Review search
The Labyrinth (Amanda Lohrey, Text)
Released August 2020
Devastated when her son is convicted of negligent homicide, Erica Marsden cuts all ties to her former life and retreats to a lonely coastal hamlet near his prison. Moving into... Read more
Man in Armour (Siobhan McKenna, Fourth Estate)
Released August 2020
Man in Armour is a slice-of-life novel about Charles, a successful cog in the machine of the financial sector who has climbed his way up the corporate ladder to an... Read more
Mama Ocean (Jane Jolly, illus by Sally Heinrich, MidnightSun)
Released August 2020
From Jane Jolly and Sally Heinrich, creators of One Step at a Time and Papa Sky, comes Mama Ocean, a picture book about the sparkling ruler of the seas, with... Read more
The Erasure Initiative (Lili Wilkinson, A&U)
Released August 2020
Lili Wilkinson is a versatile, intelligent writer, and takes the psychological thriller to new heights in The Erasure Initiative. Cecily wakes up on a self-driving bus with six other people.... Read more
Found (Bruce Pascoe, illus by Charmaine Ledden-Lewis, Magabala)
Released August 2020
The first foray into picture books for Bruce Pascoe (author of the wildly successful Dark Emu) is deceptively straightforward: a frightening separation (don’t worry, there’s a happy ending) between a... Read more
Loner (Georgina Young, Text)
Released August 2020
Lona has dropped out of art school. She’s working the same job she’s had since high school, letting her only significant friendship drift along and basking in feeling detached from... Read more
Into the Suburbs: A migrant’s story (Christopher Raja, UQP)
Released August 2020
Christopher Raja’s Into the Suburbs is the author’s first foray into memoir, and documents his migration from Calcutta to Australia in the 80s. Drawn by the glamorous Australia of tourism... Read more
Across the Risen Sea (Bren MacDibble, A&U)
Released August 2020
Across the Risen Sea is the latest thoughtful yet action-packed adventure from Bren MacDibble, the award-winning author of How to Bee and The Dog Runner. The success of those two... Read more
Kokomo (Victoria Hannan, Hachette)
Released August 2020
Since Mina’s dad died, her mum Elaine has not left the house. So when Mina hears that Elaine has been spotted outdoors for the first time in 12 years, she... Read more
Small Town (Phillip Gwynne, illus by Tony Flowers, Puffin)
Released August 2020
Milly, the narrator of this picture book, lives in a small country town called Gong Gong—‘So nice, they named it twice!’ The town is getting smaller by the day and... Read more
The Lost Soul Atlas (Zana Fraillon, Lothian)
Released July 2020
The Lost Soul Atlas marks Zana Fraillon’s triumphant return to middle-grade after a stint writing YA and picture books, with Fraillon once again tackling significant social issues in this exploration... Read more
Matthew Flinders: Adventures on Leaky Ships (Carole Wilkinson, illus by Prue Pittock, Wild Dog)
Released July 2020
Children’s narrative nonfiction has come a long way since I was a child, and Carole Wilkinson’s new book about the intrepid Matthew Flinders is a fine example of how enjoyable... Read more
The Night Whistler (Greg Woodland, Text)
Released August 2020
This may be Greg Woodland’s debut novel, but his career as a screenwriter shows through in the dialogue—especially in his rendering of the distinctly Australian lingo that flourished in mid-1960s... Read more
The Hunted (Gabriel Bergmoser, HarperCollins)
Released August 2020
On a lonely highway in outback Australia sits a solitary service station run by the equally solitary Frank, whose teenage granddaughter has been sent to stay with him for some... Read more
Living on Stolen Land (Ambelin Kwaymullina, Magabala)
Released July 2020
From the title alone to the direct and unabashedly confrontational language, Living on Stolen Land does not equivocate on its message, which is to reiterate the history of settler colonialism... Read more
Stars Like Us (Frances Chapman, Hardie Grant Egmont)
Released July 2020
Sixteen-year-old Australian music student Liliana is missing her home, family and friends while on exchange at exclusive Henley-on-Thames Music Academy in London. When the opportunity arises to join a secret... Read more
The Fogging (Luke Horton, Scribe)
Released July 2020
Luke Horton’s debut novel opens with its narrator Tom having a panic attack on the plane that is taking him and his girlfriend Clara from Melbourne to Bali. With Tom... Read more
A Lonely Girl is a Dangerous Thing (Jessie Tu, A&U)
Released July 2020
Somewhere between wetting her pants during a standing ovation and sleeping with her conductor, violinist Jena Chung finds herself lonely. Set against a backdrop of Sydney suburbs from Willoughby to... Read more
The Snowman’s Wish (Sophie Masson, illus by Ronak Taher, Dirt Lane Press)
Released July 2020
With The Snowman’s Wish, Sophie Masson and Ronak Taher have crafted a soft tale about the passage of time and the beauty in the world. Mr Snowman, a kindly soul... Read more
Metal Fish, Falling Snow (Cath Moore, Text)
Released July 2020
Fourteen-year-old Dylan blames herself for her mum’s recent tragic death. Left alone with her mum’s boyfriend Pat, Dylan has no choice but to leave her hometown and join him on... Read more
