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Stellarphant (James Foley, Fremantle Press)
Released November 2021
One of the best things about picture books is that anything is possible; there are no restrictions on imagination. Author–illustrator James Foley’s latest book plays with a totally outlandish concept:... Read more
The Boy and the Elephant (Freya Blackwood, HarperCollins)
Released November 2021
After almost 20 years of her books on our shelves, a new Freya Blackwood is always cause for delight. The Boy and the Elephant—Blackwood’s first wordless picture book—allows her quiet... Read more
Big Love (Megan Jacobson, illus by Beck Feiner, Walker Studio)
Released November 2021
This sweet picture book debut draws an immediate comparison with children’s bookshelf classic Guess How Much I Love You. As the borders of Big Love’s world unspool, from house to entire universe, the lyrical... Read more
Danged Black Thing (Eugen Bacon, Transit Lounge)
Released November 2021
Lyrical, rich, oftentimes dark and sometimes hopeful, Danged Black Thing is a speculative fiction collection that takes the reader on a journey from Africa to Australia. The cities and villages the stories are set... Read more
Skimming Stones (Maria Papas, Fremantle Press)
Released November 2021
Thrombolites—living rocks made from microbes—exist in only a few places on Earth, including Lake Clifton, south of Perth. Here, the thrombolites are thousands of years old and incredibly fragile. This... Read more
Hometown Haunts: #LoveOzYA Horror Tales (ed by Poppy Nwosu, Wakefield Press)
Released November 2021
To the library of #LoveOzYA anthologies (Begin, End, Begin; Meet Me at the Intersection; Underdog; Kindred) comes Hometown Haunts, a new collection featuring 12 short stories and two graphic novels united... Read more
The Younger Wife (Sally Hepworth, Macmillan)
Released November 2021
Readers won’t be shocked to learn that Sally Hepworth’s new novel The Younger Wife features a May–December romance between a younger woman and an older man, and the effects the relationship has... Read more
The One That Got Away: Travelling in the time of Covid (Ken Haley, Transit Lounge)
Released November 2021
The One That Got Away documents journalist and travel writer Ken Haley’s year evading the pandemic. While many of us were kept in captivity as Covid-19 raged across the world,... Read more
Tomorrow is a Brand-New Day (Davina Bell, illus by Allison Colpoys, Scribble)
Released November 2021
Tomorrow is a Brand-New Day is an ode to making a mistake and then making things right. It follows two children—friends with different styles—who come into conflict with each other... Read more
Marcie Gill and the Caravan Park Cat (Monica McInerney, illus by Danny Snell, Puffin)
Released November 2021
With a dozen adult novels under her belt, Monica McInerney is now turning her hand to children’s fiction and her first foray into middle-grade territory is just as full of heart and laughter as her... Read more
The Dogs (John Hughes, Upswell)
Released October 2021
John Hughes, whose last book No One was shortlisted for the 2020 Miles Franklin, grapples with the idea of whether it is possible to ever truly know another person in... Read more
The Greatest Mistakes That Went Right (Maddy Mara, illus by Cheryl Orsini, Affirm Press)
Released November 2021
Many kids are afraid to try new things because they are scared of not getting it right the first time; niggling insecurities and latent perfectionism can often mean they miss... Read more
Terciel and Elinor (Garth Nix, A&U)
Released November 2021
Garth Nix’s ‘Old Kingdom’ books have been a perennial staple of YA sections in bookstores for the past 25 years, and I couldn’t even guess how many copies of Sabriel... Read more
Another Day in the Colony (Chelsea Watego, UQP)
Released November 2021
Chelsea Watego’s debut essay collection Another Day in the Colony documents the sustained racism First Peoples suffer in this continent. Through critical race scholarship, memoir and archival imagery a powerful assemblage is... Read more
How Decent Folk Behave (Maxine Beneba Clarke, Hachette)
Released November 2021
How Decent Folk Behave is an exploration of the systemic failures that have led to lockdowns, massacres, violence against women and worsening natural disasters over the past decade. This collection... Read more
How to Repaint a Life (Steven Herrick, UQP)
Released October 2021
How to Repaint a Life is the latest offering from Steven Herrick, author of award-winning young adult titles including The Simple Gift and The Bogan Mondrian. This is gritty, heartbreaking prose that delves into... Read more
Norton and the Borrowing Bear (Gabriel Evans, Berbay)
Released October 2021
Gabriel Evans is fast becoming one of the most consistently delightful Australian picture book creators of recent years. With each release he adds to his oeuvre with such apparent ease,... Read more
She’s a Killer (Kirsten McDougall, VUP)
Released October 2021
This fun, dark-comedy thriller is led by one of the most memorable characters I’ve encountered in recent contemporary fiction. Alice is in her late 30s, a near-genius (IQ: 159) content to waste her life away in a... Read more
The First Scientists (Corey Tutt, illus by Blak Douglas, Hardie Grant)
Released October 2021
In The First Scientists, Corey Tutt, founder of the Deadly Science charity and NSW Young Person of the Year 2020, brings us an extremely engaging, informative and at times funny account of... Read more
Wild Abandon (Emily Bitto, A&U)
Released October 2021
Emily Bitto’s second novel paints a portrait of a young man as he grapples with love, relationships and his place in the world. In the spring of 2011 Will finds... Read more
