Maisy Hayes is Not For Sale
By Allayne L Webster Reviewed by Alison McCaffrey Maisy Hayes and her ideals are not for sale. But maybe she should be. There’s never enough money at home, she can’t go anywhere with her friends, and she can’t even land a scholarship
The Inside Dog
By Pip Harry & Carolyn Davis Reviewed by Mia Macrossan Pip Harry is well known in Australia for her work as editor and creator of books for teens and children. Here she has teamed up with debut picture book illustrator Carolyn Davis,
Dogs with Jobs
By Max Hamilton Reviewed by Mia Macrossan Max Hamilton is an award winning illustrator of The Beehive, Cockatoo, Neeka and the Missing Key (Wilder Zoo, #1) and more. Here she has written and illustrated a great introduction to the world of the working
The Forest King’s Daughter
By Elly Blake Reviewed by Lucille Rose The Forest King’s Daughter by Elle Blake is an epic YA romantasy following Cassia, wielder of the Ring of Light and daughter of the all mighty Forest King. The Sylvans and the Dracu have been
The Poisoned King: Impossible Creatures 2
By Katherine Rundell Illustrated by Tomislav Tomić Reviewed by Mia Macrossan Katherine Rundell, a noted John Donne scholar has another life as a much awarded children's author. She has written The Good Thieves, The Wolf Wilder, The Explorer aimed at middle grade and
Friday Barnes 13: In Plain Sight
By R. A. Spratt Reviewed by Tyrion Perkins R.A. Spratt is a UK born Australian author of many books including Hamlet is not OK, the Nanny Piggins series, several volumes of stories, and The Peski Kids series. She also has a podcast
Mango and Hopscotch
By Sophie Cunningham & Anil Tortop Reviewed by Margarite Igras Sophie Cunningham is an acclaimed Australian writer, teacher, speaker and advocate who was recognised for her advocacy in the literary community with an Order of Australia. Amongst her many novels, essays and
The Enemy’s Daughter
By Melissa Poett Reviewed by Alison McCaffrey Putting a new spin on an old tale, The Enemy’s Daughter is the debut romantasy YA novel from Irish-Canadian author Melissa Poett. Full of tension to the very last line, the opening sentence sets the
2025 ARA Historical Novel Prize –Children & Young Adult Category
The Historical Novel Society Australasia (HNSA) is delighted to announce the shortlists for the Adult and the Children & Young Adult categories. SHORTLIST - CHILDREN & YOUNG ADULT CATEGORY The three talented authors, and their outstanding novels, selected in the Shortlist for
The Experiment
By Rebecca Stead Reviewed by Mia Macrossan Rebecca Stead is amazing how she breaks new ground with each new book. Her books include When You Reach Me, Liar & Spy, First Light, Goodbye Stranger, The List of Things that Will Not Change, and Bob and The Lost Library
Little Bee’s Year of Blooms
By Sarah Jane Lightfoot Reviewed by Mia Macrossan This is the board book format of the popular Down the Road, Little Bee, aimed at smaller and younger nature lovers. Sarah aims to 'celebrate the everyday magic of our neighbourhoods, encouraging readers to
Christmas Time!: Aussie Baby’s First Words 4
By Tom Jellett Reviewed by Mia Macrossan There is no end to Tom Jellett's creativity. Here is the fourth in the great series Aussie Baby's First Words called Christmas Time! New words to learn are Santa hat, tinsel, fairy lights, presents, mince pie,
The Amazing True Story of How Babies are Made
By Fiona Katauskas Reviewed by Mia Macrossan This is such a valuable book. It is a practical, accurate no nonsense explanation of how babies are made with appropriate illustraions, now celebrating ten years in print . There is a charming sense of
Crunch! Kaboom! Mighty Mining Machines
By Conor Mills and Clodagh Starr Illustrated by Alison Mutton Reviewed by Mia Macrossan What a wonderful book! Conor Mills, a mining consultant has teamed up with his sister Clodagh Starr to create an exciting, always interesting account of how iron ore is
Summer, In Between
By Holly Cardamone Reviewed by Alison McCaffrey The debut YA novel from 2024 Hawkeye Prize Winner Holly Cardamone is an emotional rollercoaster through the summer between years 11 and 12 for Cat, a girl with a plan that’s about to be derailed. Cat
Frog, Log and Dave A Brush with Evil
By Trent Jamieson & Brent Wilson Reviewed by Sandhya Parappukkaran When inimitable duo Trent Jamieson and Brent Wilson come together to create books you get memorable characters, maximum hilarity and a feast for the senses where the story seems to move across
Aster’s Next, Good Thing
Written by Kate Gordon Reviewed by Jenny Ruge Aster’s Next, Good Thing is the last in Kate Gordon’s award winning series of books that introduced us to Aster and her friends Xavier, Indigo and Esme. The first, Aster’s Good, Right Things, won
Rainbow Street
By R W R McDonald & Kelly Canby Reviewed by Mia Macrossan The title is an indication of what is inside - a melange of familial relationships all living harmoniously on the one street and all getting together to celebrate Cherry's grandma's
Meet the Author: Zana Fraillon
By Mia Macrossan Zana Fraillon, award winner writer of The Bone Sparrow, The Lost Soul Atlas, The Ones That Disappeared, Etta and the Octopus, The Gargoyle, The Curiosities and more and has broken new ground again with a powerful and emotive
Caring for Country: First Knowledges for younger readers
Bruce Pascoe and Bill Gammage. Adapted by Jasmin McGaughey with illustrations by Savi Ross. Reviewed by Helen Gearing Since Bruce Pascoe’s Dark Emu hit the shelves in 2014, the groundbreaking re-examination of the colonial account of Aboriginal people as hunter-gatherers has been
Tiny Dancer
By Patrick Guest & Mateja Jager Reviewed by Sandhya Parappukkaran Tiny Dancer is a heart-capturing picture book written by acclaimed picture book author Patrick Guest and illustrated by the amazing artist Mateja Jager. In the author notes Guest writes how his words for
Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About the Tooth Fairy (And Some Things You Didn’t)
By Briony Stewart Reviewed by Margarite Igras Award winning Australian writer and illustrator Briony Stewart has created an amazingly comprehensive story about a subject close to every 5- to eight-year-old child. Every single minute of every single day, a child somewhere loses
The Peach King
By Inga Simpson and Tannya Harricks Reviewed by Lara Cain Gray Inga Simpson’s website refers to her as a ‘nature writer’ and she’s best known to readers as a literary novelist. With The Peach King, Simpson turns her skills towards the picture
Meet the Author: Zanni L Arnot (aka Zanni Louise)
Alison McCaffrey talks to author Zanni L Arnot about her debut YA novel. Zanni is a multi-award-winning author, who has published more than 40 books for children over the past 10 years, spanning the gamut of ages from picture books for
A New World Rises: Tales of a LEGO® Future
By Cristy Burne, Jackson Harvey, & Alex Towler Reviewed by Mia Macrossan THE YEAR IS 2130 Humanity’s reign has ended but the world is slowly recovering and showing signs of new life – one brick at a time. LEGO minifigures have risen from the
Dear Broccoli
By Jo Dabrowski & Cate James Reviewed by Mia Macrossan Jo Dabrowski started in advertising but quickly realised she preferred writing books, particularly ones where she can see a tiny bit of herself in one of the characters. Her titles include The
A Guide to Falling Off the Map
By Zanni L Arnot Reviewed by Alison McCaffrey Vinnie has life after high school all mapped out, while her best friend Roo is just trying to get through another day working his secret job. But when all sides of her map seem
2025 ARA Historical Novel Prize –Children & Young Adult Longlist
The eight talented authors, and their outstanding novels, selected in the Longlist for the 2025 ARA Historical Novel Prize –Children & Young Adult Category are: Moonboy by Anna Ciddor (Allen & Unwin) On Gallant Wings by Helen Edwards (Riveted Press) The Year We Escaped by Suzanne Leal (HarperCollins Publishers) Our
The Only Branch on the Family Tree
By Sherryl Clark Guest Review by Kirsten Ealand I love verse novels. There’s something so lovely about a slim book with lots of white space – so approachable and undaunting - yet with all the emotional punch, lyrical language and not-following-the-rules playful
Laughter is the Best Ending
By Maryam Master Illustrated by Astred Hicks Reviewed by Jenny Ruge Maryam Master is a screenwriter, playwright and author whose first two novels, Exit Through the Gift Shop and No Words were winners or shortlisted for numerous awards. Her latest, Laughter is the
