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The Wild Unknown (Emily Gale, Text)
Released May 2026
In The Wild Unknown by Emily Gale (Outlaw Girls), the year is 2045, and Eddie’s world is completely run by technology. From household devices to classroom support systems and the... Read more
The Clueless Guide to Solving a Mystery (Clueless #1) (Samera Kamaleddine, illus Hykie Breeze, HarperCollins)
Released May 2026
In The Clueless Guide to Solving a Mystery, the first instalment in the Clueless series, Samera Kamaleddine (The Sideways Orbit of Evie Hart) introduces readers to Claudia. She is temporarily... Read more
My Wonderful Disgrace (Angourie Rice & Kate Rice, Walker)
Released May 2026
My Wonderful Disgrace by Angourie Rice and Kate Rice (Stuck Up & Stupid) is a darkly comic tale of misjudgements set around the most anticipated night of the year for... Read more
The Fast Lane (Pip Harry, illus Katrin Dreiling, Larrikin)
Released May 2026
The Fast Lane by Pip Harry (August & Jones, Because of You) is a lively and funny story about Daisy, a fast-swimming and competitive pig who struggles to share the... Read more
Tearing Myself Together (Anna Whateley, A&U Children’s)
Released May 2026
Anna Whateley’s raw, authentic representations of neurodivergent young women in Tearing Myself Together offer the kind of windows and mirrors that are still too rare in Australian young adult fiction.... Read more
The Greatest Goal in the Galaxy (Uranus FC #1) (Mick Elliott, Scholastic)
Released May 2026
The Greatest Goal in the Galaxy is a fun start to a new series, with author and illustrator Mick Elliott (The Turners, Squidge Dibley) blending football, aliens and ever-popular gross-out... Read more
Once Upon Tomorrow (Karen Comer, Lothian)
Released May 2026
Once Upon Tomorrow is a complex young adult verse novel by CBCA-winning author Karen Comer (Grace Notes). The novel weaves together 3 alternating perspectives: Miri, an ambitious Year 12 student... Read more
The Prime Minister Problem (Brenton Cullen, Riveted)
Released May 2026
Brenton Cullen’s debut middle-grade novel, The Prime Minister Problem, is a tender story about loneliness and community, an ode to the power one person can have to spark change, and... Read more
Drawing Nudes While Making Other Plans (Zoe Gaetjens, Penguin)
Released May 2026
Zoe Gaetjens’s Drawing Nudes While Making Other Plans is a tender, thoughtful young adult novel about self-discovery, first love and learning to be brave in unfamiliar spaces. During a summer... Read more
Edith: The Girl Who Was 100 Years Old (Catharina Valckx, trans Antony Shugaar, Gecko)
Released May 2026
In Edith: The Girl Who Was 100 Years Old, French author and illustrator Catharina Valckx tells the bittersweet story of a little girl granted 2 extraordinary gifts, in an English... Read more
Bella Grows a Bicycle (Lellie Lopter, illus Chiara Franceschetti, Five Mile)
Released May 2026
In Bella Grows a Bicycle, Lellie Lopter delivers a warm and imaginative picture book about creativity, sustainability and problem-solving. Bella dreams of owning a new bicycle, but after her dad... Read more
Don’t Let Them Leave (Mike Lucas, Penguin)
Released May 2026
In Don’t Let Them Leave, Mike Lucas (What We All Saw) delivers a creepy and suspenseful historical thriller for readers aged 12 and over. The story follows Charlotte, Jack and... Read more
This Is Where We Say Goodbye (Howard McKenzie-Murray, Fremantle)
Released May 2026
This Is Where We Say Goodbye follows Maud Tarkington over the course of a single unsettling day in Fremantle: the day after her 21st birthday and the day of her... Read more
The Farmer’s Pyjamas (Ruth Paul, Walker)
Released May 2026
Ruth Paul’s The Farmer’s Pyjamas is a playful, light-hearted rhyming story that puts a humorous spin on daily life in the farmyard. After a hard day’s work tending to her... Read more
Running in Circles (Shivaun Plozza, UQP)
Released May 2026
In Running in Circles, Shivaun Plozza (The Worst Perfect Moment, The Boy, The Wolf and the Stars) brings climate science and extraterrestrial speculation together in a coming-of-age suspense novel set... Read more
My Ball Is Broken (Rob Graves-Morris, Walker)
Released April 2026
My Ball Is Broken, written and illustrated by Rob Graves-Morris, is a playful picture book with hidden depth for readers aged 4 and over, told from the perspective of a... Read more
Gross Things Animals Eat (Claire Stevens, illus Adele K Thomas, HarperCollins)
Released April 2026
Gross Things Animals Eat is packed with disgusting, bizarre and outrageous descriptions and illustrations that young readers aged 5 and up will absolutely love. Australian veterinarian Claire Stevens invites children... Read more
Tiwi war kwampini: Mwarlapwara kangi tingati (Tiwi War Hero: Footprints in the Sand) (Mavis Kerinaiua, ILF)
Released April 2026
Tiwi war kwampini: Mwarlapwara kangi tingati (Tiwi War Hero: Footprints in the Sand) is written, translated and illustrated by Mavis Kerinaiua, with support from Laura Rademaker. This compelling picture book... Read more
Fanny and Mina: The Fastest of Friends (Samantha Tidy, illus Hilary Cresp, Windy Hollow)
Released April 2026
Fanny and Mina: The Fastest of Friends, written by Samantha Tidy and illustrated by Hilary Cresp, is a narrative nonfiction picture book for readers aged 5 to 8. It introduces... Read more
The Friendship Paradox (Aśka, A&U Children’s)
Released April 2026
The Friendship Paradox is a heartwarming YA graphic novel by author and artist Aśka (Stars in Their Eyes) about personal growth and friendship, with accessible science concepts sprinkled throughout. The... Read more
