Australian Book Threads @AusBookThreads

Our Home, Our Heartbeat By Briggs *️⃣*️⃣*️⃣*️⃣ Beautifully illustrated by Kate Moon & Rachael Sarra, this vibrant, lyrical celebration of Aboriginality introduces young children to iconic Black Australian artists, activists, musicians, athletes & political figures.

keyboard_arrow_left Previous keyboard_arrow_right Next

The Animals In That Country By Laura Jean McKay *️⃣*️⃣*️⃣*️⃣ Timely, ambitious and dark. A flu sweeps across Australia, giving sufferers the ability to converse with animals. Jean, who works at a wildlife park, finds herself on a family rescue mission across an apocalyptic landscape.

Metal Fish, Falling Snow By Cath Moore *️⃣*️⃣*️⃣*️⃣*️⃣ Her mother’s gone, and it’s all Dylan’s fault. Now her Mum’s boyfriend Pat is driving her across rural Australia, towards the Guyanese blood family she has never known, and a Blackness she fears. And the water keeps calling her.

Respect By Aunty Fay Muir & Sue Lawson (Ill, Lisa Kennedy) *️⃣*️⃣*️⃣*️⃣*️⃣ An exquisitely illustrated, evocative rendering of what is meant by respect of First Nations people, land, story, and self. This gorgeous book is a must-read for households Australia wide.

Living on Stolen Land By Ambelin Kwaymullina *️⃣*️⃣*️⃣*️⃣ A sharp, uncompromising, bold poetic manifesto - urging Australia to reckon with the past, and work towards a decolonised present.

Catch A Falling Star By Meg McKinlay *️⃣*⃣*⃣*⃣ Young adult fiction set in 1979, as Skylab space station falls to a small town in Australia. Frankie and her little brother Newt will steal your heart.

From Here On, Monsters By Elizabeth Bryer *️⃣*️⃣*️⃣ Cameron, an antiquarian bookseller, suddenly comes upon a mysterious codex. In the process of decoding it, life folds in on itself, as colonial history, art theory and contemporary politics collide. A complex and ambitious debut.

Hitch By Kathryn Hind *️⃣*️⃣*️⃣*️⃣ Amelia's on the road: hitchhiking across the country, running from the past, searching for something. But the road itself isn't always safe, and sometimes, danger follows you. A haunting, lyrical, atmospheric debut about the boundaries of consent.

Listurbia By Carly Cappielli *️⃣*️⃣*️⃣*️⃣ Listurbia is a clever, boldly stylised experimental novella written in lists; a contemporary urban ghost story; a western Sydney tale about loneliness, anxiety, loss, and the loops our minds can turn, when left alone to grieve.

Highway Bodies By Alison Evans *️⃣*️⃣*️⃣*️⃣ Peak Horror YA. 3 diverse groups of young Aussies find themselves in the midst of a zombie apocalypse, where growing up and stepping up means being honest about your feelings, grabbing the spade, and protecting what you have. Rec age 14-19.

Young Dark Emu By Bruce Pascoe *️⃣*️⃣*️⃣*️⃣💫 Pascoe uses the diaries of early explorers and colonists to dismantle colonial myth-making about Aboriginal Australia. Beautifully designed and meticulously and age-appropriately adapted from the adult edition. Rec age 11-14, unassisted.

Ella and the Ocean By Lian Tanner & Jonathan Bentley *️⃣*️⃣*️⃣*️⃣💫 Ella lives where the earth is 'dry as old bones', and has never seen the ocean. Her family don't understand her obsession - except Gran, who helps realise her dreams. Emotive writing. Vivid illustrations. Magical.

Detention By Tristan Bancks *️⃣*️⃣*️⃣*️⃣ Life's not easy, but Dan's mostly okay at the van park, and great at fending for himself. When he finds Sima, hiding in the school toilet blocks, he knows she's escaped from the detention centre. Now, the decisions he makes will alter lives.

Peta Lyre's Rating Normal By Anna Whateley *️⃣*️⃣*️⃣💫 High school's hard for Peta Lyre, but the coffee and tablets help - and power hugs from best friend Jeb. New girl Sam arrives, and Peta starts to ponder if 'rating normal' really matters. A poignant story celebrating difference.

Sweatshop Women, Vol 2 Ed. Winnie Dunn *️⃣ *️⃣ *️⃣ *️⃣ *️⃣ With stunning razor-sharp prose, and poetry that makes you gasp involuntarily, this collection of stories by women from Indigenous, migrant and refugee backgrounds contains consistently brilliant writing. Absolute gamechanger.

Nice Girls Don't Play Footy By Kathy Helidoniotis *️⃣ *️⃣ 💫 Devi Sharma's the star of her Mum's Bollywood dance studio, and their sure bet for the upcoming competition. When she falls in love with AFL at her new school, she finds it increasingly harder to conform to expectations.

Stone Sky Gold Mountain By Mirandi Riwoe *️⃣ *️⃣ *️⃣ *️⃣ Ying and Lai Yue arrived in the harsh Australian goldfields ferrying hope, resolve, and ghosts. This is the colony, seen through a new historical fiction gaze. Brilliant characterisation. Well structured, poetic, and engaging.

Through The Smoke By Phil Cummings *️⃣ *️⃣ *️⃣ *️⃣ Three kids set out for the ancient Castle of Everdell, where they joust, swing and wade with glee. On the way home, childsplay turns to bush flame, as a dragon wakes. A vivid, evocative musing on climate and imagination.

Penny Wong: Passion & Principle By Margaret Simons *️⃣ *️⃣ *️⃣ 💫 Meticulously researched, if uncomfortably unauthorised. This book really sings where it veers away from assumptive analysis, and simply bystander-sketches the intriguing powerhouse enigma that is Penny Wong.

Violet & Nothing By Fiona Burrows *️⃣ *️⃣ *️⃣ *️⃣ Violet's a small girl with big ideas. One day she asks the question: "What is nothing?" and sets boldly out to find the answer. She asks family; searches the library; privately ponders. A delightful picture book for the thinking kid.