Our children's & YA top 10 bestsellers of the week
- Highway Bodies by Alison Evans
- On the Come Up by Angie Thomas
- All the Ways to be Smart by Davina Bell & Allison Colpoys
- The House on the Mountain by Ella Holcombe & David Cox
- Little People, Big Dreams: Stephen Hawking by Isabel Sanchez Vegara & Matt Hunt
- The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
- Two Can Keep a Secret by Karen McManus
- Brawl of the Wild (The Adventures of Dog Man Book 6) by Dav Pilkey
- Love Makes a Family by Sophie Beer
- Peppa Pig: Peppa Loves Australia
Alison Evans’ unique zombie apocalypse YA novel Highway Bodies has topped our children’s and YA bestsellers. Launched at our Carlton store last week, this survival adventure crossed with found-family story features a range of queer and gender non-conforming teens who have lost their support networks and must rely upon each other.
YA phenomenon Angie Thomas has two titles in the top 10: the new release On the Come Up, which follows 16-year-old aspiring rapper Brianna as she navigates high school, first love and the world of hip-hop music, as well as Thomas’ debut The Hate U Give. Readings Kids manager Angela Crocombe describes the former as ‘quite simply, a must-read’ for teens aged 13 and up.
It’s great to see local support for local picture books, with three spots in our top 10 going to pictorial works created by Australians: The House on the Mountain, which explores a common Australian fear: the deadly rage and devastating aftermath of bushfires; the uplifting All the Ways to be Smart; and Sophie Beer’s joyful celebration of love in all its forms, Love Makes a Family.
Other bestsellers this week include books by Dog Man creator Dav Pilkey and YA author Karen McManus, as well as Little People, Big Dreams: Stephen Hawking, one of two new titles – the other being Muhammad Ali – to celebrate noteworthy men in the popular series.
