Meet Your Next Read!
Win a full set of launch titles + FREE Katrina Nannestad author event
They’re here! They’re finally here!
After two years’ work behind the scenes, the collaboration between the Your Kid’s Next Read team and Affirm Press/Simon & Schuster is now available in book form.
That’s right, the first four titles in the Your Next Read junior fiction series are available from your favourite bookseller right now.
And we could NOT be more excited to share them with you!
‘The Missing Pencil Case’ by Jasmin McGaughey and Jade Goodwin
‘Will Fin Win?’ by Jane Godwin and Tom Jellett
‘Bea, Bart and The Birds’ by Katrina Nannestad and Cheryl Orsini
‘The Lonely Lunch Club’ by Maddy Mara and Laura Stitzel
These books are the first four titles in our Silver series, created by some of Australia’s most exciting and experienced authors and illustrators, and perfectly pitched for readers aged 5+.
Hit the button below to discover more about each title and its creators, plus Curriculum-linked Teachers’ Notes AND the story behind WHY we collaborated on the Your Next Read series.
But wait, there’s more…
We can’t even pretend to be under-celebrating this time and the celebrations will roll on throughout the year with two more Silver titles in July, and then the first titles in the Gold series (7+) landing later this year.
In all, there will be a smorgasbord of 34 quality Australian stories hitting bookshelves over the next two years. A carefully curated, wide reading experience designed to make it easier to help young readers find that all-important ‘next book’ – and discover the joys of reading for pleasure.
Those little silver icons on each cover (and in the image above) help young readers to decipher what kinds of stories they love – and help them to easily find more in the series.
It’s a beautiful representation of the Your Kid’s Next Read experience on the bookshelf. You want a book recommendation for a six-year-old reader? Tell us what your six-year-old reader likes to do, what kind of stories they like, what gets them excited.
With Your Next Read, your young reader will be able to figure it out for themselves. And if that isn’t the key to a lifelong love of reading, we don’t know what is.
Want to know more?
•Listen to Allison T and Tash Besliev (Executive Publisher, Children’s Publishing, Simon & Schuster) chat to Dani Vee (Words and Nerds podcast) about the origin story of Your Next Read (including the sad lack of cocktails), the process behind curating the series, and
•Visit our blog to meet some of the incredible creators behind the first four Your Next Read titles.
•Read the media release announcing the series
JOIN US ONLINE TO CELEBRATE!
Award-winning, bestselling author Katrina Nannestad joins Team YKNR live on Zoom for an author talk about writing, creativity and her books, including ‘Bea, Bart and The Birds’, illustrated by Cheryl Orsini, and one of four launch titles in the Your Next Read Silver junior fiction series.
Get to know more about Katrina’s insights, inspiration and best writing tips, and then enjoy her short author presentation about the process of writing ‘Bea, Bart and The Birds’, followed by an opportunity to ask your own questions!
Don’t miss this exciting opportunity to see one of Australia’s favourite authors in action – live and FREE at your place on Monday 23 March, 2026, at 7pm (AEDT).
Make sure you read the book first!
TICKETS ARE ESSENTIAL: Click the red button to register (free) via the ticket link to receive your Zoom link to attend.
WIN A FULL SET OF YOUR NEXT READ LAUNCH TITLES!
To celebrate the launch of Your Next Read, we’ve got FIVE FULL SETS of the first four titles to give away to the YKNR community!
That’s right, this is your chance to win all four launch titles delivered to your place…
Hit the red button for all the details and to enter in our Facebook group.
MARCH BOOKMAIL WINNER
SPEAKING OF GIVEAWAYS, each month, we give away a prize pack consisting of some of the brilliant bookmail sent to us for the Your Kid’s Next Read podcast. One winner** is chosen from our full subscriber list by random draw and announced here!
There are SIX books in the MARCH prize pack.
The MARCH bookmail giveaway winner is … Erin.Heino
Congrats! We’ll be in touch by email.
Want a chance to win next month? All you have to do is subscribe.
Thanks for being part of our Your Next Read celebrations – we hope you love the series as much as we do!
Allison T, Allison R and Megan
**Australian mailing addresses only. Prize consists of one copy of each book pictured, sent as a pack to the winner by Australia Post. Winner will be contacted by email and prize must be claimed within 14 days or a redraw will take place. You must be subscribed to the YKNR newsletter by midnight (AEST) the night before publication each month to be eligible to win. No correspondence will be entered into.
Huge congrats, Team YKNR!! 🎉