young People (ed Libby Hathorn & Jude Fell, illus Tull Suwannakit, NLA Publishing)
Released November 2025
In This Is Us: Essential Poems for Young People, editors Libby Hathorn and Jude Fell bring together writers from around Australia in a companion volume to the enduringly popular This... Read more
Sundays Under the Lemon Tree (Julia Busuttil Nishimura, illus Myo Yim, Scribble)
Released November 2025
Best known for her cookbooks, Julia Busuttil Nishimura has released a debut picture book, Sundays Under the Lemon Tree, a cheerful story inspired by her own childhood. The unnamed narrator shares how... Read more
