Category: middle grade

#AussieAuthors2026, #AussieYAChallenge, #LoveOZMG, #LoveOzYA, Aussie authors, Australian literature, Australian women writers, Book Industry, Books, challenges, Children's Literature, Dymocks Reading Challenge, historical fiction, history, literary fiction, middle grade, Publishers, Reading, Reviews

Dymocks April:  Match Your Taste Completed

Ashleigh

         It’s a little late, but I have completed my April prompts for Dymocks. I went with a staff recommendation from my local bookstore, as the Dymocks one I was going to use fits better with the May prompts this time around. There were a few options I found for staff recommendations that I found,… Continue reading Dymocks April:  Match Your Taste Completed

#AussieAuthors2026, #AussieYAChallenge, #LoveOZMG, #LoveOzYA, adventure, Alice-Miranda, animals, Aussie authors, Australian literature, Australian women writers, biography, Book bingo, Book Industry, Books, challenges, check in post, Children's Literature, Crime/Mystery, Disney Reading Challenge, Dymocks Reading Challenge, Fables, Fairytales, Fantasy, Futuristic Fiction, historical fiction, history, humour, Jacqueline Harvey, Junior Fiction, literary fiction, memoir, middle grade, non-fiction, Picture Books, Publishers, Reading, Reviews, Scholastic, series, The Nerd Daily, Young Adult

April 2026 Round Up

Ashleigh

In April I read 20 books across fiction and non-fiction, and most of them were Australian authors. Many of them were review books, whilst a few were ones I had wanted to read out of interest or to know what had happened before reading the sequel. I read across various genres, and focused on the… Continue reading April 2026 Round Up

#AussieAuthors2026, #LoveOZMG, adventure, Aussie authors, Australian literature, Book Industry, Books, Children's Literature, Crime/Mystery, literary fiction, middle grade, quiz books, Reading, Reviews, series

Raised by Wolves by Tristan Bancks

Ashleigh

Title: Raised by Wolves Author: Tristan Bancks Genre: Crime Publisher: Penguin Australia Published: 5th May 2026 Format: Paperback Pages: 240 Price: $17.99 Synopsis: When your dad’s a fugitive, who do you trust – him, or yourself? Twelve-year-old Olive Silver knows how to check every room with a knife when she gets home from school, how… Continue reading Raised by Wolves by Tristan Bancks

#AussieAuthors2026, #LoveOZMG, adventure, Aussie authors, Australian literature, Australian women writers, Book bingo, Book Industry, Books, challenges, Children's Literature, Crime/Mystery, literary fiction, middle grade, Publishers, Reading, Reviews, series

Freddie Jones: The Mystery of the Ghostly Garden by Kate Foster

Ashleigh

Title: Freddie Jones: The Mystery of the Ghostly Garden Author: Kate Foster Genre: Mystery Publisher: Walker Books Published: 1st May 2026 Format: Paperback Pages: 256 Price: $17.99 Synopsis: Fly to England, become friends with a ghost, and catch a thief with Freddie Jones in the second book of the new mystery series by Kate FosterFreddie,… Continue reading Freddie Jones: The Mystery of the Ghostly Garden by Kate Foster

#AussieAuthors2026, #LoveOZMG, Aussie authors, Australian literature, Australian women writers, Book Industry, Books, Children's Literature, humour, literary fiction, middle grade, Publishers, Reading, Reviews, short stories

Bring it Back by Deborah Kelly

Ashleigh

Title: Bring it Back Author: Deborah Kelly Genre: Contemporary Publisher: Wombat Rhiza Published: 1st May 2026 Format: Paperback Pages: 100 Price: $14.99 Synopsis: It's the last term of primary school and Liam is bored with the same faces, places and lunches even basketball. When a new student named Clint arrives, things become much more interesting.… Continue reading Bring it Back by Deborah Kelly

#AussieAuthors2026, #LoveOZMG, adventure, Aussie authors, Australian literature, Australian women writers, Book bingo, Book Industry, Books, challenges, Children's Literature, Disney Reading Challenge, Dymocks Reading Challenge, Fables, Fairytales, Fantasy, historical fiction, history, literary fiction, middle grade, Publishers, Reading, Reviews, series, The Nerd Daily

Somewhere (Elsewhere #2) by Shelby Matheson

Ashleigh

Title: Somewhere (Elsewhere #2) Author: Shelby Matheson Genre: Fantasy/Historical Fiction Publisher: Wombat Books Published: 1st May 2026 Format: Paperback Pages: 411 Price: $21.99 Synopsis: A new semester means new surprises at Miss Coleridge’s Academy for Gifted Youths. Elsie tries her best to be a good Guardian, but a few terrible mistakes causes Elsewhere’s trust in… Continue reading Somewhere (Elsewhere #2) by Shelby Matheson

#AussieAuthors2026, #LoveOZMG, adventure, Aussie authors, Australian literature, Book Industry, Books, Children's Literature, literary fiction, middle grade, Publishers, Reading, Reviews, Scholastic, series, short stories

1000 Minutes of Danger by Jack Heath

Ashleigh

Title: 1000 Minutes of Danger Author: Jack Heath Genre: Mystery Publisher: Scholastic Australia Published: 1st May 2026 Format: Paperback Pages: 528 Price: $19.99May release Synopsis: 30 stories. 30 dangerous situations. 1000 minutes. 3 books in 1 volume. Liliana is trapped in a burning building with no way out. Zak is stuck in a shipping container… Continue reading 1000 Minutes of Danger by Jack Heath

#AussieAuthors2026, #AussieYAChallenge, #LoveOZMG, #LoveOzYA, Aussie authors, Australian literature, Australian women writers, Book Industry, Books, challenges, Children's Literature, Disney Reading Challenge, Jacqueline Harvey, literary fiction, memoir, middle grade, non-fiction, Publishers, Reading, Reviews, series, Young Adult

Disney Reading Challenge Sensational Six Completed

Ashleigh

And that’s another card completed! Sensational Six ended with a middle grade/young adult crime novel by Tristan Bancks. This has been a fun challenge, and I’m getting through the prompts. There are some that are going to take a bit longer than others, but that’s okay, I still have the rest of the year left… Continue reading Disney Reading Challenge Sensational Six Completed

#AussieAuthors2026, #AussieYAChallenge, #LoveOZMG, #LoveOzYA, adventure, Aussie authors, Australian literature, Australian women writers, Book Industry, Books, Children's Literature, Crime/Mystery, literary fiction, middle grade, Publishers, Reading, Reviews, Sci-Fi, The Nerd Daily, Young Adult

The Wild Unknown by Emily Gale

Ashleigh

Title: The Wild Unknown Author: Emily Gale Genre: Science Fiction/Dystopia Publisher: Text Publishing Published: 28th April 2026 Format: Paperback Pages: 240 Price: $16.99 Synopsis: It’s 2045 and the world is full of tech. Eddie has a bot in his ear giving him advice all day, a bathroom scale that identifies illnesses, and classroom bots keeping… Continue reading The Wild Unknown by Emily Gale

#AussieAuthors2026, #LoveOZMG, adventure, Aussie authors, Australian literature, Australian women writers, Book Industry, Books, Children's Literature, Crime/Mystery, Dymocks Reading Challenge, literary fiction, middle grade, Publishers, Reading, Reviews, The Nerd Daily

Running in Circles by Shivaun Plozza

Ashleigh

Title: Running in Circles Author: Shivaun Plozza Genre: Science/Contemporary Publisher: UQP Published: 28th April 2026 Format: Paperback Pages: 256 Price: $17.99 Synopsis: From award-winning author Shivaun Plozza comes this moving coming-of-age story about family, picking your battles and the transformative power of science. When crop circles appear in Tully, North Queensland, twelve-year-old Dell knows it’s… Continue reading Running in Circles by Shivaun Plozza