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Stuff (Jen Sherrington, illus Hélène Magisson, MidnightSun)
Released August 2026
In Stuff, by Jen Sherrington and illustrator Hélène Magisson, Morri is “chuffed” when he receives some “stuff” from Birdee. Surely more stuff would be even better, Morri thinks. Before long,... Read more
Mother Waters (Lisa Nan Joo, Affirm Press)
Released August 2026
Lisa Nan Joo’s debut, Mother Waters, is an atmospheric, quietly unsettling novel that explores ambition, grief, inheritance and the emotional legacies left by fathers. It shifts between thriller and literary... Read more
A New Kind of Beautiful (Suzy Zail, Walker Books)
Released August 2026
In Suzy Zail’s A New Kind of Beautiful, 16-year-old Paige Wilding has her future mapped out: win the coveted school art prize, graduate at the top of her class and... Read more
Once Upon a Breakfast Show (Stephanie MacFie, Text Publishing)
Released August 2026
Stephanie MacFie’s debut, Once Upon a Breakfast Show, is a charming second-chance romantic comedy set in the dynamic world of Melbourne breakfast radio. Emily Blake is one half of Mack... Read more
Bandoola (Beverley McWilliams, illus Kate Jones, UWA Publishing)
Released August 2026
Bandoola by Beverley McWilliams (Spies in the Sky) follows the life of a Burmese logging elephant, blending fictional storytelling with events inspired by history. Set predominantly in the first half... Read more
Cass and the Beast (Claire Mabey, illus Jill Calder, Gecko Press)
Released August 2026
In Claire Mabey’s Cass and the Beast, a young girl, Cass, fears the townsfolk more than the creature they call Beast. She empathises with the creature, offering bread to assuage... Read more
Blue Giant (Jordan Prosser, University of Queensland Press)
Released August 2026
A Danish tech billionaire announces he’s seeking volunteers for the first colony on Mars. Abby Horne, a 30-something woman in Melbourne, knows in her bones that it’s her destiny to... Read more
Juicy: How to Live a Life in the Wreckage of Expectations (Sheree Joseph, Pantera Press)
Released August 2026
In her debut memoir, Juicy: How to Live a Life in the Wreckage of Expectations, Lebanese Australian journalist and writer Sheree Joseph traces her 30s through grief, family, relationships and... Read more
Sophie, Standing There (Meg Mason, 4th Estate)
Released August 2026
Sophie, Standing There is the long-awaited new novel from Meg Mason (Sorrow and Bliss). Newly single 37-year-old sound technician Sophie Pattison is adjusting to life as an “unregarded” divorcee. Just... Read more
Us in the Bright Lights (Zanni L Arnot, Lothian)
Released August 2026
Zanni L Arnot returns with Us in the Bright Lights, a romantic adventure that builds on the promise of her YA debut, A Guide to Falling Off the Map. Arnot... Read more
Dying Days (Anthony Byrt, Affirm Press)
Released August 2026
Anthony Byrt’s debut novel, Dying Days, is a fast-paced, assured espionage novel that expertly weaves compelling fiction with real historical events. Set in Trieste in May 1945, in the immediate... Read more
The Festival of Ice and Snow (Angie Cui, illus Anna Wilson, University of Queensland Press)
Released August 2026
In The Festival of Ice and Snow, Angie Cui (My Mum Is a Bird) and illustrator Anna Wilson (A Taste of Home) transport readers aged 5 to 8 to the... Read more
Theodora’s Tea Shop (Christy Anne Jones, Hachette)
Released August 2026
Christy Anne Jones has brewed a bewitching concoction in Theodora’s Tea Shop, her first adult fantasy novel. Dot, a timid girl from a seaside town, strikes out for the capital... Read more
Stuck in the Middle (Anton Clifford-Motopi, Allen & Unwin)
Released August 2026
Anton Clifford-Motopi’s Stuck in the Middle is a lively, heartfelt comedy for readers aged 8 to 12, capturing the chaos and warmth of life in a big family. Leon, one... Read more
A Bigger Book (Hannah Sommerville, Hardie Grant Children’s Publishing)
Released August 2026
In A Bigger Book, Hannah Sommerville’s first solo picture book for readers aged 4 to 8, the author-illustrator captures the difficult transition some children experience when they move from picture... Read more
Alice’s Dreaming (Tom Griffiths, Black Inc.)
Released August 2026
Historian and author Tom Griffiths was 14 when he discovered Alice Duncan-Kemp’s Where Strange Paths Go Down at his school library. Detailing life in rural south-west Queensland at the turn... Read more
Funny Fairytales (Tim Harris, illus Christopher Nielsen, Penguin)
Released July 2026
Funny Fairytales by Tim Harris, illustrated by Christopher Nielsen, sees the creator of the Mr Bambuckle’s Remarkables series turn his trademark humour to fractured fairytales. He reworks 5 familiar stories... Read more
Rat Daniels (Alex Sawyer, Hachette)
Released July 2026
Rat Daniels, the debut novel by Alex Sawyer and winner of the 2023 Richell Prize, is a coming-of-age story of loyalty and friendship. Jimmy never quite belonged until he moved... Read more
Parramatta: A Dictionary of Place and Memory (Yumna Kassab, Giramondo)
Released July 2026
Written during her time as the inaugural Parramatta Laureate in Literature, Yumna Kassab (Politica, The Lovers) turns her eye to nonfiction with Parramatta: A Dictionary of Place and Memory, though... Read more
Neighbours: Australia and the Pacific (Joanne Wallis & Jack Corbett, La Trobe)
Released July 2026
Neighbours: Australia and the Pacific by Joanne Wallis (Girt by Sea) and Jack Corbett examines Australia’s relationship with the Pacific Islands, a region that may not be front of mind... Read more
