Wild Darling by Alexandra Moody

Wild Darling by Alexandra Moody (HarperCollins Australia) ‘Something about her expression hit me square in the chest. She never smiled or laughed when I was around. The way her eyes were sparkling now felt like discovering a rare hidden treasure. The thought stopped me short. Did I actually like making her laugh? She shook her […]

Suzy Zail & A New Kind of Beautiful

Suzy Zail & A New Kind of Beautiful (Walker Books Australia) “I want to be brave. But I just dropped the Wild Thing tag and I don’t need a new story: The Adventures of Brave Girl.” (A New Kind of Beautiful) Author Interview: Suzy Zail Suzy shares her thoughts about A New Kind of Beautiful […]

The Escape Game by Marissa Meyer & Tamara Moss

The Escape Game by Marissa Meyer & Tamara Moss Published by Penguin Books ‘Not that long ago, she would’ve said that her favorite thing was getting into the rhythm of the room, absorbing the puzzles. But now? “The people,” she said. “It’s so nice being around others who are as obsessed with escape rooms as […]

Terrible Tails: The Last Sipper by Adin Milo

Terrible Tails: The Last Sipper written & illustrated by Adin Milo (Berbay Publishing) “Nestled in a valley of mountains and surrounded by forests, the Terrible Tail Tavern sits along Old King’s Road … in the kingdom of Austerra.” (Terrible Tails: The Last Sipper) The Last Sipper is the first book in Adin Milo’s ‘Terrible Tails’ […]

EIGHTY-NINE QUESTIONS FOR AFTER by Ashleigh Barton

EIGHTY-NINE QUESTIONS FOR AFTER by Ashleigh Barton Lothian Children’s Books Ashleigh Barton writes about her wise, compassionate middle-grade novel, Eighty-nine Questions for After for Joy in Books at Paperbark Words blog Eighty-nine Questions After – Unanswerable Questions Guest author post by Ashleigh Barton Eighty-nine Questions for After centres around Ester Star’s list of unanswerable questions. […]

Poppy Makes Pockets by Jemima Parker, ill. Karen Erasmus

Poppy Makes Pockets by Jemima Parker, ill. Karen Erasmus Publisher: EK Books Jemima Parker writes about her debut picture, Poppy Makes Pockets for Joy in Books at Paperbark Words blog Walking without pockets: The inspiration behind Jemima Parker’s debut picture book, Poppy Makes Pockets. When my niece was young, we loved to go walking. Long, […]

The Extraordinarily Wonderful Cassandra Golds

The Extraordinarily Wonderful Cassandra Golds: Life, Love and Books Cassandra shares her life, love and books with Joy in Books at Paperbark Words blog The story of my books is really the story of my life—or at least, the story of my inner life. And that’s why my books are about brave mice and romantic […]

Being Indy by Zoe Gaetjens & Estee Sarsfield

Being Indy by Zoe Gaetjens & Estee Sarsfield Published by WestWords Children’s But Percival had rules. He couldn’t let just anyone cross the bridge. Only certain types were allowed. If folks were too different, there would be chaos. They would squabble. Tease. Bicker. (Being Indy) Being Indy by Zoe Gaetjens, illustrated by Estee Sarsfield is […]

The Stolen Bairn by Katrina Macdonald Roe

The Stolen Bairn by Katrina Macdonald Roe Published by Riveted Press Guest author post by Katrina Macdonald Roe about The Stolen Bairn for Joy in Books at Paperbark Words blog Ancient faery tales grow like trees and fall from Skye Usually, my ideas for stories grow slowly, like trees. They start with a seed, which can take months or even years […]

Of Flame and Fury by Mikayla Bridge

Of Flame and Fury by Mikayla Bridge INSIDE THE CBCA 2026 SHORTLIST (Macmillan Australia) “Though she’d loved those stories, they weren’t the real reason she’d latched on to Savita – at least, not in in recent years. Something about Savita’s immortality made Kel feel safe in a way that nothing else could. No matter what […]