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Fauna (Donna Mazza, A&U)
Released February 2020
Donna Mazza’s Fauna is set in a near-future Western Australia, recognisable but markedly bleaker. Stacey and her family have signed up to an experimental research procedure in which Stacey’s embryo’s... Read more
The Wonderful Wisdom of Ants (Philip Bunting, Scholastic)
Released February 2020
Ants. What exactly do these tiny, easily overlooked creatures have to teach us? Quite a bit, according to Philip Bunting, whose picture book is funny and informative as he goes... Read more
Extraordinary! (Penny Harrison, illus by Katie Wilson, New Frontier)
Released February 2020
What a magical book this is! In Extraordinary! Penny Harrison, author of Emily Green’s Garden and Dance With Me, and New Zealand-based illustrator Katie Wilson take the reader on a... Read more
The Threads of Magic (Alison Croggon, Walker)
Released March 2020
This first foray by Alison Croggon—best known for her ‘Pellinor’ fantasy series—into middle-grade is a sophisticated story of power, friendship and magic. The city of Clavel is in a medieval-style... Read more
Ready, Set, Code! (Heather Catchpole & Nicola O’Brien, CSIRO Publishing)
Released February 2020
Ready, Set, Code! teaches computer programming skills to kids aged 8–12 using the open source Scratch language created by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. This book presents introductory programming concepts... Read more
The Secrets of Magnolia Moon (Edwina Wyatt, illus by Katherine Quinn, Walker)
Released November 2019
The Secrets of Magnolia Moon is the first middle-grade novel from Edwina Wyatt, who has been twice listed as a CBCA notable author for her work in picture books. Magnolia... Read more
No Place for an Octopus (Claire Zorn, UQP)
Released November 2019
This is Claire Zorn’s first picture book and it comes as rather a surprise—she is well known as an author of novels for young adults, for which she has won... Read more
Paddy T and the Time-travelling Trampoline (Adam France, illus by Zahra Zainal, A&U)
Released November 2019
Paddy’s just an average 12-year-old. He lives with his mum and dad, his older sister Nina, brother Troy and baby sister Bella. His best mate at school is Marty. He’s... Read more
I See, I See (R Henderson, A&U)
Released November 2019
This extremely clever book will be loved by kids, who will want to turn it upside down to read it again as soon as they finish it—and it will be... Read more
Three (Stephen Michael King, Scholastic)
Released November 2019
Stephen Michael King is an accomplished picture book writer and illustrator, with award-winning books such as Rainbow Bear, Mutt Dog! and Leaf just a selection of his publications. This book... Read more
Antarctica (Moira Court, Fremantle Press)
Released November 2019
This picture book by artist and author Moira Court has a distinctive visual style that makes it stand out from other books for readers aged three to five. Exploring the... Read more
Nop (Caroline Magerl, Walker)
Released November 2019
Nop is a teddy bear who is ‘not plush in places’. He waits patiently to be bought from Oddmint’s Dumporeum, a magical sort of toy shop, but to no avail.... Read more
True West (David Whish-Wilson, Fremantle Press)
Released November 2019
Opening on a Western Australian freeway in 1988, True West immediately introduces Lee Southern, a teenager on the run from the militaristic bikie gang in which he grew up. Such... Read more
Nothing New: A history of second-hand (Robyn Annear, Text)
Released November 2019
Opportunity shops—or op shops, as they’re lovingly referred to—are a well-established and much-loved feature of the Aussie retail landscape. In this entertaining and insightful history, Robyn Annear looks at where... Read more
Peace (Garry Disher, Text)
Released November 2019
In Peace, Garry Disher returns to the rural South Australian town of Tiverton and to the hero of his 2013 novel Bitter Wash Road, Constable Paul ‘Hirsch’ Hirschhausen. Hirsch has... Read more
Fascists Among Us: Online hate and the Christchurch massacre (Jeff Sparrow, Scribe)
Released November 2019
In the wake of the Christchurch massacre, Jeff Sparrow turns his eye to the recent rise of far-right violence. Fascists Among Us traces the history of fascism and seeks to... Read more
The Great Divide (L J M Owen, Echo)
Released November 2019
In her fourth novel, L J M Owen, author of the ‘Dr Pimms, Intermillenial Sleuth’ series, gives us Australian rural crime at its most atmospheric: mist-shrouded streets, ruined vineyards, an... Read more
Maurice Blackburn: Champion of the people (David Day, Scribe)
Released November 2019
Maurice Blackburn (1880–1944) was an influential member of the Australian Labor Party and a barrister, specialising in cases defending socialist causes. He held seats at both the state and federal... Read more
The Bee and the Orange Tree (Melissa Ashley, Affirm)
Released November 2019
The Bee and the Orange Tree is Melissa Ashley's second historical novel. Set in the literary salons of 17th-century Paris, it follows the lives of three women: Marie Catherine d'Aulnoy, a... Read more
The Tiny Star (Mem Fox, illus by Freya Blackwood, Puffin)
Released October 2019
Individually, a new book by either Mem Fox or Freya Blackwood, both award-winners and bestselling children’s book creators, would be welcomed by their readers. This book combines the two, with... Read more
