South with the Seabirds by Jess McGeachin Author/illustrator Interview at PaperbarkWords “They came at last to an island at the edge of the world.” (South with the Seabirds) South with the Seabirds is another excellent book by Jess McGeachin. It tells a surprising tale about Macquarie Island and its history. Distinguished by Jess’s research, […]
Read More South with the Seabirds by Jess McGeachinHow To Free A Jinn by Raidah Shah Idil How To Free A Jinn is Raidah Shah Idil’s middle fiction fantasy debut. It is published by Allen & Unwin. How To Free A Jinn, A Love Letter: Guest Author post by Raidah Shah Idil When I first migrated from Singapore to Sydney, it was a tough transition. […]
Read More How To Free A Jinn by Raidah Shah IdilSmoke & Mirrors by Barry Jonsberg Author Interview at PaperbarkWords “ ‘I want to be a magician,’ I said. ‘That’s what I want to be. It’s all I want to be. I don’t know if I can earn a living from it. Maybe I can’t. But when I think about the future, that’s what I […]
Read More Smoke & Mirrors by Barry JonsbergThe Impossible Secret of Lillian Velvet by Jaclyn Moriarty (Allen & Unwin) “ ‘And what is this world?’ I asked. ‘It’s called the Kingdoms and Empires. It’s like our world, only more old-fashioned. Plus they have magic. The main thing to remember is that Shadow Mages are good and Spellbinders can bind Shadow Magic. Genies […]
Read More The Impossible Secret of Lillian Velvet by Jaclyn MoriartyThe Lorikeet Tree by Paul Jennings The Lorikeet Tree by Paul Jennings (published in Australia by Allen & Unwin and by Old Barn Books in the US) is nominated for the highly prestigious 2024 Yoto Carnegie Medal for Writing. This extraordinary middle-fiction (middle-grade) novel only solidifies Paul Jennings’s outstanding reputation. Some of his previous books […]
Read More The Lorikeet Tree & the Carnegie MedalThe Drowning by Bryan Brown (published by Allen & Unwin) Author interview with Bryan Brown The Drowning is a compulsive, gritty crime novel with plenty of dry Australian humour. It grabs your attention from the start because it is so easy to read. It has a large cast of male and female characters. We are […]
Read More Bryan Brown Interview ‘The Drowning’Tiger Daughter by Rebecca Lim (Allen & Unwin) Book review by Joy Lawn When young teen Wen Zhou is stalked by two men at night, in Tiger Daughter by author and lawyer Rebecca Lim, she is caught between fear and rage. She is the daughter of Chinese immigrants and has been given a boy’s name because “it’s bad […]
Read More Tiger Daughter by rececca LimThe Raven’s Song by Zana Fraillon & Bren MacDibble Inside the CBCA Shortlist Inside the 2023 CBCA Shortlist Inside the 2023 Notable Books The Raven’s Song by Zana Fraillon & Bren MacDibble (published by Allen & Unwin) The Raven’s Song is shortlisted and is an Honour Book in the CBCA 2023 Book of the Year […]
Read More The Raven’s Song by Zana Fraillon & Bren MacDibbleLast-Place Lin by Wai Chim, illustrated by Freda Chiu Published by Allen & Unwin “Last-Place Lin. Last-Place Lin. Last-Place Lin. At first, I say the words in my head, then I chant them. My feet match the rhythm.” (Last-Place Lin) Author Interview with Wai Chim Thank you for speaking about Last-Place Lin with Joy in […]
Read More Last-Place Lin by Wai Chim, illustrated by Freda ChiuHoney 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 […]
Read More Honey and the Valley of Horses by Wendy Orr
