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A New Day (Emmaline Carroll Southwell, illus Heather Dryden, Affirm)
Released January 2025
The opening lines of A New Day, Emmaline Carroll Southwell (Our Family Pledge) and Heather Dryden’s bright and hopeful picture book, immediately give readers a sense of security: ‘Today’s a... Read more
Gustav Glows with Gold (Kathy Creamer, illus Patricia Ward, Little Pink Dog)
Released February 2025
Kathy Creamer, co-founder of indie children’s publisher Little Pink Dog Books, lovingly introduces upper-primary readers to the captivating work of Austrian artist Gustav Klimt in her creative nonfiction picture book... Read more
The Serpent Rider (Yxavel Magno Diño, Bloomsbury Children’s)
Released January 2025
Inspired by Filipino folklore, Yxavel Magno Diño’s debut novel, The Serpent Rider, is a mesmerising middle-grade fantasy. All Tani wants is for her bakunawa egg to hatch so she can... Read more
The Pool (Hannah Tunnicliffe, Ultimo)
Released January 2025
In Hannah Tunnicliffe’s latest novel, The Pool, a motley group of southside Melburnians meets for a summer party. The young families are connected through work and children, but they’re not really... Read more
That Island Feeling (Karina May, Macmillan)
Released January 2025
Set on a sleepy, scenic Australian island and featuring oysters, wine and flirty banter, That Island Feeling is the summer romance book for 2025. The novel follows Andie and her... Read more
Panic (Catherine Jinks, Text)
Released January 2025
Modern society is well versed in the evils of social media. From cyberbullying and trolling to revenge porn and deep fakes, there is no end to the new and horrifying... Read more
Under the Sand (Millie Lewis, illus Marina Borkun, Five Mile)
Released January 2025
A little girl named Elizabeth is digging on the beach for lost treasure when her spade hits something solid, and she ‘crie[s] out with pleasure’ … ‘What could it be,... Read more
The Paradise Heights Craft Store Stitch-Up (Kate Solly, Affirm)
Released January 2025
Remember the easy warmth, dry humour and cosy storytelling of Kate Solly’s Tuesday Evenings with the Copeton Craft Resistance? Well, she’s done it again with The Paradise Heights Craft Store... Read more
Cruel Is the Light (Sophie Clark, Penguin)
Released January 2025
In a world both familiar to and hauntingly different from our own, the Vatican Empire has waged a centuries-long war with demons across Europe. After a series of unprecedented attacks... Read more
Figuring Out Thirty: Decoding the Decisive Decade (And What Really Matters) (Bridget Hustwaite, Penguin)
Released January 2025
Bridget Hustwaite (How to Endo) is well known as an author and podcaster for her valuable insights into women’s health. Her latest book, Figuring Out Thirty: Decoding the Decisive Decade... Read more
Saturday, Sunday (Natalie Kate Forbes, illus Danny Snell, Affirm)
Released January 2025
Weekends are so busy for families, with the competing demands of sports and activities, seeing friends and extended family, shopping for the week and more. Saturday, Sunday captures this frantic... Read more
Unfinished Business (Shankari Chandran, Ultimo)
Released January 2025
The first in Miles Franklin–winning author Shankari Chandran’s Ellie Harper political thriller series, Unfinished Business mirrors the themes of the author’s past books (Chai Time at Cinnamon Gardens, Safe Haven):... Read more
The Worst Perfect Moment (Shivaun Plozza, Walker)
Released January 2025
The Worst Perfect Moment is a dark comedy about finding yourself and finding the good in the bad. After dying in an accident, 16-year-old Tegan is ushered by Zelda, a... Read more
Lexie Moon and the Word Burgling Bungle (Melissa Garside, illus Lauren Mullinder, Riveted Press)
Released January 2025
Lexie Moon and the Word Burgling Bungle is debut author Melissa Garside’s exciting junior novel about a creative and prolific 10-year-old inventor. Lexie has been mentored by her grandfather, but... Read more
Gunnawah (Ronni Salt, Hachette)
Released January 2025
In 1974, in the fictional rural Riverina town of Gunnawah, population 989, everyone knows everyone’s business … or so they think. After an unfortunate event the year before, 19-year-old Adelaide... Read more
The Wedding Party (Rebecca Heath, Head of Zeus)
Released January 2025
In her latest thriller, The Wedding Party, Rebecca Heath (The Summer Party, The Dinner Party) masterfully tells the gripping story of three families connected by a tragic incident that occurred... Read more
The Spirit Circle (Tara Calaby, Text)
Released January 2025
Tara Calaby’s The Spirit Circle is a thrilling sapphic historical fiction set in 19th-century Victoria, exploring the passage of loss and grief and the importance of platonic and romantic bonds.... Read more
One Dark Night (Hannah Richell, S&S)
Released January 2025
One Dark Night is Hannah Richell’s sixth novel. Like its predecessor, The Search Party, the story is a gripping, tangled web of mystery and intrigue from the opening paragraph to... Read more
Saltwater Cure: True Stories of the Transformative Power of the Ocean (Ali Gripper, Murdoch)
Released December 2024
In Saltwater Cure: True Stories of the Transformative Power of the Ocean, journalist Ali Gripper (The Barefoot Surgeon) explores the profound connections people forge with the ocean. The book blends... Read more
Revenge of the Toxic Space Potato (First Dog on the Moon, A&U Children’s)
Released December 2024
Finding a fresh angle on superheroes in 2024 is no easy task—unless you’re the Indefatigable EnviroTeens, who effortlessly revitalise a tired genre with humour, action and underpants pastry. In First... Read more
