The Gaps by Leanne Hall

“Yes. I can almost hear the thoughts of every single girl in my year level. We’re all scared, of almost everything.” (The Gaps) Leanne Hall is such a star writer. If her debut YA novel, This is Shyness, was her only book, she would still go into the annals of Australian YA literature. But […]

The Enigma Game by Elizabeth Wein

“Do I look like a fool-fool country gal? Is that because I’m only fifteen? Or because I’ve left school without finishing? Because I’m not doing a skilled job? Or is it just because I’m from Jamaica? (Louisa in The Enigma Game) I knew The Enigma Game by Elizabeth Wein (Bloomsbury, 2020) was going to be […]

Of Boys and Boats by Ian Trevaskis

I was first aware of Ian Trevaskis’s writing through his picture book Edge of the World (illustrated by Wayne Harris). This is a superb work. Ian’s new novel for young people, Of Boys and Boats (Ford St) is a very special book based on the author’s own early years in Geelong. Set in 1956 during […]

Instant Karma by Marissa Meyer

“I believe I’m a good person. But what if I’m not?” (Instant Karma) Marissa Meyer is a #1 New York Times bestselling author and one of my favourite international YA writers. She is based in Washington. I reviewed her novels Heartless and The Renegades trilogy in the Weekend Australian: Heartless is an excellent imagining of […]

Ruby Tuesday by Hayley Lawrence

“Everything is quiet in the forest. For the first time in years, I don’t dream of falling when I close my eyes. No, I dream of flying.” (Ruby Tuesday) Ruby Tuesday is a thoughtfully composed tale about Ruby who lives in a forest near a small Australian town with her disabled mother. They are both […]

The F Team by Rawah Arja

“You’re an Arab from Punchbowl. No one will believe you.” (The F Team) The F Team is a compelling new YA novel set mainly in Western Sydney by Rawah Arja (published by Giramondo). It is impossible to put down because of its portrayal of a visceral masculinity and physicality inhabited by authentic, lively characters. It […]

The Other Side of the Sky by Amie Kaufman & Meagan Spooner

The Other Side of the Sky is another stunning collaboration between Amie Kaufman & Meagan Spooner. It is published by Allen & Unwin. It is a dual narrative featuring a duel between science and magic. It traverses power and politics, climate change, romance, identity, prophesy, colour, music and light. Thank you for speaking to PaperbarkWords, […]

Tribal Lores by Archimede Fusillo

“But you’re from different tribes, Frankie. Us and them, we’re from different places mentally, historically, geographically, you know. It courses in our blood, all that stuff our parents brought over with them from the old country, even if we were born here. It’s part of who we are, good or bad.” (Tribal Lores) Archimede Fusillo […]

Breathless by Jennifer Niven

“You were my first. Not just sex, although that was part of it, but the first to look past everything else into me.” (Breathless) Not only is Jennifer Niven one of the most highly regarded and popular writers of YA literature in the world, she is one of the most lovely and charming people you […]

The Boy Who Steals Houses by C.G. Drews

Inside the CBCA Shortlist “I had nowhere to go, he wants to say. I’m the boy of nothing and nowhere. I’m invisible and forgotten, a thief of dust and cobwebs and house keys.” (The Boy Who Steals Houses) The Boy Who Steals House by C.G. Drews (Orchard Books/Hachette Australia) has been nominated for the prestigious […]