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The Cloud Road: The Kingdom of the Lost Book 2 (Isobelle Carmody, Viking)
Released May 2013
The Cloud Road is the second book in Isobelle Carmody’s ‘Kingdom of the Lost Book’ fantasy series for younger readers. After the events of The Red Wind, brothers Bily and... Read more
Julius and the Watchmaker (Tim Hehir, Text)
Released May 2013
Tim Hehir’s debut YA novel Julius and the Watchmaker takes us into the world of Julius Caesar Higgins, a boy who lives with his bespectacled grandfather above a used bookstore... Read more
Truly Tan: Jinxed! (Jen Storer, illus by Clare Robertson, HarperCollins)
Released May 2013
With a similar look and pitch as Lauren Child’s ‘Clarice Bean’ books, ‘Truly Tan’ is a fantastic new series for all those girls (and boys) who are outgrowing Sally Rippin’s... Read more
Cry Blue Murder (Kim Kane & Marion Roberts, UQP)
Released May 2013
Thomas Harris meets John Marsden in this taut YA psychological thriller about friendship and trust in the changing social landscape. It follows the relationship between two teenage girls, Celia and... Read more
Joyous & Moonbeam (Richard Yaxley, Scholastic)
Released April 2013
This is a story about two unlikely friends whose names offer an insight into their characters. Readers are introduced to Joyous in his own simple language; a tragic childhood accident,... Read more
I’m a Dirty Dinosaur (Janeen Brian & Ann James, Viking)
Released April 2013
Independently and together, Janeen Brian and Ann James have produced many successful and award-winning picture books for young children. Both know how to appeal to children’s sense of fun, and... Read more
Light Horse Boy (Dianne Wolfer, illus by Brian Simmonds, Fremantle Press)
Released April 2013
Light Horse Boy is the story of a young Anzac and his journey through World War I. Jim is only 17 when he signs up for the army, admitted because... Read more
Max & George (Cori Brooke & Sue deGennaro, Viking)
Released April 2013
Max & George is a subtle and sophisticated children’s book that will be more suitable to early primary school readers than preschoolers given its themes and subdued colour palette. Max’s only... Read more
Night Watch (Phil Cummings, illus by Janine Dawson, Working Title Press)
Released April 2013
Giraffe, elephant, hippo and baboon all live by the lake. They are neighbours, happily co-existing side by side without any territorial disputes. But although they politely acknowledge one another, they... Read more
Song for a Scarlet Runner (Julie Hunt, A&U)
Released April 2013
When nine-year-old Peat is blamed for bringing misfortune to the local settlement, she flees to the marshes. There she is caught by a marsh auntie whose trade is stories that... Read more
Portraits of Celina (Sue Whiting, Walker Books)
Released April 2013
Bailey’s family has not had a good year. After her father’s accidental death, her sister has started drinking, her brother won’t take off his Batman cape, Bailey herself has stopped... Read more
The Mimosa Tree (Antonella Preto, Fremantle Press)
Released April 2013
Mira’s first year of university has just begun and she is determined it will be a fresh start. The year is 1987 and Mira is seriously worried about the Cold... Read more
Ted (Leila Rudge, Walker Books)
Released April 2013
Illustrator Leila Rudge is making a name for herself in Australian picture books, and has collaborated on several books with author Meg McKinlay, including the Children’s Book Council of Australia-nominated... Read more
Between the Lives (Jessica Shirvington, HarperCollins)
Released May 2013
Sabina is no ordinary 16-year-old girl. On alternate days, she wakes up in a different life. In one, she’s a popular socialite with a rich family and a ‘perfect’ boyfriend.... Read more
Boomer and Me (Jo Case, Hardie Grant)
Released April 2013
Many of Books+Publishing’s readers may already be familiar with Jo Case, who is well known in Melbourne publishing circles as an editor and reviewer. Boomer and Me, a memoir about... Read more
Conspiracy 365: Black Ops #1: Missing (Gabrielle Lord, Scholastic)
Released February 2013
Callum Ormond just can't stay out of trouble. He has barely had time to catch his breath following the year-long adventure chronicled in the ‘Conspiracy 365’ series, when he finds... Read more
Konkretion (Marion May Campbell, UWA Publishing)
Released February 2013
UWA Publishing should be commended for going against the grain in publishing such a highly literary and experimental novel. And I use the word ‘novel’ here with some caution. Large... Read more
My Life as an Alphabet (Barry Jonsberg, A&U)
Released February 2013
Candice Phee is 12, nearly 13, and she is intelligent and helpful, she likes to read the dictionary and Charles Dickens, and her mission in life is to make things... Read more
Murder with the Lot (Sue Williams, Text)
Released March 2013
Self-appointed PI Cass Tuplin runs the takeaway shop in drought-ridden Rusty Bore. She has two sons—the local copper Dean and vegetarian Brad, who appears to demonstrate for the environment on... Read more
Amber Road (Boyd Anderson, Bantam)
Released February 2013
In Europe World War II rages, but in Singapore 17-year-old Victoria Khoo is preoccupied with her plans to marry Sebastian Boustead, the son of a great British merchant family, despite... Read more
