Bluey: Time to Play!

Bluey: The Beach

Bluey: Fruit Bat

Dog Man: Fetch-22 by Dav Pilkey

The Beast of Buckingham Palace by David Walliams

Guts by Raina Telgemeier

All of the Factors of Why I Love Tractors by Davina Bell & Jenny Løvlie

Eddie Woo’s Magical Maths by Eddie Woo

Sofia Valdez, Future Prez by Andrea Beaty & David Roberts

Explore Your World by Tim Flannery & Sam Caldwell

Our bestselling children’s & YA books of last week include fantastically…

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Bluey: Time to Play! (Sticker Activity Book)

Bluey: The Beach (A Lift-the-Flap Book)

Dog Man: Fetch-22 by Dav Pilkey

All of the Factors of Why I Love Tractors by Davina Bell & Jenny Lovlie

The Beast of Buckingham Palace by David Walliams

Explore Your World by Tim Flannery & Sam Caldwell

Bluey: Fruit Bat (A Glow-in-the-Dark Book)

Eddie Woo’s Magical Maths by Eddie Woo

Young Dark Emu: A Truer History by Bruce Pascoe

How to Make a Movie in Twelve…

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The annual YA Showcase at State Library Victoria is a must-attend event, as a host of publishers give a tantalising peek at what’s being published for teen readers in the following year.

Here are some of the biggest and buzziest books from last night’s 2020 YA Showcase (and also a few other upcoming titles we’re excited about).

Contemporary & coming-of-age

Break the Fall by Jennifer Iacopelli - A fiercely told novel about one girl’s determination to push her body to…

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Animalphabet by Julia Donaldson & Sharon King-Chai

Bluey: Time to Play! (Sticker Activity Book)

Bluey: The Beach (A Lift-the-Flap Book)

Star Wars Galactic Atlas

Bluey: Fruit Bat (A Glow-in-the-Dark Book)

Eddie Woo’s Magical Maths by Eddie Woo

The Beast of Buckingham Palace by David Walliams

Young Dark Emu: A Truer History by Bruce Pascoe

All of the Factors of Why I Love Tractors by Davina Bell & Jenny Lovlie

Explore Your World by Tim Flannery & Sam Caldwell

Julia Donaldson…

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In their last meeting of the year, our Teen Advisory Board shared their thoughts about comfort reading, and recommended the most memorable books they read this year.

What is your favourite kind of book to read when you want comfort?

‘I read books that will make me even sadder so that I can truly fall into a pit of despair. Then I read a romance book to pull me out of it’ - Sasha Copic

‘I reread certain passages from…

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Bluey: The Beach (A Lift-the-Flap Book)

Bluey: Time to Play! (Sticker Activity Book)

Bluey: Fruit Bat (A Glow-in-the-Dark Book)

Explore Your World by Tim Flannery & Sam Caldwell

The Beast of Buckingham Palace by David Walliams

Young Dark Emu: A Truer History by Bruce Pascoe

How to Make a Movie in Twelve Days by Fiona Hardy

Wrecking Ball (Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Book 14) by Jeff Kinney

All of the Factors of Why I Love Tractors by Davina Bell…

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Bluey: Time to Play! (Sticker Activity Book)

Bluey: The Beach (A Lift-the-Flap Book)

Bluey: Fruit Bat (A Glow-in-the-Dark Book)

Wrecking Ball (Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Book 14) by Jeff Kinney

Young Dark Emu: A Truer History by Bruce Pascoe

Explore Your World by Tim Flannery & Sam Caldwell

Guts by Raina Telgemeier

Sofia Valdez, Future Prez by Andrea Beaty & David Roberts

How to Make a Movie in Twelve Days by Fiona Hardy

Eddie Woo’s Magical Maths by Eddie…

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Bluey: Time to Play! (Sticker Activity Book)

Bluey: The Beach (A Lift-the-Flap Book)

Bluey: Fruit Bat (A Glow-in-the-Dark Book)

Wrecking Ball (Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Book 14) by Jeff Kinney

Animalphabet by Julia Donaldson & Sharon King-Chai

Explore Your World by Tim Flannery & Sam Caldwell

Welcome to Country (Youth Edition) by Marcia Langton

Guts by Raina Telgemeier

Funny Bones by Kate Temple, Jol Temple & Oliver Phommavanh

Mr Chicken All Over Australia by Leigh Hobbs

It’s a real…

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Every year our staff vote for their favourite books, albums, films and TV shows of the past 12 months. Here are our top 10 young adult books of the year, voted for by Readings’ staff, and displayed in no particular order.

(You can find all our best picks for books, music & DVDs of 2019 here.)

It Sounded Better in My Head by Nina Kenwood

This warm and intelligent novel depicts an Australian teen teetering on the cusp of…

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Over the next few weeks, we’ll be compiling a host of gift guides to help you with your Christmas shopping.

Here is a list of suggestions for the tricky teens in your life.

THEY DON’T LIKE READING

Monuments – Ancient gods, modern day Sydney teens, sinister Hounds - this is a fast-paced and witty fantasy novel that will entertain with ease.

Poemsia – Author Lang Leav draws on her real life as a famous Insta-poet to tell the story of…

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Wrecking Ball (Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Book 14) by Jeff Kinney

Bluey: The Beach (A Lift-the-Flap Book)

Bluey: Fruit Bat (A Glow-in-the-Dark Book)

Guts by Raina Telgemeier

Bluey: Time to Play! (Sticker Activity Book)

Explore Your World by Tim Flannery & Sam Caldwell

The Treehouse Joke Book by Andy Griffiths & Terry Denton

Welcome to Country (Youth Edition) by Marcia Langton

The Australia Survival Guide by George Ivanoff

The Secret Commonwealth (The Book of Dust, Volume 2) by Philip…

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The Secret Commonwealth (The Book of Dust, Volume 2) by Philip Pullman

Young Dark Emu: A Truer History by Bruce Pascoe

Explore Your World by Tim Flannery & Sam Caldwell

Angel Mage by Garth Nix

Golden Unicorn (Rise of the Mythix, Book 1) by Anh Do & Chris Wahl

Bluey: The Beach (A Lift-the-Flap Book) by Bluey

The Tiny Star by Mem Fox & Freya Blackwood

Mr Chicken All Over Australia by Leigh Hobb

Tilly by…

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This month we have a dark fantasy from a favourite prize-winning author, and contemporary fiction that explores a range of timely themes: online celebrity, emotional abuse in families, President Duterte’s war on drugs in the Philippines, and more.

Find our November picks for kids books here.

YA BOOK OF THE MONTH

Deeplight by Frances Hardinge

Fifty years after the deaths of the terrifying Gods of the Undersea, fifteen-year-old orphan Hark spends his life running scams with his best friend…

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The Secret Commonwealth (The Book of Dust, Volume 2) by Philip Pullman

Young Dark Emu: A Truer History by Bruce Pascoe

Welcome to Country (Youth Edition) by Marcia Langton

How to Make a Movie in Twelve Days by Fiona Hardy

The Tiny Star by Mem Fox & Freya Blackwood

Explore Your World by Tim Flannery & Sam Caldwell

Eddie Woo’s Magical Maths by Eddie Woo

Mr Chicken All Over Australia by Leigh Hobb

Running with the Horses by…

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This month we had a visit from Penguin publisher Lisa Riley, who spoke about the joys of publishing books for tiny babies through to young adults. There are a variety of skills needed for the job, ranging from focusing on minor details of text and covers through to making big picture decisions about what books to publish and looking at publishing trends. She said she loves the journey of each project.

We also got a sneak peak at an exciting…

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The Secret Commonwealth (The Book of Dust, Volume 2) by Philip Pullman

Guts by Raina Telgemeier

Young Dark Emu: A Truer History by Bruce Pascoe

Welcome to Country (Youth Edition) by Marcia Langton

The Bad Guys Episode 10: The Baddest Day Ever by Aaron Blabey

How to Make a Movie in Twelve Days by Fiona Hardy

For Whom the Ball Rolls (Dog Man, Book 7) by Dav Pilkey

The Treehouse Joke Book by Andy Griffiths and…

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Readings Kids bookseller Dani Solomon is a Frances Hardinge super fan. We asked her to rank the award-winning British author’s books by their scariness and here is the result.

The following books are all ranked from least scary to most scary, and there’s a special list of titles at the end for readers who don’t like to be spooked, but still love good, thrilling reads.

5. Verdigris Deep

One evening, Ryan and his friends steal some coins from a well…

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The ‘darkness’ of contemporary young adult fiction is often commented upon, without acknowledging that many teens actually do have difficult lives. It’s also worth noting that realistic optimism is a hallmark of YA fiction, exploring the strength and resilience of young people (without necessarily delivering Hollywood endings.)

Here are some of our favourite gritty reads for teens, all of which happen to be written by Australian authors.

This is How We Change the Ending by Vikki Wakefield

Sixteen-year-old Nate McKee…

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The Secret Commonwealth (The Book of Dust, Volume 2) by Philip Pullman

Guts by Raina Telgemeier

Welcome to Country (Youth Edition) by Marcia Langton

The Bad Guys Episode 10: The Baddest Day Ever by Aaron Blabey

Young Dark Emu by Bruce Pascoe

How to Make a Movie in Twelve Days by Fiona Hardy

All of the Factors of Why I Love Tractors by Davina Bell and Jenny Løvlie

The Treehouse Joke Book by Andy Griffiths and Terry Denton

…

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We have some huge events on for teens in the next few months - check out the great YA authors we have in our program this October and November.

Garth Nix in conversation with Amie Kaufman

We are beside ourselves to have fantasy master Garth Nix coming in to talk about his new book, Angel Mage. Set in an alternative seventeenth century, Angel Mage is an action-packed story of angels, heroes, gunpowder and high magic.

Nix will be joined…

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The Secret Commonwealth (The Book of Dust, Volume 2) by Philip Pullman

Guts by Raina Telgemeier

Molly, Mop and Moppet’s Adventures in Paris by A.G. Krishnan and Valery Vell

Welcome to Country (Youth Edition) by Marcia Langton

The Bad Guys Episode 10: The Baddest Day Ever by Aaron Blabey

The Treehouse Joke Book by Andy Griffiths and Terry Denton

Tilly by Jane Godwin and Anna Walker

Young Dark Emu by Bruce Pascoe

All of the Factors of Why…

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This month we have blockbuster fantasy, a sophisticated look at modern gaming, an homage to 1950s horror movies, a gritty Australian contemporary read and satisfying horror.

Find our October picks for kids books here.

YA BOOK OF THE MONTH

Angel Mage by Garth Nix

Liliath, a powerful angel mage that has been dead for 140 years is back to revive her destructive plans – and she will need four special teens to help her achieve them. Agnez the aspiring…

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This month we had a visit from book agent, YA advocate and forthcoming author, Danielle Binks, who was a whirlwind of energy and enthusiasm.

Danielle regaled us all with stories about the benefits of having an agent if you are an author, and what an agent does. It was absolutely fascinating, particularly when Danielle gave us specific stories about the journey to publication for some of her books, including Jenna Guilliame’s Readings YA Prize shortlisted title, What I Like about…

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Welcome to Country (Youth Edition) by Marcia Langton

Guts by Raina Telgemeier

Young Dark Emu by Bruce Pascoe

How to Make a Movie in Twelve Days by Fiona Hardy

The Treehouse Joke Book by Andy Griffiths, Terry Denton

The Bad Guys Episode 10: The Baddest Day Ever by Aaron Blabey

For Whom the Ball Rolls (The Adventures of Dog Man Book 7) by Dav Pilkey

The 117-Storey Treehouse by Andy Griffiths and Terry Denton

Wayward Son by Rainbow Rowell

…

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In October, Philip Pullman continues the journey of Lyra Silvertongue in the second volume of The Book of Dust. Set ten years after His Dark Materials, The Secret Commonwealth follows the now adult Lyra and her dæmon Pan as they navigate new challenges and emotional territory.

In the lead-up to The Secret Commonwealth’s release next week, our booksellers share what they love best about Philip Pullman’s fantasy stories.

‘ La Belle Sauvage, the first volume of Philip…

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For Whom the Ball Rolls (The Adventures of Dog Man Book 7) by Dav Pilkey

Through My Eyes: Hasina by Michelle Aung Thin (series edited by Lyn White)

How to Make a Movie in Twelve Days by Fiona Hardy

Young Dark Emu by Bruce Pascoe

It Sounded Better in My Head by Nina Kenwood

Real Pigeons Fight Crime (Book 1) by Andrew McDonald & Ben Wood

Real Pigeons Splash Back (Book 4) by Andrew McDonald & Ben Wood

The…

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How to Make a Movie in Twelve Days by Fiona Hardy

Young Dark Emu by Bruce Pascoe

For Whom the Ball Rolls (The Adventures of Dog Man Book 7) by Dav Pilkey

The 117-Storey Treehouse by Andy Griffiths and Terry Denton

Kindness Grows by Britta Teckentrup

It Sounded Better in My Head by Nina Kenwood

Kind by Alison Green & Axel Scheffler

The Surprising Power of a Good Dumpling by Wai Chim

All the Ways to be Smart by…

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How to Make a Movie in Twelve Days by Fiona Hardy

Monuments by Will Kostakis

The 117-Storey Treehouse by Andy Griffiths and Terry Denton

It Sounded Better in My Head by Nina Kenwood

For Whom the Ball Rolls (The Adventures of Dog Man Book 7) by Dav Pilkey

Young Dark Emu by Bruce Pascoe

Valentine by Jodi McAlister

My Father’s Shadow by Jannali Jones

Atticus Van Tasticus by Andrew Daddo & Stephen Michael King

Akarnae (The Medoran Chronicles…

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How to Make a Movie in Twelve Days by Fiona Hardy

For Whom the Ball Rolls (Dog Man, Book 7) by Dav Pilkey

It Sounded Better in My Head by Nina Kenwood

The 117-Storey Treehouse by Andy Griffiths and Terry Denton

Weirdomania! (WeirDo, Book 13) by Anh Do & Jules Faber

Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli

Kindness Grows by Britta Teckentrup

Sick Bay by Nova Weetman

What I Like About Me by Jenna Guillaume

Real Pigeons…

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This month we’ve got hard-hitting contemporary YA fiction, a fantastic #LoveOzYA urban fantasy, a mind-expanding travel memoir and a sweet romantic graphic novel from bestselling Rainbow Rowell.

Find our September picks for kids books here.

YA BOOK OF THE MONTH

This is How We Change the Ending by Vikki Wakefield

Sixteen-year-old Nate McKee has a lot of worries on his mind – his aggressive dad Dec and the way his dad treats his partner Nance and their toddler twins…

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This month on the Teen Advisory Board we had a visit from Nina Kenwood, author of It Sounded Better in My Head. She was delightfully generous with the teens, talking to them about different designs of the US cover and asking them which they preferred. She talked about the discipline needed to actually finish a novel (as opposed to just starting one) and gave plenty of tips on how to become a better writer for the teens that are…

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How to Make a Movie in Twelve Days by Fiona Hardy

The 117-Storey Treehouse by Andy Griffiths and Terry Denton

Young Dark Emu by Bruce Pascoe

For Whom the Ball Rolls (Dog Man, Book 7) by Dav Pilkey

It Sounded Better in My Head by Nina Kenwood

Kindness Grows by Britta Teckentrup

Real Pigeons Splash Back by Andrew McDonald & Ben Wood

Sick Bay by Nova Weetman

The World’s Worst Teachers by David Walliams

Final Storm by Deborah Abela

Taking…

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Do you have a pint-sized writer, designer, filmmaker, musician, artist or all-round imaginative powerhouse in your life? Here are some great books that celebrate young creatives.

And don’t forget to browse our full list of suggested books to inspire young creatives.

YOUNG ARTISTS

The Dot by Peter H. Reynolds

Vashti is disconsolate after an art class, feeling that she can’t draw, but when her teacher proposes she make just one mark on her paper, a world of creation opens…

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The Children’s Book Council of Australia (CBCA) has announced their Book of the Year Awards winners for 2019. These Awards celebrate the best Australian books for readers in early childhood up to young adult readers.

Here are the winners for each category.

Older Readers

Between Us by Clare Atkins

Jono is depressed, missing his absent mother and sister, and struggling in his relationship with his Vietnamese father Kenny. Ana is an asylum seeker from Iran, forced to live in a…

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Are you a budding sci-fi fan, alien enthusiast or Indiana Jones in the making? Read on for top tips and survival guides for all things Area 51 from one of our newest Teen Advisory Board members, Chenuli Halgamuge.

Area 51 draws the likes of both travellers and locals who enjoy taking a photo behind a sign that explicitly says ‘do not enter, no trespassing beyond this point, photography prohibited’. In 2013, the CIA finally acknowledged the existence of an ‘airbase’…

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Inspired by Paperback Crush: The Totally Radical History of ‘80s and ‘90s Teen Fiction, I’ve been reflecting on my own favourite teen reads. Here’s my best attempt at pairing some of these retro delights with their contemporary YA fiction counterparts.

Read the teen classic! (In some cases, find it at the op shop.) Read the new book! Or best of all, read both!

If you loved the Sweet Valley High series by Francine Pascal…

…try Amelia Westlake by Erin…

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We’re proud as punch of our marketing manager, Nina Kenwood, and her brand-new debut Young Adult novel (and winner of the 2018 Text Prize) It Sounded Better in My Head. If you love warm, big-hearted, hilarious and painfully relatable stories about growing up, first loves and that strange period in between school and uni, then It Sounded Better in My Head is the book for you.

Readings staff are absolutely loving It Sounded Better in My Head –…

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Jess Johnson, a much-valued member of our 2018–2019 Teen Advisory Board, reflects in this special guest blog post on the fantasy books that sparked her love of reading.

I will never fail to be amazed by how authors can create an entire world – planned to minute details – within a few hundred pages. By the time you put down the novel, it seems like that world is a real possibility and that somewhere out there, it exists (I…

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The purpose of the Teen Advisory Board is to give young people between the ages of 14 and 19 the opportunity to learn more about books, authors, and the book industry. Find out more here.

In late July, we were delighted to welcome a new group of teens who will be on the advisory board until June 2020. It was, as always, a very difficult decision to choose the final shortlist for the board, but I am thrilled that…

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August sees us awash in sharp and timely contemporary fiction, darker witchy and dystopic tales, and looking forward to a busy teen-friendly events schedule.

Find our August picks for kids books here.

YA BOOK OF THE MONTH

It Sounded Better In My Head by Nina Kenwood

Eighteen-year-old Natalie has just finished year twelve and is enjoying one final summer with her best friends Zach and Lucy before they all go to university. But on Christmas Day, her parents…

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The 117-Storey Treehouse by Andy Griffiths & Terry Denton

Young Dark Emu by Bruce Pascoe

The World’s Worst Teachers by David Walliams

Stone Girl by Eleni Hale

Wilam: A Birrarung Story by Aunty Joy Murphy, Andrew Kelly and Lisa Kennedy

Pig the Tourist by Aaron Blabey

Sick Bay by Nova Weetman

Into the Wild: Wolf Girl (Book 1) by Anh Do

As Happy as Here by Jane Godwin

Welcome to Your Period by Yumi Stynes & Dr Melissa Kang

Storming…

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The winner of the 2019 Readings Young Adult Book Prize is Stone Girl by Eleni Hale.

Now in its third year, the Readings Young Adult Book Prize was created to recognise and celebrate new voices in Australian Young Adult literature and considers the first and second books of YA authors across Australia. This year’s shortlist included Hale’s Stone Girl, Highway Bodies by Alison Evans, What I Like About Me by Jenna Guillaume, Making Friends with Alice Dyson by Poppy…

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If you can believe it, we’re already staring down the barrel of the second half of 2019. With so many exciting new releases rapidly headed our way, we asked our wonderful kids and YA staff to reflect on the releases they’ve really enjoyed already this year.

Read on for their recommendations.

Kim Gruschow from Readings St Kilda has loved:

I adored Song for a Whale by Lynne Kelly, a book about an industrious young deaf girl who becomes obsessed with…

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The program for the Melbourne Writers Festival (MWF) 2019 has been revealed, and there’s plenty of fabulous events for kids and teens.

Browsing the amazing Family Day and YA Day programs is a great place to start, but here are our top recommendations for enjoying MWF with young people.

FOR KIDS

Maxine Beneba Clarke: Fashionista

Maxine Beneba Clarke’s latest picture book, Fashionista, encourages people of all ages to express their own sense of style and embrace their individuality. Join…

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Eleni Hale is one of the six authors shortlisted for 2019 Readings Young Adult Book Prize for her powerful story of survival and hope, Stone Girl.

In this interview, she talks about the inspiration behind the book, find the voice of her amazing main character Sophie, and balancing light and dark in a novel for young adults.

Congratulations on being shortlisted for the Readings YA Book Prize! Your book is such a moving and emotional story of survival and…

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The Learning Curves of Vanessa Partridge by Clare Strahan is one of the six books shortlisted for this year’s Readings Young Adult Book Prize.

‘You’d think since colonisation that Black history and White history would be the same history but that doesn’t take into account history being written by the victors.’

– Clare Strahan, The Learning Curves of Vanessa Partridge

Here’s what the judges said…

‘Fifteen-year-old Vanessa Partridge spends every summer holiday at her wealthy family’s estate in beachside…

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This month we have a poetic tour de force with recipes, an Australian boy dealing with sudden deafness, an original exploration of a notorious Australian cold case, and survival thrills galore.

Find our July picks for kids’ books here.

YA BOOK OF THE MONTH

With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo

Emoni loves to cook and has always dreamed of one day working as a professional chef. When a culinary arts course is offered at her high school…

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Jenna Guillaume is one of the six authors shortlisted for the 2019 Readings Young Adult Book Prize for her uplifting and witty YA novel What I Like About Me. In this interview, she talks about the spark that created What I Like About Me, where the wonderful character of Maisie and her story came from, and body representation in YA fiction.

Can you tell us a bit about the initial spark of this novel? What made you want…

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Unmasked by Turia Pitt and Bryce Corbett is one of the six books shortlisted for this year’s Readings Young Adult Book Prize.

‘I suppose I’ve been luckier than most in that I’ve had a second chance at life. I’ve been written off for dead, and had an opportunity to claw myself back into existence. And when that happens, you learn not to take a single moment of a single day for granted. Because we get one turn at this…

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As we head into the second half of this year, you might be wondering what kids and young adult books you’ll be reading soon – don’t worry, we’ve got you covered!

Here’s a non-exhaustive list of some of the July to December releases we’re looking forward to.

Picture books

Fashionista by Maxine Beneba Clarke (July)

Pig the Tourist by Aaron Blabey (July)

Moving Your Body by Beci Orpin (August)

Bruce Lee (Little People Big Dreams) and Rudolf Nureyev (Little People…

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