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Apple and Knife (Intan Paramaditha, trans by Stephen J Epstein, Brow Books)

Released March 2018

The universe within which Apple and Knife unfolds is both mythological and everyday—from office cubicles to rat-infested underground cities, sometimes in the same breath. Sydney-based Indonesian horror writer Intan Paramaditha’s... Read more

Deadly Woman Blues (Clinton Walker, NewSouth)

Released February 2018

Spanning over 150 years and featuring more than 100 artists, Clinton Walker's Deadly Woman Blues explores how the intricacies of gender, race and genre shaped a musical history in Australia... Read more

If I Tell You (Alicia Tuckerman, Pantera)

Released March 2018

Seventeen-year-old Alexandra has known for a while that she is a lesbian but she hasn’t told anyone. When a new family moves to her small country town and spiteful gossip starts to... Read more

Room on Our Rock (Kate and Jol Temple, illus by Terri Rose Baynton, Scholastic)

Released February 2018

It’s never too early to instil empathy and compassion in the formative minds of the young, and Room on Our Rock does an admirable job in cultivating such qualities in... Read more

The Feather (Margaret Wild, illus by Freya Blackwood, Little Hare)

Released February 2018

This exquisite and affecting allegory is another masterful Margaret Wild and Freya Blackwood collaboration that is greater than the sum of its parts. Similar to the pair’s previous book, The... Read more

Go Go and the Silver Shoes (Jane Godwin, illus by Anna Walker, Viking)

Released March 2018

Jane Godwin and Anna Walker are a winning pair: Walker’s tender, beautiful illustrations are a perfect complement to Godwin’s careful, gentle words. Their previous successes include the reassuring Starting School... Read more

Grandma Z (Daniel Gray-Barnett, Scribble)

Released March 2018

Albert leads a very ordinary, monochrome life. But on his birthday, when his parents are planning the same boring routine, there is a surprise knock on the door. Albert’s larger-than-life... Read more

Tin Heart (Shivaun Plozza, Penguin)

Released March 2018

Marlowe Jensen was The Dying Girl. Born with a congenital heart defect, no-one expected Marlowe to make it to her 18th birthday until she won the organ-donation lottery, and got... Read more

The Hole Story (Kelly Canby, Fremantle Press)

Released March 2018

One of the joys of early childhood are those moments when you discover the remarkable in the everyday. The Hole Story turns on such uncanny moments. When Charlie discovers a... Read more

Ice Wolves: Elementals Book One (Amie Kaufman, HarperCollins)

Released March 2018

There are two shapeshifting ‘elementals’ in the land of Vallen: the Ice Wolves, who protect the city of Holbard, and the Scorch Dragons, who attack it. They have been sworn... Read more

Perfect World: Otherworlds Book One (George Ivanoff, Puffin)

Released March 2018

While out shopping for pickles, a chance discovery lands Keagan in a parallel world: a pristine land of eerily similar clones, who quickly throw him out with the trash for being too different.... Read more

P is for Pearl (Eliza Henry-Jones, HarperCollins)

Released March 2018

Seventeen-year-old Gwen runs every day from the thoughts of her future and the ghosts of her past. She is unable to imagine a life beyond the boundaries of her small... Read more

Missing (Sue Whiting, Walker Books)

Released March 2018

A mother is missing in the jungles of Panama and a father and daughter are attempting to discover the truth behind her disappearance. This is the premise of Sue Whiting’s... Read more

Pugs Don’t Wear Pyjamas (Michelle Worthington, illus by Cecilia Johansson, New Frontier)

Released March 2018

As far as dogs go, pugs are pretty adorable with their squishy faces, flat noses and curly tails, but Ellie is no ordinary dog. Her owner Roz treats her like... Read more

Before I Let You Go (Kelly Rimmer, Hachette)

Released March 2018

Successful physician Lexie receives a frantic call in the middle of the night—her younger sister Annie is addicted to heroin and heavily pregnant. Lexie rushes Annie to hospital, but the... Read more

The Cage (Lloyd Jones, Text)

Released February 2018

Two strangers appear in a generic town, both claiming to have survived a catastrophe. They are unable to explain what happened, where it happened or even who they are. They... Read more

Cake at Midnight (Jessie L Star, S&S)

Released January 2018

Gio (the baker), Declan (the brains) and Zoe (the beauty) have always been a trio, but a few thoughtless words from Declan force Gio to face the truth: he’ll never... Read more

Dyschronia (Jennifer Mills, Picador)

Released February 2018

In a remote, single-industry Australian town, a young girl, Sam, starts to suffer from migraines. The sharp pain is accompanied by visions of the future, which her sceptical mother warns... Read more

The Earth Does Not Get Fat (Julia Prendergast, UWA Publishing)

Released March 2018

Julia Prendergast’s first novel, The Earth Does Not Get Fat, is an almost verse-like narrative filled with poignantly described intimate thoughts and emotions. Teenager Chelsea has her hands full caring... Read more

The Everlasting Sunday (Robert Lukins, UQP)

Released March 2018

Coming-of-age boarding school stories have a special place in the literary world; the teenage experiences of angst, confusion and ambition, combined with the greater potential for violence in an all-male... Read more