Book of the Year shortlist for younger readers
August & Jones, by Pip Harry
Eleven-year-old Jones Kirby has just moved to Sydney from her farm in country New South Wales. She's missing her alpacas and wide-open paddocks and can't get used to her family's tiny city apartment. She's also worried that her vision is blurry - she lost her eye to cancer as a toddler. Could it be another tumour? Enrolling at her new school, Jones meets shy, awkward August Genting. He loves fun facts, the library and knitting as much as Jones loves rock climbing and being outdoors. Who would have thought they'd become fast friends? At home, August's parents are fighting. And for Jones, the news from the doctor is not good. To cheer themselves up, the pair hatch a brilliant plan: the August and Jones Must-See Bucket List. Together, this brave duo will set out to meet a rare monkey, run across the Harbour Bridge and even climb Australia's highest mountain. After all, with your best friend beside you, anything is possible! |
Evie and Rhino, by Neridah McMullin
A young girl with a tragic past and a rhinoceros facing life in captivity form an unlikely and magical bond after a fateful storm and a shipwreck bring them together. A moving tale about love, connection and the healing power of friendship. 1891 On a stormy night off the coast of southern Australia, a ship transporting a cargo of exotic animals tosses and turns in enormous seas. Rhino senses they are in grave danger. Not far away, ten-year-old Evie and her grandfather shelter in their crumbling, once-grand old home. They know too well how deadly storms can be. When all is calm, Evie treks over the dunes to the sea and makes a discovery that will change her life, and Rhino’s, forever. Will the tragedies of their pasts finally be put to rest? Borrow on the Inaburra eLibrary |
The raven's song, by Zana Fraillon and Ben MacDibble
Shelby and her best friend Davy live quiet low-tech lives in a closed community that is made up of exactly three hundred and fifty kind, ethical people living on exactly seven hundred hectares. When they climb through a hole in the perimeter fence to venture into the surrounding jungle, what they find is more astonishing than anything they could have imagined. And when Shelby realises the terrible danger that is unfolding, it will take all of her daring and determination to ensure the past does not repeat itself. Borrow on the Inaburra eLibrary |
Runt, by Craig Silvey
Annie Shearer lives in the country town of Upson Downs with her best friend, an adopted stray dog called Runt. The two share a very special bond. After years evading capture, Runt is remarkably fast and agile, perfect for herding runaway sheep. But when a greedy local landowner puts her family's home at risk, Annie directs Runt's extraordinary talents towards a different pursuit - winning the Agility Course Grand Championship at the lucrative Krumpets Dog Show in London. However, there is a curious catch: Runt will only obey Annie's commands if nobody else is watching. With all eyes on them, Annie and Runt must beat the odds and the fastest dogs in the world to save her farm. Borrow on the Inaburra eLibrary |
The way of dog, by Zana Fraillon
Scruffity is born into the harsh, grey world of a puppy farm. Taken from his mamma and locked in a concrete cage, what he yearns for most is Family. To belong is The Way of Dog. But no one wants him. Just as his chances of adoption grow dangerously thin, Scruffity is set free by a boy as unwanted and lonely as he is. Outside, Scruffity learns all about The Way of Dog – it is to run, to dig, to howl and, biggest of all, to love. But when tragedy strikes, Scruffity is suddenly all alone. How does a dog find his way home when he never had one to begin with? Borrow on the Inaburra eLibrary |
Xavier in the meantime, by Kate Gordon
Sometimes Xavier wakes up feeling hopeless. Every new doctor … this will fix it. Removing him from school … this will fix it. The therapy group … this will fix it. And his dad moving out. Maybe, this will fix it. His daily affirmations seem to be helping, yet the black dog never really goes away. But Xavier has a plan. Enlisting the help of best friend Aster, he tries to convince his dad to turn the family hogget farm into a therapy retreat for the group session kids. But he is up against decades of tradition, his parents who are on a “break,” and the spectre of the black dog. Can Xavier learn to cherish the moments in between the struggles—the moments in the meantime? Companion to 'Aster's Good, Right Things'. |
Picture Book of the Year shortlist
Dirt by sea, by Tom Jellett
Daisy lives in inland Australia with her dad and her grandparents. It’s home, and she loves the red dirt land around her. But when her dad realises that she’s never seen the beach and thinks the Australian anthem is about a country ‘dirt by sea’, he sets off to show her the ocean in a once-in-a-lifetime father-daughter trip along the Australian coast, inspired by the first holiday he took with Daisy's mum. Along the way they will learn about Australia and much, much more. |
Farmhouse, by Sophie Blackall
Step inside the dollhouse-like interior of Farmhouse and relish the daily life of the family that lives there, rendered in impeccable, thrilling detail. Based on a real family and an actual farmhouse where Sophie salvaged facts and artefacts for the making of this spectacular work, page after page bursts with luminous detail and joy. |
Frank's red hat, by Sean E Avery
A story about never giving up on your talents, because even though what you do may not be appreciated right now, it may be in time. Possibly by someone you’d least expect. Frank is a penguin with ideas. Mostly terrible ones. That’s why his fellow penguins are nervous when he shows them his strange new creation. Something they’d never seen or expected to see in their cold and colourless Antarctic world — a red hat. |
My strange shrinking parents, by Zeno Sworder
It goes without saying that all children believe their parents to be strange. Mine were unusual for a different reason… One boy’s parents travel from far-off lands to improve their son’s life. But what happens next is unexpected. What does it mean when your parents are different? What shape does love take? And what happens when your parents sacrifice a part of themselves for you? |
Our dreaming, by Dub Leffler
Goodjagah, little one, walk with me... I want to tell you our Dreaming as the Elders told it to me |
Paradise sands: A story of enchantment,
by Levi Pinfold Washed clean in his pool, we fall under his rule Away from what is, for we are now his. When a young girl and her brothers step into the ghostly Paradise Sands hotel, they fall under the rule of the mysterious Teller. She makes a deal with him to free them all from his haunting paradise. But can she hold up her side of the bargain? |
CBCA Award for new illustrator
Australia: From dawn to dusk,
illustrated by Brentos It’s a new day in Australia. Let’s follow the sun! Wake up with kookaburras on Arakwal Country (Byron Bay), bask with wombats on wulinantikala (Cradle Mountain), watch black and red cockatoos flying over Anangu Country, scratch the Daintree Rainforest floor with cassowaries on Kuku Yalanji Country, and go to sleep as quokkas wake up on Whadjuk Noongar Country (Rottnest Island). |
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Tiny wonders, illustrated by Sally Sowoel Han
April thinks if her town was a colour, it would be grey. Everyone is too busy to stop and look around. How can she help them slow down? When she remembers the happiness that dandelions brought her grandmother, April comes up with a plan... |
There's no such book, illustrated by Jake A. Minton
It's the night before the Book Week parade and Ellie announces that she needs a costume by the morning. Mum, who is taken by surprise, desperately tries to piece together a costume from what’s lying around the house … They went into the bathroom. ‘Hmm,’ said Mum. ‘Don’t I remember once reading you a book about a monster whose skin looked like it was made of bright green towels?’ ‘No,’ said Ellie. ‘There is no such book.’ Ellie heads to bed only with Mum's promise that she’ll have a costume sorted by the morning. Mum stays true to her word, but perhaps not in the way that Ellie was hoping. |
We are Australians, illustrated by Jandamarra Cadd
For those born in Australia, it’s easy to take citizenship and its responsibilities for granted. But there is much more to being an Australian citizen than having a passport and the right to vote. |
Book of the year shortlist for early readers
Bev and Kev, by Katrina Germein and illustrated by Mandy Foot
Bev is tall and Kev is small. An unlikely pair! Could this be the beginning of a very big friendship? A heart-warming tale about learning to love yourself and the value of a true friend. |
Jigsaw: Puzzle in the post, by Bob Graham
“Oh, let’s do it!” say Kitty and Katy and Mum when a thousand-piece jigsaw puzzle mysteriously arrives in the post. “I have time on my hands,” agrees Dad. Starting in winter with the edges, by autumn they’re almost done, only to discover that one piece is missing. Mum is sure that it must have accidentally gone out with the rubbish, so the Kellys pile into the car to comb through the local tip (“shouldn’t take long”). There they uncover forgotten letters, train tickets, discarded newspapers, and old photos yellow with age, but finding the missing piece is starting to seem like wishful thinking. “Let’s wish, then,” says Katy. |
Lionel and Me, by Corinne Fenton and illustrated by Tracie Grimwood
When Lionel arrives, Maverick is unimpressed. Is there enough love to go round for the two of them? |
Market day, by Carrie Gallasch and illustrated by Hannah Sommerville
When a girl is given a coin to spend at the market, she thinks carefully about what to buy. She is tempted by the towering stacks of fruit, spinning rides and glass jars filled with sweets. But it isn’t until a stranger gives something to her, without expecting anything in return, that she knows exactly what to do with her coin. |
Snap!, by Anna Walker
Tap, tap tap … Frog thinks there’s no one else in the forest, but you never know what’s just around the corner… |
Where the lyrebird lives, by Vikki Conley and illustrated by Max Hamilton
High in the mountains through the sleepy clouds. Deep in the forest past the chiming birds. Will we see the lyrebird? I don’t know. Tip-toe, tip-toe. The beauty of the Australian rainforest and the magic of family-time come together in this lyrical and delightful story of intergenerational connection, habitat and adventure. |
We have also been promoting the KOALA awards, where young readers choose the books that they think deserve a prize. Here are the KOALA shortlists...
Older readers shortlist
You can borrow these books on the Inaburra eLibrary...
Funny kid: Prank wars
Kensy and Max: Breaking news
Runt
Funny kid: Prank wars
Kensy and Max: Breaking news
Runt
Younger readers shortlist
You can borrow these books on the Inaburra eLibrary...
Real pigeons fight crime
Real pigeons fight crime
Picture books shortlist
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