Australian Authors Read

Every year, I aim to focus by reading on Australian authors, because I see authors from the UK and the US get widely promoted, and I feel that a lot of Australian authors, unless they’re super popular, get overlooked. Particularly the kids and young adult authors. So in 2025 I read 239 Australian authors in a range of genres and for all audiences. I read as diversely as possible based on what books came my way for judging and review purposes and towards the end of the year I enjoyed catching up on some books I’ve had on my shelf for a while. There were some great Australian books that came out this year that do deserve more attention.

I write roundups that are broad and focused, and split them into men, women, Australian, non-Australian, children’s, young adult, adult, LGBTQIA, Disabled and co-authored books. There is also a post with everything and a summary at the end. So if people want to look at something in particular, they can.

1. Searching for Treasure by Johanna Bell and Emma Long
2. First Chapters: Your Kid’s Next Read Summer Series – Dani Vee, Riley’s Failproof Guide to Breaking a School Record
3. A Killer Among Friends by Andrea Barton
4. Chickenpox by Remy Lai
5. Panic by Catherine Jinks
6. Salty by Sandi Parsons
7. The Briar Book of the Dead by A.G. Slatter
8. Catherine Wheel by Liz Evans
9. Legend of the Lighthouse Moon by Helen Edwards
10. Caution! This Book Contains Deadly Reptiles by Corey Tutt, art by Ben Williams
11. Riz Chester: The Evidence Track by RA Stephens
12. The Not-So-Little Tree by Marcus Addison
13. The Spirit Circle by Tara Calaby
14. Safe Haven by Shankari Chandran
15. How to Be Normal by Ange Crawford
16. The Other Shadow by Tania Ingram
17. Original Twin by Paula Gleeson
18. Shattered by Juanita Kees
19. The 113^th Assistant Librarian by Stuart Wilson
20. Hello Butterfly by Leanne Frost
21. Tuckshop Terrors by Leo Baker
22. Kitty and Cadaver by Narelle M Harris
23. Down the Track by Stella Quinn
24. The Mail Train Murders by Kay Duke
25. Square Me, Round World: Stories of Growing Up in a World Not Built for You by Chelsea Luker and Eliza Fricker
26. A Good Kind of Trouble by Brooke Blurton and Melanie Saward
27. The Whispering Palms by Annette Leigh
28. Bravepaw and the Rotwood Mire by L.M. Wilkinson and Lavanya Naidu
29. Clutterbugs by Maura Pierlot and Maya Bora
30. My Mum Is the Best by Nic McPickle and Tommy Doyle
31. Devil’s Kitchen by Candice Fox
32. Little Bones by Sandy Bigna
33. The Search Party by Hannah Richell
34. Unhallowed Halls by Lili Wilkinson
35. The Bank by Miriam Verbeek
36. The Buried Life by Andrea Goldsmith
37. Epically Good Greek Myths by R.A. Spratt
38. Sunny at the End of the World by Steph Bowe
39. Parrot Palace by Susanne Gervay, Pooja Mathur and illustrated by Sarah Tabassum
40. Lest Tides Turn by Phillipa Nefri Clark
41. Spirit of the Crocodile by Aaron Fa’aoso and Michelle Scott Tucker with Lyn White
42. Moonboy by Anna Ciddor
43. The Potent Perfume by Helen Goltz
44. Halfway House by Helen Fitzgerald
45. Bold Ben Hall by Sophie Masson
46. The Missing Book by Jacqueline de Rose-Ahern
47. The Secret Ingredient by Jacqueline de Rose-Ahern
48. Between Husbands and Wives by Susannah Glenn
49. Wilder Zoo: Neeka and the Missing Key by Tina Strachan and illustrated by Max Hamilton
50. Bin Chicken Goes for Gold by Kate and Jol Temple, illustrated by Ronojoy Ghosh
51. The Hunt for the Tasmanian Tiger by David Webby
52. The Paradise Heights Craft Store Stitch-Up by Kate Solly
53. Missing by Nicole Morris
54. Volcano by Claire Saxby, illustrated by Jess Racklyeft
55. Jo and the No by Kyle Mewburn, illustrated by Judy Watson
56. Tubowgule: A Sydney Opera House History by Melissa-Jane Fogarty, illustrated by Dylan Finney
57. Crimes of the Cross: The Anglican Paedophile Network of Newcastle, its Protectors, and the Man who Fought for Justice by Anne Manne
58. The Close-Up by Pip Drysdale
59. Stories from Magic Beach by Alison Lester and Robert Connolly
60. Better Days by Claire Zorn
61. Myrren’s Gift by Fiona McIntosh
62. The Lost Notes of the Soul Spinners by Reece Carter
63. The Masterpiece by Belinda Alexandra
64. How to Sail to Somewhere by Ashleigh Barton
65. Black Silk and Sympathy by Deborah Challinor
66. The Paperbark Tree Committee by Karys McEwan
67. The Thylacine and the Time Machine by Renée Treml
68. The Crag by Claire Sutherland
69. Frog Squad: Sink or Swim by Kate and Jol Temple, illustrated by Shiloh Gordon
70. A Dance with Murder by Elizabeth Coleman
71. The Colt from Old Regret by Dianne Wolfer and Erica Wagner
72. The Thinning by Inga Simpson
73. Seven Wherewithal Way: Into the Faerie Realm by Samantha-Ellen Bound
74. Woodwitch by Skye McKenna
75. A Shadow at the Door by Jo Dixon
76. Every Last Suspect by Nicola Moriarty
77. Kip of the Karoo by Emma Gourlay
78. Me and You by Ellie Royce
79. My Cousins, My World by Sharara Attani and Michelle Pereira
80. Yildaan: Our Dreaming Track by Uncle Bud Marshall with Yandaara, artwork by Hannah Smith and Elaine Carmady
81. Blood Moon Bride by Demet Divaroren
82. Bone Lands by Pip Fioretti
83. Splinters by Rachel Delahaye
84. Bitroux: High Country by Jordan Harcourt-Hughes
85. Ella at Eden: The Missing Piece by Laura Sieveking
86. Into the Wild by Hayley Lawrence
87.  Our Dance by Jacinta Daniher and Taylor Hampton, illustrated by Janelle Burger
88. The Only Branch on the Family Tree by Sherryl Clark
89. The Chilling by Riley James
90. On Gallant Wings by Helen Edwards
91. With Winter Comes Darkness by Robbi Neal
92. Stinkbug by Sinéad Stubbins
93. Poppy’s Monster by Shelly Higgs
94. The Potion Experiment by Elle McFadzean
95. Anzac Girl: The War Diaries of Alice Ross-King by Kate Simpson
96. Looking for Eden by Caroline Overington
97. The Surface Trials by HM Waugh
98. The Happiest Man on Earth by Eddie Jaku
99. To the River by Vikki Wakefield
100. The Edge Of Everything by Miranda Luby
101. Earth Speak: Boodjar Wangkiny by Sean McCann and Jade Goodwin
102. Williow Bright’s Secret Plot by A.L. Tait
103. The Lasting Harm: Witnessing the Trial of Ghislaine Maxwell by Lucia Osborne-Crowley
104. A Loo of One’s Own: A Mostly True Tale of Australia’s First Female Parliamentarians by Eleri Harris
105. This Dream Will Devour Us by Emma Clancey
106. The Last Egg by Sofie Laguna and Jess Racklyeft
107. The Girls Who Changed the World: Ming and Maria Explore the Universe by Jackie French
108. Down the Rabbit Hole by Shaeden Berry
109. Wait Here by Lucy Nelson
110. Shadow City by Natalie Conyer
111. Silverborn: The Mystery of Morrigan Crow by Jessica Townsend
112. Villain by Adrian Beck
113. The Foal in the Wire by Robbie Coburn
114. Vengeance Planning for Amateurs by Lee Winter
115. Somewhere Lost by Just Write for Kids and Friends
116. The Girl and the Ghost by Jacqueline Harvey
117. Woman, Missing by Sherryl Clark
118. Wombat Dreaming by Caz Goodwin and Zoë Bennett
119. Shadows of Winter Robins by Louise Wolhunter
120. Gone by Glenna Thomson
121. R.I.P Nanny Tobbins by Lucie Stevens
122. Sidney of Sydney by Sue Whiting and Liz Anelli
123. Quoll by Christopher Cheng and Cindy Lane
124. Music Camp by Penny Tangey
125. In Bad Faith: Inside Australia’s ultra-Orthodox sect and the brutal betrayal it tried to hide by Dassi Erlich
126. Golden by Jade Timms
127. What I Would Do to You by Georgia Harper
128. Everglade: Rise of the Witch by Kitty Black
129. Red River Road by Anna Downes
130. The Year We Escaped by Suzanne Leal
131. Shmoof by Heidi McKinnon
132. The Girl in the Painting by Dee White, illustrated by Sarah Anthony
133. Who Might You Be by Robert Henderson
134. The Enchantment of Gold Eagle by Margaret Wild, illustrated by Stephen Michael King
135. Made of Steam and Stardust by Bianca Breen
136. The Creeper by Margaret Hickey
137. Edie Tells a Lie by Ingrid Laguna
138. The Lies We Tell Ourselves by Maura Pierlot
139. Find Me on the Coast by Jess McGeachin
140. Into the Mouth of the Wolf by Erin Gough
141. The Mushroom in the Sky by Jackie French
142. Peculiar Parents by Stephanie Owen Reeder and Ingrid Bartkowiak
143. Andromache in the Dark by Gabriel Bergmoser
144. Breaking School Rules is Easy by Rosie Schonell
145. Ella at Eden Super Special: Paris Adventure by Laura Sieveking
146. Alpacas in Space by Matt Cosgrove
147. When Dark Waters Burn by Zena Shapter
148. Friday Barnes: In Plain Sight by R.A. Spratt
149. Neeka and the Storm by Tania Strachan, illustrated by Max Hamilton
150. Lady’s Knight by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner
151. Hedgehog or Echidna? Animals Who Are the Same but Different by Ashleigh Barton and illustrated by Amandine Thomas
152. A Gift from the Birds by Caroline Stills
153. My Name is Jemima by Olivia Muscat, illustrated by Allison Colpoys
154. Mango and Hopscotch: The Inspiring Story of a Brave Kangaroo and her Joey Rescued from the Floodwaters by Sophie Cunningham, illustrated by Anil Tortop
155. Moonlight and Dust by Jasmin McGaughey
156. Danger Road by A.L. Tait
157. Pirate Academy: New Kid on Deck by Justin Somper
158. Vesper Jones and Marshmallow by Karen Hendriks, illustrated by Francesca Corso
159. Secret Keeper by Di Walker
160. The Set-Up Girl by Sasha Vey
161. High Wire by Candice Fox
162. Weaving Us Together by Lay Maloney
163. Oceanforged #1: The Wicked Ship by Amelia Mellor
164. Looking Out and Beyond by Toby Hammserschlag
165. Raising Readers: How To Nurture a Child’s Love of Books by Megan Daley
166. Tiny Dancer by Patrick Guest, illustrated by Mateja Jager
167. The Mademoiselle Alliance by Natasha Lester
168. The Pull of the Moon by Pip Smith
169. Drift by Pip Harry
170. Our History:  A House Divided by Clare Hallifax
171. Animals on Country: Let’s look after the animals with Uncle Kuu by Victor Steffensen and illustrated by Sandra Steffensen
172. Bert’s Adventure in Bubbly Forest by Nicole Steyn
173. Song of a Thousand Seas by Zana Fraillon
174. Thunderhead by Sophie Beer
175. Promises and Other Lies by Sue Whiting
176. Flip by Rebecca Fraser
177. Rainbow Street by R.W.R McDonald, illustrated by Kelly Canby
178. Bin Chicken Lights Up the Night by Kate and Jol Temple, illustrated by Ronojoy Ghosh
179. Koala Fairies by Anna Pignataro
180. I Believe in You by Dani Colvin
181. 11 Ruby Road 1950 by Charlotte Barkla
182. This Fatal Kiss by Alicia Jasinska
183. How Big Is Love? By Carl Merrison and Hakea Hustler, illustrated by Jade Goodwin
184. Evie P and Me by Petra James and illustrated by Andrew Joyner
185. The Peach King by Inga Simpson, illustrated by Tannya Harricks
186. Naynay and the Mermaid by Tasma Walton, illustrated by Charmaine Ledden-Lewis
187. Seawitch (Hedgewitch #3) by Skye McKenna
188. Miss Caroline Bingley, Private Detective by Kelly Gardiner and Sharmini Kumar
189. Liam the Chid and the Kangaroo Warriors by Meredith Downes
190. A Guide to Falling off the Map by Zanni L Arnot
191. Mega Rich Guinea Pigs by Kate and Jol Temple
192. Mooshy Crackerjack’s Big Day by Suzanne Patterson and illustrated by Maia Batumashvili
193. Dogs with Jobs by Max Hamilton
194. The Callers: The Hidden Forest by Kiah Thomas
195. Maisy Hayes is Not For Sale by Allayne L Webster
196. Runt and the Diabolical Dognapping by Craig Silvey
197. The 12 Birds of Christmas by Jodie McLeod, illustrated by Eloise Short
198. Catch by Sarah Brill
199. Worst Pets Ever: Locked Up by Eva Amores and Matt Cosgrove
200. The Legend of Jessie Hickman by Mark Greenwood, illustrated by Frané Lessac
201. Millie Mak Makes Her Mark by Alice Pung and illustrated by Sher Rill Ng
202. There’s a Prawn in Parliament House by Annabel Crabb, illustrated by First Dog on the Moon
203. The Messy Bath Monster by Tina Wilson, music by Matt Ottley
204. The Story Writer’s Handbook: Adventures in Creative Writing by Katrina Nannestad, illustrated by Cheryl Orsini
205. Dead Scary: Ghost Guitar by TJ Doom
206. The Keeper of the Octopus by Neridah McMullin
207. Frances Bloom by Katrina Nannestad, illustrated by Marina Zlatanova
208. Do We Deserve This? by Eleanor Elliott Thomas
209. Spud and Snowball and the Fancy Fish by Judith Rossell
210. Stonewitch (Hedgewitch #4) by Skye McKenna
211. The Friendship Book by Zanni Louise, illustrated by Nicky Johnston
212. Where Would You Go by Alison Lester and Jane Godwin and the children at Yalingu Yirramboi – the Royal Children’s Hospital School
213. Villain: Respawn by Adrian Beck
214. The Wintrish Girl (Talismans of Fate #1) by Melanie La’brooy
215. Being Indy by Zoe Gaetjens, illustrated by Estee Sarsfield
216. Whatever the Weather, We’re In This Together by Jessica Braithwaite and Rebecca Ralfe, art by Laura Bee
217. This is Us: Essential Poems for Young People by Libby Hathorn and Jude Fell, illustrated by Tull Suwannakit
218. What Have They Done to Liza McLean? by Amy Doak
219. A Murder Is Going Down by Kate Emery
220. Juniper’s Painting by Catherine Bauer, illustrated by Jennifer Horn
221. The Wondrous Tale of Lavender Wolfe by Karen Foxlee
222. All Shall Mourn by Ellie Marney
223. Slashed Beauties by A Rushby
224. giwang by Belinda Bridge, illustrated by Peta-Joy Williams
225. Space Demons by Gillian Rubinstein
226. The Dictionary People: The Unsung Heroes Who Created the Oxford English Dictionary by Sarah Ogilvie
227. The Girl and the Ghost: Family Secrets by Jacqueline Harvey
228. Someone Like Me: An Anthology of Non-Fiction by Autistic Writers edited by Clem Bastow and Jo Case
229. Underdog: #LoveOzYA Short Stories edited by Tobias Madden
230. Travelling Bookshop #6: Mim and the Mother Muddle by Katrina Nannestad
231. Alice-Miranda on Holiday by Jacqueline Harvey
232. The 113^th Assistant Librarian: Lost in a Book by Stuart Wilson
233. The Tempus Imperium by Juliet A Paine
234. The Kids’ Guide to Speaking Your Mind Without Losing Your Cool by Dr Matt Agnew
235. The Flower Garden by Claire Saxby, illustrated by Lucia Masciullo
236. Alice-Miranda Takes the Lead by Jacqueline Harvey
237. Alice-Miranda at Sea by Jacqueline Harvey
238. Growing into Autism by Sandra Thom-Jones