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My Mother’s Invisible Shield (RA Stephens, illus Jasmine Berry, Wombat)
Released April 2025
Mothers have special powers, and RA Stephens’s My Mother’s Invisible Shield explores this idea in a light and humorous way. The story follows a curious school-aged child who conducts a... Read more
See How They Fall (Rachel Paris, Hachette)
Released April 2025
Rachel Paris’s debut novel, See How They Fall, is an artfully plotted thriller that masterfully delivers unexpected twists to keep readers hooked until its satisfying conclusion. Set in the privileged... Read more
Desert Tracks (Marly Wells & Linda Wells, Magabala)
Released April 2025
Desert Tracks is a young adult time travel novel set in central Australia and written by daughter-mother duo Marly Wells, a proud woman of Warlpiri and white Australian descent, and... Read more
The Sun Was Electric Light (Rachel Morton, UQP)
Released April 2025
Haunted by a pervasive sense of unreality, Ruth leaves her life in New York to return to the last place she loved: a lake in southern Guatemala. In the small... Read more
No Time for Make Up (Elizabeth Green, Exisle)
Released April 2025
Dr Elizabeth Green’s No Time for Make Up is a compelling memoir chronicling her life as a member of the Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS). The book is told in... Read more
One Word and a Bird (Stephen Michael King, Scholastic)
Released April 2025
One Word and a Bird is an earnest picture book by author and illustrator Stephen Michael King, whose previous titles include the award-winning Three and Leaf. Known for his masterful storytelling and distinct watercolour... Read more
Hatch (Heidi Cooper Smith, CSIRO Publishing)
Released April 2025
Australia has many fascinating egg-laying animals. Hatch introduces readers to a wide variety, from turtles, frogs and crocodiles to tarantulas, cicadas and monotremes such as echidnas and platypuses. The book... Read more
Library Dreams (Luna’s World #1) (Hayley Gannon, illus Michelle Conn, Affirm)
Released April 2025
Library Dreams is the first book in Hayley Gannon’s debut junior fiction series, Luna’s World. It centres around 10-year-old Luna and her main goal to become the library monitor for... Read more
Unsettled (Kate Grenville, Black Inc)
Released April 2025
Two decades after The Secret River, Kate Grenville sets out on a truth-telling road trip in Unsettled, reflecting on many versions of this critical question: ‘What do we do with... Read more
An Invisible Tattoo (Suellen Dainty, Echo)
Released April 2025
Suellen Dainty (The Housekeeper, After Everything) deftly transforms her literary novel An Invisible Tattoo into a gripping mystery, social exposé and moral dilemma by skilfully concealing then revealing how a... Read more
How to Be Normal (Ange Crawford, Walker)
Released March 2025
Ange Crawford’s debut novel, How to Be Normal, is a visceral and compelling read. It centres on Astrid, who is returning to high school after five years of homeschooling. She... Read more
So Many Ways to Be Curious (Jayneen Sanders, illus Clare Elsom, Educate2Empower)
Released March 2025
So Many Ways to Be Curious is a nonfiction picture book that lives up to its title – a practical guide to nurturing curiosity in children. Jayneen Sanders, a passionate... Read more
Shift (Irma Gold, MidnightSun)
Released March 2025
Shift has cemented Irma Gold (The Breaking) as a standout voice in Australian contemporary fiction. The novel follows Arlie, an up-and-coming photographer on the precipice of success, who leaves his... Read more
Time Together (Luke Horton, Scribe)
Released March 2025
Phil’s mother has passed away and, in an attempt to feel closer to her in this period of mourning, he invites his friends – Bella and Tim, Jo and Lucas,... Read more
An Onslaught of Light (Natasha Rai, Pantera)
Released March 2025
Natasha Rai’s debut novel, An Onslaught of Light, delivers on the high expectations set by its recognition in multiple manuscript awards (the 2017 Richell Prize, the 2018 KYD Unpublished Manuscript... Read more
Better Days (Claire Zorn, Atlantic)
Released March 2025
Claire Zorn’s Better Days is a gem of a novel that lingers in your mind, leaving you thinking about its characters and eager to return to their world. This is Zorn’s... Read more
Unbury the Dead (Fiona Hardy, Affirm)
Released March 2025
Fiona Hardy’s Unbury the Dead is a masterful blend of fast-paced crime and Australian noir, balancing grit and dry humour with effortless skill. Set against the vivid backdrops of rural... Read more
Spirit of the Crocodile (Aaron Fa’Aoso & Michelle Scott Tucker with Lyn White, A&U)
Released March 2025
Spirit of the Crocodile is a memorable upper-middle-grade novel by Torres Strait Islander actor and director Aaron Fa’Aoso and Michelle Scott Tucker (who previously collaborated as co-writers of Fa’Aoso’s adult... Read more
The Food of Bharat: A Chef’s Journey Through India’s Rich Culinary History (Helly Raichura, Hardie Grant Books)
Released March 2025
Self-taught chef Helly Raichura started her career in 2018, hosting a supper club called Enter Via Laundry out of her Melbourne home, and she quickly gained national popularity. Raichura set... Read more
The Colours of Home (Sally Soweol Han, T&H)
Released March 2025
As the title The Colours of Home suggests, colour plays a central role in this beautiful picture book by Korean-Australian artist Sally Soweol Han (Nightsong, Tiny Wonders). The story follows... Read more
