The CBCA Notables for 2026 have been announced! This list has been chosen from 736 entries. There were 223 picture book entries, 181 Younger Reader entries, 144 Early Childhood entries, 77 Eve Pownall entries, 73 Older Reader entries and 38 New Illustrator entries. Wow! Good luck to everyone, I think its going to be hard… Continue reading CBCA 2026 Book of the Year Awards Notables
Tag: CBCA
The Wintrish Girl (Talismans of Fate #1) by Melanie La’Brooy
Title: The Wintrish Girl (Talismans of Fate #1) Author: Melanie La’Brooy Genre: Fantasy Publisher: UQP Published: 30th August 2022 Format: Paperback Pages: 440 Price: $17.99 Synopsis: On Talisman Day in Arylia, every child receives an object that gives them special powers and reveals their destiny. Every child except for the Wintrish girl, Penn, that is.… Continue reading The Wintrish Girl (Talismans of Fate #1) by Melanie La’Brooy
The Messy Bath Monster by Tina Wilson, music by Matt Ottley
Title: The Messy Bath Monster Author: Tina Wilson, music by Matt Ottley Genre: Fiction Publisher: One Tentacle Publishing Published: 1st October 2025 Format: Hardcover Pages: 32 Price: $25.99 Synopsis: Monkey knows there’s a MONSTER hiding in the bathroom because it leaves a HUGE MESS behind. Will Monkey discover who the bath monster really is? Monkey… Continue reading The Messy Bath Monster by Tina Wilson, music by Matt Ottley
Celebrating 80 Years of the CBCA
CBCA Book Week artwork by Jess McGeachin (c) 2025 For 80 years, the Children’s Book Council of Australia has been promoting quality Australian children’s books for young readers of all ages. Every year since 1946, the CBCA has presented The Book of the Year Awards to promote Australian books that had a high literary and… Continue reading Celebrating 80 Years of the CBCA
CBCA Book of the Year Shortlist 2025
On the 25th of March, the shortlist for the 80th CBCA Awards were announced. Whilst many of the ones I hoped would get through didn’t, there were some good ones that did get through, and that appear to be around certain themes. Some of the shortlisted books that I haven’t read look good, and the… Continue reading CBCA Book of the Year Shortlist 2025
CBCA Notables 2025
The CBCA Notables for 2025 were announced on the 25th of February, and the Notables for the organisation’s 80th year look amazing. I have read and reviewed several of the older readers and younger readers books, with more on my list to read and explore. Some I haven’t had the chance to read or review… Continue reading CBCA Notables 2025
Something Special: 40th Anniversary Edition by Emily Rodda
Title: Something Special: 40th Anniversary Edition Author: Emily Rodda Genre: Fantasy Publisher: HarperCollins Australia Published: 3rd July 2024 Format: Paperback Pages: 80 Price: $17.99 Synopsis: The award-winning classic by internationally renowned author Emily Rodda celebrates forty years. In the spare room, the second-hand clothes hang in rows, stirring in the sunlight. Sam walks through the… Continue reading Something Special: 40th Anniversary Edition by Emily Rodda
Book Banning in Australia
Recently, Cumberland City Council in Western Sydney voted to put a blanket ban on books that feature same-sex parenting and remove them from local libraries. Libraries and bookstores often stock what people buy or borrow, what they know their community wants or what will be accessed. So why is this banning an issue? These days,… Continue reading Book Banning in Australia
March 2024 Reading Round Up
In March, I read 25 books, some quite ahead of time for review in my attempt to stay on track of things. I completed the first part of the Dymocks Reading Challenge and made good progress on my other reading challenges. One book had a male and a female author, so it was able to… Continue reading March 2024 Reading Round Up
The Book of Chance by Sue Whiting
Title: The Book of Chance Author: Sue Whiting Genre: Mystery Publisher: Walker Books Published: 1st April 2020 Format: Paperback Pages: 288 Price: $18.99 Synopsis: Chance is a black-and-white thinker until she realises that sometimes there are shades of grey.Chance is in Year 7 and thinks she has it all - a loving mother, dog Tiges,… Continue reading The Book of Chance by Sue Whiting
The Book Muse 