The new releases are coming thick and fast this month, just in time for the school holidays! Our book of the month is the debut young adult novel by a past winner of our Readings Prize for Kids, Carly Nugent. She has written a powerful contemporary novel about a young woman living with diabetes who is grieving for her father and trying to uncover a local mystery.

We also have an incredible collection of speculative fiction from First Nations and Black authors to sink your teeth into, a debut Australian fantasy about a family of monster hunters, a First Nations thriller about a disappearance in a small country town, and a book set in 18th century England about ambitious culinary students determined to make the food world more diverse.

YA BOOK OF THE MONTH

Sugar by Carly Nugent

Persephone is angry. Angry that, now she has been diagnosed with diabetes, her life revolves around finger-prick tests, carbohydrate counts and insulin injections. Angry with her mum. But most of all, she’s angry with herself because one year ago she did something and her dad died.

But then Persephone finds a body on a bush path, a young woman she doesn’t know but feels a strong connection to. And as she tries to find out what happened to Sylvia, Persephone begins to understand her own place in the complex inter-connectedness of the universe. This is a powerful novel by the author of The Peacock Detectives about a young women trying to make sense of life’s randomness.

Suitable for ages 15 and up.

MORE STANDOUT RELEASES IN APRIL

Unlimited Futures: Speculative, Visionary Blak & Black Fiction edited by Rafeif Ismael & Ellen van Neerven

[Unlimited Futures(ttps:// is an anthology of speculative, visionary fiction from 21 emerging and established First Nations writers and Black writers, reflecting visionary pasts, hopeful futures and the invisible ties between First Nations people and Black people.

Our reviewer, Angela, says of this book: ‘The stories acknowledge the trauma of the past, but also imagine many diverse, eclectic futures. Themes of vengeance, anger and love resonate, always with hope for a brighter outlook.’

Suitable for ages 14 and up.

We Who Hunt the Hollow by Kate Murray

Seventeen-year-old Priscilla Daalman’s entire family are Hollow Warriors - legendary monster hunters charged with killing evil beasts from beyond our universe. She’s desperate to live up to that legacy, but she’s convinced neither she, nor her superpower - the ability to sense Hollow energy - is up to the task.

But when Priscilla attempts a desperate ritual to enhance her abilities, she accidentally triggers a frightening new power: the power to summon monsters from the Hollow itself.

Suitable for ages 12 and up.

Tracks of the Missing by Carl Merrison & Hakea Hustler

Mr Henry has been found murdered. He had been selling grog on the black market for years. The Year 12s, who were on camp, are now missing. The police think there is a link between the missing students and the murder.

Dek and Willum, his best mate, have an important football match - professional recruiters are in town. Neither wants to let their coach down but they must search for their friends. They must take a journey deep into an ancient landscape that will uncover many secrets.

Suitable for ages 12 and up.

An Arrow to the Moon by Emily X.R. Pan

Hunter Yee is sick of being haunted by his family’s past mistakes. The only things keeping him from running away are his little brother, a supernatural wind, and the bewitching girl at his new high school. Luna Chang dreads the future. When she begins to break the rules, she finds her life upended by the new boy, the arrival of unearthly fireflies, and an ominous crack spreading across their town.

As Hunter and Luna navigate their families’ enmity and secrets, everything around them begins to fall apart. All they can depend on is their love … but time is running out, and fate will have its way.

Suitable for readers aged 13 and up.

My Fine Fellow by Jennieke Cohen

Culinary delights abound, romance lingers in the air, and plans go wonderfully astray in this gender-flipped take on My Fair Lady.

It’s 1830s England, and Culinarians - doyens who consult with society’s elite to create gorgeous food and confections - are the creme de la creme of high society.

When Penelope and Helena, top culinary students at the prestigious Royal Academy, meet Elijah, a poor Jewish boy with an incredible instinct for flavours, a golden opportunity arises to turn Elijah from a street vendor into a gentleman chef.

Suitable for ages 13 and up.

NEWS AND EVENTS

• Family of Liars, the prequel to the bestselling novel We Were Liars will have an Australian online launch with Readings on May 5th at 6.30pm. Book your place here.
• #LoveOzYA, which helps put Australian young adult books in the hands of readers, has just become a registered charity and has set up a Pozible campaign to fund the updating of their website. You can find out more here.
• Voiceworks Magazine, a journal that supports and publishes writers under the age of 24, is seeking submissions for their winter edition. Entry guidelines can be found here.
• The shortlists for the Carnegie and Greenaway Medals in the UK were announced last month, with some exciting YA appearing on both lists. You can see the shortlisted titles here.