Aussie YA Challenge Completed

One of the challenges I took part in this year was the #AussieYAChallenge, hosted by Amy at Lost in a Good Book. I had planned to read to the highest level, which was Nix – read twelve books, because at the time, I wasn’t sure how much Australian YA would come my way. I ended up exceeding that – and read 32 Australian young adult books, and completing all the prompts as well. It’s good to see more Australian young adult books coming out, but we need more and need more advocacy around this area. Challenges like this, or awards like the CBCA awards can promote Young Adult books. I have found that they’re quite diverse – they explore a wide range of topics that I have found adult books seem to avoid. I’ve found a wider range of voices in YA as well, and this appears to be changing too, giving readers more options with what they read.

Some of the books I read could be classed as middle grade and young adult, so I have included those ones here based on posts I saw about them from the fabulous team at #LoveOzYA. The list is skewed towards women authors, but I did find that at least in Australia, based on my reading and exploring bookstores, there do seem to be more women authors in this area, or at least within the genres found in YA that I read and enjoy. I love young adult books and am looking forward to reading more next year.

#AussieYAChallenge

1. The Peak (Spy Academy #1) by Jack Heath
2. Outlaw Girls by Emily Gale and Nova Weetman
3. What They Told Me by Hayley Lawrence
4. Twin Stars by Charlotte Clutterbuck
5. Look Me In the Eye by Jane Godwin
6. Those Girls by Pamela Rushby
7. Tuckshop Terrors by Leo Baker
8. The Book of Chance by Sue Whiting
9. Deep is the Fen by Lili Wilkinson
10. Let’s Never Speak of This Again by Megan Williams
11. The Greatest Hit by Will Kostakis
12. The Unexpected Mess of it All by Gabrielle Tozer
13. Stars in their Eyes by Jessica Walton and Aśka
14. Red Day by Sandy Fussell
15. A Way Home by Emily Brewin
16. Courage be My Friend by Jenny Davis OAM
17. The Other Shadow by Tania Ingram
18. Looking for Alibrandi by Melina Marchetta
19. What’s Murder Between Friends by Meg Gatland-Veness
20. This is Not A Sad Book (But it’s OK to Feel Sad): A Guide to Grief, Loss, and Getting Through the Hard Times by Elizabeth Vercoe with Kerry Ambromowski, illustrated by Grace Fraraccio
21. The Six Summers of Tash and Leopold by Danielle Binks
22. My Family and Other Suspects by Kate Emery
23. The Sweetness Between Us by Sarah Winifred Searle
24. Eleanor Jones Can’t Keep a Secret by Amy Doak
25. Thunderhead by Sophie Beer
26. Comes the Night by Isobelle Carmody
27. The Invocations by Krystal Sutherland
28. The Worst Perfect Moment by Shivaun Plozza
29. Meet Me at the Intersection edited by Rebecca Lim and Ambelin Kwaymullina
30. Wasted? by Hazel Edwards
31. Return to Sender by Lauren Draper
32. Bad Country by Kim Ulrick

#AussieYAChallenge Prompts:

A 2024 Release: The Peak (Spy Academy #1) by Jack Heath

A Classic Title: Looking for Alibrandi by Melina Marchetta

A CBCA Shortlister: The Book of Chance by Sue Whiting

Read an Anthology: Meet Me at the Intersection edited by Rebecca Lim and Ambelin Kwaymullina

Under 200 pages: The Greatest Hit by Will Kostakis