Borderland by Graham Akhurst

Borderland by Graham Akhurst Borderland by Graham Akhurst (UWA Publishing $22.99) “I thought of songlines and creation story pathways. I wondered what ancient knowledges, Laws, and songs lay across that land. ‘And this is where they will be mining?’ I asked”. (Borderland) It seems as though everyone is reading Graham Akhurst’s debut Borderland, an atmospheric YA […]

One Song by A.J. Betts

One Song by A.J. Betts (published Pan MacMillan) Author Interview with A.J. Betts about her YA novel One Song for Joy in Books at PaperbarkWords blog I think that One Song is original and highly memorable. Why do you think this is so? One Song is unlike anything I’ve written before, or anything I’ve read. […]

Fleur Ferris and Seven Days

Fleur Ferris, Seven Days & other books “It blows my mind to think what we do today matters – not just to us, but to those who come after us, to those who aren’t even born yet. It can impact someone one hundred years from now.” (Seven Days) All of Fleur Ferris’ novels (published Penguin […]

Let’s Never Speak of This Again by Megan Williams

Let’s Never Speak of This Again by Megan Williams Winner of the Text Prize (Published by Text) HONOUR BOOK CBCA 2024 Book of the Year: Older Readers Inside the CBCA Shortlist Inside the 2024 CBCA Shortlist Inside the 2024 Notable Books Guest author post by Megan Williams about Let’s Never Speak of This Again for […]

Completely Normal (and Other Lies) by Biffy James

Completely Normal (and Other Lies) by Biffy James (published Hardie Grant Children’s Publishing) Completely Normal (and Other Lies) is shortlisted in the CBCA 2023 Book of the Year Older Readers category. Inside the CBCA Shortlist Inside the 2023 CBCA Shortlist Inside the 2023 Notable Books “The jealousy I felt was familiar and comforting, so I […]

NIGHT LIGHTS by Sarah Epstein

NIGHT LIGHTS by Sarah Epstein Sarah Epstein is the awarded author of YA thrillers Small Spaces, Deep Water and now Night Lights. *********** Night Lights is another gripping read and is shortlisted in the 2023 Davitt Sisters in Crime awards. It is also a finalist in the Aurealis awards. Thank you for speaking to Joy […]

What We All Saw by Mike Lucas

What We All Saw by Mike Lucas Inside the CBCA Shortlist Inside the 2023 CBCA Shortlist Inside the 2023 Notable Books What We All Saw by Mike Lucas (published Penguin Random House Australia) What We All Saw is a high-stakes tale of friendship, risk and danger. It is well balanced with thought-provoking themes. It defies […]

GLIMPSE by jane higgins

GLIMPSE by Jane Higgins ‘FINDING THE WORLD OF GLIMPSE‘ Guest author post at PaperbarkWords blog by Jane Higgins Glimpse is a story about earthquakes and what might happen if some of us could see them coming. The world of Glimpse comes from my own experience of a series of earthquakes that rocked my city of […]

Tulips for Breakfast by Catherine Bauer

Tulips for Breakfast by Catherine Bauer Q&A with Catherine Bauer for Paperbark Words by Joy Lawn Thank you for speaking to Joy in Books at PaperbarkWords, Catherine! You have several interesting titles based around the history of war. How is your latest novel, Tulips for Breakfast different from some of your other books? Hi Joy and thanks for […]

inside the cbca 2023 shortlist

INSIDE THE CBCA 2023 SHORTLIST The Children’s Book Council of Australia (CBCA) Shortlisted Books for 2023 has been announced. Follow the links to those books I have already reviewed, or interviewed the author or illustrator, on the blog. I will add to this list until the winners are announced in August. Also see the 2023 […]