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Leaf Letters (Lorena Carrington, Christmas Press)
Released July 2024
Nine-year-old Hazel Bird loves to explore her local area and collect little treasures. When her baby sister is born, she can no longer bring home ‘choke-ables’ and is gifted an... Read more
Return to Sender (Lauren Draper, Macmillan)
Released July 2024
A historical letter-writing mystery and searching for the missing ‘Adder Stone’ are two of the many compelling story arcs in this highly engaging, fast-paced contemporary YA novel. Brodie McKellon (‘The... Read more
A Language of Limbs (Dylin Hardcastle, Picador)
Released July 2024
Dylin Hardcastle’s tender and steamy third novel, A Language of Limbs, follows two sapphic young women (Limb One and Limb Two) on different paths through the febrile 1970s and beyond... Read more
Raymaŋgirrbuy dhäwu, When I was a little girl (Kylie Gatjawarrawuy Mununggurr, Magabala)
Released July 2024
This beautiful book is written in dual languages: Dhuwal, also known as Djambarrpuyŋu (widely understood in north-east Arnhem Land), and English. The artworks/illustrations by author Kylie Gatjawarrawuy Mununggurr depict family... Read more
Jade and Emerald (Michelle See-Tho, Vintage)
Released July 2024
Winner of the 2023 Penguin Literary Prize, Jade and Emerald is a portrait of what it means to grow up caught between two cultures. Lei Ling Wen is an Australian-born... Read more
The Infant Vine (Isabella G Mead, UWAP)
Released July 2024
Isabella G Mead’s debut collection, The Infant Vine, speaks to the deeply elemental nature of motherhood. In these poems, the line between what is human and what is animal becomes ever... Read more
Outrider (Mark Wales, Macmillan)
Released July 2024
In Mark Wales’s debut novel, Outrider, China invades Australia, and the state of Victoria is now in the hands of enemy forces. With many fight-hungry locals turned traitors, The Hill—the once... Read more
Wild About Book Week (Sarah Speedie, illus Kruti Desai, Larrikin House)
Released July 2024
Wild About Book Week is a meta-tale of sorts, which celebrates what has become an annual tradition for many families: dressing up for Book Week. The protagonist, a pigtailed child,... Read more
Spiro (Anna McGregor, Scribble)
Released July 2024
Spiro is a humorous new picture book by Anna McGregor, the multi-award-winning creator of Anemone Is Not the Enemy. The protagonist is Spiro, a determined little spider on a mission to catch... Read more
Always Was, Always Will Be (Aunty Fay Muir & Sue Lawson, Magabala)
Released June 2024
Always Was, Always Will Be is set to be an indispensable resource for young people looking to understand First Nations resistance in Australia. Aunty Fay Muir and Sue Lawson, whose collaboration began... Read more
Milk (Matthew Evans, Murdoch)
Released July 2024
Dairy milk is an odd battleground for political polarisation, yet it always seems to be one. Milk is an attempt to make the case for that long-loved standard—cows’ milk—in the face of... Read more
Animal Activism On and Off Screen (ed by Claire Parkinson & Lara Herring, SUP)
Released July 2024
Animal activists have been at the forefront of using the media to get their message out—and in turn, the media has played a role in shaping the direction of activists’... Read more
Brock the Croc (Adrian Beck, illus Dean Rankine, Larrikin House)
Released June 2024
Brock the Croc is a humorous early chapter book for kids aged 7+ who have recently become comfortable with independent reading. Brock is the only crocodile in the swamp, and... Read more
Blossom: Practical and creative ways to find wonder in the floral world (Adriana Picker, Hardie Grant Books)
Released June 2024
Blossom goes beyond merely showcasing the beauty of flowers, offering wonderful and practical ideas for using flowers through the seasons. In her latest book, botanical illustrator Adriana Picker shares her... Read more
Freddie Spector, Fact Collector: Space Cadet (Ashleigh Barton, illus Peter Cheong, Lothian)
Released July 2024
Freddie Spector, Fact Collector: Space Cadet is the first instalment in this funny, fact-filled junior fiction series, ideal for ages 7 to 10. Freddie is a wacky, confident eight-year-old boy who... Read more
Everything Is Water (Simon Cleary, UQP)
Released June 2024
Like the river at its heart, Everything Is Water takes readers on a meandering journey full of unexpected delights, surprises and challenges at every turn. Novelist and hiker Simon Cleary (The... Read more
Father of the Lost Boys: The Mecak Ajang Alaak story (Yuot A Alaak, Fremantle)
Released June 2024
In Father of the Lost Boys, former child refugee Yuot A Alaak immortalises the hero who rescued 20,000 boys from the brink of death—his father, Mecak Ajang Alaak. Affectionately embraced as... Read more
Liar’s Test (Ambelin Kwaymullina, Text)
Released June 2024
The latest YA novel from Palyku author Ambelin Kwaymullina is a high-action, thematically rich fantasy with a gutsy, intuitive protagonist who must become a good liar to survive in the... Read more
The Skeleton House (Katherine Allum, Fremantle)
Released June 2024
The Skeleton House is a powerful and riveting literary debut, delving into themes of motherhood, coercive control, and life within a remote and rigid society. Meg’s life, like that of... Read more
Hide & Seek Beautiful (Nicki Esler Gill, illus Jedda Robaard, Scholastic)
Released June 2024
Hide & Seek Beautiful by Nicki Esler Gill explores a tender and heart-warming story of friendship and the little things in life. Best friends since birth, Annie and Boo find... Read more
