Here’s a preview of some of the most exciting local releases for the first half of 2018!

You can also find a list of Australian books to get excited about in the SECOND half of 2018 here!

FICTION

• Stella and Margie by Glenna Thomson – Two women, generations apart, are thrown together by circumstances and slowly come to love one another. (January)
• A Week in the Life of Cassandra Aberline by Glenda Guest – After 45 years in Sydney, Cassandra Aberline returns to her home town in the Western Australian wheat belt via the Indian Pacific train, retreating into her memories.(February)
• Off the Record by Craig Sherborne – Sherborne skewers tabloid journalism and male vanity in this blackly funny tale that kicks off with an imploding marriage. (February)
• The Whole Bright Year by Debra Oswald – Set in an Australian stone-fruit orchard during the summer of 1976, this is the second novel from the creator of Offspring. (February)
• The Shepherd’s Hut by Tim Winton – In this brutal, heart-in-throat new work from Winton a young man turns on his violent father, with life-changing results. (March)
• The Rules of Backyard Croquet by Sunni Overend – Fashion and love collide in an effervescent world of croquet, Campari and cocoon coats. (March)
• The Lebs by Michael Mohammed Ahmad – A provocative second work of fiction from the author of The Tribe, and the founder and director of Western Sydney’s Sweatshop. (March)
• Saudade by Suneeta Peres da Costa – A coming-of-age story set in Angola during the period leading up to the colony’s independence. (March)
• The Family Next Door by Sally Hepworth – A mysterious stranger’s arrival in Pleasant Court uncovers dark secrets within the supposedly safe suburb. (March)
• The Passengers by Eleanor Limprecht – As Sarah and her granddaughter travel from the US to Australia on a cruise ship, Sarah reveals the story of her life having left Australia in 1946 as a war bride. (March)
• What the Light Reveals by Mick McCoy – Set during the Cold War, an Australian family is accused of collaborating with the Russians and are compelled to move to Moscow. (March)
• In the Garden of the Fugitives by Ceridwen Dovey – Almost 20 years after forbidding him to contact her, Vita receives an email from her old benefactor, Royce, and a strange, unsettling correspondence begins. (March)
• The Death of Noah Glass by Gail Jones – After art historian Noah Glass is found dead in his Sydney apartment block, his adult children are shocked to discover a sculpture has gone missing from a museum in Palermo, and that Noah is a suspect. (April)
• Mother’s Day by Fiona McArthur – A new rural drama from the bestselling author of Red Sand Sunrise and Heart of the Sky. (April)
• Collected Short Fiction by Gerald Murnane – A beautifully packaged collection of short fiction from the iconic author. (April)
• Little Gods by Jenny Ackland – Ackland’s story about lost innocence and the mess of families has echoes of Australian classics Jasper Jones, Seven Little Australians and Cloudstreet. (April)
• The Fortress by SA Jones – A fierce work of feminist speculative fiction from the author of Red Dress Walking and Isabelle of the Moon and Stars. (April)
• A Sand Archive by Gregory Day – A new novel from the 2006 winner of the prestigious Australian Literature Society Gold Medal. (April)
• Bohemia Beach by Justine Ettler – Following a string of disasters, concert pianist Catherine Bell finds herself coping the only way she knows how: by picking up a drink. This is an intensely drawn portrait of addiction, passionate love and the power of art. (May)
• The Yellow Villa by Amanda Hampson – A domestic drama from the author of The Olive Sisters and The French Perfumer. (May)
• The Bridge by Enza Gandolfo – Drawing on the true events of Australia’s worst industrial accident, Gandolfo explores class and guilt in this decade-crossing work. (May)
• Bluebottle by Belinda Castles – This suspense-laden story about a domineering father’s obsession with a missing girl opens on Boxing Day, 1994 in Bilgola, Sydney. (June)
• Beautiful Revolutionary by Laura Elizabeth Woollett – Following on from her blistering story collection about bad men and the women who love them, Woollett gives readers a novel inspired by Jim Jones’s Peoples Temple. (June)
• Dinner with the Dissidents by John Tesarsch – In his latest novel, the barrister-turned-novelist takes a fascinating deep dive into the world of Soviet spies. (June)
• The Upside of Over by J.D. Barrett – This bright, contemporary novel asks what happens one of the country’s most popular identities goes from reading the news to being the news. (June)
• The Peacock Summer by Hannah Richell – The consequences of a long-ago summer are brought to light in this new work from the bestselling author of Secrets of the Tides and The Shadow Year. (July)
• The Coves by David Whish-Wilson – Set in San Francisco in 1849, this is the story of how Australians ran the city’s underworld, as seen through the eyes of a 12-year-old boy. (July)

DEBUT FICTION

• The Secrets at Ocean’s Edge by Kali Napier – A guesthouse keeper and his wife attempt to start over after they lose everything during the Depression. (February)
• Sign by Colin Dray – This story about family, illness and the back roads of Australia is told from the perspective of a mute ten-year-old boy. (February)
• Dustfall by Michelle Johnston – Two doctors, 30 years apart but each fleeing from the crashing consequences of medical error, make their separate ways to Wittenoom Hospital and find a connection through storytelling. (February)
• You Belong Here by Laurie Steed – A raw, at times heartbreaking, but ultimately hopeful meditation on what it means to be a family in modern Australia. (March)
• The Earth Does Not Get Fat by Julia Prendergast – Chelsea has left school and instead is the carer for her mother and grandfather, who suffer from depression and dementia apiece. When a parcel arrives, Chelsea finds questions about her mother and their shared past. (March)
• Spinifex & Sunflowers by Avan Judd Stallard – This unsettling debut is based on the experiences of the author, who spent three months working at Curtin Immigration Detention Centre in Western Australia. (March)
• The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris – A fictionalised account of the incredible true story of the Auschwitz-Birkenau tattooist. (March)
• The Everlasting Sunday by Robert Lukins – During the freezing English winter of 1962, the teenage Radford is sent to Goodwin Manor – a home for boys who have been ‘found by trouble’ – and must grapple with shifting group dynamics. (March)
• The Pearler’s Wife by Roxane Dhand – Set at the turn of the century, among the pearl merchants making their fortune in the ports of Western Australia. (March)
• Trick of the Light by Laura Elvery – A beguiling story collection from award-winning short story writer Elvery. (March)
• The Unexpected Education of Emily Dean by Mira Robertson – A charming and funny coming-of-age novel that takes place in rural Victoria of 1944. (March)
• The Portrait of Molly Dean by Katherine Kovacic – In this art world mystery, an unsolved murder comes to light after almost 70 years. (March)
• The Lucky Galah by Tracey Sorensen – The story of a difficult marriage in a remote coastal town of Western Australia, set against the backdrop of the 1969 moon landing. (March)
• The Ruin by Dervla McTiernan – In this much-hyped literary thriller set in Ireland, Cormac Reilly is compelled to reopen a case that he’s spend 20 years trying to forget… (March)
• The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart by Holly Ringland – Spanning two decades, set between sugar cane fields by the sea, a native Australian flower farm, and a celestial crater in the central desert.(April)
• Pink Mountain on Locust Island by Jamie Marina Lau – A subterranean noir of the most electric generation. (April)
• Watermark by Joanna Atherfold Finn – A story collection that digs into the cracks of a idyllic costal town. (April)
• The Art of Persuasion by Susan Midalia – Midalia employs a doorknocking campaign for the Greens and the plot devices of eighteenth century comedy to explore our moral right to persuade others of our opinion. (April)
• The Lace Weaver by Lauren Chater – Opening in Estonia, 1941, this is a vivid historical fiction debut about fighting for what you believe in. (April)
• The Way Things Should Be by Bridie Jabour – This novel centres on four adult siblings in the lead-up to a wedding in a country town. (May)
• Flames by Robbie Arnott – A tale of grief and love and the bonds of family that that takes us full circle as it traces a journey across the southern island. (May)
• The Making of Martin Sparrow by Peter Cochrane – In 1806, a devastating flood on the Hawkesbury River almost wipes out the young colony, dredging up secret desires in the aftermath. (May)
• The Juliet Code by Christine Wells – A historical novel packed full of spies, love, betrayal and secrets. (May)
• Afternoons with Harvey Beam by Carrie Cox – A funny, relatable story about the tangle of family life. (May)
• The Kookaburra Creek Café by Sandie Docker – A multi-generational story of three women in the small Australian town of Kookaburra Creek. (May)
• Lovesome by Sally Seltmann – A charming, romantic debut from the Australian singer-songwriter. (June)
• The Book Ninja by Ali Berg & Michelle Kalus – A witty and heartwarming novel from the founders of the Books on the Rail project. (June)
• The Nowhere Child by Christian White – White’s suspense thriller, set between Melbourne and Kentucky, was named last year’s winner of the Victorian Premier’s Literary Award for an Unpublished Manuscript. (July)
• Prize Fighter by Future D. Fidel – Draws on the author’s experiences during the eight years he spent in a Tanzanian refugee camp before being granted refugee status in Australia. (July)
• Boy Swallows Universe by Trent Dalton – A tale of love, crime, magic, fate and growing up, set in Brisbane’s violent working class suburban fringe. (July)
• The Fireflies of Autumn: And Other Tales of San Ginese by Moreno Giovannoni – This debut story collection comes from the winner of the inaugural Deborah Cass Writing Prize which is for writers from a migrant background. (July)

CRIME FICTION & TRUE CRIME

• This I Would Kill For by Anne Buist – A new thriller featuring forensic psychiatrist Natalie King, now expecting her first baby. (February)
• Redemption Point by Candice Fox – Fox’s compulsive new crime thriller sees Ted Conkaffey once again teaming up with an unlikely partner – this time the father of the girl he was accused of abducting. (February)
• Perfect Criminals by Jimmy Thomson – An action-packed and hilarious romp from the backstreets and brothels of Sydney’s Kings Cross, to the fake sincerity of Hollywood. (February)
• The Power Game by Meg & Tom Keneally – The third book of the Monsarrat series, which are co-authored by a father and daughter team. (March)
• Mine by Susi Fox – In this chilling psychological thriller, a GP has her first baby prematurely via an emergency caesarean, but when she wakes up to see him, she is adamant that he is not hers. (April)
• Live and Let Fry by Sue Williams – A new crime caper with Cass Tuplin, proprietor of the Rusty Bore Takeaway – and definitely not an unlicensed private investigator. (May)
• Into the Night by Sarah Bailey – The sequel to Bailey’s bestselling debut, The Dark Lake, once again featuring Detective Gemma Woodstock. (June)
• The Greater Good by Tim Ayliffe – Battered war correspondent John Bailey is struggling to keep in control of his life when a story breaks that will force him back into the spotlight – and into the crosshairs of a deadly international player. (May)
• The Stoccos by Nino Bucci – A true-crime book about the exploits of the notorious Stoccos, father Gino and son Mark. (June)
• The Escape Room by Megan Goldin – Four colleagues at a prestigious Wall Street investment bank get stuck in an office building elevator… and one of them is a killer. (June)
• Second Sight by Aoife Clifford – The second tangled thriller from the award-winning author. (July)
• The Other Wife by Michael Robotham – When Joe O'Loughlin is summoned to the hospital with news that his father has been brutally attacked, his world is turned upside down. Everything he thinks he knows about his parents is about to be undone. (July)

NON-FICTION

• Roar by Samantha Lane – A celebration of the wonderful characters of the AFLW and the remarkable success of the new Women’s League. (Feburary)
• Letting Go by Charlie Corke – One of Australia’s leading Intensive Care specialists shares advice on how to plan for a good death. (February)
• The Suitcase Baby by Tanya Bretherton – A shocking and devastating true crime about a string of murdered babies in Sydney of the 1920s. (February)
• Korea by Michael Pembroke – The story of the Korean peninsula with compassion for the people of the North and South, understanding and insight for the role of China, and concern about the past and present role of the United States. (February)
• Symphony of Seduction by Christopher Lawrence – Lawrence explores the romantic misadventures, tragedies and occasional triumphs of some of classical music’s great composers, and traces the music that emerged as a result. (February)
• This Time by Benjamin T. Jones – Jones looks to Australia’s Republican past and makes a case for the future. (February)
• Indigenous Transnationalism by Lynda Ng – Brings together eight essays by critics from seven different countries, each analysing Alexis Wright’s novel Carpentaria from a distinct national perspective. (March)
• Darkest Web by Eileen Ormsby – Ormsby has spent the past five years exploring every corner of the Dark Web – here is what she learnt. (March)
• Deep Time Dreaming by Billy Griffiths – Investigates a twin revolution – the reassertion of Aboriginal identity in the second half of the twentieth century, and the simultaneous uncovering of the traces of ancient Australia by pioneering archaeologists. (March)
• Skin in the Game by Sonya Voumard – The daughter of a European refugee mother and a journalist father, Voumard recounts her passionate but questioning relationship with journalism. (March)
• The Randomistas by Andrew Leigh – Leigh tells the stories of radical researchers who worked to overturn conventional wisdom in medicine, politics, business, law enforcement and more. (March)
• On Borrowed Time by Robert Manne – Manne writes on topics that have shaped our world over the last five years such as climate change, Australia’s asylum seeker policy and Wikileaks. (March)
• Reason and Lovelessnes by Barry Hill – A collection of essays, reviews, and reportage from influential writer Barry Hill. (March)
• Growing Up Aboriginal in Australia edited by Anita Heiss – This anthology brings together accounts from well-known authors and high-profile identities, alongside newly discovered voices, to reflect on lives of Aboriginal people in Australia today. (April)
• The Lost Boys by Gina Perry – The fascinating, true story of one of the most controversial psychological experiments of the modern era. (April)
• The Big Four by Stuart Kells & Ian Gow – This book looks at the history and perilous future for the ‘Big Four’ accounting and audit firms: Deloitte, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Ernst & Young, and KPMG. (April)
• Blue Collar Frayed by Jennifer Rayner – Drawing on extensive research and dozens of interviews, Rayner argues that blue-collar jobs are vital to our future economy. (April)
• The Flower Expert by Fleur McHarg – An indispensable guide to creating floral displays from one of Australia’s leading florists. (April)
• The Italian Garden by Cecilia Hewlett & Paul Bangay – The story of the project undertaken by Paul Bangay and Monash University to transform a neglected car park at the university’s Prato campus in Tuscany into a traditional Renaissance walled garden. (April)
• Romance Was Born by Anna Plunkett & Luke Sales – The fully illustrated story of one of the most successful Australian fashion houses of the last 15 years. (April)
• Axiomatic by Maria Tumarkin – A boundary-shifting fusion of thinking, storytelling, reportage and meditation. (May)
• We’ll Show the World by Jackie Ryan – The astonishing story behind Expo 88. (May)
• Break-up Boss by Zoë Foster Blake – In this empowered and positive self-help book, Zoë Foster Blake shares tools and techniques on how to deal with a break-up. (May)
• The Motherhood edited by Jamila Rizvi – Australia’s favourite women share what they wish they’d known about life with a newborn. (May)
• Monash’s Masterpiece by Peter Fitzsimons – The Allied triumph at the Battle of Le Hamel is brought to vivid life. (May)
• Australia Reimagined by Hugh Mackay – A new book from the well-known social researcher, writer and commentator. (May)
• Balancing Acts edited by Justin Wolfers with Erin Riley – A collection of non-fiction pieces from more than 20 contributors that explores women’s range of experiences with sport and sporting culture in Australia. (May)
• Headstrong Daughters by Nadia Jamal – Candid real-life stories from women torn between two cultures. (May)
• Patrick White (Writers on Writing series) by Christos Tsiolkas – Christos Tsiolkas reflects on the work and impact of Nobel Prize-winning author Patrick White. (May)
• One Last Spin by Drew Rooke – A look at the power and peril of the pokies. (May)
• Mental by Dr Steve Ellen & Catherine Deveny – In this accessibly work, psychiatrist Dr Steve Ellen and comedian Catherine Deveny combine forces to demystify the world of mental health. (May)
• Waiting for Elijah by Kate Wild – The culmination of journalist Wild’s six-year investigation into the shooting of a mentally ill young man in the NSW country town of Armidale. (June)
• Cocaine and Surfing by Chas Smith – Chas Smith digs deep into the relationship and long history of cocaine and surfing. (June)
• Enjoying Retirement: A handbook for ideas, strategies and resources by Michael Longhurst – Provides advice on how to have a full and happy life in retirement. (June)

BIOGRAPHY & MEMOIR

• We Are Here by Fiona Harari – A collection of stories from Australia’s oldest Holocaust survivors. (Feburary)
• The Last Snake Man by John Cann with Jimmy Thomson – Cann describes his life as a wildlife warrior, professor of snakes, entertainer and Olympian. (February)
• Rebel with a Cause by Jacqui Lambie – A refreshingly candid memoir from the former soldier and senator. (March)
• Crew by Mike Colman – The story of an RAAF Lancaster bomber crew shot down over France in 1944. (March)
• The Boy from Baradine by Craig Emerson – Emerson shares his experiences from the bush of Baradine, to the corridors of Canberra. (March)
• Rather His Own Man by Geoffrey Robertson – The inimitable Geoffrey Robertson charts his progress from pimply state schoolboy, to top Old Bailey barrister. (March)
• The Crappiest Refugee by Hung Le – The first memoir from Melbourne comedian Hung Le, who was one of the first Vietnamese boat people to arrive Australia. (March)
• A Wink from the Universe by Martin Flanagan – One of our most beloved sportswriters takes us behind the scenes of a football fairytale. (March)
• Finding My Place by Anne Aly – In 2016, Anne Aly became the first Australian Muslim woman, the first Egyptian-born woman and the first counter-terrorism expert to be elected to Federal Parliament. This is her first memoir. (April)
• Elizabeth Macarthur by Michelle Scott Tucker – The first full-length biography of an extraordinary woman in the colony of New South Wales. (April)
• A Scandal in Bohemia by Gideon Haigh – An unsolved murder takes one of Australia’s foremost writers of non-fiction into the 1930s Bohemian demi-monde. (April)
• The Bookshop of the Broken Hearted by Robert Hillman – A compelling and heartbreaking tale of grief and memory set in a small Victorian town in the 1960s. (April)
• Lillian Armfield: Australia’s First Female Detective by Leigh Straw – The story of Australia’s first female detective, as well as a colourful account of Sydney crime in the 1920s. (April)
• The Essence of You and Me by Kada Miller & Barney Miller – An inspiring true story of love and resilience can change everything. (April)
• My Ikaria by Spiri Tsintziras – An inspiring memoir about a family’s move to Greece, complete with recipes. (April)
• The Pastor and the Painter by Cindy Wockner – An intimate look at the case of Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran, executed by firing squad in Indonesia for drug trafficking. (April)
• Two Generations by Anne Connor – Connor examines a devastating event in her family’s past, and unravels the repercussions of it throughout her lifetime. (April)
• A Certain Light by Cynthia Banham – In her family memoir, Banham asks the difficult questions about family and about survival. (April)
• Bridge Burning and Other Hobbies by Kitty Flanagan – A wild and vivacious collection of cautionary tales from one of Australia’s favourite and most multi-talented entertainers. (April)
• The Wasp and the Orchid by Danielle Clode – The biography of a remarkable woman – Edith Coleman was famous in her life time as an Australian nature writer and naturalist, but has since been largely forgotten. Clode plans to change this. (April)
• Girls at the Piano by Virginia Lloyd – A memoir about how learning the piano shaped the lives of two women worlds and generations apart. (April)
• A Mother’s Choice by Elle Halliwell – Journalist Elle Halliwell made headlines when she was faced with an impossible choice: to continue with the pregnancy of her first child or begin treatment for leukaemia. (May)
• Miss Ex-Yugoslavia by Sofija Stefanovic – A memoir about growing up between the lunacy of Yugoslavia’s civil war and suburban Australia. (May)
• Butterfly on a Pin by Alannah Hill – The Australian fashion designer describes how she overcame adversity to build her internationally recognised brand. (May)
• Staying by Jessie Cole – A revealing and heartbreaking memoir about a tragedy that occurred in the author’s adolescence. (May)
• The Dead Still Cry Out by Helen Lewis – The author attempts to reconstruct her father’s experiences of WWII. (June)
• The Long, Dark Night by Behrouz Boochani – Journalist and refugee Behrouz Boochani has written a series of powerful articles in the Guardian while imprisoned on Manus Island, now brought together in the one book. Essential reading. (June)
• Ten Steps to Nanette by Hannah Gadsby – A memoir from the much-loved comedian that explores themes covered by her groundbreaking show, Nanette. (June)
• Eggshell Skull by Bri Lee – Lee shares her experiences of the Australian legal system – as the daughter of a police prosecutor, a law student, a Judge’s Associate, and as a complainant in a child sex offence investigation. (June)
• A Man Called Yarra by Stan Yarramunua with Robert Hillman – The story of Yorta Yorta man Stan ‘Yarra’ Yarramunua, an artist, musician, businessman and charity worker. (June)
• Out of the Forest by Gregory Smith – The moving story of a man who lived in near-total isolation for 10 years, before returning to society – and why. (June)
• Imperfect by Lee Kofman – Kofman’s new work of creative non-fiction examines life with an imperfect body, and what that means. (July)
• The Power of Hope by Kon Karapanagiotidis – In his first book, the founder of the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre argues that by putting community, love and compassion at the centre of our lives, we have the power to change our world. (July)

POETRY

• Sea of Strangers by Lang Leav – The third collection famed from Instagram poet Lang Leav. (January)
• The Alarming Conservatory by Corey Wakeling – Wakeling’s second collection continues his inquiry into language and the spatial architectures of history and culture. (February)
• The Water Bearer by Tracy Ryan– An intimate collection from novelist, short story writer, and former research scientist Ryan. (February)
• João by John Mateer – A sequence of 64 sonnets that describes the encounters of the author’s alter-ego, João, as he travels across the globe. (March)
• False Claims of Colonial Thieves by Charmaine Papertalk Green & John Kinsella – Papertalk Green and Kinsella call into question what we think we know about our country, colonisation, land and identity. (March)
• Lasting Lines by Jamie Grant – A quirky and unusual work that looks at 100 of the world’s best poets. (March)
• Interval by Judith Bishop – This will be the first new collection in a decade from Bishop, who also works as a translator and linguist. (March)
• The Hijab Files by Maryam Azam – Azam’s poems in this book take the mysteries of the hijab as their object of scrutiny. (April)
• and my heart crumples like a coke can by Alison Whitelock – A playful and smart debut collection from an exciting emerging voice. (April)
• Flood Damages by Eunice Andrada – A fiery collection from the Filipino performance poet which explores themes associated with immigration and inheritance. (May)
• Sun Music by Judith Beveridge – Beveridge’s forthcoming collection brings together new and selected poems from across her impressive career. (both in May)
• Satan Repentant by Michael Aiken – Aiken wrote this single book-length poem under the mentorship of David Malouf. (June)
• Viva The Real by Jill Jones – A tenth collection from Jones, who won the Mary Gilmore Prize for her first book of poetry back in 1993. (July)
• Newcastle Sonnets by Keri Glastonbury – A new collection from Glastonbury, a Senior Lecturer in Creative Writing at the University of Newcastle. (July)

COOKBOOKS

• Sticky Fingers, Green Thumb by Hayley McKee – McKee presents 60 recipes that demonstrate how to use vegetables, herbs and edible flowers in cakes and other sweet snacks. (March)
• Naked for Satan – Features recipes, stories and photographs from the beloved Fitzroy foodie destination. (April)
• CIBI by Meg and Zenta Tanaka – A book on home-style Japanese cooking, inspired by the eponymous Melbourne café and design space. (April)
• Tried, Tested and True by Liz Harfull – Harfull brings together stories and recipes celebrating the traditions of Australian community cookbooks. (April)
• Flavours of Australia – A beautiful cookbook that includes dishes from the best restaurants, cafes, producers and hotels across all our states and territories. (April)

PICTURE BOOKS

• I Remember by Joanne Crawford & Kerry Anne Jordinson – Set in the Geraldton area of Western Australia, an elderly woman remembers the camping trips of her childhood. (February)
• In the City I See by Tori-Jay Mordey – The third title of Magabala’s ‘Young Art’ board book series that showcases young Indigenous artists. (Feburary)
• The Feather by Margaret Wild & Freya Blackwood – A story about hope, kindness and redemption set in a grey dystopian world. (February)
• The Silver Sea by Alison Lester and Jane Godwin – Journey beneath the waves in this magical adventure created by young people at the Royal Children’s Hospital Melbourne together with two much-loved Australian authors. (February)
• Grandma Z by Daniel Gray – When Grandma Z roars into town on her motorcycle, Albert is swept up in a very extraordinary adventure. (March)
• Mr Mo Starts to Grow by Laura Stitzel – An adorable story about imagination, friendship and growing up from a new author-illustrator. (March)
• Bird to Bird by Claire Saxby & Wayne Harris – A gentle story of nature, history, recycling and art. (March)
• Over is Out by Lachlan Creagh & Sarah Creagh – An adventure that involved dinosaurs and cricket and also, is a sneaky lesson in prepositions. (March)
• The Hole Story by Kelly Canby – When a small boy finds a hole he snaps it up, only to realise that having a hole in your pocket is not always a good thing to have… So he sets off to find someone who will love it. (March)
• Alfred’s War by Rachel Bin Salleh & Samantha Fry – Unmasks the lack of recognition given to Australian Indigenous servicemen who returned from the WWI battlelines. (May)
• Naughty Pups! and Rainbow Pups! by Sophie Beer – Two adorable board books from one of our favourite local artists. (April)
• Love makes a Family by Sophie Beer – A beautiful celebration of rainbow families. (May)
• Rhyme Cordial by Antonia Pesenti – A fun, new take on wordplay from the bestselling illustrator. (May)
• The Truth About Penguins by Meg McKinlay & Mark Jackson – A zany romp that plays with the fine line between fact and fiction in the animal world. (June)
• Waves by Donna Rawlins, Mark Jackson & Heather Potter – A collection of reflective and timely migration stories. (June)
• Cicada by Shaun Tan – The story of a cicada who works in an office, and all the people who don’t appreciate him. (July)
• Wren by Katrina Lehman & Sophie Beer – A bright and beautiful picture book about a sensitive little boy. (July)

JUNIOR & MIDDLE FICTION

• Indigo Blue by Jessica Watson – World-renowned Australian sailor Jessica Watson turns her hand to writing in this sweet and slightly magical story about new friendships and small town mysteries. (January)
• Hounds and Hauntings (Rose Raventhorpe Investigates Book 3) by Janine Beacham – Panic and superstition sweeps the city of Yorke in the third book in this hilarious gothic mystery series. (January)
• Grace on the Court by Maddy Proud – A sporty children’s novel from professional netballer Maddy Proud. (February)
• The Troll Heart (The Witching Hours Book 2) by Jack Henseleit – Anna and Max are swept up in the mystery of a vanishing boy and a sinister river when they travel to England in the second instalment of the spooky The Witching Hours series. (February)
• Lintang and the Forbidden Island (Lintang Book 2) by Tamara Moss – Plucky sea-adventurer Lintang is back, in a desperate search for Captain Shafira and headed for the treacherous island of Allay. (February)
• Quark’s Academy by Catherine Pelosi – A trio of budding young scientists investigate weird goings-on at the prestigious Quark’s Academy, employing adventurous methods and inventions that are equal parts sci-fi and scientific reality. (February)
• The Endsister by Penni Russon – Chaotic family life and an intriguing ghost story combine in this tale of a family who inherit a mansion on the other side of the world. (February)
• A-Z of Australian Animals by Jennifer Cossins – A beautifully illustrated hardback anthology of 26 of Australia’s most fascinating animals. (March)
• Turtle Trackers by Samantha Wheeler – A third thrilling eco-adventure about Australia’s endangered animals from the author of Mister Cassowary and Wombat Warriors. (March)
• Missing by Sue Whiting – When Mackenzie Da Luca’s mother goes missing in the jungles of Panama, her father is despierate to find out what’s happened to his wife – and Mackenzie is desperate to make sure he doesn’t. (March)
• Ice Wolves (Elementals Book 1) by Amie Kaufman – Twins Anders and Rayna find themselves on different sides in the animosity between ice wolves and scorch dragons in the first fantasy book for younger readers by Illuminae Files co-author Kaufman. (March)
• Cave Bear Mountain (Tarin of the Mammoths Book 3) by Jo Sandhu – Despite tragic news from home and a family revelation, Tarin and his friends, twins Kaija and Luuka, must rescue their kidnapped wolf cubs in this gripping Stone Age adventure. (March)
• Break Your Chains (The Freedom Finders Book 1) by Emily Conolan – The first book in an interactive adventure series. This book allows children to step into the shoes of an Irish girl making her way from London to Australia in 1825. (March)
• How to Win a Nobel Prize by Barry Marshall, Lorna Hendry & Bernard Caleo – A funny, fascinating adventure story for ages 9 to 12, co-written by an actual Nobel Prize winner. (April)
• The Extremely Weird Thing that Happened in Huggabie Falls by Adam Cece & Andrew Weldon – Normal comes unexpectedly to the undeniably weird town of Huggabie Falls, and it falls to Kipp and his friends to bring back the weird status quo in this funny and unpredictably bizarre adventure. (April)
• The Orchard Underground by Mat Larkin – Strange events and deep mysteries are afoot in the small town of Dunn’s Orchard, and it’s up to Pri, odd new girl Attica, and enigmatic Slotcar to save the day. (April)
• Brindabella by Ursula Dubosarsky & Andrew Joyner – A lyrical and unforgettable story about a boy and the untameable wildness of a hand-reared joey. (April)
• The Weird Beard (Bab Sharkey and the Animal Mummies Book 1) by Andrew Hansen & Jessica Roberts – Comedian Andrew Hansen’s first children’s book is all about beards and Animal Mummies! (May)
• George Parker goes Global by David Metzenthen – Super-clever George Parker teams up with super-rich Chase Landon-Bond on an international adventure to rescue Chase’s sister. (June)
• Dark Emu (Junior edition) by Bruce Pascoe – A junior edition of Pascoe’s ground-breaking non-fiction work in which he argues against the ‘hunter, gatherer’ label that so many Australians associate with the history of Aboriginal people. (June)
• The Peacock Detective by Carly Nugent – A search for missing birds results in Cassie discovering a much deeper family mystery in this warm story about change and identity. (June)
• The 104-Storey Treehouse by Andy Griffiths and Terry Denton – A brand-new madcap Treehouse adventure. (July)
• The Mulberry Tree by Allison Rushby – A spooky mystery set in a small village in Cambridgeshire, England. (July)

YOUNG ADULT

• Between Us by Clare Atkins – The story of two teenagers separated by cultural differences, their parents’ expectations and twenty kilometres of barbed-wire fence. (Feburary)
• Palace of Fires by Bill Bennett – The first book of a new fantasy series that sees a young girl join a clandestine organisation whose mission is to battle modern-day witchcraft. (February)
• Tin Heart by Shivaun Plozza – After Marlowe gets a heart transplant, she hopes that this means she can stop being ‘the dying girl’. But her second chance at life is about to take an unexpected turn… (March)
• If I tell you by Alicia Tuckerman – A heartfelt queer romance set in in rural Australia. (March)
• White Night by Ellie Marney – A brand-new crime mystery from the author of the popular Every series. (March)
• Obsidio by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff – The third and final instalment of The Illuminae Files. (March)
• P is for Pearl by Eliza Henry-Jones – Eliza Henry-Jones’s first YA novel explores grief, the power of storytelling and familial relationships. (March)
• Paris Syndrome by Lisa Walker – A charming, funny and poignant novel about love and all things French. (April)
• Waterhole by Fiona Bell – Grief, first love and new beginnings in a town tainted by tragedy. (April)
• Neverland by Margot McGovern – Described as a ‘love letter to adventure’, this novel is an original take on the boarding school narrative that explores the boundaries between reality and fantasy. (April)
• Small Spaces by Sarah Epstein – A tense thriller with an imaginary friend who may not be imaginary. (April)
• Amelia Westlake by Erin Gough – Two very different teenage girls come up with a grand feminist hoax to bring down their elite school, and end up falling for each other. (April)
• Whisper by Lynette Noni – A gritty psychological thriller that takes a serious look at mental illness. (May)
• LIFEL1K3 by Jay Kristoff – Unnervingly sexy androids and a gutsy scavenger heroine cross paths in this highly original, explosive new science fiction series. (May)
• Bonesland by Brendan Lawley – A wild ride through the small-town agonies of adolescence: sex, drugs, love and hip hop. (May)
• The Buried Ark by James Bradley – The second book of Bradley’s thrilling dystopian series. (June)
• Changing Gear by Scot Gardner – A boy heads off on a road trip to clear his head before his final school exams. (June)
• Brontide by Sue McPherson – The much-loved author of Grace Beside Me returns with a candid story about four boys. (June)
• The Art of Taxidermy by Sharon Kernot – This heartbreaking verse novel sees a young girl grieving the death of her mother and finding comfort in her fascination with taxidermy. (July)
• Just Flesh and Blood by Jane Caro – The final book in the popular Queen Elizabeth I trilogy. (July)
• Hive by A.J. Betts – Set underwater, this is the first book of a tense duology from Betts that has echoes of Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale. (July)
• Mercy Point by Anna Snoekstra – The first YA novel from award-winning crime writer Anna Snoekstra. (July)
• Wraith by Shane and Alex Smithers – Fast-paced, action-packed cli-fi set in regional NSW that will keep readers on the edge of their seats. (July)