Category Archives: Title

When Dark Worlds Rise

4 October, 2026 Editor-in-Chief

by Zena Shapter

Sala knows it’s dangerous to leave. Outside the secret shack where she and her friends have been hiding, foraging among the burnt-out ruins of a raided land, heartless scavengers will kill for any technology they find. Vicious tree cats stalk the night for prey. And giant water-ants have overrun Palude’s carnivorous-tree swamps. But when the love of her life needs help, Sala has no choice but to trade everything they possess for his freedom.

She’s not the only one making decisions of course. As ecosystems collapse, and everyday life fractures, desperate leaders will risk everything for Continue reading When Dark Worlds Rise →

Title

Coming Out at the End of the World

4 October, 2026 Editor-in-Chief

by Ben Ryan

Hi, I’m Alex. Welcome to the end of the world.

Have you ever had a secret so big you’d rather the world just ended than having to tell anyone?

Alex has one. Then the world actually ended!

When his city is overrun by the undying — reanimated, bloodthirsty corpses — Alex realises that simply surviving the apocalypse is not enough. To truly live, he must finally come out to his tough and distant big brother, Brody, before it’s too late.

But it’s not exactly the kind of thing you bring up while dodging death, fighting your way through hordes with a huge, living-dead beast on your trail. Then Alex glimpses a boy with a beautiful smile out there, all alone in a world full of monsters and he knows… If he stays silent, he’ll be no better than Continue reading Coming Out at the End of the World →

Title

Stuff

18 June, 2026 Editor-in-Chief

Written by Jen Sherrington and
illustrated by Hélène Magisson

Morri is chuffed when Birdee gives him stuff. Having stuff is fun!

Morri looks up to those with lots of stuff. He looks down on those with less stuff. Morri wants more stuff because he thinks he doesn’t have enough. Morri wants better stuff. Morri wants space to stuff piles of stuff. Will Morri ever have Continue reading Stuff →

Title

Animal Force

27 May, 2026 Editor-in-Chief

Written by Cerise Madsen and
illustrated by Sally Heinrich

Animal Force is a magical wildlife adventure packed with fun, danger and epic animal powers!

It was supposed to be the best birthday ever — camping on Ember Island with marshmallows under the stars and plenty of beach games. Instead twins Leo and Kelly have just found out they’re adopted. They’ve started having weird snowy dreams about icy forests. And a powerful magic begins to spark within them. This will be no ordinary birthday. Kelly wants answers. Leo wants everything to go back to normal. Too bad normal is gone.

Soon they’re knee-deep in mangrove mud, dodging danger, outsmarting bullies, and launching Continue reading Animal Force →

Title

Fearless Finn

24 May, 2026 Editor-in-Chief

Written by Kristin Martin and
illustrated by Lauren Mullinder

When a dragon causes havoc with her fiery breath, farm boy Finn sets out to defeat her. He follows her trail of destruction past swarms of hungry bees, up the glacier-covered mountain to the dragon’s cave. There, Finn discovers that Continue reading Fearless Finn →

Title

Girls Like

23 April, 2026 Editor-in-Chief

Written by Katrina Germein and illustrated by Deb Hudson

Dance feet
Dare feet
Fast feet
Bare feet

Vibrantly illustrated by Deb Hudson, award-winning author Katrina Germein’s gorgeous Girls Like is a joyous celebration of all the ways to be a girl. Continue reading Girls Like →

Title

Audrey Skips

3 February, 2026 Editor-in-Chief

Written by Andrea Rowe and illustrated by Lisa Coutts

Bright and shiny Audrey loves to skip a jump rope rhyme, right off her rooftop and through the sleeping streets of a city. Skittering across the skyline and peering in windows, Audrey spies folks struggling with hard times as her own light dims. With a little help from city friends, Audrey’s light and her hopeful spirit shine again, brighter than ever.

Andrea Rowe and Lisa Coutts come together to create a story about community and kindness, legacy and conservation. Audrey Skips is a tribute to The Skipping Girl, Melbourne’s first neon sign and a Continue reading Audrey Skips →

Title

Dirt Trap

4 November, 2025 Editor-in-Chief

by Michael Burge

Journalist James Brandt lives in a brittle truce with his partner Dylan and his family, never talking about the homophobic attacks he exposed in his rural hometown, including the brutal death of a beloved cousin twenty years ago.

But this illusion of peace is ripped apart by the start of the state’s historical gay-hate crime inquiry, and the reappearance of Continue reading Dirt Trap →

Title

Windy Washing Day

1 September, 2025 Editor-in-Chief

Written by Yvonne Low and
illustrated by Kate Talbot

How an ordinary day becomes extraordinary…

It’s a dry, sunny day and perfect for hanging out the laundry. But what happens when an unexpected wind pulls the washing off the line and carries it next door — to the Zoo! Will the animals give up their new-found clothes and can all the washing be returned safely? Continue reading Windy Washing Day →

Title

The Giant

1 August, 2025 Editor-in-Chief

Written by Sophie Masson and
illustrated by Lorena Carrington

On the day the giant wakes from a long sleep, he’s filled with joy at the thought of seeing his friends in the town again. But he’s slept so long that nobody remembers him, everyone hides from him, and his joy turns to a sadness that might engulf the whole town —

Until he hears the voices, calling to him…

A beautiful, touching story of memory, inclusion and friendship, by the award-winning creative duo of writer Sophie Masson and illustrator Lorena Carrington, whose previous Continue reading The Giant →

Title

Where Shall We Travel Today?

1 July, 2025 Editor-in-Chief

Written by Kristin Martin and
illustrated by Nicky Johnston

A group of neighbourhood friends search for adventure. They climb mountains, sail through waterfalls and snorkel the reef. At night, they marvel at the sky above and wonder where to go next.

Where Shall We Travel Today? is a delightful story about the power of the imagination, of stories and of Continue reading Where Shall We Travel Today? →

Title

When Dark Waters Burn

15 June, 2025 Editor-in-Chief

by Zena Shapter

Stay out of sight. Stay hidden under the lake. Giant water-ants scout the surface and deadly trees slop their hungry roots along the shoreline. Unrest surges in the swamps, getting closer and closer… Sala will only be safe for as long as Continue reading When Dark Waters Burn →

Title

True South

9 January, 2025 Editor-in-Chief

by Gisela Ervin-Ward

PB 192 | 198 x 129
ISBN: 9781922858597 | $19.99
Middle Grade | Also available as ebook
MidnightSun Publishing | 25 May 2025
Distributed by NewSouth Books

When twelve-year-old Nell crashes her sailboat into a submerged house in the lake, she stumbles into a treasure hunt that plunges her into a generations-old family feud.

Things begin to take a sinister turn as the adults get involved, and Nell has no choice but to team up with her neighbour and family rival, Charlie. As friendships begin to morph and stretch, can these two unlikely allies end the feud and work out the treasure’s secrets, or will their rivalry lead to one last epic Continue reading True South →

Title

When Dark Waters Burn

9 January, 2025 Editor-in-Chief

by Zena Shapter

Stay out of sight. Stay hidden under the lake. Even as giant water-ants scout the surface, and deadly trees slop their hungry roots along the shoreline. For unrest surges in the swamps, getting closer and closer… Sala will only be safe for as long as their ship’s location remains a secret. But when a horrifying threat ignites close to home, and the lakeside hillfarms are forced to reveal a desperate Continue reading When Dark Waters Burn →

Title

Shift

9 January, 2025 Editor-in-Chief

by Irma Gold

PB | 234 x 153
ISBN: 9781922858566 | $34.99
Adult fiction | Also available as ebook
MidnightSun Publishing | March 2025
Distributed by NewSouth Books

In the year of the 70th anniversary of the Freedom Charter — which outlined the principles of democracy and freedom in South Africa — comes a novel set in the township where it was signed. Shift asks us to examine both the world around us… and ourselves. Continue reading Shift →

Publishing Brilliance