Angela Crocombe
Angela Crocombe is the Readings Prize and Readings Foundation coordinator and a senior buyer for Readings Kids. She is also the author of two books on sustainable living, A Lighter Footprint: A Practical Guide to Minimising your Impact on the Planet and Ethical Eating: How to Make Food Choices That Won’t Cost the Earth.
Review — 31 Jul 2023
Leaf-light by Trace Balla
This graphic novel is brimming with fascinating details, beginning with the front endpapers. Narrated by 12-year-old Miri, we learn about her community, which includes her next-door neighbour Wingo, his extended…
Review — 3 Jul 2023
Very Bad People by Kit Frick
There are a number of bad people in this pacey, dark thriller set in the world of academia. The fun is undoubtedly figuring out who the bad people are in…
Blog post — 5 Jul 2023
Favourites from our Magabala collection
During the month of July we are delighted to have a special offer on some of the best children's books from Australia’s leading First Nations publishing house, Magabala Books.
Aboriginal…
Review — 30 May 2023
What’s For Dinner? by Jill Griffiths
This nonfiction account by journalist and self-confessed food-obsessive Jill Griffiths is a deep dive into some of the biggest issues around agriculture, food production and food consumption in our increasingly…
Review — 25 May 2023
The Luis Ortega Survival Club by Sonora Reyes
I loved this new book by the author of The Lesbiana’s Guide to Catholic School that champions a neurodiverse protagonist. Ariana Ruiz is autistic and mostly non-verbal at school. She…
Review — 25 May 2023
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D Taylor
First published in 1976 and winner of the Newbery Medal, this is a potent story of a tight-knit African American family experiencing prejudice and racism in Mississippi in the 1930s…
Blog post — 18 May 2023
New and recommended children's books in May
We have so many delightful new Australian books to celebrate this month, beginning with our Book of the Month, the gorgeous new picture book by artist, Kat Macleod. There’s also…
Blog post — 18 May 2023
New and recommended young adult books in May
As the weather turns rapidly colder, consider snuggling up with a blanket, a cup of tea and one of these thrilling new releases. A new solo release from bestselling New…
Review — 24 Apr 2023
Starberries and Kee by Cate Whittle
This novel is described by the publisher as ‘solarpunk’ – climate fiction focused on an optimistic, not dystopian, vision of the future. The world a few generations ahead is enticingly…
Blog post — 28 Apr 2023
Memorable mums in children's literature
As we look forward to another Mother’s Day, we’ve been reflecting on some of our most unique and iconic mums in children's books. Maybe they made us laugh, or made…