Thunderhead
By Sophie Beer Reviewed by Lara Cain Gray Sophie Beer is best known as a picture book writer and illustrator. Her vibrant art style is instantly recognisable and has successfully found its way beyond her books to a décor collection and promotional
Dare to Bowl (Howzat Pat #1)
Written by Pat Cummins and Dave Hartley Illustrated by Serena Geddes Reviewed by Helen Gearing Australian Cricket Captain Pat Cummins has teamed up with children’s author Dave Hartley and illustrator Serena Geddes to create a new middle grade series based on the cricketer’s
Ferris
By Kate DiCamillo Reviewed by Mia Macrossan Kate DiCamillo writes whimsical and thought-provoking stories that have delighted and enchanted readers for the last twenty years. Her books have been awarded the Newbery Medal (Flora & Ulysses in 2014 and The Tale of
Deep is the Fen
By Lili Wilkinson Reviewed by Tehani Croft Wilkinson returns with a new cast and adventure to the world of her CBCA finalist A Hunger of Thorns in this richly drawn exploration of magic and masculinity, but where AHOT dug into themes of
Let’s Never Speak of This Again
By Megan Williams Reviewed by Mia Macrossan Megan Williams won the Text Prize for Young Adult and Children’s Writing, 2022, with this emotive, finely written novel, mainly about teenage love and friendship but with family relationships, sport and dementia strongly in the
Kip of the Mountain
By Emma Gourlay Illustrated by Kate Moon Reviewed by Mia Macrossan Like Kip, debut author Emma Gourlay grew up with a black dad and a white mum. She now lives in Melbourne and I hope she is writing a sequel to this entertaining
The Sugarcane Kids and the Red-Bottomed Boat
By Charlie Archbold Reviewed by Sarah Custance Charlie Archbold received much critical acclaim for her first book Mallee Boys which became a CBCA honour book for older readers. The Sugarcane Kids and the Red-Bottomed Boat is her first middle-grade novel and was
The Glow
By Sofie Laguna Illustrated by Marc McBride Reviewed by Sandy Driessens Megan and Li live in a small coastal town and share a passion for creating stories. Megan draws fantasy monsters and Li brings them to life with her amazing tales. School holidays
The Cult of Romance
By Sarah Ayoub Reviewed by Jane Swinton The highly acclaimed Sarah Ayoub shines a light on cultural disconnection in this tumultuous love story. The heroine, Natalie Saab is a smart, young, university student straddling the expectations of being Lebanese or being Australian
We Run Tomorrow
By Nat Amoore Illustrated by Mike Barry Reviewed by Sarah Custance Nat Amoore is the author of Secrets of a Schoolyard Millionaire, The Power of Positive Pranking, and The Right Way to Rock all based around different children in the fictional school of
Cranky Chicken: Party Animals
By Katherine Battersby Reviewed by Sarah Custance Katherine Battersby is an Australian author/illustrator now living in Canada with her family. Before heading into the world of children’s literature she worked as a paediatric occupational therapist, to date she has written over a
All the Little Tricky Things
By Karys McEwen Reviewed by Sarah Custance In her spare time, Australian author Karys McEwen is the president of the CBCA (Children’s Book Council of Australia) Victorian branch, a school librarian, and a columnist for Books+Publishing. All the Little Tricky Things is
Mary & Marcus: The Crazy Dance & Other Stories
By Ursula Dubosarsky and Andrew Joyner Reviewed by Sarah Custance Award winning Australian author Ursula Dubosarsky has written over 60 books to much critical acclaim and was the Australian Children’s Laureate for 2020-2021. For Mary & Marcus, Ursula has teamed up, for
Once Upon a Crime: Murder Most Unladylike #11
By Robin Stevens Reviewed by Annaleise Byrd American-born British author Robin Stevens is the mastermind behind the incredibly successful middle grade series Murder Most Unladylike. The series includes nine full novels and two short story collections; Once Upon a Crime is the
Felix Ever After
by Kacen Callender Reviewed by Zewlan Moor Kacen Callender’s middle grade novel, King and the Dragonflies, won the US National Book Award for Young People’s Literature in 2020. Felix Ever After is a young adult novel featuring 17-year-old Felix’s antics during a summer
Henry Hamlet’s Heart
By Rhiannon Wilde Reviewed by Zewlan Moor Start as you mean to continue. Rhiannon Wilde has followed that maxim to great effect in her remarkable debut novel, Henry Hamlet’s Heart which won the Queensland Literary Awards Glendower Award for an Emerging Queensland
Sugar Town Queens
By Malla Nunn Reviewed by Mia Macrossan Malla Nunn, a South African now living and working in Australia, writes adult crime novels as well as YA fiction. This is her second YA title after the much praised When The Ground Is Hard.
This One is Ours
By Kate O'Donnell Reviewed by Margaret McKay-Lowndes Kate O’Donnell is the award-winning author of Untidy Towns, and This One Is Ours is her second novel. In a coming-of age tale, sixteen-year-old Sofie is in Paris on an art school exchange. A talented
Lightfall: The Girl & The Galdurian
By Tim Probert Reviewed by Sarah Custance Tim Probert is a New York illustrator and an Art Director at the Nathan Love animation studio. The Girl & The Galdurian is his first novel and the first book in the Lightfall graphic novel
The Edge of Thirteen
By Nova Weetman Reviewed by Zewlan Moor This is the third book about Clem Timmins, following on from the award-winning The Secrets We Share and The Secrets We Keep. Clem is thirteen and navigating changed family and friendship dynamics, as well as being
Scoop McLaren: Waves of Mystery
By Helen Castles Illustrated by Beatriz Castro Reviewed by Sarah Custance Helen Castles is still a fairly new author with Waves of Mystery being her second novel and the sequel to Scoop McLaren: Detective Editor. Click! the online newspaper that Scoop McLaren and best
Just Jaime
By Terri Libenson Reviewed by Sarah Custance Terri Libenson is the award-winning cartoonist of The Pajama Diaries and the Emmie & Friends series of which Just Jaime is the third novel. This book can be read on its own but I would
Pea and Nut: Go for Gold! (Pea and Nut, #2)
Written & Illustrated by Matt Stanton. Reviewed by Sandy Driessens With bright colours, glossy water drips and two endearing characters on the cover, the second in the Pea + Nut Series, looks to be full of fun. “This is Pea, who want to
Death Sets Sail
by Robin Stevensreviewed by Mia Macrossan This is the last in the Murder Most Unladylike Series. Hazel Wong and Daisy Wells are two young girls who go to a boarding school in England in the 1930s. They are the Wells & Wong
Rowley Jefferson’s Awesome Friendly Adventure
by Jeff Kinney, reviewed by Mia Macrossan This is the second title in a new series by Kinney, the author of the popular Diary of A Wimpy Kid series, the first being Diary of an Awesome Friendly Kid: Rowley Jefferson's Journal.
Eco Rangers: Wildfire Rescue
by Candice Lemon Scott illustrated by Aska reviewed by Yvonne Mes This story of two adventurous, independent and eco-aware children on a mission is the third book in the series featuring Ebony and Jay, friends and eco rangers. In Wildfire Rescue, Ebony and Jay
Evie and Pog: Party Perfect!
by Tania McCartney reviewed by Sarah Custance Tania McCartney is a children’s book writer, illustrator, and editor. She is the founder of ‘Kids’ Book Review’ and the ‘Happy Book’ podcast. Tina has written and/or illustrated dozens of picture books and children’s information
The Theory of Hummingbirds
by Michelle Kadarusman reviewed by Mia Macrossan Michelle Kadarusman is an Australian teen and middle-grade fiction writer. She grew up in Melbourne, Australia, and has also lived many years in Indonesia and in Canada. The Theory of Hummingbirds is her first publication
Deeplight
by Frances Hardinge reviewed by Margaret McKay-Lowndes The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, an epic poem by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, brings home the excitement, wonder and poetry of the sea. Voyages to far flung places have inspired dramatic and heroic tales. And
Nevertell
by Katharine Orton This debut novel is an interesting and unusual combination of historical novel and fantasy for readers of 8 to 12. Nevertell is set in Siberia in a prison camp during Stalin’s rule of Russia. 12-year-old Lina knows no other
