Honey and the Valley of Horses by Wendy Orr

Honey and the Valley of Horses by Wendy Orr (published by Allen & Unwin) Wendy is the acclaimed author of many books for different age-groups throughout childhood to young adult. Personal favourites are her Ancient Crete trilogy: Dragonfly Song (winner of a Prime Minister’s Literary Award – of which I was a judge!), Swallow’s Dance […]

Jessica Au & Cold Enough for Snow

Jessica Au wins the 2023 Prime Minister’s Literary Award for Fiction. Cold Enough for Snow (Giramondo Publishing) wins another literary prize. Congratulations! Read my interview with Jessica Au and other panellists at Brisbane Writers Festival 2023. Jessica Au, Susan Johnson, Anne Casey-Hardy & Ianto Ware at BWF 2023 It was great to be moderating sessions […]

Nightbirds by Kate J. Armstrong

Nightbirds by Kate J. Armstrong Author Interview ‘I’ll tell you another secret … about Simta. Everyone in this city wears a mask. They pretend they’re someone braver, smarter, more cunning: whatever mask best suits them. Wear it well and no one will see you – not the real you. They’ll only see what you want […]

Sensitive by Allayne L. Webster & IBBY

Book award season has begun! IBBY Australia congratulates Allayne L Webster and Asphyxia whose respective books Sensitive and Future Girl have been selected for the 2023 IBBY international catalogue of outstanding books for young people with disabilities. These books were selected from the following Australian nominations. The ten titles nominated by IBBY Australia are: The […]

Two Can Play That Game by Leanne Yong

Two Can Play That Game by Leanne Yong (published by Allen & Unwin) Review and author interview “I want to create something that makes people gasp in revelation with each new level.” (Two Can Play That Game) ***** Book Review Review of Two Can Play That Game by Joy Lawn in Magpies magazine, March 2023 […]

BERANI by Michelle Kadarusman

BERANI by Michelle Kadarusman (published by Allen & Unwin) Everything Michelle Kadarusman writes is thoughtful, original and important. Music for Tigers (I also reviewed for The Australian) Girl of the Southern Sea The Theory of Hummingbirds Michelle tells us more about her latest middle-fiction novel, Berani, at PaperbarkWords blog: Environment, conservation and how we interact […]

THE SUN WALKS DOWN

THE SUN WALKS DOWN by Fiona McFarlane (Allen & Unwin) Literary fiction review I was privileged to write an advance review about The Sun Walks Down for Books + Publishing (content now unlocked). Here is my additional review for PaperbarkWords blog, with a focus on sun gods, colonisation and art. The Sun Walks Down by […]

RUNT by Craig Silvey, ill. Sara Acton

Runt by Craig Silvey, illustrated by Sara Acton (published by Allen & Unwin) Author interview with Craig Silvey “’I just wanted to tell you that I don’t think Runt is afraid. In fact, he looks like a very brave dog indeed. For a long time he didn’t have anyone. And then you found each other, […]

Iceberg by Claire Saxby, illustrated by Jess Racklyeft

Iceberg by Claire Saxby, illustrated by Jess Racklyeft Inside the CBCA Shortlist Author & Illustrator Interview Inside the 2022 CBCA Shortlist Inside the 2022 CBCA Notable Books “In the pale morning an iceberg calves – shears from a glacier and plunges to the ocean in a haze of sparkle-frost. The iceberg is flat-topped, sharp and […]

Walking in Gagudju Country by Diane Lucas & Ben Tyler, illustrated by Emma Long

Walking in Gagudju Country by Diane Lucas & Ben Tyler, illustrated by Emma Long Inside the CBCA Shortlist Inside the 2022 CBCA Shortlist Inside the 2022 CBCA Notable Books Walking in Gagudju Country: Exploring the Monsoon Forest Walking in Gagudju Country is an informed and warm invitation to walk into Gagadju (Kakadu). The authors, Diane […]