Review search
Our Familiars: The meaning of animals in our lives (Anne Coombs, Upswell)
Released August 2024
How do we become more attuned to the animals in our lives and challenge ourselves to recognise that their lives are as meaningful as our own? This is the project... Read more
Pancakes for Plum (Rae Tan, Lothian)
Released July 2024
Pancakes for Plum is a charming story about discovering what we love and following our hearts to find things that make us happy. Plum’s brothers are good at climbing and... Read more
The Dragon’s Treasure (Mark Greenwood, Fremantle)
Released July 2024
Buried treasure? Check. Old shipwrecks? Check. Mark Greenwood’s latest nonfiction book, The Dragon’s Treasure, begins his new History Hunter series and pulls together historical evidence to tell the story of... Read more
The Honeyeater (Jessie Tu, A&U)
Released July 2024
The Honeyeater is the second novel by Jessie Tu, acclaimed author of A Lonely Girl Is a Dangerous Thing. The story centres around Fay, an academic and emerging translator who works on... Read more
Murder in Punch Lane (Jane Sullivan, Echo)
Released July 2024
Jane Sullivan’s third novel, Murder in Punch Lane, transports readers to the grizzly underbelly of 1860s Melbourne. Actress Lola Sanchez doesn’t believe her best friend, theatre star Marie, died by... Read more
The Riding Gallery (Sally Murphy, illus Martina Heiduczek, Walker)
Released July 2024
Prominent children’s verse novelist Sally Murphy (Queen Narelle) returns with The Riding Gallery. With charming illustrations by Martina Heiduczek (Spies in the Sky), this middle-grade verse novel is a beautiful... Read more
Together We Fall Apart (Sophie Matthiesson, Pantera)
Released July 2024
Together We Fall Apart is the debut novel from Sophie Matthiesson, who has woven elements of her own career trajectory into the story of her fictional protagonist, Clare. We follow... Read more
Forbidden Journal of Rufus Rumble #1 (Nick Long, illus Robin Tatlow-Lord, Affirm)
Released June 2024
Rufus Rumble is not an ordinary boy. For one thing, he’s about to go into space. For another, Rufus lives in a dystopian world where the Throwbackers have taken power... Read more
The Last Trace (Petronella McGovern, A&U)
Released July 2024
The Last Trace by award-winning author Petronella McGovern (The Liars) is true to her usual form, simmering with mystery and psychological twists. We meet Lachy, who should be enjoying an... Read more
The Islands Where We Left Our Ancestors (Joshua Santospirito, Scribe)
Released July 2024
Joshua Santospirito’s latest graphic-novel memoir, The Islands Where We Left Our Ancestors, begins with a ferry trip from Palermo to the Aeolian Islands. Santospirito is returning to the islands to... Read more
Big Time (Jordan Prosser, UQP)
Released July 2024
I’m not sure what’s going on at UQP, but they seem to have developed a passion for speculative fiction, and I’m here for it. Their latest offering, Big Time, is... Read more
All About the Brain (Gabriel Dabscheck, illus Kim Siew, Berbay)
Released July 2024
Dr Gabriel Dabscheck’s All About the Brain is a fun and engaging exploration of one of the body’s most fascinating and mysterious organs. Before exploring the brain-body connection, the book... Read more
The End and Everything Before It (Finegan Kruckemeyer, Text)
Released July 2024
Moving, profound and deeply layered, The End and Everything Before It is a soulful debut novel from award-winning playwright Finegan Kruckemeyer. Emma arrives in a small harbour after drifting alone on... Read more
Lost & Found (Tim Sharp, Pantera)
Released July 2024
Lost & Found is the latest book by author, speaker and leader of Australia’s positive psychology movement, Dr Tim Sharp (aka ‘Dr Happy’). A self-help guide with a difference, it... Read more
What Do You Call Your Dad? (Ashleigh Barton, illus Martina Heiduczek, ABC Books)
Released July 2024
What Do You Call Your Dad? is a love letter to fathers by writer Ashleigh Barton (Freddie Spector, Fact Collector: Space Cadet) and illustrator Martina Heiduczek (Spies in the Sky), the... Read more
Ella and the Amazing Frog Orchestra (Cassy Polimeni, illus Hykie Breeze, UWAP)
Released July 2024
Ella and the Amazing Frog Orchestra by Cassy Polimeni (The Garden at the End of the World) is a beautifully written junior fiction story exploring themes of animal conservation, friendship... Read more
Personal Logistics (Chris Palazzolo, Fremantle)
Released July 2024
Chris Palazzolo is a poet based in the East Kimberley region whose works have previously won the Viva La Novella prize and the ABC Fiction Award. His latest collection, Personal... Read more
The Book Star (Bec Nanayakkara, illus Joanna Bartel, Affirm)
Released July 2024
The Book Star is a fun and engaging story about the importance of being yourself and following your interests. Centred around Book Week, this picture book offers a relatable situation... Read more
The Mires (Tina Makereti, Ultimo)
Released July 2024
Tina Makereti’s latest novel, The Mires, is a masterclass in social realism with just a touch of magic. Opening from the perspective of the swampland of the Kāpiti Coast in Aotearoa... Read more
Living Hot (Clive Hamilton & George Wilkenfeld, Hardie Grant Books)
Released June 2024
Living Hot by Clive Hamilton (Silent Invasion) and independent energy consultant George Wilkenfeld, provides a stark assessment of Australia’s response to climate change, emphasising that the inertia behind carbon emissions reduction... Read more
