Set in the small town of Geraldton, Western Australia, Invisible Boys by Holden Sheppard is an emotionally charged YA novel that follows three teenage boys, Charlie, Hammer, and Zeke, as they each grapple with their sexuality. Through not one, but three rare, masculine queer voices, brutally honest and vulnerable, Sheppard lays bare the trauma queer teens can face growing up in conservative backgrounds.
Authentic and flawed, the characters in this book seem like real teens one could easily pass in a high school corridor. The emotional arcs of Charlie, Hammer, and Zeke are very convincing, as each of them go through denial, trauma, rage, and finally, self-acceptance. The novel jumps between the perspectives of the three boys and the narrative is raw and confessional, making readers feel like they’ve been dropped inside their heads. The slangy dialogue reflects the characters’ inner turmoil, at times intense, but invariably genuine. The plot is emotionally intense but well-paced, keeping readers invested even when it’s uncomfortable.
The story revolves around themes of sexual identity, masculinity, and mental health. The characters’ denial, confusion, and hesitation to ‘come out’ highlight how toxic masculinity and homophobia in society warp individuals, especially teenagers, who are made to feel ashamed to own their identities. With the book’s firm grounding in Geraldton, Sheppard makes the small-town claustrophobia and the fear of being outed palpable throughout. Invisible Boys, with its powerful, sometimes ugly but always real illustration of rural queer experiences, forces the reader to confront the consequences of societal judgment and shows that being oneself can be the most powerful, yet terrifying, thing of all.
It is not just a coming-of-age story. It’s a call for compassion and empathy. This is a book that will stay with readers long after the final page, especially those struggling with navigating their own identities in silence.
Themes: Sexual identity, Masculinity, Mental health
Woodlane Press produces field guides and books for travellers, books about facets of our environment, books for cyclists and family adventures, all produced with stunning photos and illustrations. All of their books empower families, groups and individuals to explore, understand and value the land on which they travel.
This one explains what a reptile is, then divides the species into three distinct groups: lizards and snakes, turtles, and crocodiles, each having its own signature background colour.
For those people who love to cycle, hike or walk our bush, then reading this is sure to alert adventurers to the type of reptiles they may come across. Skinks and geckos and blue tongued lizards would be delightful, but readers will know or be wary of the snakes they may see.
And it is handy to know what it is you are looking at.
Each page has a map showing where theses animals live and has a number of fact boxes giving snippets of information guaranteed to intrigue younger readers.
Several use a double page, as there are a number of different kinds within the group; skinks, and blue tongue lizards for example, while others like the Eastern Brown snake has two pages devoted to it. Snakes and lizards take up the majority of the book, turtles has just six pages, and crocodiles, two.
All the information is most appealing to younger readers; the illustrations enough to intrigue and delight.
As with the other three in this series, the books are smaller in size, easy to hold, and easy to pick up and read. Despite the lack of an index, younger readers will love perusing the books to find a favourite and something known.
Themes Australian reptiles, Snakes, Lizards, Crocodiles, Turtles.
Fran Knight
What’s that: Australian frogs, toads and newts by Myke Mollard
Woodlane Press produces field guides and books for travellers, books about facets of our environment, books for cyclists and family adventures, all produced with stunning photos and illustrations. All of their books empower families, groups and individuals to explore, understand and value the land on which they travel.
As with the other three in the series, the introductory pages outline the definition of an amphibian and then divides these creatures into three categories, each having a signature colour. The three are: Australian frogs, Critically endangered and extinct frogs, and Introduced species. A page is devoted to each of many frogs; Rock hole frogs, Quaking froglets, Sandhill frogs, Pobblebonks, Green tree frogs and Striped Marsh frogs, amongst others. Each page has a map to show where the frog lives, many fact boxes and an introductory paragraph giving information about the frog and its attributes.
Five double pages follow with information about endangered species, and the last section about introduced species, gives information about the Cane toad and Smooth newts.
The book is fascinating, giving information about frogs that can mainly be heard and not as often seen. The illustrations give an image of the animals, and readers can deduce some information about its environment, from the picture in front of them. That there are 240 different species of amphibian, is enough for all readers to want to find out more.
Themes Frogs, Introduced species.
Fran Knight
Smarty Pup: Time to fly by Anh Do
Allen & Unwin, 2025. ISBN: 9781761069932. (Age:6-9) Highly recommended.
The Smarty Pup is a wonderful series feature exciting story lines, minimal text and bright, colourful illustrations perfect for younger newly independent readers. Time to fly is the fifth book in the series which started with Friends fur-ever, and continued with JJ and the giant panther, To the rescue and Talent quest.
When Lily and JJ (the talking super dog) arrive at school their teacher announces that because they did so well at the Talent quest (in the previous book) they should represent their school in the National Awesome Schools Concert. Everyone is excited and comes up with a myriad of suggestions for what they could do, but eventually they settle on a fantastic dance routine that finishes with a human pyramid. Having JJ in their class gives them the perfect top for the pyramid, but JJ is fearful that the class may drop him and is so nervous about flying in an aeroplane that he decides he doesn’t want to come to the competition at all. Will he conquer his fears in time to join his friends on this amazing adventure?
Overcoming fears is the predominant theme for this story and although JJ is fearful of many of the things he must face he, his family and friends manage to find a way to include him and help him to show his talents and save the day.
In this compelling mystery, Greta Gatsby returns to the home of her brother Jay and to his life of new-money wealth and his friendships with Nick Carraway and the Buchanans - Daisy and Tom. In this heady world of excess, Greta is trying to discover her own path beyond finishing schools and dipping her toe into a world where women are so regularly underestimated. But Tom’s death opens up the path to a mystery that Greta follows, utilising her wits to solve the puzzle of an unexpected death, and putting herself in danger in the process.
I absolutely loved this story as it wove the classic characters and back story of The Great Gatsby with an intriguing mystery. Greta Gatsby is a character imbued with intelligent insights, pre-feminist leanings and her telling of the story reveals her evaluation of her brother (and his passion for Daisy Buchanan) and his glittering wealth-soaked social world. She also becomes the only one who explores options in the investigation of Tom Buchanan’s death. The mystery becomes increasingly interesting and even those who have not read (or watched The Great Gatsby) will find the dramatic build-up, and even the hint of romance, a pleasure to read. This is a well-written story for readers aged 16+ to adult, and it can be highly recommended. Anyone who is intrigued by the 1920s excesses or The Great Gatsby will be enamoured.
Themes The Great Gatsby, Wealth and privilege, Mystery, USA - 1920s social life, Justice and injustice, Murder, Romance.
Carolyn Hull
The other girl by Emily Barr
Penguin Random House, 2025. ISBN: 9780241643440. (Age:13+) Highly recommended.
Two girls meet on a train. They couldn’t be more different from each other. Tabbi is the elegantly groomed rich girl on her way to an exclusive Swiss rehab centre whilst Ruby looks like a scruffy freewheeling backpacker wearing a purple wig. But between them they hatch a wild scheme to switch identities.
The first part of the novel is told from Tabbi’s point of view. She is being sent to rehab to redeem herself following an alcohol-fuelled incident she is reluctant to talk about. Becoming Ruby is her chance to escape all the strictures of her life, and roam freely on an InterRail pass. For Ruby it is the chance to enjoy a glamorous life of luxury in a Swiss ‘hotel’. The deal is that they will meet up and switch back again after 6 weeks. Tabbi is exhilarated at getting away with such an easy con trick. However, the second part of the novel provides us with Ruby’s account of events, and we discover that there is much more to the story.
I really liked the way Barr provides the two sides to the story in separate blocks, rather than constantly switching between viewpoints. The reader is lulled into Tabbi’s account of things, and shares her gradual awakening to the complications of what she has done. When we enter Ruby’s story, the drama becomes much more twisty and scary. It’s a brilliant YA thriller which will have readers eagerly turning the pages to read on.
While the novel is an enthralling thriller, it also manages to explore complex issues of identity, responsibility and ethics. Although each of the girls seizes on a chance to escape, in the end they have to face the consequences of their actions, even if it is not in the way the reader expects. This is a thoroughly enjoyable novel, and will have readers looking for more books from Emily Barr.
The clinking is Tasmanian Richell Prize (2016) prize-winner Susie Greenhill's debut novel. This book feels like a heart-felt cry. It feels like the author is intimately aware of the natural world as one who has lived close, camped and hiked often in the wilderness and perhaps worked alongside or known well, people whose lived experience is the environmental sciences. Author Susie Greenhill lives on the mouth of the Huon River in southern Tasmania. This probably explains the understanding of that environment that spans years and geographic locations. The clinking is a harrowing read with social, economic and political structures and their impact on the environment and the people who work trying to preserve the environment bleeding through the story. Through the character of Tom, an ecologist working on extinctions, we see the battles for funding and recognition of the seriousness of findings and the lack of action on part of government.
The clinking is a story of a young family. Tom, his wife Elena and their daughter Orla are decent people. We see Tom and Elena falling in love, dreaming, struggling and doomed. Elena is full of life and hope for the future. Tom can't see a future in which to raise children. As a scientist he has seen the differing processes that have been tried to save species (both plant and animal) including adaptation, mitigation and prevention but daily he sees the unravelling. Although he is seeing a counsellor he is sinking into clinical depression. Despite his love for his little family, Tom becomes increasingly consumed by the hopelessness of trying to fight to maintain species and the tipping towards complete destruction of the Earth. Temperamentally not suited to this work, he becomes consumed and emotionally, psychologically and finally literally lost. Against an imploding societal breakdown and on the brink of a dystopian future Tasmania, Elena, Orla and their friend Kit search for Tom in the remote south-western wilderness. Leaving a nightmarish imagined future - a collapsing and dangerous Hobart where the thin veneer of human civilisation is collapsing, they set out on a quest to find answers in an old yacht in a nearly frozen lake. Government schemes that have destroyed the Tasmanian environment are a constant meta-narrative throughout and Lake Pedder, submerged in 1972 by the Hydro Electric Commissions, despite having National Park protection status figures large and is probably the destination for the search.
Italicised sections at the beginning of each chapter are actually "Endlings" (surely the saddest and loneliest word) because it describes the moment when the last of each species dies alone. Different worldwide scenarios are described beginning with the lost "clinking" of the abalone, the loss of the pelagic fish and shark species in the Andaman Sea, of Takayna river myrtle, of moths, of groundwater, of glaciers, of cranes near the Bering Sea, of whales, of human homes due to rising sea levels in the Pacific, of Boreal forests and permafrost, of the thylacine and etc. At first the "endlings" prefacing each chapter seem disconnected but they start to become a type of tolling bell and underlying witness to the unfolding narrative.
The clinking is a novel about loss - of the environment and humanity aswell. Elena is herself a human refugee. People are becoming refugees looking for rehoming like the Tasmanian devils being repatriated on offshore islands. Rich people and doomsday preppers are building bunkers - escape homes in the wilderness (with arsenals of guns) while the poor are swallowed up in violence and hunger. There is so much loss and grief in Tom and Elena's life.
Amongst the loss though there is beauty and decency. The description of Kit, the family friend, is one example of Greenhill's ability to evoke decency of behaviour between human beings. Her respect for nature is apparent in the detailed descriptions of small objects such as birds, feathers and eggs and in the sensory nature of her writing. Take any page and the lyrical descriptions appear eg. "...a pair of tiny fire-tailed finches sifted for seeds and insects...hopping lightly back and forth... their scarlet beaks rustling softly in the curled brown leaves of the blackwood... a high clear call...of spring afternoons in their forest...Orla twisting the tyre swing from a limb of the horse-chestnut..." A powerful metaphor and symbol is the lily - fragile but surviving and representing hope. Orla is told that if they go back to the lake again it may still be there.
The Clinking is lyrical and luminescent. The clinking is an appropriate title which goes to the heart and bookends the narrative. It's a calling for life from heart wrenching sadness to fragile hope. Much of the wisdom is encapsulated by Tom when he tells Orla that humans are alright, that governments and companies have been doing things that are "messed up", that some humans are so rich and powerful and others have nothing, that there's a way that sustains life and a way that doesn't..."In general you should choose the way that does, if you can."
The clinking is a worthwhile eco-fiction read. The world that it depicts is not full-on dystopian but scarier as it depicts a world on the brink.The escape/search aspect of the clinking is reminiscent of Dog Runner by Bren MacDibble. A thoroughly depressing but also desperately hopeful book; a battle between hope and despair is presented. It is uncertain which wins. The reader's response will be a mixture of fear, hope and bafflement as we wonder whether beautiful, creative and good intentions are just naive and whether corruption will win out.
This reader chooses to see The clinking as a warning and an offering of beautiful but fragile hope.
Themes Environment, Eco-dystopia, Grief, Loss, Suicide, Depression, Still-birth, Species decline.
Wendy Jeffrey
Silver born: The mystery of Morrigan Crow by Jessica Townsend
Jessica Townsend is a wonder-worker with word-wizardry! In this, the fourth book in the Nevermoor series, she wields more mystery and wonder into the life of Morrigan Crow, whose early background has been tarred and dusted with want and sadness. Now that Morrigan has found her place learning how to wield her own Wundersmith power, and with friends like siblings, and being cared for by her mentor Jupiter, she is delivered a twist when she discovers a personal family connection to the Silverborn. The Silverborn are elite, wealthy, extravagant and so different to all that she has known about her past. In this world of excess and dragon contests and parties, a murder takes place on the night of a wedding celebration. Morrigan and her friends must solve the mystery to protect her from suspicion and to keep her secrets safe. Will her past destroy her future and can she protect all that she has come to cherish?
This series is wondrous and compelling. Although the series was initially quite dark in intensity, this book is somewhat lighter, but will be adored by the fantasy lovers who have discovered Morrigan and the complexities of her life. I love the way Townsend twists our expectations and introduces unexpected paths along the way in the story. The magical fantasy world enters into challenges of extreme ‘wealth’ and pleasure-seeking and makes subtle commentary about its dangers. But this is also a murder mystery with young protagonists as investigators and with magical possibilities and permutations. And it seems that this won’t be the last in the series…. There will be great rejoicing from all Nevermoor fans aged 11-Adult!
Themes Magical fantasy, Truth and lies, Dragons, Murder mystery, Friendship.
Another book within the same series, What’s that? is Australian mammals. The same format as Australian birds, this too is an interesting, informative book with lovely illustrations, maps and a an impressive array of facts scattered around each page.
Some mammals are spread over two pages, but most are afforded a single page. After an introductory double page, showing what a mammal is and dividing them into three groupies, monotremes (egg laying), marsupials (embryo crawls to mum’s pouch) and placentals (remain in mum’s womb until ready to survive). Each of these three is a distinctive colour and this colour is reiterated through the book as a strip of colour showing what group the animal belongs to.
Fascinating pages follow, showing an echidna, platypus and koala. Less well known animals come after these: bandicoot, dingo, quokka and pademelons amongst many others. Oddly the thylacine is said to be threatened, but the facts go on to tell us that the last thylacine died in 1936.
On page 14 is the marsupial mole, a blind underground animal that uses its very strong claws to dig its way around. The illustration will provide hints about its features. Rarely seen, it has appeared in several dreaming stories. This will prod students to further research these little animals.
And the last page shows the wonderful dugong, a favourite Australian mammal. This book like the others in the What’s that? series will have instant appeal. It is informative, very readable, its layout encouraging and impressive, with beautiful illustrations that will impel readers to look more closely at each page.
Woodlane Press produces field guides and books for travellers, books about facets of our environment, books for cyclists and family adventures, all produced with stunning photos and illustrations. All of their books empower families, groups and individuals to explore, understand and value the land on which they travel.
Themes Australian mammals.
Fran Knight
Higher ground by Tull Suwannakit
New Frontier, 2025. ISBN: 9781922326997. (Age:5+) Recommended.
After a great storm a family is stranded on the roof of their apartment block as their town is engulfed in water. Their rooftop garden becomes an island and the frail grandma, two children and their rabbit must survive on what they can salvage or grow. As time goes by and there is no rescue they make a home of their island, planting, weeding, harvesting and preserving, learning from grandma what is essential for survival and that life can be meaningful in the darkest of days. Along with survival, the children learn to explore and appreciate the changes in their world, the underwater environment which has replaced their town and the turning of the seasons as time goes by. But the water is getting higher, threatening their island and grandma is getting frailer so they must make some hard decisions.
This beautifully produced book, made to look like an art journal with a collaged cover is a treat to hold. The delicate watercolour and graphite illustrations lovingly document the passing of time and the lessons grandma passes on to the children. The spare text is sophisticated in mood and tone with messages of hope, resilience, courage and independence. This part picture book, part graphic novel, part journal is hard to assign to a single reader; it would make a lovely gift book to read together with younger readers and older children can find practical things to make and do including how to catch and use a fish and how to make the most of vegetables like lettuce and spring onions by regrowing from the roots. It would be a great addition to classroom discussions on sustainability, climate change, displacement and loss, including how keeping a journal can help process strong feelings. Teachers notes and activities can be downloaded from the website.
This sequel to How to solve your own murder assumes knowledge of the first book, with references to some previous characters that are completely unexplained. However if the enthusiastic reader is prepared to skip over these bits, it is possible to enjoy the novel as a stand-alone. It repeats the structure of the first book with two intertwining timelines, one in the present, and one in the late 1960s. Annie is the present day heroine, inheritor of her great-aunt Frances’s mansion and fortune. Excerpts from Frances’s diary add essential information to Annie’s investigation of the murder of fortune-teller Peony Lane, a murder linked to past secrets.
It is a very convoluted plot and no doubt will defy even the most experienced reader of detective mysteries. However, if at the end you can actually work out what really happened, I am sure that a close examination of all the previous chapters would not reveal any flaw in Perrin’s craft. The result is a very meticulously constructed puzzle, with the final jigsaw pieces only able to be put in place by the outstanding sleuth-like skills of the intrepid Annie.
There is a little suggestion of romance that might keep readers wanting more, and no doubt there will be another adventure to follow, for the die is cast as Annie holds in her hands a little piece of paper predicting her own fortune, an opportunity for another twist in the story.
My mum is the best by Nic McPickle and Tommy Doyle
Allen & Unwin, 2025. ISBN: 9781761181160. (Age:3+)
Nic McPickle and Tommy Doyle once again team up to help young readers see their Mums as helpmates and protectors, supporters and encouragers.
Mums are everywhere, and although many look quite different and sometimes make their offspring roll their eyes in exasperation, the Mums are there to support their kids when they say, 'Have you got a jumper? ‘Do you need a snack?’ Or 'If you got it out, then you can put it back.’, and the pages turn as Mums ask them to write a thank you letter, to clean up their rooms, and get the groceries from the car. While some people see this as nagging others see it as love. Because mums also say: ‘You are caring and smart’, ‘You are funny and tough’. ‘You love me so well that I know I'm enough.’ Children love their Mums putting their work on the fridge for all to see, or going out to all their sports’ matches, teaching them to cook or looking after a pet.
Promoting the role of Mums in children’s lives, this book is welcome for Mother's Day, and could be the focus of a display of all the books about Mums in the library, or the basis of a discussion around the book, where Mums are discussed and thanked for all the work they do behind the scenes. Work that often goes unnoticed and needs to be recognised, acknowledged and thanked.
Wonderful illustrations use a variety of animals as the basis of a mum and child. Kids will love seeing the different animals and their offspring. And I particularly liked the meerkats dining about, patient mum sitting on the toilet while her child comes in, and the wonderful giraffes, Mum and child, sitting in the bath. And I loved the endpapers, set up like a fridge or notice board with its notices taped on.
Jamie Johnson’s life is turned upside-down when he is told on his 17th birthday that his father is the king of a European country; the dying wish of his mother was that he should be brought up having a normal life away from the restrictions of royalty. But now, he has the opportunity to visit his father’s palace and step into the role of prince. It’s arranged that he will be tutored in the expectations of his role by a prince from a neighbouring country. Erik, like Jamie, is gay, and their relationship soon changes from friends to budding romance. The stumbling block is that Erik must adhere to his grandmother’s choice of partner, and his relationship with Jamie is supposed to remain strictly platonic.
The nice thing about this story is that being gay is out in the open, and everybody is accepting of that, with the only exception being the nasty homophobic prime minister, and he is not a very significant character. This is pure fantasy romance, the relationship between the two young men is warm and caring. There is no ‘failed communication’ trope; they discuss their problems together and reach mutual understanding. It really is a ‘how to’ guide to a good relationship.
Dietrich portrays the cautiousness and uncertainty of young people working out whether feelings are reciprocated, along with the gradual building of trust and confidence. There are no shocks along the way. The fantasy royal setting just adds a little bit of glamour. This is a pleasantly reassuring portrayal of young love which is easy to read and enjoy.
Dietrich’s previous book was a collaboration with Sophie Gonzales If this gets out (2021) with similar themes, though perhaps more fully fleshed out. Readers who enjoy The rules of royalty might like to seek that one out as well.
Themes LGBQTI+, Romance, Fantasy.
Helen Eddy
Brock the croc: Make it snappy! by Adrian Beck and Dean Rankine
Brock the croc and his friends live happily in Saltbush swamp having managed to save it from destruction in the first story in this series called Bite Me! Brock loves to party, ride his motorbike and be the centre of attention, but he is finding that being a leader can be hard when the rest of his swamp buddies don’t always listen to him. Mayor Grunter is more determined than ever to destroy the swamp to build on it and has come up with an evil scheme to do it using robots. But when her small robots arrive at the swamp its inhabitants are thrilled to have these helpful, friendly bots to do their bidding. Brock is not so sure they are what they seem and when they join to form a monster robot called Gruntzilla he must do his best to figure out a way to overcome the furious giant and save their home once again.
These books are a graphic novel style with large black and white illustrations, bold highlighted words, speech bubbles and a fast-paced storyline. It contains some toilet humour that will make readers laugh out loud but has an underlying theme of protecting the environment and preventing unnecessary development which destroys habitats of native animals. It will appeal to reluctant readers and those trying their first chapter books.
When hairy monster Redley wakes up, somewhere in the outback, it takes a while to find his brother Begley who, in his new clothing brand ‘Beg Hole', is addressing his social media followers on a computer. Red refuses to wear the T-shirt but tries the herbal tea Beg is promoting, which has a stinkbomb in the bottom and an itchy grub aftertaste. Unbeknown to the brothers, they are being tracked by Ned on his computer, who tells his mum he is too busy to turn out his laundry as he is chasing monsters. Things get serious when Major Bartholomew Tuxedo knocks on the door wanting to talk to Ned about a new 'friend' he has made online. After a lot of bum jokes and improbable asides we learn that Ned believes he saw the hairy monsters in the outback when he was a kid and now wants to find them to prove to his mum he is not a loser. Major Bart Tux wants to find them as they are a threat to national security so they set out to the outback to find the monsters.
This is the second book in the Hairy Holes series and I would recommend starting with book 1 as it took a while to get into, but once the reader gives in to the zany humour and energetic visuals the lack of logic doesn’t seem to matter. From the author of the very successful Ubby’s Underdogs series this too combines supernatural outback adventure but with unexpected twists like online influencers and a bizarre bingo hall. The inclusion of bad jokes and plenty of toilet humour will make this a winner with any junior reader and could be particularly engaging to reluctant readers.
Themes Cartoon humour, Supernatural creatures, Social media, Outback adventure.
