Great young adult fiction from First Nations authors
It's NAIDOC week! Although we love to celebrate First Nations authors all year round, now is a great time to highlight just some of the amazing contributions they have given to the young adult book world – including new books that we're excited to see come out later this year. There's fantasy, spec-fic, contemporary and more!
The Upwelling by Lystra Rose
Three misfits. Two warring spirits. One chance to save the world. Kirra is the great-granddaughter of a certified crazy person, and her terrible dreams are coming true; when an end-of-the-world nightmare forces her to surf where her brother was killed, she time-slips into a dangerous yet freeing place. Narn is the son of a well-respected Elder and holds an enviable role in his saltwater clan. Though he bears the marks of a man, many treat him like an uninitiated boy, including the woman he wants to impress. Tarni is the daughter of a fierce hunter and the custodian of a clever gift. Somehow, she understands Kirra when no-one else can. But who sent this unexpected visitor: a powerful ancient healer or an evil shadow spirit?
When death threatens all life, can a short-sighted surfer, a laidback dolphin caller, and a feisty language unweaver work together to salvage our future?
Liar’s Test (The Silverleaf Chronicles, Book 1) by Ambelin Kwaymullina
Bell Silverleaf is a liar. It's how she's survived. It's how all Treesingers have survived since they were invaded by the Risen and their fickle gods. But now Bell is in the Queen's Test – she's one of seven girls competing in deadly challenges to determine who will rule for the next twenty-five years. If Bell wins, she'll have the power to help her people and take revenge on the Risen. But first she has to make it through the challenges alive.
She doesn't know how much she's been lied to, or where she fits in a bigger story, a mystery stretching back generations. And she's facing much bigger dangers than the Queen's Test. She's up against the gods themselves.
The Skin I’m In by Steph Tisdell
Layla is in her final year of school. It's the last year to make sure that the next major phase of her life begins correctly, because she's got big plans. All Layla wants to do is fit in and be a normal teenager but when her troubled cousin Marley comes to stay, he unwittingly challenges everything she thought she was. Plus she's trying to work out what it means to be Indigenous, she's falling in love and her best friend, Amy, has a new best friend.
Steph Tisdell's words sparkle with humour, depth and authenticity in this extraordinary debut novel which explores cultural and personal expectations and responsibilities. The Skin I'm In will be released on July 30th, so make sure you grab a copy!
I’m Not Really Here by Gary Lonesborough
When 17-year-old Jonah arrives in a new town – Patience – with his dad and younger brothers, it feels like a foreign place. A new town means he needs to make new friends, which isn't always easy. Especially when he's wrestling with his body image, and his memories of his mother.
When he joins the local footy team so he can spend more time with his new crush, Harley, he feels like he's moving closer to something good. But even though he knows what he wants, it doesn't mean he's ready.
Emotionally compelling, honest and featuring warm and authentically vulnerable characters, I'm Not Really Here is a beautiful novel from an internationally acclaimed bestselling Indigenous author, about navigating family and friendships, and finding a way through grief towards love. I'm Not Really Here will be released on September 3rd – in the meantime, you can pick up one of Gary Lonesborough's other books.
Burn by Melanie Saward
When a tragic bushfire puts two kids in hospital, Indigenous teenager Andrew knows the police will come after him first. But Andrew almost wants to be caught, because at least it might make his dad come and rescue him from suburban Brisbane and his neglectful mother.
Growing up in small-town Tasmania, Andrew struggled at home, at school, at everything. The only thing that distracted or excited him was starting little fires. Flames boosted his morale and purified his thoughts, and they were the only thing in his life he could control. Until one day things got out of hand, and Andrew was forced to leave everything behind.
Now as the police close in and Andrew runs out of people to turn to, he must decide whether he can put his faith in himself to find a way forward.
Borderland by Graham Akhurst
Jono, a city-born Indigenous teenager, is trying to figure out who he really is. Life in Brisbane hasn’t exactly made him feel connected to his Country or community. After graduating, Jono and his best friend Jenny score gigs at the Aboriginal Performing Arts Centre and an incredible opportunity comes knocking – interning with a documentary crew. Their mission? To promote a big government mining project in the wild western Queensland desert. The catch? The details are sketchy, and the land is rumoured to be sacred. But who cares? Jono is stoked just to be part of something meaningful. Plus, he gets to be the lead presenter!
Life takes a turn when they land in Gambari, a tiny rural town far from the hustle and bustle of the city. Suddenly, Jono’s intuition becomes his best guide. He’s haunted by an eerie omen of death, battling suffocating panic attacks, and even experiencing visions of Wudun – a malevolent spirit from the Dreaming. What’s the real story behind the gas mining venture? Are the documentary crew hiding something from Jono? And could Wudun be a messenger from the land, fighting back against the invasion?
Living on Stolen Land by Ambelin Kwaymullina
Living on Stolen Land is a prose-styled look at our colonial-settler ‘present’. This book is the first of its kind to address and educate a broad audience about the colonial contextual history of Australia, in a highly original way. It pulls apart the myths at the heart of our nationhood, and challenges Australia to come to terms with its own past and its place within and on ‘Indigenous Countries’.
This title speaks to many First Nations’ truths; stolen lands, sovereignties, time, decolonisation, First Nations perspectives, systemic bias and other constructs that inform our present discussions and ever-expanding understanding. This title is a timely, thought-provoking and accessible read.
Tell Me Why for Young Adults by Archie Roach
‘There are many Australian stories, and mine is just one about what happened to me and other First Peoples of this country. It’s important for me to tell my story – because it’s not just part of my healing but of this country’s as well. We all have a story and as you read this book I would like you to think of your own story, what that means and who is also a part of your story.’
In his inspirational, highly acclaimed memoir Archie Roach tells the story of his life and his music. Only two when he was forcibly removed from his family, and brought up by a series of foster parents until his early teens, Archie’s world imploded when he received a letter that spoke of a life he had no memory of. It took him almost a lifetime to find out who he really was.
