Cuckoo’s Flight by Wendy Orr

Cuckoo’s Flight (Allen & Unwin) is the third in Wendy Orr’s lauded novels for young people set in Ancient Crete. Thank you for speaking to PaperbarkWords, Wendy. The creation of your three companion novels Dragonfly Song, Swallow’s Dance and Cuckoo’s Flight is a truly remarkable achievement. Did you always intend to write more than one […]

The Tree by Graeme Base

Graeme Base is one of Australia and the world’s foremost picture book creators, renowned for Animalia and The Waterhole, amongst other treasures. His new book, The Tree (Puffin Books) is a fable. It begins timelessly, “This is the story of …” The tale is perfectly formed and elegantly illustrated to show the tree as a […]

The Forest of Moon and Sword by Amy Raphael

“I am your mother and I want to make your life less painful in any way I can. Your journey will ebb and flow, like a river searching for the sea. You will not, I know, be dragged under. Like any journey, it will begin with the first step. You will meet your guides along […]

The Stolen Prince of Cloudburst by Jaclyn Moriarty

Inside the CBCA Shortlist Russell Prize for Humour Writing for Young People “For several years – decades actually – Spellbinders have been worried about the oceans.” (The Stolen Prince of Cloudburst) It is such a pleasure to return to Spindrift in the Kingdom of Storms in Jaclyn Moriarty’s new book, The Stolen Prince of Cloudburst […]

The Grandest Bookshop in the World by Amelia Mellor

“Despite the heat she shivered. This wasn’t … foreboding anymore – the nervous feeling that warned her of trouble. It was the sense that she had already made a wrong turn somewhere, and was in deep trouble already.” (The Grandest Bookshop in the World) Amelia Mellor is an impressive new talent. Her first middle-fiction […]

Where the Dragons Live by Serena Geddes

Where the Dragons Live is Serena Geddes’s new picture book. It is published by Aladdin (Simon & Schuster) and is a companion story to Rosie and Rasmus. Thank you for speaking to PaperbarkWords, Serena. You’re welcome and thank you for being so patient waiting for my reply. What is your background in children’s books, illustration […]

Pierre’s Not There by Ursula Dubosarsky & Christopher Nielsen

Pierre’s Not There is full of wonder. It is a memorable and ground-breaking new story for 8-12-year-olds by Ursula Dubosarsky (published by Allen & Unwin). As well as being imaginative and relatable, it has a bold structure – the narrative becomes a puppet play. When I heard about this book, I was desperate to read […]

Fly & The Lost Library by Jess McGeachin

Fly, written and illustrated by Jess McGeachin (published by Puffin Books) has been shortlisted for the 2020 CBCA Awards for New Illustrator. This award aims to recognise and encourage emerging Australian book illustrators. Jess’s second picture book, The Lost Library has also recently been published. Thank you for speaking to PaperbarkWords, Jess. You’re very welcome! […]

Hollowpox & the Magical Jessica Townsend

I was privileged to interview Jessica Townsend about her new book Hollowpox: the Hunt for Morrigan Crow, third in the Nevermoor series of nine books (Hachette Australia), in time for today’s book publication. I have outlined her responses here. Thanks for speaking with PaperbarkWords, Jessica. Hollowpox is a magical sounding title. But what is it […]

The Silver Arrow by Lev Grossman

“But somehow Kate didn’t feel scared. Instead she felt as happy as she ever had in her life. Like something in her was being released, too. Like her brakes were finally coming unstuck. This was it. This was the something she’d been waiting for.” (The Silver Arrow) The Silver Arrow by New York Times best-selling […]