There’s a stunning young adult anthology out this month. Eat the Sky, Drink the Ocean is a collaboration between editors Kirsty Murray (The Year It All Ended), Anita Roy and Payal Dhar, featuring speculative fiction (including six graphic stories) from Australian and Indian authors. From the Australian contingent we’ve got Isobelle Carmody (Obernewtyn), Penni Russon (Only Ever Always), Justine Larbalestier (Razorhurst), Margo Lanagan (Sea Hearts), Alyssa Brugman (Alex As Well) and Kate Constable (Crow Country), as well as graphic novelist Nicki Greenberg (Hamlet), Melbourne-based comic artist Mandy Ord (Rooftops), and an artist whose intricate work sends shivers down my spine, Lily Mae Martin. This is a truly exciting package.

There’s frequently this big gap between what parents hope their teenagers are thinking (such as: This is a good life, I’m loved, I have a bright future) and what teenagers are actually thinking (such as: I hate myself, I’m alone, No one understands me). Sometimes young adult fiction is a way of bridging this gap. This year’s issue is teen suicide, which I’ve seen crop up in a number of blurbs so far. All The Bright Places is already a NY Times bestseller, and now comes young adult hard-hitter Gayle Forman with I Was Here. Our reviewer, Katherine Dretzke, from the Hawthorn shop, says: ‘I must admit, originally I thought, ‘not another teen suicide book,’ but this one was very different to what I imagined. Not only does it have a slight psychological thriller aspect, it tackles far more than suicide, looking into family life, first love, and the large role that the internet can play in our lives.’ (Read the full review here.)

I was completely blown away by Dianne Touchell’s second young adult novel, A Small Madness, which is about two teenagers who fall in love, accidentally get pregnant, and end up spiraling blindly down a path that is incredibly confronting. In Touchell’s hands this story is tender and chilling; her writing is unique and simply arresting. I loved it.

Another wonderfully lyrical young adult author is Sue Saliba, whose new novel For The Forest of A Bird is set between North Fitzroy and Phillip Island. Saliba beautifully explores the quest of a young girl who is confronting the truth about her dysfunctional family.

For readers of around 9-12, some excellent series continue this month. Our Australian Girl expands to include Alice Pung with Meet Marly, the first in a four-book set about a young Vietnamese refugee growing up in the 1980s. And in the companion series Do You Dare, which places boy characters from different periods of Australian history in a very pacy story, there’s Jimmy’s War (1916) and Eureka Boys (1854). And for those children who are looking for something witty and illustrated like Wimpy Kid there’s the start of a new series by Mac Barnett called The Terrible Two, which is about a master prankster.

I don’t want to alarm you with my wild raving but Dory Fantasmagory is the best book I’ve read for 5-9 years olds in a long time. Author-illustrator Abby Hanlon has created the most wonderful character in Dory – parents, you will love her – and the way the words and pictures work together is just right for this age. It’s also terrifically funny.

The new cover art for the Harry Potter books was done by Jonny Duddle who is also an author in his own right, with several successful picture books under his belt. Now he’s expanded into junior fiction with a new illustrated adventure series about young pirates, which kicks off with Ghostly Galleon. Or if cowboys are more your child’s cup of tea, try Leroy Ninker Saddles Up by the fantastic storyteller Kate diCamillo. We’re also really keen on stories about the quirky, determined Katie Woo, and she has two new ones out: Katie Woo Loves School and Katie Woo and Her Big Ideas. All of these are ideal for 6+.

There’s great fun for pre-schoolers with some new Hervé Tullet board books. In The Good Morning Game you can draw a funny face on your finger and use it in the story. There’s also the mix-and-match option with The Game of Tops and Tails, or try The Trail Game for developing concentration and hand-eye coordination.

Wordless picture books like The Umbrella find fans in both children and adults. Children have that innate ability to interpret the visual clues and let the narrative form quietly in their heads, and will often surprise you with what they’ve noticed that you may have overlooked. And then on the other end of the scale there’s the joy of a new Aaron Blabey picture book that’s begging to be read aloud, noisily! Thelma the Unicorn is about being careful what you wish for and appreciating yourself just the way you are, as well as the important things in life, like friendship.

And, finally, you may have missed this important picture book in the mad Christmas rush: The Legends of Moonie Jarl is an anniversary edition of the first Aboriginal children’s book to be published, in 1964.

Emily Gale