Young Adult reviews
The Other Side of Perfect by Mariko Turk
In Mariko Turk’s debut novel, The Other Side of Perfect, we follow the story of Alina Keeler, a Japanese–American ballet dancer. Alina lives and breathes ballet; dancing is part of who she is, not ju…
Firekeeper’s Daughter by Angeline Boulley
Firekeeper’s Daughter follows Daunis, an unenrolled Ojibwe tribe member, who has always struggled to identify a place for herself within her community. Though she is on the cusp of adulthood, her dre…
We Were Wolves by Jason Cockcroft
This unusual illustrated novel is about the relationship between a boy and his father, as well as the mythic animal energies that surround them.
The boy’s father has come back from war tormented by…
Can’t Say It Went to Plan by Gabrielle Tozer
Gone are the long nights of revising and fretting over textbooks for recent high school graduates Zoë, Samira and Dahlia. With exams finally done and dusted, they are ready to go on Schoolies, a week…
The Ones We’re Meant to Find by Joan He
This beautiful story set in a fascinating future is narrated in alternating chapters by 16-year-old Kasey Mizuhara and her older sister Celia. These very different young women have become physically …
Off the Map by Scot Gardner
Off the Map is a short-story collection featuring all the things Scot Gardner writes about best: families (dysfunctional ones, functional ones and all the varieties in between); snapshots of mundane …
The True Colour of a Little White Lie by Gabriel Bergmoser
If you’re a high school nerd with a severe case of social anxiety, there’s nothing quite so liberating as going somewhere completely new, where no-one knows who you are. That’s the first lesson 14-ye…
The Prison Healer by Lynette Noni
The first in a new fantasy trilogy by acclaimed author Lynette Noni, The Prison Healer is an enthralling read that is not to be missed. It follows Kiva Meridan, a hardened 17-year-old who has spent t…
House of Hollow by Krystal Sutherland
The third novel from Australian Krystal Sutherland is a gothic horror story about a trio of sisters that is delightfully scary to read. The Hollow sisters – Grey, Vivi and Iris – are survivors of a m…
The Outlaws Scarlett and Browne by Jonathan Stroud
As a first-time reader of Jonathan Stroud, I am seriously impressed with his style. This is a great Bonnie & Clyde-style outlaw adventure set in a post-apocalyptic England that has become brutal and …
Browse our reviews by category
