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The Making of Martha Mayfield (Jo Dabrowski, Affirm)
Released September 2025
In The Making of Martha Mayfield, Jo Dabrowski (Get Your Act Together Doris Kozlowski) tells the story of 11-year-old Martha and her quest to overcome her shyness ahead of the... Read more
Whispers and Roars (Patrick Guest, illus Jonathan Bentley, Little Book Press)
Released September 2025
Whispers and Roars reunites Patrick Guest and Jonathan Bentley, the creative duo behind the bestselling picture book Windows. Their latest collaboration is a thoughtful story about a young girl dealing... Read more
Robo-teacher (Charlotte Barkla, illus Gabriella Petruso, Larrikin)
Released September 2025
When Miss Horrid cancels the Fun Park excursion, it’s the last straw for Class 5H in Robo-teacher by Charlotte Barkla (All Bodies Are Good Bodies). Led by the industrious 10-year-old... Read more
The Man Who Planted Canberra (Robert Macklin, NLA)
Released September 2025
The Man Who Planted Canberra examines the life and legacy of Charles Weston, an Englishman whose extraordinary foresight and dedication transformed the landscape of Australia’s capital city through planting three... Read more
The Farm (Jessica Mansour-Nahra, Hachette)
Released September 2025
Atmospheric and quietly unnerving, The Farm is a haunting debut by Jessica Mansour-Nahra. The psychologically taut novel steadily draws the reader into its isolated setting and the protagonist’s unravelling reality.... Read more
Fierceland (Omar Musa, Penguin)
Released September 2025
Fierceland is a spellbinding novel by multi-hyphenate artist Omar Musa (Killernova), following his widely acclaimed and Miles Franklin–longlisted debut, Here Come the Dogs. In this self-proclaimed ghost story set across... Read more
Tenderfoot (Toni Jordan, Hachette)
Released September 2025
In Tenderfoot, Toni Jordan returns to the literary style of her earlier novels, Addition and The Fragments, shifting away from the light tones and commercial narratives found within more recent... Read more
The Style Secrets of Gareth McGreen (Kelly Brodie-Brown, illus Natasha Carty, Scholastic)
Released August 2025
The Style Secrets of Gareth McGreen by Kelly Brodie-Brown, illustrated by Natasha Carty (Time to Rest, The Two-nicorn), is a vibrant debut picture book for readers aged 3+ who enjoy... Read more
News Cowboys (Mike Amor, Echo)
Released August 2025
In News Cowboys, veteran Australian foreign correspondent Mike Amor shares stories from a decades-long career covering some of the biggest news events of the 21st century. From the 9/11 terrorist... Read more
Playing Nice Was Getting Me Nowhere (Alex Cothren, Pink Shorts Press)
Released August 2025
Playing Nice Was Getting Me Nowhere is a collection of satirical stories by award-winning short fiction writer Alex Cothren and is one of the first releases from new independent publisher Pink... Read more
Hailstones Fell without Rain (Natalia Figueroa Barroso, UQP)
Released August 2025
Hailstones Fell without Rain is a rich, multi-generational debut that spans two continents and three generations, exploring memory, identity and the quiet revolutions of everyday women. In this semi-autobiographical familial story... Read more
The Set-Up Girl (Sasha Vey, A&U Children’s)
Released August 2025
The Set-Up Girl is a rollercoaster of awkward crushes and friendships set against the warmth and chaos of a tight-knit family and the bittersweet final year of high school. Amalia... Read more
The Nanny’s Handbook to Magic and Managing Difficult Dukes (Amy Rose Bennett, Atria)
Released August 2025
Amy Rose Bennett's The Nanny’s Handbook to Magic and Managing Difficult Dukes is a charming historical romance that defies expectations and blends genres with flair. The novel combines a Victorian-era... Read more
This Bird: Noticing Our Urban Birds (Astred Hicks & Holly Parsons, CSIRO Publishing)
Released August 2025
Created by author and illustrator Astred Hicks in collaboration with ecologist Holly Parsons, This Bird: Noticing Our Urban Birds is a vibrant celebration of Australian birdlife, designed to inspire wonder... Read more
Isn’t It Nice We Both Hate the Same Things (Jessica Seaborn, PRH)
Released August 2025
Isn’t It Nice We Both Hate the Same Things by Jessica Seaborn has a lengthy title that might be tricky to remember, but its characters are anything but forgettable. Seaborn... Read more
Until the Red Leaves Fall (Alli Parker, HarperCollins)
Released August 2025
Until the Red Leaves Fall is the second novel by Japanese-Australian author and screenwriter Alli Parker (At the Foot of the Cherry Tree). Set primarily in 1950s Melbourne, Emmy Darling... Read more
The Locked Room (Adam Cece, PRH)
Released August 2025
Adam Cece’s The Locked Room is built on an excellent premise: four teenagers trapped in an escape room must solve a series of puzzles – each on a one-hour countdown... Read more
The Eagle and the Crow (JM Field, UQP)
Released August 2025
The Eagle and the Crow is a work of many layers – lyrical, intellectual and political – all grounded in Gamilaraay knowledge and resistance. JM Field (Etta and the Shadow... Read more
Starry Eyed (Katharine Pollock, Wakefield Press)
Released August 2025
Katharine Pollock’s Starry Eyed is delightfully hard to categorise, combining romantic comedy and science fiction elements and loosely held together by a fan fiction narrative. Fundamentally, it’s a touching story... Read more
The Wicked Ship (Oceanforged #1) (Amelia Mellor, Affirm)
Released August 2025
Amelia Mellor follows The Grandest Bookshop series, her bestselling, award-winning historical fantasy trilogy, with the new swashbuckling Oceanforged series for readers aged 8–10. The Wicked Ship is the first of... Read more
