Holly Harper

The tree is up, the menu is planned and the playlist of cheesy Christmas carols is set – but are you stocked up on stocking stuffers? Here’s a selection of gifts to hang over the fireplace (or door handle) If…

It can be tough work buying books for kids. Maybe they’re picky readers. Maybe they’ve read everything. Or maybe the last time you saw them they were in nappies and now you have absolutely no idea what they like. If…

From secret hyena families to chicken-rescuing bad guys, here’s a roundup of the best kids’ books out in November. FUNNY BUSINESS Maybe it’s something in the water, but November has a bumper crop of funny reads. Bestselling series Diary of…

YouTube sensations, epic space battles and haunted castles – here are six of the best November young adult releases Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff have come together to pen one of the most…

Do you think you’re brave? Think you don’t scare easily? Do horrifying nightmares sound like your idea of fun? If you answered yes, yes and YES! then we challenge you to read these six spooky young adult reads which are…

If you’ve got some younger readers looking for spooky books to put them in the Halloween mood, check out our collection of scary (and not-so-scary) Halloween reads for different ages. FRIGHTENING TALES FOR 5 AND UNDER For readers under five…

The nominees for the 2016 Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award have been announced at the Frankfurt Book Fair. Over two hundred authors, illustrators and storytellers from fifty nine countries are in the running to win the world’s largest children’s literature prize…

The Singing Bones by Shaun Tan Shaun Tan is a firm favourite amongst booksellers and customers alike, and his star has only continued to rise after The Lost Thing was turned into an Oscar-winning short film in 2010. When a…

Stolen emeralds, superheroes and climate change – October is a huge month for young adult fiction, and we’re positive you’ll find your next big read in amongst this haul. New Australian YA reads Fans of Vikki Wakefield can now rejoice…

This month’s new releases are packed full of some of the biggest authors kidlit has to offer – Shaun Tan, Rick Riordan, Mem Fox to name a few – as well as some great events. Here are the highlights. A…

I’ll admit it: I’m an eavesdropper. Whenever I work in the Carlton store, I eavesdrop on the books people are excited about, and in the last few weeks most of the conversations have gone like this: “Hey, look, YA new…

Spring is here. I’m excited. Are you excited? It is exciting. The sun is shining, the birds are singing…well, not right now. As I write this the rain is still drizzling and the world is pretty grey, but it does…