The Locked Room
By Adam Cece Reviewed by Zewlan Moor Andy wakes up with three other students from his school. Chad, the bully, Gabriella Lee, the leader of the elites, and a mysterious girl known as Nameless Girl. They’re in a room labelled K1. It has
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 Forest Kings 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 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
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
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 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
When We Were Monsters
Written by Jennifer Niven Reviewed by Sandy Driessens The day before we kill Meredith Graffam is calm and blue opens Jennifer Niven’s latest YA thriller. Eight of the brightest, most visionary senior students, from the prestigious Brighton and Hove Academy are selected to
The Mushroom in the Sky
Written by Jackie French Reviewed by Jenny Ruge The Mushroom in the Sky is the latest in a long line of exceptional and thought-provoking stories from multi-award winner Jackie French. It’s 1942 and sixteen-year-old orphan Harry Oswald, ‘Ossie’, plans to lie about his
Our Infinite Fates
By Laura Steven Reviewed by Alison McCaffrey In an unnamed land, Our Infinite Fates begins centuries ago and introduces a young bride and groom as their wedding is brought to a dramatic and violent end. Jumping between times and tales, Evelyn and Arden
Moonlight and Dust
By Jasmin McGaughey Reviewed by Alison McCaffrey Moonlight and Dust is the debut Young Adult novel from Torres Strait Islander author Jasmin McGaughey. Paired with the magic and drama of being a teenager in far north Queensland, this book is a beautiful
We Used to be Magic
By Bea Ingalls Reviewed by Lucie Rose We Used to Be Magic is a glamourous drama romance set in the fashion filled streets of New York City. A few months ago, Audrey was plucked from a cold seaside cottage and pushed into
Eleanor Jones is Playing with Fire
By Amy Doak Reviewed by Tyrion Perkins When I heard there was a third book in the Eleanor Jones series, I jumped at the chance to review it. Each book of the series focuses on a different issue: drugs in Eleanor Jones
Invisible Boys
By Holden Sheppard. Reviewed by Alison McCaffrey Gritty. Raw. Honest. Powerful. Devastating. All words that come to mind while reading this multi-award-winning debut novel by WA author Holden Sheppard. Set in Geraldton, WA, Invisible Boys is the coming-of-age story of four boys. Charlie,
Unhallowed Halls
By Lili Wilkinson Reviewed by Ramona Naulty, Age 16 After swiftly reading (and thoroughly enjoying) Lili Wilkinson’s Unhallowed Halls, I can safely say that this book is a brilliant introduction to the world of fantasy. The novel follows the story of Page
Rival Darlings
By Alexandra Moody Reviewed by Lucille Rose Rival Darling, the first in the Darling Devils series, is a YA contemporary romance following the drama filled lives of two Minnesota high school students. Violet has one rule: never date a jock. And before
Nightweaver
By R M Gray Reviewed by Ayesha Uddin Nightweaver is a debut YA fantasy novel in the popular Romantasy genre. The ambience is grimdark, the pace is relentless and the narrative shot through with a sense of menace that rarely abates. The story
Anna’s War
By D J Taylor Reviewed by Jenny Ruge Anna’s War is a compelling YA historical fiction novel by debut author, DJ Taylor. Set in German-occupied Holland in the later stages of World War II, the story was inspired by the childhood memories
Song of a Blackbird
By Maria van Lieshout Reviewed by Mia Macrossan Maria is a Dutch-American illustrator and graphic novelist.who has written many picture books for children. Her graphic novel Song of a Blackbird is inspired by historic events, including those that affected her own family, during
We Won’t All Survive
By Kate Alice Marshall Reviewed by Sandy Driessens Two years ago, Mercy Gray was hailed as a hero for saving lives during a shooting. So, when billionaire turned TV host Damien Dare recruits Mercy to compete on his new survivalist reality show,
SoXiety
Society by Tamlyn Teow Reviewed by Lara Cain Gray Tamlyn Teow is an artist and creative designer whose children’s book credits include illustrations and cover art for Sandy Bigna’s Little Bones and Helen Edwards’ On Gallant Wings. SoXiety gives Teow an opportunity
The Ballad of Darcy and Russell
By Morgan Matson Review by Lucille Rose A botched music festival. A broken-down bus. A dead phone. Darcy never knew the best night of her life would start quite like this. Darcy Milligan is your classic hopeless romantic: a book nerd with
Thunder City
By Philip reeve Reviewed by Mia Macrossan Philip's first book was the epic YA steampunk Mortal Engines, 2001, which created a world of 'municipal Darwinism', where rampaging motorised towns and cities are on the move, attacking and eating each other, prowling around
Meet the author of Anomaly: Emma Lord
Emma loves all things sci-fi, fantasy and horror, but has a particular soft spot for reading and writing YA. Her debut YA novel Anomaly was published by Affirm Press in 2024 after an early draft was selected for the Varuna and Affirm Press
Sunny at the End of the World
By Steph Bowe Reviewed by Mia Macrossan Steph Bowe wrote three great YA novels Girl Saves Boy, 2010, All This Could End, longlisted for the 2014 Gold Inky Award, and Night Swimming, a Children’s Book Council of Australia (CBCA) Notable Book in
Cruel is the Light
By Sophie Clark Reviewed by Lucie Rose Cruel is the Light is an enthralling debut fantasy novel by Australian writer Sophie Clark following the perspectives of foot soldier Jules Lacroix and deadly exorcist Selene Alleva. The Vatican was born in blood and
The Lovely and the Lost
By Jennifer Lynn Barnes Reviewed by Lucille Rose This action thriller follows SAR dog trainer Kira bennet and her adoptive family as they begin the hunt for a girl lost in the American wilderness. Kira’s life is split it two, it has
The Sweetness Between Us
By Sarah Winifred Searle Reviewed by Lucille Rose The Sweetness Between us is a graphic novel following the lives of teen vampire Amandine Lavigne and diabetic Perley Culpepper. What’s worse than having to go back to school after the summer holidays? The answer
Standout Children’s Books of 2024
This year we have reviewed so many wonderful books, too numerous to list here. Browsing through StoryLinks we chose 20+ our reviewers consider outstanding. Many thanks to members of WriteLinks and the Last Tuesday Book Club for their recommendations.
Comes the Night
By Isobelle Carmody Reviewed by Jamie Willis Isobelle Carmody is the internationally acclaimed and bestselling Australian fantasy author of The Obernewtyn Chronicles and The Gathering. She has written forty books and won countless awards, including the Children’s Literature Peace Prize, the CBCA Book of the Year
