Our favourite reads of 2023
And here comes 2024!
TeamYKNR would like to wish all of our subscribers a very happy (and very peaceful) festive break!
2023 has been a (long and) productive year for us – between us we’ve:
•published nine books,
•spoken at countless events,
•participated in key industry research,
•won an award (Megan Daley, ASLA Teacher Librarian of the Year)
•updated and upgraded our website (see it here),
•grown our Facebook community to 32,000+ members (join us here),
•created and launched this newsletter,
•produced 50+ podcast episodes,
•given away stacks and stacks of books,
•promoted hundreds of Australian titles – and their creators,
•advocated for school libraries everywhere,
•curated dozens of book lists and
•squeezed in a ‘summit’ to plan ahead for next year.
And 2024 is looking to be even bigger – so we’re taking the chance to have a little lie down while we can.
We hope you enjoy this list of our favourite reads in 2023.
You can hear us chat about why we chose each one in episode 133 of the Your Kid’s Next Read podcast.
Speaking of the podcast, we’re off on summer break until mid-January, but, in the meantime, we’ve got a mini-series rolling out called Behind The Books – bite-sized episodes that take you behind the scenes of children’s publishing to discover what goes on and who’s involved.
The first two episodes – The Bookseller, and The Publisher – are out now. Hit the red button to discover them.
Team YKNR’s Favourite Reads 2023
Picture books
Anchored by Debra Tidball (ill. by Arielle Lu)
Neil, The Amazing Sea Cucumber by Amelia McInerney (ill. by Lucinda Gifford)
The Gargoyle by Zana Fraillon and Ross Morgan
Pasta! by Felice Arena and Beatrice Cerocchi
Stay for Dinner by Sandhya Parappukkaran and Michelle Pereira
You’re Fabulous As You Are by Sophie Beer
Alight: A Story of Fire and Nature by Sam Lloyd (ill. Samantha Metcalf)
The Garden at the End of the World by Cassy Polimeni (ill. Briony Stewart)
Nikki Hind: Dressed for Success by John Dickson (ill. Chantel de Sousa)
Craig Shanahan: Cooking up a Storm by John Dickson (ill. Claudia Frittitta)
Matt Formston: Surfing in the Dark by John Dickson (ill. Phillip Bunting)
A Life Song by Jane Godwin and Anna Walker
Ten Blocks to the Big Wok: a Mandarin counting book by Ying-Hwa Hu
Junior Fiction
The Wish Sisters (series) by Allison Rushby (ill. Karen Blair)
Millie Mak The Maker by Alice Pung and Sher Rill Ng
Fluff: Bullies Beware by Matt Stanton
Miss Penny Dreadful and The Mermaid’s Locks (series) by Allison Rushby
Little Ash (series) by Jasmin McGaughey and Jade Goodwin
Willa and Woof (series) by Jacqueline Harvey. Illustrations by A. Yi
‘Hello Twigs’ series by Andrew McDonald and Ben Wood
Middle Grade
Queenie in Seven Moves by Zanni Louise
The Mud Puddlers by Pamela Rushby
Hamlet is Not Okay by R. A. Spratt (lower YA)
Impossible Creatures by Katherine Rundell
The Thames and Tide Club by Katya Balen
Foxlight by Katya Balen
The Hotel Witch by Jessica Miller
Ghost Book by Remy Lai
It’s the Sound of the Thing by Maxine Beneba Clarke
The Unlikely Heroes Club by Kate Foster
Sunshine on Vinegar Street by Karen Comer
Indigo in the Storm by Kate Gordon
Aster's Good Right Things by Kate Gordon
Xavier In the Meantime by Kate Gordon
The First Summer of Callie McGee by A.L. Tait
YA
Grace Notes by Karen Comer
I am The Mau (and other stories) by Chemutai Glasheen
The Sinister Booksellers of Bath (series) by Garth Nix
Scar Town by Tristan Bancks
Mysteries of Thorn Manor by Margaret Rogerson
Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson
What the River Knows by Isabel Ibanez
Borderland by Graham Akhurst
Burn by Melanie Saward
We Could be Something by Will Kostakis
See you in 2024.
Allison T, Allison R, Megan
Visit Allison Tait over the holidays
Wow!! What a year!! I hope 2024 brings as much success!