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Vampire Squid (Prema Arasu, Fremantle)
Released January 2026
Prema Arasu’s debut poetry collection, Vampire Squid, is a profound exploration of mysterious deep-sea creatures and the humans who observe them. Written over 3 years during Arasu’s time at the... 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
The Last Encore (Rebecca Heath, Head of Zeus)
Released January 2026
Secrets, lies, murder and even love await in Rebecca Heath’s latest psychological thriller, The Last Encore. The remaining members of The Cedrics Band reunite on the fictional Sparrow Hawk Island... 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
The Wardrobe Project (Emma Edwards, Wiley)
Released December 2025
In 2022, Emma Edwards (Good with Money) realised she had a serious wardrobe problem. Not only was she stuck in a pattern of overbuying clothing, but she was also unhappy... Read more
Better than the Real Thing (Brooke Crawford, HQ Fiction)
Released December 2025
Brooke Crawford’s debut novel, Better than the Real Thing, is the kind of delightful escapism you’d expect from a Netflix Christmas movie – comforting, heartfelt and brimming with second chances.... Read more
Else (Rose Michael, Spineless Wonders)
Released December 2025
Landscape and climate are central in Else, the latest novel from Rose Michael (The Asking Game, The Art of Navigation). This genre-bending work of eco-fiction blends experimental prose, poetry and... 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 Mushroom Tapes: Conversations on a Triple Murder Trial (Helen Garner, Chloe Hooper & Sarah Krasnostein, Text)
Released November 2025
The Mushroom Tapes: Conversations on a Triple Murder Trial by Helen Garner (This House of Grief), Chloe Hooper (The Arsonist) and Sarah Krasnostein (The Trauma Cleaner) brings together 3 of... 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
An Ancient Witch’s Guide to Modern Dating (Cecilia Edward, Atria Australia)
Released December 2025
Cecilia Edward – children’s author Remy Lai (Ghost Book) writing under a pen name – makes her adult fiction debut with An Ancient Witch’s Guide to Modern Dating, a sweet... Read more
Lucky Dragon Supper Club: Asian-inspired Dinner Party Ideas for Home Cooks (Stephanie Feher, Murdoch)
Released December 2025
If you’ve spent any time online in recent years, chances are you’ve seen one of Stephanie Feher’s viral dinner party videos. In Lucky Dragon Supper Club: Asian-inspired Dinner Party Ideas... 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.... 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
Softly Calls the Devil (Chris Blake, Echo)
Released November 2025
Prologues in crime novels are often inscrutable until the climax, but Chris Blake’s Softly Calls the Devil wastes no time and immediately hooks readers with an unexpected shoot-out at a traffic... 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
Swallow (Alexandria Burnham, WestWords)
Released November 2025
In Swallow, Alexandria Burnham delivers a compelling work of historical fiction inspired by the documented prison escapes of sailor and petty thief William ‘Swallow’ Walker. Sentenced in 1820 to transportation to... Read more
Provecho: Real Mexican Food at Home (Daniella Guevara Muñoz, Murdoch)
Released November 2025
Author and cook Daniella Guevara Muñoz brings the flavours of her childhood in Mexico City to life in Provecho: Real Mexican Food at Home, with co-writer David Knight. Guevara Muñoz, who runs... Read more
