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Common People (Tony Birch, UQP)
Released August 2017
Common People is Tony Birch’s third story collection and sixth work of fiction. He is a natural storyteller (as are many of his characters), and is deft at creating believable, if... Read more
One Thousand Trees (Kyle Hughes-Odgers, Fremantle Press)
Released July 2017
A beautiful, dreamy contemplation, Kyle Hughes-Odgers’ One Thousand Trees merges a sparse narrative with illustrations that are tender, controlled and poignant. There is more the hint of a story than... Read more
Peas and Quiet (Gabrielle Tozer, illus by Sue deGennaro, HarperCollins)
Released July 2017
Best known for her YA writing, Gabrielle Tozer’s first picture book tells the story of two peas called Pip and Pop, who live together in a pod. But all is... Read more
The Sloth Who Came to Stay (Margaret Wild, illus by Vivienne To, A&U)
Released July 2017
Certain animals, such as lions and elephants, are ubiquitous in picture books—but there are hardly any with sloths in them. Perhaps Margaret Wild’s latest effort might start a new trend.... Read more
Cyclones and Shadows (Pat Dudgeon, Laura Dudgeon, Sabrina Dudgeon & Darlene Oxenham, Fremantle Press)
Released July 2017
This sweet collection of stories from Fremantle Press’ ‘Waarda’ series will appeal to teachers, librarians and parents who want to talk with kids about the different experiences of people around... Read more
The Elephant (Peter Carnavas, UQP)
Released July 2017
The Elephant is the first junior-fiction novel from Peter Carnavas, who is well known for his gentle, heartfelt picture books. Olive lives with her Grandad, her Dad, and—even if no-one... Read more
The Fall (Tristan Bancks, Random House)
Released June 2017
Following an operation to ease his scoliosis, 12-year-old Sam Garner secures the chance to stay with his father Harry (never ‘Dad’) in the city, to better understand and get to... Read more
Marsh and Me (Martine Murray, Text)
Released July 2017
Joey Green is a nice, sensitive boy. He’s a bit of a loner, lacking in confidence and trying to find a way to fit in at school. One day, he... Read more
My Lovely Frankie (Judith Clarke, A&U)
Released July 2017
Tom has never forgotten his friend Frankie—even though he hasn’t seen him for over half a century. In 1950, when Tom is just 16, he thinks he feels the hand... Read more
Ache (Eliza Henry Jones, Fourth Estate)
Released June 2017
Eliza Henry Jones’ second novel demands that you slow down, take a breath and settle in. This beautifully written novel will eventually reward you for working past the slow opening.... Read more
No Way! Okay, Fine (Brodie Lancaster, Hachette)
Released July 2017
A coming-of-age story with a fierce, feminist heart and a broad sense of purpose, Brodie Lancaster’s debut memoir No Way! Okay Fine is narrated through a series of chronological yet... Read more
Random Life (Judy Horacek, Horacek Press)
Released July 2017
Judy Horacek’s whimsical cartoons have long been a fixture in the Australian media landscape; Random Life (published through her own just-released imprint) is Horacek’s ninth collection. In the foreword, John... Read more
Australia Day (Melanie Cheng, Text)
Released July 2017
The title story of Melanie Cheng’s debut short fiction collection Australia Day is about a Chinese medical student visiting the rural farm of an Australian friend who he hopes will... Read more
Mischka’s War: A European Odyssey of the 1940s (Sheila Fitzpatrick, MUP)
Released July 2017
Professor Sheila Fitzpatrick met photonuclear physicist Mischka Danos in 1989. They married and spent the next 10 years together until Mischka’s death. But this biography is not about those years.... Read more
The Trip of a Lifetime (Monica McInerney, Michael Joseph)
Released July 2017
Set in the wine country of South Australia’s Clare Valley, and in Ireland, Monica McInerney’s latest novel is a saga about family, memories and promises, secrets and lies. At the... Read more
Wimmera (Mark Brandi, Hachette)
Released July 2017
Set in small-town Australia in the 1980s, Wimmera is the story of two boyhood friends, Fab and Ben, presented in three parts. Part one is told in schoolboy Ben’s voice:... Read more
Hinterland (Steven Lang, UQP)
Released July 2017
A small Queensland town is divided. The collapse of local industry in a once-thriving dairy community has seen farmland abandoned, repurposed for suburban sprawl or replanted by conservationists. When a... Read more
Psynode (Marlee Jane Ward, Seizure)
Released May 2017
Marlee Jane Ward impressed with her YA debut Welcome to Orphancorp in 2015, winning Seizure’s Viva La Novella Prize as well as the YA category of the Victorian Premier’s Literary... Read more
Living on Hope Street (Demet Divaroren, A&U)
Released June 2017
Demet Divaroren’s YA novel Living on Hope St does not shirk from tackling the big issues that concern society today. Refugees, domestic abuse, racism, grief and bullying all feature in... Read more
Do Not Lick This Book (Idan Ben-Barak, illus by Julian Frost, A&U)
Released May 2017
What a fun, beautifully designed and repulsive book! Its premise is humble: let’s meet some microbes. It sits between educational text and narrative picture book, following Min the microbe on... Read more
