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The Minnow (Diana Sweeney, Text)
Released June 2014
Tom’s family have died in a flood, along with half the population of their small rural town. Fourteen-year-old Tom now relies on a mysterious older man named Bill, who takes... Read more
Claustrophobia (Tracy Ryan, Transit Lounge)
Released July 2014
Pen Barber has an unremarkable life in the Western Australian suburbs. Her relationship with her husband Derek is not bad, but it has become bland and formulaic. The familiar routine... Read more
Nest (Inga Simpson, Hachette)
Released July 2014
Following a break-up with her long-time partner and the death of her mother, artist and bird lover Jen Anderson retreats to the Queensland sawmill town of her youth. She buys... Read more
Spark (Rachael Craw, Walker Books)
Released July 2014
Spark by Rachael Craw follows 17-year-old Evie as she learns that her DNA is of third-generation super-soldier stock from a failed experiment by the government. As a Shield, Evie is programmed to... Read more
Crashing Down (Kate McCaffrey, Fremantle Press)
Released February 2014
Kate McCaffrey is known for her emotionally hard-hitting, accurate portrayals of teens under pressure, and her latest novel Crashing Down is her best yet. Seventeen-year-old Lucy is a star student... Read more
Two Tales of Twins from Ancient Greece and Rome (Ursula Dubosarsky, illus by David Allan, Christmas Press)
Released September 2014
Getting big names in children’s literature to rework myths and legends is a clever way to keep the stories alive. Previously, Christmas Press has released Two Trickster Tales from Russia... Read more
One Minute’s Silence (David Metzenthen, illus by Michael Camilleri, A&U)
Released August 2014
This year marks the centenary of World War I, so we can expect to see a number of new titles commemorating this event from different perspectives. One Minute’s Silence concerns... Read more
Catch that Plane! (Sally Sutton, illus by Sylvie Currin Korankova, Walker Books)
Released July 2014
If they’re lucky, most kids will have the chance to travel through the clouds, and Sally Sutton’s new book is a great introduction not only to plane etiquette but also... Read more
Surviving Peace: A Political Memoir (Olivera Simić, Spinifex)
Released August 2014
Law academic Olivera Simić has penned this absorbing yet troubling account of the effects of the war in the former Yugoslavia in the 1990s. She writes of the life journey... Read more
Talking Smack: Honest Conversations about Drugs (Andrew McMillen, UQP)
Released September 2014
Talking Smack features 14 revealing interviews with Australia’s most successful musicians about their attitudes to, and experiences with, illicit, legal and prescription drugs. The premise for writing the book was... Read more
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Chemo (Luke Ryan, Affirm Press)
Released July 2014
Luke Ryan is a stand-up comedian whose his first Melbourne International Comedy Festival show, Luke’s Got Cancer, received rave reviews. This memoir grew out of his stand-up routine and it... Read more
Sweet One (Peter Docker, Fremantle Press)
Released July 2014
Sassy, hard-drinking, menthol-smoking, blonde-curled protagonist Izzy is a newspaper journalist and daughter of a cop who is determined to reveal the truth, particularly about racism and police injustice. A big... Read more
As Stars Fall (Christie Nieman, Pan Macmillan)
Released July 2014
The fire swept through Murramunda two months ago. For bird-loving Robin, it was the spark that caused her family to fall apart, forcing her and her mum to move to... Read more
The Lost Girl (Ambelin Kwaymullina, illus by Leanne Tobin, Walker Books)
Released July 2014
The Lost Girl is a new picture book for readers aged five and above from Indigenous writer Ambelin Kwaymullina (The Crow and the Waterhole, The Two-Hearted Numbat) and Indigenous fine... Read more
Lucas and Jack (Ellie Royce & Andrew McLean, Working Title Press)
Released August 2014
Every week Lucas and his mum visit Great Grandpop in the nursing home, and every week Lucas waits outside getting grumpy and bored. One week, while he is waiting, Lucas... Read more
The Protected (Claire Zorn, UQP)
Released August 2014
Strong characters and a standout depiction of high school bullying make Claire Zorn’s second YA novel, following The Sky So Heavy, worth reading. In the present tense, 14-year-old Hannah awaits... Read more
Life or Death (Michael Robotham, Hachette)
Released August 2014
This exciting new novel from Michael Robotham is pitched as a psychological thriller but for me it is a novel of crime, justice and redemption—and a very good one. Set... Read more
Skinjob (Bruce McCabe, Random House)
Released June 2014
Skinjob is the debut novel from former Australian technology columnist Bruce McCabe. In a not-too-distant future, FBI special agent Daniel Madsen is investigating the bombing of a ‘dollhouse’ in San... Read more
The Word Ghost (Christine Paice, A&U)
Released June 2014
This is the first adult novel from poet and children’s book author Christine Paice. The setting is England in 1973. The vicar’s 15-year-old daughter Rebecca Buddle has fallen madly in... Read more
How I Became the Mr Big of People Smuggling (Martin Chambers, Fremantle Press)
Released June 2014
This is a well-crafted and gutsy first novel from Martin Chambers, who was shortlisted for the T.A.G. Hungerford Award for unpublished books in 2012. Nick Smart is a fish out... Read more
