A touching story based on the author’s real-life, features Natasha, a Jamaican teen facing imminent deportation in the next 24 hours, and Daniel, who has been living in the shadow of his older brother his entire life.  When they cross paths at a bookstore, neither of them knows that this is the start of a unique and heartwarming love story. Both Natasha and Daniel have their own demons to fight, with each of them living in homes that feel broken as they dream of a way to escape their reality.  Ironically, 'dream' is not a word in Natasha’s vocabulary as she only sticks to the facts ..read more

1. Tell us something hardly anyone knows about you. Waddling around the north end of Albert Park Lake are a pair of black-and-white ducks. I am obsessed with watching them and how in-sync they are. 2. What is your nickname? Abro, or as my high school jumper had embossed FABROLOUS. 3. What is your greatest fear?Snakes - yikes! Or, not having access to a waterway for an indefinite period of time. I need my oceanic fix. 4. Describe your writing style in 10 words. Whimsical, heartfelt and harvested by metaphors of the natural world. 5. Tell us five positive words that describe you as a write ..read more

The images in The Bird Art of William T. Cooper are of immense beauty.  They are accompanied by valuable information on bird life.   The text is presented by his wife, Wendy Cooper, botanist, author, and explorer. This is a companion volume to The Botanical Art of William T. Cooper, and is made up mostly of unpublished artwork, with a few exceptions. A stunning collection, the book is perfect for older children interested in learning about Australian and other magnificent birds and the areas that they frequent. During his earlier years as an artist, Cooper painted mainly landscapes ..read more

Ryel and his dad officially become a blended family when they move into Lonnie’s house.  Luckily, her twins Harry and Darcy, are already close friends with Ryel as they go to school together. Sharing a room has many challenges and becomes something Ryel can’t come to terms with after having his own room for so long.  Darcy talks and shouts in his sleep, while Harry’s breathing noises are epic, and keep Ryel awake all night. Half asleep through the day, his performance at school drops. The only solution to the problem is the storeroom that houses the twins’ sports equipment and other ..read more

An alphabet book with a difference, Alphabetter is here to teach you more than just your letters.  It’s a book to inspire and support you, providing 26 ways to be the best you. Like being friendly (the word for the letter F), which the book goes on to describe as sharing and being kind, like when you team up with someone new in class. The beautiful descriptions are relatable and real for kids, and there’s one for every letter and word. Under each of the featured words are a couple of alternative words, to help kids understand what they mean. Brave is also called being courageous and ..read more

We’ve grouped together some of the many book lists we’ve shared over recent years, in case you missed them the first time around. We hope they inspire you to pick up a book you’ve not read before, or find a book to help explore and better understand a particular subject with readers of all ages. Peace and war feature in many books, from picture books for preschoolers and older readers to YA fiction.  Over the years we've shared more book lists on this topic than any other. While non-fiction can teach us about historical events and people who have had an impact on the world, fiction giv ..read more

The thing about children is that unless they are Peter Pan, they grow up. Unfortunate for us if one of them happens to be a Junior Reviewer.  Fortunately, there are still plenty of kids who love reading and love sharing their thoughts about a great read with others. Ellissa Freestone is one of them.  Elle read and wrote stories from a very young age. Creative writing has always come easily to her with a poetic writing style that often invokes intrigue. Novels are binge read between her other passions of drawing, basketball, and singing, both privately and choral. Ell ..read more

I am an everyday Mum with a passion for books but I’m also a Mum with a passion for advocating for books to read to children about current issues, acceptance, and inclusion. So, in saying that, I decided to write a book that I had struggled to find in libraries and on shelves in bookstores. I wanted to be able to read a book to my daughter that addressed the many questions she had about transgender and non-binary identities amongst her peers and because we often talked about pronouns and how important respecting them is, due to my profession. Being Me started as an idea when thinking about ..read more

Combine two of Australia’s most accomplished authors with one of Australia’s most well-known periods of history, slew in the complex dynamics of friendship, loyalty and family fidelity, flavour with the breathtaking drama of life on horseback and you’ve got the latest time slip novel by Emily Gale and Nova Weetman. That’s right, time slip. In the same vein as their popular co-authored middle grade fiction, Elsewhere Girls, Gale and Weetman take readers on a heady journey into Victoria’s High Country where they oscillate between 2024 and 1878 and two renegade girls, Ruby and Kate. Ruby is head ..read more

The Great Australian Science Book, another great title from the CSIRO, is about science big and small. It's a journey through the human body, planet earth, and the universe, along with the concepts that are an important part of them working. What makes up the universe? Discover what the big bang and dark matter are, and what makes up a galaxy and a solar system. Delve into earth's geology, evolution, animals, plants and habitats. And climate change. Explore our bodies by looking at genes and cells, and the different systems that keep us alive.  Skeletons and muscles, the brain, immune sy ..read more