Young adult

YA books, events & news for May

by Leanne Hall

The young adult category proves its versatility this month. We have robot-driven sci-fi, contemporary realism, historical fiction, and fairytale adaptations on our bedside tables. Read on for our top recommendations.

You can find some of our best kids reads of the month here.

SIX YA BOOKS TO READ THIS MONTH

Lifel1k3 (Lifelike) by Jay Kristoff

The much-anticipated new book by bestselling Australian author Jay Kristoff is here. Seventeen-year-old Evie Carpenter is fighting to survive in post-apocalyptic America (and keep…

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The story behind Bonesland

by Brendan Lawley

Bonesland is an Australian YA debut that digs into the small-town agonies of adolescence. Author Brendan Lawley tells us why he wrote this book, and who he hopes will read it.

When people find out you wrote a book, you hear the same things:

‘Cool, where’s my free copy?
‘What’s it about?’
‘How long is it?’
‘How long did it take you to write?’
‘How much money will you make?’
‘Is it actually getting published or did you just pay…

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Applications are open for our Teen Advisory Board

Applications are now open for the 2018-2019 Readings Teen Advisory Board!

The Readings Teen Advisory Board is a volunteer group of teenagers that meets at Readings head office once a month to chat about recent and forthcoming young adult books, write blog posts and short reviews, learn about careers in the book industry, and provide feedback to Readings staff members on a range of subjects.

You can find more information about what the 2017-2018 Readings Teen Advisory Board got up…

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A monthly update from our Teen Advisory Board

by Angela Crocombe

This month, we were fortunate to have a visit from Scot Gardner. Now a critically acclaimed author of several novels for young readers, Scot began his career writing for Earth Garden magazine and got his big break when he took the manuscript of his first novel to a John Marsden writing camp.

Scot travelled two hours by train to be with us. He showed us photos of his ‘office’ (a deserted bushwalking track) and his ‘co-workers’ (a bird, koala and…

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The ABIA Book shortlists 2018

The Australian Book Industry Awards Academy has announced the ABIA Book shortlists for 2018.

Congratulations to all the authors, illustrators, narrators, and publishers.

General fiction book of the year

Force of Nature by Jane Harper

The Dark Lake by Sarah Bailey

The Inaugural Meeting of the Fairvale Ladies Book Club by Sophie Green

The Secrets She Keeps by Michael Robotham

The Trip of a Lifetime by Monica McInerney

Literary fiction book of the year

A Long Way Home by Peter…

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Disability in books for kids and teens

by Leanne Hall

We recommend five books written by authors who draw on their personal experiences of living with disability to create characters or tell their own life story.

You can also find further recommendations by browsing the collection at the bottom of the post.

El Deafo by Cece Bell

This funny and sweet graphic memoir details the author’s early experiences with hearing aids, weaving together quirky superhero sequences with relatable scenes from her school years. Cece becomes ‘severely to profoundly deaf’ when…

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Our children's & YA top 10 bestsellers of the week

Messy Weird! (WeirDo Book 10) by Anh Do & Jules Faber

Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli

Found in Melbourne by Joanne O'Callaghan & Kori Song

Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow (Nevermoor Book 1) by Jessica Townsend

Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls by Elena Favilli & Francesca Cavallo

Terry’s Dumb Dot Story (A Treehouse Tale) by Andy Griffiths & Terry Denton

I Remember by Joanne Crawford & Kerry Anne Jordinson

The Endsister by…

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Six YA books to read in April

There is some extremely varied reading available for teens and YA readers this month – from the very real challenges of grief and trauma, to feminist private school capers and sharp commentary on economic inequality.

You can find some of our best kids reads of the month here.

Neverland by Margot McGovern

Following an episode of self-harm, Katherine is sent to the island of Learmonth (dubbed Neverland), a sanctuary for troubled teens dealing with mental health issues. Katherine actually…

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The CBCA Book of the Year Awards shortlists 2018

The Children’s Book Council of Australia (CBCA) have announced their Book of the Year Awards shortlists for 2018. Congratulations to all the authors, illustrators, editors and publishers!

Here are the shortlists for each category.

Older Readers (for ages 13-18 years)

Mallee Boys by Charlie Archbold

In The Dark Spaces by Cally Black

Take Three Girls by Cath Crowley, Simmone Howell & Fiona Wood

Because of You by Pip Harry

The Secret Science of Magic by Melissa Keil

Ballad For A

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Winners of the Indie Book Awards 2018

The winners of the Indie Book Awards 2018 have been announced.

Each year, independent booksellers from around the nation get together and vote for their favourite titles in six different categories, as well as their favourite book overall. Here are the winners for each category, along with comments from our booksellers.

The Fiction winner is…
The Choke by Sofie Laguna

The Choke is a claustrophobic novel about a child navigating an often dark and uncaring world of male power, guns…

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A monthly update from our Teen Advisory Board

by Angela Crocombe

This month we were fortunate enough to have a visit from delightful author Eliza Henry Jones. Eliza, who has published two adult novels with Harper Collins, and has just released her first young adult novel, P is for Pearl, set in an imaginary small town in Tasmania.

The novel begins when a customer breaks a window at the café where the main character, Gwendolyn, works. This event triggers violent emotions about the death of her mother and brother many…

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Our children's & YA top 10 bestsellers of the week

Obsidio (The Illuminae Files Book 3) by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff

Terry’s Dumb Dot Story (A Treehouse Tale) by Andy Griffiths & Terry Denton

Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls by Elena Favilli & Francesca Cavallo

Ninja Kid (Ninja Kid Book 1) by Anh Do & Jeremy Ley

Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi

The Silver Sea by children at the Royal Children’s Hospital Melbourne with Alison Lester & Jane Godwin

Good Night Stories For

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The CILIP Carnegie & Kate Greenaway Medals shortlists 2018

The shortlists for the 2018 CILIP Carnegie and Kate Greenaway Medals have been announced.

The Carnegie Medal is awarded by children’s librarians for an outstanding book written in English for children and young people. The Kate Greenaway Medal is awarded by children’s librarians for an outstanding book in terms of illustration for children and young people.

Here are the shortlisted books for the 2018 Carnegie Medal:

Wed Wabbit by Lissa Evans

After the Fire by Will Hill

Where the World

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Our children's & YA top 10 bestsellers of the week

P is for Pearl by Eliza Henry Jones

Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls by Elena Favilli and Francesca Cavallo

Terry’s Dumb Dot Story (A Treehouse Tale) by Andy Griffiths & Terry Denton

Good Night Stories For Rebel Girls: Volume 2 by Elena Favilli & Francesca Cavallo

Shout Out to the Girls by various

The Extremely Inconvenient Adventures of Bronte Mettlestone by Jaclyn Moriarty

The Silver Sea by children at the Royal Children’s Hospital Melbourne with Alison Lester & Jane…

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Six teen books to read in March

by Leanne Hall

This month we’re lucky to be reading a varied array of quality Aussie YA, award-winners, and one of the most startling fantasy reads of the year.

You can find some of our best children’s books of the month here.

Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi

Zélie lives in Orïsha, a place that used to be full of magic – until the evil king Saran ordered all maji, including Zélie’s mother, to be killed. The remaining descendants of…

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Eight fantasy & sci-fi books I love

by Tracy Hwang

Teen reader Tracy Hwang shares eight of her favourite fantasy and sci-fi reads.

Fantasy has been my favourite genre to read for as long as I can remember. My childhood mainly consisted of rereading Enid Blyton’s Magic Faraway Tree, pretending I was a witch at Hogwarts with Harry, growing up alongside Percy Jackson, and imagining myself in Narnia. As I grew into reading young adult novels I was exposed to science-fiction and its fascinating to read books that have…

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Our children's & YA top 10 bestsellers of the week

Terry’s Dumb Dot Story (A Treehouse Tale) by Andy Griffiths & Terry Denton

Ninja Kid (Ninja Kid Book 1) by Anh Do & Jeremy Ley

Shout Out to the Girls by various

Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls by Elena Favilli and Francesca Cavallo

Good Night Stories For Rebel Girls: Volume 2 by Elena Favilli & Francesca Cavallo

Frankie Fish and the Great Wall of Chaos (Frankie Fish Book 2) by Peter Helliar & Lesley Vamos

Nevermoor: The Trials

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The YA Book Prize shortlist 2018

The 2018 shortlist for the YA Book Prize has been revealed.

Launched in 2014, the YA Book Prize celebrates great YA books written by authors living in the UK or Ireland, and aims to get more teenagers and young adults reading.

The One Memory of Flora Banks by Emily Barr

S.T.A.G.S by M A Bennett

It Only Happens in the Movies by Holly Bourne

Moonrise by Sarah Crossan

After the Fire by Will Hill

Indigo Donut by Patrice Lawrence

Release

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The Inky Awards longlists 2018

The Centre for Youth Literature has just announced the two longlists for the Inky Awards.

The Inky Awards recognise high-quality young adult literature. There are two awards: the Gold Inky Award for an Australian book, and the Silver Inky Award for an international book. The shortlist is selected by young adults, and the winners are voted for online by the teen readers of InsideaDog.com.au.

The Gold Longlist (Australian books)

The longlist for the Gold Inky reads like a who’s…

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A monthly update from our Teen Advisory Board

by Angela Crocombe

It was an excited group of teens who met for the first time in 2018 to catch up and talk about their favourite summer reads (see their picks below) and meet YA author Clare Atkins.

Clare came by to talk about her new novel, Between Us. This is a beautiful story about a friendship between Jono, a lonely Aussie boy of Vietnamese background, and Anahita, an Iranian girl and asylum seeker who lives in Wickham Point Detention Centre with…

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The CBCA notable books of 2018

The Children’s Book Council of Australia (CBCA) have announced their Notable Books for 2018. Congratulations to all the authors, illustrators and publishers!

The CBCA Awards were first presented in 1946 and are the longest running book awards in Australia. This year the judges received 444 books for consideration and have enjoyed a range of themes, characters and stories across the five categories.

CBCA National Chair Professor Margot Hillel OAM says: ‘The 2018 Notables cover a wonderfully diverse spectrum of themes…

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Teen picks for sci-fi & fantasy readers

We asked our Teen Advisory Board for their best recommendations for teen readers who love fantasy and sci-fi. Here are their responses.

‘I haven’t read a lot of fantasy but I would say Ida by Alison Evans, which has a contemporary and speculative feel, or The Darkest Minds trilogy by Alexandra Bracken which has some sci-fi and dystopian elements. I’m also looking forward to reading Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff.’
- Kirrily

‘The Skulduggery Pleasant books by Derek…

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Discover a brilliant new fantasy YA series

Tomi Adeyemi has the entire YA world buzzing about her hotly-anticipated fantasy debut, Children of Blood and Bone, the first book of a trilogy which draws upon African history and mythology.

This story follows Zélie, whose home, Orïsha, used to be full of magic – until an evil king ordered all maji, including Zélie’s mother, to be killed. Now it’s up to Zélie and a rebel princess to rise up against the crown prince and bring magic back, while…

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Eight fantasy & sci-fi books I love

by Mia Tikellis

Teen reader Mia Tikellis shares eight of her favourite fantasy and sci-fi reads.

FANTASY PICKS

The Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling

Unless you have been living under a rock for the past two decades, you would heard of the legend that is Harry Potter? Lots of people know Harry from the movies but you can never beat Rowling’s novels. Written with simplicity and beauty, you have to read them.

Number of books: 7
TV/film adaptations: The books have been

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Our children's & YA top 10 bestsellers of the week

Wonder by R.J. Palacio

Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls by Elena Favilli and Francesca Cavallo

Good Night Stories For Rebel Girls: Volume 2 by Elena Favilli & Francesca Cavallo

Dog Man and Cat Kid (The Adventures of Dog Man Book 4) by Dav Pilkey

The List by Patricia Forde

Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow by Jessica Townsend

Shoe Dog (Young Readers Edition) by Phil Knight

No One Likes a Fart by Zoë Foster Blake & Adam Nickel

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Gender, children & bookselling

by Leanne Hall

It’s common in our shops to be asked: is this a ‘girls’ book or a ‘boys’ book? We invited our children’s books specialists to share their experiences and ideas about the role of gender in recommending books to kids.

‘One of the greatest pleasures in children’s bookselling is the chance to give personalised recommendations to young readers (or their adults). Discussing reading preferences directly with kids and finding out exactly why they like a particular book or author is always…

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Our children's and YA top 10 bestsellers of the week

Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls by Elena Favilli and Francesca Cavallo

Dog Man and Cat Kid (The Adventures of Dog Man Book 4) by Dav Pilkey

Ida Alison Evans

Good Night Stories For Rebel Girls: Volume 2 by Elena Favilli & Francesca Cavallo

Ironheart by Jodi McAlister

La Belle Sauvage (The Book of Dust Book 1) by Philip Pullman

The Endsister by Penni Russon

Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow by Jessica Townsend

Between Us by Clare…

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Six teen books we love this month

by Leanne Hall

Fantasy, futurism, gritty realism and dark fantasy sit side-by-side in our YA recommendations for this month.

Scythe by Neal Shusterman

Two teenagers find themselves inducted into the ways and mysteries of a secretive order in the new novel from beloved sci-fi author Neal Shusterman. Scythe takes place on a future AI-governed Earth where immortality has become the norm, and overpopulation is combated by random ‘gleanings’ undertaken by Scythes.

After witnessing and acquitting themselves well during a gleaning, sixteen-year-olds Rowan Damisch…

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Australian books to get excited about in the first half of 2018

Here’s a preview of some of the most exciting local releases for the first half of 2018!

You can also find a list of Australian books to get excited about in the SECOND half of 2018 here!

FICTION

Stella and Margie by Glenna Thomson – Two women, generations apart, are thrown together by circumstances and slowly come to love one another. (January)

A Week in the Life of Cassandra Aberline by Glenda Guest – After 45 years in Sydney…

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Our children's and YA top 10 bestsellers of the week

Wonder by R.J. Palacio

Good Night Stories For Rebel Girls: Volume 2 by Elena Favilli & Francesca Cavallo

Here We Are by Oliver Jeffers

La Belle Sauvage (The Book of Dust Book 1) by Philip Pullman

Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls by Elena Favilli and Francesca Cavallo

Dog Man and Cat Kid (The Adventures of Dog Man Book 4) by Dav Pilkey

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

Auggie & Me by R.J. Palacio

Nevermoor: The

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Our children's and YA top 10 bestsellers of the week

La Belle Sauvage (The Book of Dust Book 1) by Philip Pullman

Dog Man and Cat Kid (The Adventures of Dog Man Book 4) by Dav Pilkey

Wonder by R.J. Palacio

No One Likes a Fart by Zoë Foster Blake and Adam Nickel

Bad Dad by David Walliams and Tony Ross

Never Fear (Friday Barnes Book 8) by R.A. Spratt

Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls by Elena Favilli and Francesca Cavallo

One Of Us Is Lying

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What our Teen Advisory Board have been reading over summer

The summer holidays are a perfect time for bookworms and over the last few weeks, the teenagers on our Teen Advisory Board have been very busy reading through some new and forthcoming young adult novels. Find out what they’ve been reading below.

Everless by Sara Holland

‘In the futuristic Kingdom of Sempera, time is extracted from people and bound to blood iron coins as money. As time is taken from a person, their months and years left alive is sucked…

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Our children's and YA top 10 bestsellers of the week

Wonder by R.J. Palacio

La Belle Sauvage (The Book of Dust Book 1) by Philip Pullman

Good Night Stories For Rebel Girls: Volume 2 by Elena Favilli and Francesca Cavallo

Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls by Elena Favilli and Francesca Cavallo

Dog Man and Cat Kid (The Adventures of Dog Man Book 4) by Dav Pilkey

No One Likes a Fart by Zoë Foster Blake and Adam Nickel

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

Nevermoor: The

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Our children's and YA top 10 bestsellers of the week

La Belle Sauvage (The Book of Dust Book 1) by Philip Pullman

Dog Man and Cat Kid (The Adventures of Dog Man Book 4) by Dav Pilkey

Good Night Stories For Rebel Girls: Volume 2 by Elena Favilli and Francesca Cavallo

Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls by Elena Favilli and Francesca Cavallo

Wonder by R.J. Palacio

The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill

Never Fear (Friday Barnes Book 8) by R.A. Spratt

Nevermoor: The

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Which Australian YA book should you read over summer?

by Leanne Hall

The sun is high in the sky, the flies are buzzing, you’re sick of your family and you don’t want to watch the cricket – it sounds like it’s time to seek out some quality Aussie young adult fiction. Here is our suggested LoveOzYA summer reading.

(For more recommended LoveOzYA, check out our collection of Australian YA fiction from the past year here.)

Because you want to escape the heat…

Unearthed by Amie Kaufman and Meghan Spooner

The middle…

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Exciting YA books to look out for in 2018

Last week we attended the Centre for Youth Literature’s YA Showcase for 2017. At this fantastic annual event, a host of different publishers share the most exciting new releases for teen readers coming out next year.

Here’s a round-up of some of the biggest, buzziest books from the night…

Thrillers & mysteries

All of This Is True by Lygia Day Peñaflor – Four Long Island teens befriend a bestselling YA novelist, only to find their deepest, darkest secrets in the…

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Our children's and YA top 10 bestsellers of the week

Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls by Elena Favilli and Francesca Cavallo

Bad Dad by David Walliams and Tony Ross

Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow by Jessica Townsend

La Belle Sauvage (The Book of Dust Book 1) by Philip Pullman

Here We Are: Notes for Living on Planet Earth by Oliver Jeffers

No One Likes a Fart by Zoë Foster Blake and Adam Nickel

The Getaway (Diary of a Wimpy Kid Book 12) by Jeff Kinney

Wonder

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Our children's and YA top 10 bestsellers of the week

Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls by Elena Favilli and Francesca Cavallo

Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow by Jessica Townsend

No One Likes a Fart by Zoë Foster Blake and Adam Nickel

La Belle Sauvage (The Book of Dust Book 1) by Philip Pullman

Bad Dad by David Walliams and Tony Ross

Here We Are: Notes for Living on Planet Earth by Oliver Jeffers

Wonder by R. J. Palacio

The Getaway (Diary of a Wimpy Kid Book…

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