Great reads for kids

We've got a list of the best new release kids books that they'll bury their noses in for hours! With help from the Children’s Book Council of Australia, we’ve picked a few books from each category which are featured in the 2015 shortlist.

Picture Books

I Was Only Nineteen, by John Schuman

John Schuman’s unforgettable lyrics from the song, I Was Only Nineteen, has been brought to life by one of Australia’s best-loved illustrators Craig Smith.

This is a powerful and emotional picture book telling the story of the Vietnam War.

Hello from Nowhere, by Raewyn Caisley

Eve thought that living in the middle of nowhere was better than living anywhere else in the world . . . Only one thing made Eve sad. She hadn't seen Nan since they left the city long ago.

Eve lives in a roadhouse in the middle of the Nullarbor and when her Nan visits one day, Eve shows her all the things that are special about where she lives.

A moving celebration of the Australian outback and the special connection between grandparent and grandchild.

Rivertime, by Trace Balla

A gentle and beautiful book about slowing down and growing up, set on Australia's Glenelg River and featuring a ten-year-old boy and his uncle.

A tender and beautifully illustrated tale of a boy and his bird-watching uncle, on a paddling trip on Australia's Glenelg River. A story about slowing down, growing up, and connecting with the land and its creatures.

Younger Readers

Tea and Sugar Christmas, by Jane Jolly

Join Kathleen in the outback as she eagerly awaits the Christmas Tea and Sugar train. Will she meet Father Christmas? Will she receive a Christmas gift from him?

A delightful, heart-warming story from the National Library of Australia that will intrigue, captivate and introduce readers to a slice of the past.

Ophelia and the Marvellous Boy, by Karen Foxlee

11-year-old Ophelia might not be brave, but she certainly is curious.

Her family are still reeling from her mother's death, and in a bid to cheer everyone up, her father has taken a job at a gothic museum in a city where it never stops snowing.

Ophelia can't wait to explore, and she quickly discovers an impossibility.

In a forgotten room, down a very dark corridor, she finds a boy, who says he's been imprisoned for 303 years by an evil Snow Queen who has a clock that is ticking down towards the end of the world.

The Adventures of Stunt Boy and his Amazing Wonder Dog Blindfold, by Lollie Barr

Someone was out to get my dad.

Everyone said it was an accident but I didn't believe them, not even for a second... and Stunt Boy is going to prove it.

With his amazing wonder dog Blindfold and his best friend Benny, Stunt Boy has to find out who is trying to sabotage their Stoked Stunt Circus and close it down forever!

Older Readers

Tigers on the Beach, by Doug Macleod

Adam thinks Samantha could be the one for him.

But first he has to sort out his parents' crumbling marriage, stop getting into embarrassing situations involving public nudity, find out what's making his gran so angry, stop his little brother doing something really, really dangerous and work out what's so funny about two tigers on a beach. It can't be that hard, can it?

I am Juliet, by Jackie French

I am Juliet closely follows the well-known and loved plot of the play, but we also see the point of view of Rob, the thirteen-year-old boy who is the first to play the role of Juliet on the Elizabethan stage.

Like many young people today, he too is overwhelmed by 'all those words' that Shakespeare wrote.

But Rob realises that the story of love and tragedy is a somewhat simple one and the words are there for their extraordinary beauty and meaning. He will be Juliet and let the power of the words sing - as they still do today.

Loyal Creatures, by Morris Gleitzman

Like many of his mates from the bush, Frank Ballantyne is keen to join the grand adventure and do his bit.

Specially as a chest full of medals might impress the currently unimpressed parents of his childhood sweetheart.

So Frank ups his age and volunteers with his horse Daisy ... and his dad.

In the deserts of Egypt and Palestine he experiences all the adventure he ever wanted, and a few things he wasn't expecting. Heartbreak, love and the chance to make the most important choice of his life.

From Gallipoli to the famous charge at Beersheba, through to the end of the war and its unforgettable aftermath, Frank's story grows out of some key moments in Australia's history.