The winners of the 2019 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.

The winners will each receive £500 worth …

Read more ›

This month we have a landmark book by Bruce Pascoe, a how-to by legendary Jeannie Baker, a sweet graphic novel/prose hybrid, and excellent contemporary fiction for middle grade readers. Find our June picks for YA books here. KIDS BOOK OF THE MONTH

Young Dark Emu: A Truer History by Bruce Pascoe

This is the much-needed children’s version of Bruce Pascoe’s seminal and award-winning Dark …

Read more ›

The International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia (IDAHOBIT), celebrated every year on May 17, is a day to stand with the LGBTIQ+ community, celebrate LGBTQI+ people, champion inclusion and build a better world for the LGBTQI+ community. We’ve put together some recommended children’s books to read on IDAHOBIT, or any other day of the year. PICTURE BOOKS

Love Makes a Fam…

Read more ›

We have a great array of kids books this month – a great illustrated book about the moon landing, some fantastically quirky fantasy, a gorgeous body positivity guide and a funny and sweet story about a mum with a social media addiction. Find our April picks for YA books here. RECOMMENDED KIDS BOOKS THIS MONTH Moonwalkers by Mark Greenwood & Terry Denton

20th July 2019 marks the 50th ann…

Read more ›

The Young Australians Best Book Awards (YABBA) were established in 1985 by a group of Victorians keen to see children engage in reading Australian books. Their goal is to have children recommend, read, rate and reward their favourite Australian books.

During Term 1 each year, Victorian children are asked to recommend their favourite Australian books by nominating four Australian titles. All nomi…

Read more ›

Last month, Readings Doncaster launched its first ever Middle Fiction Book Club, and was met with enthusiasm from young readers and parents alike. Our Doncaster bookseller Sam Kelly gives us a taste of what the fortnightly book club entails, and looks ahead at what’s to come.

With half the session of our inaugural term complete, it is safe to say the Doncaster Middle Fiction Book Club is a hi…

Read more ›

There has been a wealth of fantastic middle grade novels by Australian authors recently that focus on time periods from prehistory, all the way through to recent history. While wars often feature as a backdrop, these recent books prove historical fiction for kids aged 8-12 years is incredibly diverse, depicting young characters amid events such as cataclysmic fires, space race milestones and anc…

Read more ›

We’re thrilled to see Readings Kids specialist and all-around children’s literature rockstar Kathy Kozlowski named as the recipient of the Pixie O’Harris Award for her contribution to Australian children’s literature. Congratulations Kathy!

The Pixie O’Harris Award is part of the Australian Publisher’s Association’s book industry ‘Hall of Fame’ awards. It recognises members of the book industry …

Read more ›

We sat down with the Carly Nugent – author of the 2019 Readings Children’s Book Prize winner The Peacock Detectives – to talk about what makes a good mystery, what inspired her book and what she’s been reading.

Congratulations on winning the Readings Children’s Book Prize! Can you tell us a bit about why you wanted to write this story? Has the book been with you for a while?

Thank you! It’s s…

Read more ›

We’re thrilled to reveal that the winner of this year’s Readings Children’s Book Prize is The Peacock Detectives by Carly Nugent!

Established in 2014, the Readings Children’s Book Prize celebrates on-the-rise Australian authors and is awarded to the book that children will love best.

Carly Nugent’s quirky mystery about family and friendship is a fitting winner. This heartfelt depiction of fa…

Read more ›