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Otis Ottley and the School in the Sky (Will Kostakis, Allen & Unwin Children)
Released September 2026
Otis Ottley and the School in the Sky, the debut middle-grade novel from award-winning YA author Will Kostakis (We Could Be Something), is a fast-moving comic fantasy with subtle themes... Read more
The Wreck (Riley James, Allen & Unwin)
Released September 2026
The Wreck by Riley James is a tense, atmospheric and altogether chilling survival thriller. Its cleverly plotted narrative centres on the mysterious 1977 disappearance of pilot Donovan “Van” Spector over... Read more
The Good Decision (Jo Dabrowski, illus Cate James, Affirm Kids)
Released September 2026
Jo Dabrowski and Cate James’s The Good Decision reminds readers that good intentions don’t always lead to good outcomes. This adorably funny picture book follows Albert, a young boy who... Read more
Scion (Book One) (James Islington, Text Publishing)
Released September 2026
Best known for his epic fantasy novels, James Islington ventures into thrilling science fiction with Scion, the first in a new series. Readers are drawn in from the opening scene,... Read more
The Boy Who Loved Dolls (John A Scott, Puncher & Wattmann)
Released September 2026
Set in 1987 in Victoria, The Boy Who Loved Dolls by John A Scott (N, What I Have Written) initially follows the conversations between two protagonists: Jean-Jacques Baille, a lauded, retired... Read more
What the Flora?: Incredible Stories from the Brilliant and Bizarre World of Plants (Vanessa Fuchs, Pantera Press)
Released September 2026
In What the Flora?: Incredible Stories from the Brilliant and Bizarre World of Plants, science communicator Vanessa Fuchs, who works at Botanic Gardens of Sydney, takes readers on an exploration... Read more
Eat to Heal (Lee Holmes, Rockpool Publishing)
Released August 2026
In Eat to Heal, clinical nutritionist and wholefoods chef Lee Holmes (Heal Your Gut) turns her attention to inflammation, exploring both its role in maintaining health and the consequences of... Read more
Old Bertie (Vincenzo Perrella & Dan Osborn, Fremantle Press)
Released August 2026
Old Bertie is Vincenzo Perrella and Dan Osborn’s debut fiction collaboration, the pair having previously worked together on film, TV and live performance projects. On The Island, 15-year-old George is... Read more
Bad Neighbours (Joanna Jenkins, Allen & Unwin)
Released August 2026
Joanna Jenkins (How to Kill a Client, The Bluff) examines the Australian property market through a feminist lens in her latest domestic thriller, Bad Neighbours. Ruth, a successful lawyer, has... Read more
I Love the Whole World! (Victoria Hannan, Penguin)
Released August 2026
In her third novel, I Love the Whole World!, Victoria Hannan (Kokomo, Marshmallow) takes a more playful, straightforward and fun tone than readers may expect, though familiar themes of mothers... Read more
The Grey Beret’s Guide to Surviving the Odds (Anna Battese, illus Erin Reeves, Simon & Schuster Australia)
Released August 2026
Anna Battese’s debut middle-grade novel, The Grey Beret’s Guide to Surviving the Odds, illustrated by Erin Reeves, is the first in a planned trilogy. The book perfectly fills a gap... Read more
There’s a Chicken in the House (Sonya Hartnett, illus Lucia Masciullo, Puffin)
Released August 2026
There’s a Chicken in the House by Sonya Hartnett (Blue Flower) and illustrator Lucia Masciullo (The Flower Garden) is a whimsical picture book about a young child whose day is... Read more
And in the Morning (Lenny Robinson, University of Queensland Press)
Released August 2026
Lenny Robinson’s historical fiction debut, And in the Morning, quietly observes the grief of 3 Australian women grappling with their personal experiences of major international conflicts. Moving between distinct character... Read more
Nothing Personal (Alex Dook, Echo)
Released August 2026
In Alex Dook’s Nothing Personal, Lola McKenzie is tired of always being one step ahead, only to find herself two steps back. Her father, broke after a few years of... Read more
A River I Must Be (Kate Foster, HarperCollins)
Released August 2026
A River I Must Be is a middle-grade fiction book in verse by Kate Foster (Freddie Jones: The Mystery of the Troublesome Trees, Harriet Hound), told from the perspective of... Read more
The Mystery of Colour: and how we solved it (David Coles, illus Margaux Samson-Abadie, Thames & Hudson)
Released August 2026
The Mystery of Colour: And How We Solved It, by professional paint-maker and self-titled “real-life colour detective” David Coles (Chromatopia), invites young readers to discover the bizarre, sometimes gruesome and... Read more
Time Travel for Beginners (Jaclyn Moriarty, Ultimo)
Released August 2026
If someone offered you the chance to travel into the past, would you believe them? Jaclyn Moriarty’s latest novel, Time Travel for Beginners, centres on a mysterious Sydney agency that... Read more
Sagittarius Rising (Maxine Beneba Clarke, illus Jade Goodwin, Hardie Grant Children’s Publishing)
Released August 2026
Sagittarius Rising, by award-winning poet Maxine Beneba Clarke, is a well-crafted chapter book following Tip and their family’s unpredictable yet lovable dog, Sagittarius Rising. The story moves through a range... Read more
Seize the Moment: Australia’s Real Opportunities in an Unstable World (Bernard Keane, Allen & Unwin)
Released August 2026
In Seize the Moment: Australia’s Real Opportunities in an Unstable World, journalist Bernard Keane uses the last 25 years of global politics and economics as a framework for considering Australia’s... Read more
Quite the Pair (Tobias Madden, Penguin)
Released August 2026
Quite the Pair, the adult fiction debut from award-winning YA author Tobias Madden (Take a Bow, Noah Mitchell), is a warm and emotionally insightful exploration of friendship in modern adulthood.... Read more
