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The Fires Next Time (ed by Peter Christoff, MUP)
Released December 2023
The world watched in horror from July 2019 to February 2020 as bushfires raged across Australia. The Black Summer fires directly killed 33 people, while hundreds more died from fire-... Read more
Deep in the Forest (Erina Reddan, Pantera)
Released December 2023
The Trenthen family’s revered reputation in Stone Lake crumbles when a damaging bushfire uncovers an item that appears to belong to Charli, a bookbinder and the family’s last surviving member, right... Read more
Ladybirds Do Not Go to Day Care (Ali Rutstein, illus Niña Nill, Bright Light)
Released December 2023
Ladybirds Do Not Go to Daycare is the story of Ravi, a young boy who loves dressing up as his favourite insect—a ladybird. He loves brushing his teeth (or mandibles)... Read more
The Broken Wave (Matthew Ryan Davies, Macmillan)
Released December 2023
In 1992, 12-year-old Andrew moves from the US to the coastal town of Queenscliff, Australia, with his mother and stepdad. That summer, he meets Tom, an easygoing Aussie boy who... Read more
Our Family Dragon (Rebecca Lim, illus Cai Tse, Albert Street Books)
Released December 2023
Our Family Dragon: A Lunar New Year story is a joyful celebration of love, family and the Lunar New Year from award-winning writer Rebecca Lim. This festive story is illustrated... Read more
In the Rockpool (Andrea Rowe, illus Hannah Sommerville, Little Hare)
Released December 2023
Andrea Rowe’s In the Rockpool transports us to a sunny beach where children play on the rock platform. With the sea in the background and the alluring rockpool in the... Read more
The Wiregrass (Adrian Hyland, Ultimo)
Released December 2023
With wild weather, swollen rivers, falling trees, a disgraced cop, a cult and a dead man, Adrian Hyland’s The Wiregrass is a thrilling mix of wry humour and page-turning crime.... Read more
Emergency Exit Only (Michelle Upton, HarperCollins)
Released December 2023
For the past 10 years, Amelia Harris has preferred to gaze at the fire escape doors opposite her desk at Queensland Office Supplies, rather than take any chances with her... Read more
The Trees (Victor Steffensen, illus Sandra Steffensen, Hardie Grant Explore)
Released December 2023
The Trees: Learning Tree Knowledge with Uncle Kuu is the second picture book by the team behind Looking after Country with Fire, author Victor Steffensen and illustrator Sandra Steffensen, descendants of the... Read more
How to Be a Friend (Sarah Ayoub, illus Mimi Purnell, HarperCollins)
Released December 2023
How to Be a Friend aims to inspire children to be the best friends they can be and teaches them how to recognise true friendship in their lives. In their... Read more
Secret Sparrow (Jackie French, HarperCollins)
Released December 2023
Jackie French’s latest middle-grade novel, Secret Sparrow, focuses on the unheralded work of women in World War I. This exciting adventure story is told with dual timelines and begins in... Read more
The Flirtation of Girls/Ghazal el-Banat (Sara M Saleh, UQP)
Released December 2023
The Flirtation of Girls/Ghazal el-Banat, Sara M Saleh’s first published poetry collection, is a cathartic personal and political journey. Saleh sets the tone with the first few poems, saying in... Read more
Never Ever Forever (Karina May, Macmillan)
Released December 2023
A charming contemporary Australian romance novel, Never Ever Forever by Karina May is a heartfelt tale of love, second chances and self-discovery. The story revolves around Rosie Royce, an endearing protagonist... Read more
Frank Moorhouse: Strange paths (Matthew Lamb, Knopf)
Released December 2023
Frank Moorhouse worked relentlessly to refine both his writing and his understanding of himself. The first volume of Matthew Lamb’s biography of Moorhouse—who passed away last year at 83—is a valuable... Read more
An Unexpected Party (ed by Seth Malacari, Fremantle)
Released November 2023
The queer experience is immensely diverse, too vast and evolving as a space to be summed up by any one representation, but An Unexpected Party—an anthology of queer speculative short stories—aims... Read more
The Drowning (Bryan Brown, A&U)
Released November 2023
The accidental drowning death of a local Gumbaynggirr boy—David, from whose viewpoint the book opens—brings a shadow of sadness over a small NSW coastal town. Then a backpacker doesn't turn up... Read more
Ask Aunty: Seasons (Aunty Munya Andrews, illus Charmaine Ledden-Lewis, HGE)
Released November 2023
Seasons provide a beautiful and poetic lens through which to begin understanding a culture, and the brief cross-section that Ask Aunty invites us to peer into is brimming with knowledge and ways of... Read more
Epic: Adventures across Aotearoa (Ray Salisbury, Exisle)
Released November 2023
Covering 10 iconic journeys around and across Aotearoa New Zealand, Ray Salisbury retells each adventurer’s inspiring and often harrowing trek, working from first-hand accounts in blogs and books to bring... Read more
Mrs Winterbottom Takes a Gap Year (Joanna Nell, Hachette)
Released November 2023
‘Books with heart and humour,’ reads the tagline of author Joanna Nell’s website, and her latest book, Mrs Winterbottom Takes a Gap Year, is no exception. After the bestselling The... Read more
Bedtime Stories for Hard Days (Scott Stuart, Bright Light)
Released November 2023
Scott Stuart is a children’s book creator and speaker whose mission is to empower kids beyond gender stereotypes and toxic masculinity. He first became famous on social media for encouraging... Read more
