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Under the Rose Bush (Jane Fry, illus by Sandi Harrold, Green Olive Press)

Released April 2014

Told through the eyes of a young girl called Zoe, Under the Rose Bush is a story about the strong relationship between Zoe and her grandmother, and the sorrow they... Read more

Darcy Moon and the Deep-Fried Frogs (Catherine Carvell, illus by Michael Scott Parkinson, Fremantle Press)

Released March 2014

Darcy Moon has her own problems to deal with—her ‘embarrassing weirdo’ parents, fitting in at school and having enough money to buy Skippity Chips—without having to save the environment as... Read more

‘Maxx Rumble: Soccer’ series (Michael Wagner, illus by Terry Denton, Walker Books)

Released May 2014

Having crunched, rattled and smashed their way through several sporting seasons with their series ‘Maxx Rumble: Footy’ and ‘Maxx Rumble: Cricket’, Michael Wagner and Terry Denton apply their healthy sense... Read more

Night Vision (Ella West, A&U)

Released April 2014

Viola lives in a different world from other 15-year-olds: due to a condition she was born with, she will die if she goes out into the sun, so she lives... Read more

Rivertime (Trace Balla, A&U)

Released April 2014

This book is laid out in cartoon strips, which takes a while to get used to if you’re not familiar with reading in this format. But the narrative flows as... Read more

Two Selkie Stories from Scotland (retold by Kate Forsyth, illus by Fiona McDonald, Christmas Press)

Released May 2014

Christmas Press was born in 2013 from a desire to keep alive the tradition of sharing stories from around the world in beautiful book form. It’s a timely wish, with... Read more

Two Wolves (Tristan Bancks, Random House)

Released March 2014

Ben Silver wants to be a detective when he grows up, solving crimes and sending criminals to jail. One day after school the police come to his house looking for... Read more

Aleksander Altmann A10567 (Suzy Zail, Walker Books)

Released May 2014

Aleksander Altmann is 14 years old and hasn’t heard his name called in six weeks—he’s now known as A10567, the prisoner number branded on his arm. A Jewish boy imprisoned... Read more

Calypso Summer (Jared Thomas, Magabala)

Released April 2014

His name is Kyle, but everyone calls him Calypso. In high school he grew dreadlocks, started listening to reggae and took to the ganja with a vengeance. Calypso isn’t Jamaican... Read more

Dead Dog in the Still of the Night (Archie Fusillo, Ford Street)

Released May 2014

Primo is coming up to the end of Year 12 and his life is falling apart. His girlfriend is leaving him, his father is stuck in a nursing home, his... Read more

Pandora Jones: Admission (Barry Jonsberg, A&U)

Released May 2014

Pandora Jones has survived the apocalypse, caused by a deadly virus that has wiped out most of humanity. She wakes, confused, in a hospital on a hill. Like others ‘lucky’... Read more

The Haunting of Lily Frost (Nova Weetman, UQP)

Released May 2014

For 15-year-old Lily Frost, the only thing worse than moving to a small country town and leaving behind her best friend Ruby is the alarming discovery that her new home—an... Read more

Tree Palace (Craig Sherborne, Text)

Released April 2014

Set in the Wimmera Mallee in Victoria’s north-west, award-winning author Craig Sherborne’s second novel Tree Palace is about a group of street smart survivors living on society’s fringe. They are... Read more

Telling True Stories: The Power and the Pitfalls of Writing Narrative Non-fiction (Matthew Ricketson, A&U)

Released April 2014

Matthew Ricketson (Writing Feature Stories, 2004) is professor of journalism at the University of Canberra and has worked as a journalist at the Age, the Australian and Time Australia. Writing... Read more

Deep Field (Tom Bamforth, Hardie Grant)

Released March 2014

Tom Bamforth is an Australian professional humanitarian aid worker who has worked in many of the world’s most challenging locations, including Sudan, Pakistan and Afghanistan, involved in humanitarian catastrophes caused... Read more

Tiddas (Anita Heiss, Simon & Schuster)

Released March 2014

Prolific author and academic Anita Heiss has created a fascinating subgenre of popular women’s fiction, dubbed ‘choc-lit’, as a way of celebrating Australia’s Indigenous culture and promoting it to a... Read more

The Weaver Fish (Robert Edeson, Fremantle Press)

Released March 2014

The Weaver Fish is fiendishly clever. It brings together so many threads it’s hard to know where to start. From hurricane-proof hats to a mysterious bird of prey that’s perhaps... Read more

Grace’s Table (Sally Piper, UQP)

Released April 2014

This beguiling novel is set at a pivotal moment in the life of Grace, an Australian woman about to turn 70. She is determined to mark this moment with an... Read more

Kat Jumps the Shark (Melinda Houston, Text)

Released April 2014

Melinda Houston’s debut novel is a fun, heartfelt and deeply satisfying story about Kat Kelly, a 40-something Melburnian whose seemingly charmed life is turned upside down, and then the right... Read more

Meatloaf in Manhattan (Robert Power, Transit Lounge)

Released April 2014

A man arrives in New York and inveigles his way into the arms of two women; a Vietnamese orphan is taken under the wing of an old man and given... Read more