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Tomorrow is a Brand-New Day (Davina Bell, illus by Allison Colpoys, Scribble)
Released November 2021
Tomorrow is a Brand-New Day is an ode to making a mistake and then making things right. It follows two children—friends with different styles—who come into conflict with each other... Read more
Marcie Gill and the Caravan Park Cat (Monica McInerney, illus by Danny Snell, Puffin)
Released November 2021
With a dozen adult novels under her belt, Monica McInerney is now turning her hand to children’s fiction and her first foray into middle-grade territory is just as full of heart and laughter as her... Read more
The Dogs (John Hughes, Upswell)
Released October 2021
John Hughes, whose last book No One was shortlisted for the 2020 Miles Franklin, grapples with the idea of whether it is possible to ever truly know another person in... Read more
The Greatest Mistakes That Went Right (Maddy Mara, illus by Cheryl Orsini, Affirm Press)
Released November 2021
Many kids are afraid to try new things because they are scared of not getting it right the first time; niggling insecurities and latent perfectionism can often mean they miss... Read more
Terciel and Elinor (Garth Nix, A&U)
Released November 2021
Garth Nix’s ‘Old Kingdom’ books have been a perennial staple of YA sections in bookstores for the past 25 years, and I couldn’t even guess how many copies of Sabriel... Read more
Another Day in the Colony (Chelsea Watego, UQP)
Released November 2021
Chelsea Watego’s debut essay collection Another Day in the Colony documents the sustained racism First Peoples suffer in this continent. Through critical race scholarship, memoir and archival imagery a powerful assemblage is... Read more
How Decent Folk Behave (Maxine Beneba Clarke, Hachette)
Released November 2021
How Decent Folk Behave is an exploration of the systemic failures that have led to lockdowns, massacres, violence against women and worsening natural disasters over the past decade. This collection... Read more
How to Repaint a Life (Steven Herrick, UQP)
Released October 2021
How to Repaint a Life is the latest offering from Steven Herrick, author of award-winning young adult titles including The Simple Gift and The Bogan Mondrian. This is gritty, heartbreaking prose that delves into... Read more
Norton and the Borrowing Bear (Gabriel Evans, Berbay)
Released October 2021
Gabriel Evans is fast becoming one of the most consistently delightful Australian picture book creators of recent years. With each release he adds to his oeuvre with such apparent ease,... Read more
She’s a Killer (Kirsten McDougall, VUP)
Released October 2021
This fun, dark-comedy thriller is led by one of the most memorable characters I’ve encountered in recent contemporary fiction. Alice is in her late 30s, a near-genius (IQ: 159) content to waste her life away in a... Read more
The First Scientists (Corey Tutt, illus by Blak Douglas, Hardie Grant)
Released October 2021
In The First Scientists, Corey Tutt, founder of the Deadly Science charity and NSW Young Person of the Year 2020, brings us an extremely engaging, informative and at times funny account of... Read more
Wild Abandon (Emily Bitto, A&U)
Released October 2021
Emily Bitto’s second novel paints a portrait of a young man as he grapples with love, relationships and his place in the world. In the spring of 2011 Will finds... Read more
The Dancer: A biography for Philippa Cullen (Evelyn Juers, Giramondo)
Released October 2021
Dead in 1975 at 25 years old, the Australian avant-garde dancer, teacher and artist Philippa Cullen lived a tragically short life. And yet, at the time, her artistic activity cast... Read more
Social Queue (Kay Kerr, Text)
Released October 2021
Neurodiverse teenager Zoe is undertaking an internship at an online media company when her first assignment, about the struggles of navigating the online dating scene as an autistic person, goes... Read more
A Duck Called Brian (Al Murphy, Scholastic)
Released October 2021
Brian the duck is unique—unlike all his yellow duck friends, he is bright blue. When Brian wakes up one morning to find he has run out of his favourite cereal,... Read more
My Brother Ben (Peter Carnavas, UQP)
Released October 2021
Acclaimed Australian children’s writer Peter Carnavas has followed up his wonderful first novel The Elephant with another book equally full of heart. An ode to sibling relationships, growing up and the natural world, My... Read more
Leaping into Waterfalls: The enigmatic Gillian Mears (Bernadette Brennan, A&U)
Released October 2021
Gillian Mears’s comparatively short life is truly a gift for the brave biographer. A fiction writer of immense talent, Mears received a bounty of accolades, grants and awards, but was... Read more
Permafrost (S J Norman, UQP)
Released October 2021
Permafrost is a decadent, artistic delight, full of sensory pleasure for the reader. S J Norman, a visual and performance artist who won the inaugural Kill Your Darlings Manuscript Award with this collection, makes a... Read more
Bodies of Light (Jennifer Down, Text)
Released October 2021
Bodies of Light is Jennifer Down’s third book and her best yet. It begins with fierce, ageing Maggie (now living in the US under a new identity) being prompted to revisit... Read more
How to Make Friends: A Bear’s Guide (Cat Rabbit, Berbay)
Released October 2021
Bear loves writing, drawing and collecting stickers. But with only the company of her toys, Bear is a bit lonely and would like to make some friends. She sets off... Read more
