In recognition of National Child Protection Week (4 – 10 September) we chat with Jayneen Sanders – an experienced primary school teacher, author and publisher who actively advocates for sexual abuse prevention education.

Tell us why you decided to write children’s books that address personal safety.

I have three daughters so when they were very young I naturally taught them that their body was their body and no-one had the right to touch it in an unsafe way. I was…

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The 78-Storey Treehouse by Andy Griffiths and Terry Denton

Mega Weird (WeirDo Book 7) by Anh Do and Jules Faber

The Call by Peadar Ó Guilín

Ada Twist, Scientist by Andrea Beaty and David Roberts

Welcome to Country by Joy Murphy and Lisa Kennedy

Mr Chicken Arriva a Roma by Leigh Hobbs

Words in Deep Blue by Cath Crowley

Uncensored (So Wrong Book 1) by Michael Wagner and Wayne Bryant

Dog Man (The Adventures of Dog Man…

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The winners of this year’s Environment Award for Children’s Literature were announced at the Melbourne Writers Festival! This annual Award is organised by the Wilderness Society and encourages children to take an interest in nature and feel a sense of responsibility for the places we love and our unique wildlife.

This year, the Award included three categories.

Non-fiction

Atmospheric by Carole Wilkinson

Talking about the weather used to be small talk, now it’s the hottest topic on Earth. In Atmospheric…

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Black Rock White City by A.S. Patrić

Nutshell by Ian McEwan

Grant and I by Robert Forster

Enemy Within – American Politics in the Time of Trump (Quarterly Essay 63) by Don Watson

Harry Potter And The Cursed Child by J.K. Rowling, Jack Thorne and John Tiffany

Tell the Truth, Shame the Devil by Melina Marchetta

Our Souls at Night by Kent Haruf

Neurotribes: The Legacy of Autism and How to Think Smarter About People Who Think Differently by…

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Each week we bring you a sample of the books we’re reading, the films we’re watching, the television shows we’re hooked on or the music we’re loving.

Amy Vuleta is reading Liam Pieper and Laura Elizabeth Woollett

Last weekend I had the pleasure of co-hosting one of our New Australian Fiction sessions at the Melbourne Writers Festival.

I chatted to Laura Elizabeth Woollett about her collection of stories, The Love of a Bad Man. Each of the stories in…

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We’ve loved being part of the Melbourne Writers Festival this year, and we’ve loved having so many passionate readers come explore our pop-up Festival Bookshop.

As well as being a hub of literary recommendations from our booksellers, the Festival Bookshop has also been home to book signings by the amazing authors who’ve appeared in this year’s programs.

Here are some photos from the past week.

The quiet before the storm…

We loved seeings the kids getting excited to meet…

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The Readings Podcast is a celebration of books, music, film, TV and pop culture. Episodes feature author interviews, event recordings, booksellers chatting about books, and more.

We’ve recently uploaded a stack of terrific new episodes, including interviews with…

Hanya Yanagihara, author of A Little Life

Alain de Botton, author of The Course of Love

Maxine Beneba Clarke, author of The Hate Race

Lili Wilkinson, author of The Boundless Sublime

Steven Amsterdam, author of The Easy Way Out

Phew!

You can…

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We’re delighted that Lucy Treloar’s debut novel is one of the six books shortlisted for this year’s Readings Prize for New Australian Fiction. Here’s why we think you should read this book.

1. Salt Creek is an Australian classic in the making.

Salt Creek has all the trappings of an Australian classic in the making – and it’s stacking up the award nominations to confirm it. This debut novel has won the Matt Richell Award for a New Writer, the…

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From spooky houses to chickens on Vespas, here are the best kids’ books September has on offer.

(Find the best new releases in young adult books here.)

KIDS’ BOOK OF THE MONTH

Ada Twist, Scientist by Andrea Beaty & David Roberts (3+)

The team that brought us Iggy Peck, Architect and Rosie Revere, Engineer are back again with yet another unforgettable character. And if you’ve got a curious kid in your life, you might like to introduce them to…

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From murderous fairies to second-hand bookshops, here’s a selection of the best young adult books out in September.

(Find the best new releases in children’s books here.)

YA BOOK OF THE MONTH

Words in Deep Blue by Cath Crowley

Words in Deep Blue is an amazing coming-of-age tale penned by the incomparable Cath Crowley. It’s a story of two people who were best friends, but now they’re not. It’s a story of surviving terrible loss, even when the odds…

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