This month we had a visit from Penguin publisher Lisa Riley, who spoke about the joys of publishing books for tiny babies through to young adults. There are a variety of skills needed for the job, ranging from focusing on minor details of text and covers through to making big picture decisions about what books to publish and looking at publishing trends. She said she loves the journey of each project.

We also got a sneak peak at an exciting new title from a debut Sydney author that will be simultaneously published with the US in June next year.

Written by Alicia Jasinski, it’s called The Dark Tide and is a fantasy novel set in the island city of Caldella where the Witch Queen takes a male sacrifice each year on St. Walpurga’s Eve. Sixteen-year-old Lina is convinced her brother will be the next sacrifice and formulates a plan to protect him, but when her plan goes horribly wrong, she finds herself imprisoned by the Queen instead. As the date of the full moon approaches and the tides rise around the island, demanding a sacrifice, Lina and the Queen find themselves dealing with an impossible decision.

We are all very keen to get our hands on a copy of this dark fantasy that sounds like it has equal thrills and romance. Stay tuned for our thoughts on it next year.

This month the teens also read The Surprising Power of a Good Dumpling by Wai Chim and universally loved it. Read some of their thoughts below.

Teen reviews of The Surprising Power of a Good Dumpling by Wai Chim

‘A true coming of age story about an strong independent 16-year-old girl who fights to keep her family together, despite the invisible forces that wish to tear them apart.’ – Chenuli Halgamuge

‘Discussing mental illness without romanticising it is never an easy feat – however Wai Chim manages this with ease, weaving a little bit of light humour when things get heavy. This book is bound to take you on a journey, from cringes to tears to laughs. After reading this book you can be sure of one thing: the surprising power of a good dumpling!’ – Carolyn Zhang