Category: Crime/Mystery

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We Did it Anyway by Carla Salmon

Ashleigh

Title: We Did it Anyway Author: Carla Salmon Genre: Crime Publisher: Pan Macmillan Australia Published: 30th June 2026 Format: Paperback Pages: 312 Price: $19.99 Synopsis: Treasure. Smugglers with guns. No way off the island.Luna would do anything for her best friend, Milly, but why did she agree to spend a week roughing it on an… Continue reading We Did it Anyway by Carla Salmon

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Aussie YA Challenge Completed!

Ashleigh

Well, I pledged to read 40 YA books this year, and I did! Some crossed over from middle grade into YA, or would be suitable for lower YA, and the rest seemed to cover as much of the spectrum as possible. Most were fiction and I reviewed nearly all of them, and I did have… Continue reading Aussie YA Challenge Completed!

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July 2026 Reading Round Up

Ashleigh

What a month July was. I read 21 books this month and reviewed as many of them as possible, and others were read for fun. I also didn’t have time to review everything. And what I did read was chosen for various purposes to fit in with reviewing and challenges. Some books were longer or… Continue reading July 2026 Reading Round Up

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The Lost Island by Samantha Wheeler, illustrated by Anke Noack

Ashleigh

Title: The Lost Island Author: Samantha Wheeler, illustrated by Anke Noack Genre: Fantasy Publisher: UQP Published: 4th August 2026 Format: Paperback Pages: 224 Price: $17.99 Synopsis: Bestselling and award-winning Australian author Samantha Wheeler returns with this thrilling desert island survival story full of action, mystery and adventure.Theo thinks there’s nothing worse than being stuck on… Continue reading The Lost Island by Samantha Wheeler, illustrated by Anke Noack

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The Nardi Puzzle by Gabriella Page

Ashleigh

Title: The Nardi Puzzle Author: Gabriella Page Genre: Science Fiction Publisher: Wombat Books Published: 1st August 2026 Format: Paperback Pages: 242 Price: $18.99 Synopsis: Thirteen players. Thirteen hours. One extraordinary prize. When 12-year-old Sebastian Walker is invited to legendary game-maker Elisabetta Nardi’s mansion in Sardinia, he thinks he can finally leave his troubles behind. Instead,… Continue reading The Nardi Puzzle by Gabriella Page

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Eighty-Nine Questions for After by Ashleigh Barton

Ashleigh

Title: Eighty-Nine Questions for After Author: Ashleigh Barton Genre: Contemporary Publisher: Hachette Australia Published: 28th July 2026 Format: Paperback Pages: 304 Price: $16.99 Synopsis: A wise and beautifully written middle-grade novel about finding answers to the big questions in life from popular children's author Ashleigh Barton. Ester Star is a germophobe and hypochondriac and she's… Continue reading Eighty-Nine Questions for After by Ashleigh Barton

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June 2026 Reading Round Up

Ashleigh

In June, I read 21 books, and reviewed most of them. All but one were by Australian authors, and one or two were re-reads. I also finished reading the Alice-Miranda books that I hadn’t read yet, and have been staying on top of my review books. It’s meant I have been able to squeeze some… Continue reading June 2026 Reading Round Up

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Hunt for the Nighthawks by Felice Arena

Ashleigh

Title: Hunt for the Nighthawks Author: Felice Arena Genre: Historical Fiction, Mystery Publisher: Penguin Australia Published: 30th June 2026 Format: Paperback Pages: 192 Price: $17.99 Synopsis: It’s Jake and his friends versus the Nighthawks . . . and the Nighthawks will stop at nothing to get what they want.A thrilling middle-grade adventure of friendship and… Continue reading Hunt for the Nighthawks by Felice Arena

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Eleanor Jones is Not Drowning by Amy Doak

Ashleigh

Title: Eleanor Jones is Not Drowning Author: Amy Doak Genre: Crime Publisher: Penguin Australia Published: 30th June 2026 Format: Paperback Pages: 336 Price: $19.99 Synopsis: A new installment in the award-winning and bestselling series about teen detective Eleanor Jones is here . . . Eleanor Jones is over the rain. The drought has finally broken,… Continue reading Eleanor Jones is Not Drowning by Amy Doak

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Nowhere House by Adrian Beck

Ashleigh

Title: Nowhere House Author: Adrian Beck Genre: Thriller Publisher: Scholastic Australia Published: 1st July 2026 Format: Paperback Pages: 208 Price: $15.99 Synopsis: A cursed house. A decades-old mystery. A brother and sister on the edge. Nate is furious that he's had to leave his school, break up his band and move to the middle of… Continue reading Nowhere House by Adrian Beck