Protector of Beyond by Shara Curlett

Protector of Beyond by Shara Curlett (Penguin Books) “ ‘Today, you will have the honour of touching an Oath Stone,’ Charleston announces. ‘For those of you who produce a spark, you will leave this realm forever, entering into a training programme to fulfil your lifelong duty as a Protector of Beyond.’ ” (Protector of Beyond) […]

Darkest Night, Brightest Star by Barry Jonsberg

Darkest Night, Brightest Star by Barry Jonsberg (Allen & Unwin) INSIDE THE CBCA 2026 SHORTLIST “ ‘Think about this,’ Dad said. If you are to be the brightest star, like Diego Maradona, then you must go through the dark bits first. The practice. Working hard even when you don’t want to. You understand?’” (Darkest Night, […]

Wild Darling by Alexandra Moody

Wild Darling by Alexandra Moody (HarperCollins Australia) ‘Something about her expression hit me square in the chest. She never smiled or laughed when I was around. The way her eyes were sparkling now felt like discovering a rare hidden treasure. The thought stopped me short. Did I actually like making her laugh? She shook her […]

Suzy Zail & A New Kind of Beautiful

Suzy Zail & A New Kind of Beautiful (Walker Books Australia) “I want to be brave. But I just dropped the Wild Thing tag and I don’t need a new story: The Adventures of Brave Girl.” (A New Kind of Beautiful) Author Interview: Suzy Zail Suzy shares her thoughts about A New Kind of Beautiful […]

The Escape Game by Marissa Meyer & Tamara Moss

The Escape Game by Marissa Meyer & Tamara Moss Published by Penguin Books ‘Not that long ago, she would’ve said that her favorite thing was getting into the rhythm of the room, absorbing the puzzles. But now? “The people,” she said. “It’s so nice being around others who are as obsessed with escape rooms as […]

The Extraordinarily Wonderful Cassandra Golds

The Extraordinarily Wonderful Cassandra Golds: Life, Love and Books Cassandra shares her life, love and books with Joy in Books at Paperbark Words blog The story of my books is really the story of my life—or at least, the story of my inner life. And that’s why my books are about brave mice and romantic […]

Of Flame and Fury by Mikayla Bridge

Of Flame and Fury by Mikayla Bridge INSIDE THE CBCA 2026 SHORTLIST (Macmillan Australia) “Though she’d loved those stories, they weren’t the real reason she’d latched on to Savita – at least, not in in recent years. Something about Savita’s immortality made Kel feel safe in a way that nothing else could. No matter what […]

The Belly of a Wolf by Julianne Negri

The Belly of a Wolf by Julianne Negri (UWA Publishing) “Musty books, ink-scratched drawings black and white with gashes of red. Look, it’s us, Wolf gasped. inhaling the pages. Hunting different versions of the story. Rummaging dog-eared collections of fairytales. Searching columns on contents pages, hungry for our title. In op shops, secondhand bookshops, the […]

Inside the 2026 CBCA Shortlist

INSIDE THE CBCA 2026 SHORTLIST WINNERS see Winners and Honour awards The Children’s Book Council of Australia (CBCA) Shortlisted Books for 2026 have been announced from the Notables list. Follow the links to those books I have already reviewed, or interviewed the author or illustrator, at PaperbarkWords blog. I will add to this list until the winners […]

Inside the 2026 CBCA Notable Books

The Children’s Book Council of Australia (CBCA) Notable Books for 2026 have been announced. Follow the links to those books I have already reviewed or interviewed the author or illustrator at PaperbarkWords blog. NB Once the shortlist is announced, I will add reviews and interviews on the Inside the 2026 Shortlist page on the blog until the winners are […]