1. Thunderhead by Sophie Beer

Captivating, memorable and deeply funny, Thunderhead is a heart-squeezing and hopeful illustrated middle grade novel about music, disability, friendship and fandom – beautifully told with humour, art and joy. Perfect for fans of Wonder and Lenny’s Book of Everything.

Drawing on Sophie Beer’s own experience of hearing loss, this indelible illustrated middle grade novel about music, disability, friendship and fandom is immediately engaging, utterly authentic and entirely unputdownable.

RRP $17.99, Allen & Unwin

2. Comes the Night by Isobelle Carmody

A superb YA fantasy set in the near future, full of secrets, high stakes, peril, deceptions and dreamwalkers, from the internationally acclaimed and bestselling author of the Obernewtyn Chronicles and The Gathering.

RRP $24.99, Allen & Unwin

3. Into the Ice: Reflections on Antarctica by Alison Lester and Coral Tulloch

Bestselling creators Alison Lester and Coral Tulloch share their fascination with Antarctica through a personally selected mix of their own and others’ work, from the early age of exploration through to the present day.

Go on an extraordinary journey with Alison Lester and Coral Tulloch, two of Australia’s most celebrated creators, as they share their reflections on Antarctica: sketches, writing, paintings, journal entries, their own and others’. This is a book for explorers and dreamers of all ages, and for anyone who wants to be inspired by the wonder of Antarctica.

RRP $35.00, Allen & Unwin 

4. Meerkat Mayhem by Mem Fox and Judy Horacek

Another hilarious picture book gem from the legendary team who brought us the highly acclaimed and bestselling Where is the Green Sheep?

One day, after another hearty meal,
Meerkat decided to leave his burrow and take a walk.
But he found himself, all at once…stuck fast!
‘Mother of all meerkats!’ he said.
And that is where the mayhem began…

RRP $19.99, Penguin

5. Shower Land 3: Walk the Plank by Nat Amoore and James Hart

The third book in a hilarious junior fiction series where getting in the shower might send you to another world!

Felix’s shower is a portal to another world. Never fear. He’s ready for anything this time, with a backpack full of survival gear. He turns on the shower and . . . REEEEKKKKKK!

Felix finds himself in the middle of the ocean . . . sinking . . . but there’s a ship on the horizon.

Step 1: Don’t drown.
Step 2: Don’t think about sharks.
Step 3: WHO IS THAT MYSTERY GIRL?

RRP $14.99, Penguin

6. The Space Between by Jess McGeachin

By the CBCA-award winning creator of Fly. The Space Between is a celebration of those special friendships that last, no matter what.

Max and Milo do everything together, every day, and in their rocket ship even the stars and planets don’t seem too far to reach. But when Milo has to move away, the space between them seems too great . . . and Max must find another way to navigate the galaxy.

RRP $24.99, Penguin

7. Yarn Quest 1: The Search for the Story Realm by Jade Goodwin and Brooke Scobie

A breathtaking fantasy-adventure trilogy. Do you dare step into the Realm? A magical journey awaits . . .

Tane was looking for adventure as he raced through the bush after school one day. What he was not looking for was a Story Spirit: yep, he met some kind of ghost-kid with a cheeky grin and swirling colours, looking like a whole universe was trapped inside them. But the Story Spirit is stuck, and urgently needs Tane and Sibyl’s help . . . only finishing a story will get them back home.

Sounds easy, right? But spirits aren’t real . . . are they? And how can telling a story change a real-life ending? And when does a story become a lie?

The first in a magical new adventure series for kids aged eight-and-up, join Sibyl and Tane on the quest of a lifetime uncovering a powerful storytelling force along the way.

RRP $12.99, Penguin

8. The 113th Assistant Librarian by Stuart Wilson

If you liked The Grandest Bookshop in the World or The Book of Wondrous Possibilities, you’ll love this fantasy adventure story where books have power, cats are more than they seem, and the library is the most dangerous place in the city . . .

Oliver Wormwood is sure his new job in the library will be boring. Until he learns that books hold great power – and danger. By the end of his first day, Oliver has witnessed a death, been frozen by a book, met a perplexing number of cats, and fought off a horde of terrifying creatures. With only a mysterious girl called Agatha to show him the ropes, Oliver needs to learn fast . . . if he wants to live longer than the 112 assistant librarians before him.

RRP $19.99, Penguin

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