A book that kids deserve

I'm obsessed with the new Nova Weetman novel and I'm going to tell you why.

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Hello! Happy Sunday! Thanks for being here to read my bookish thoughts and recommendations from the week that was.

Firstly, my most recent YA Book Stack episode is out! This one is with Erin Gough, someone who I have had a literary crush on since her debut young adult novel, The Flywheel, was released in my first years of school librarianship. It meant everything to the queer kids I worked with, at a time when LGBTIQA+ young adult literature in Australia was few and far between. Since then, Erin has written the critically-acclaimed Amelia Westlake, a book that every single member of my student book club read (very unusual), and also my absolute top pick for the 2025 CBCA Book of the Year for Older Readers, Into the Mouth of the Wolf. We focused on the latter in the episode, and especially how well it would be placed in a Year 9-10 English classroom.

Our conversation included discussions about:

• the power of audiobooks from a very young age (pre-independent reading);

• the importance of validating Australian literature by including it on the curriculum;

• finding the right story (and the right voice) as a writer;

• themes of social and climate justice, power and privilege, community, and loyalty and trust in young adult fiction;

• processing grief about what's happening to the environment through literature, and realising that "the way through is together";

• the process of world-building when it comes to a familiar yet dystopian setting;

• the things an author writes that don't end up in the novel, and some techniques for developing character outside the pages of the book;

• and the changing nature of the young adult literary landscape in Australia over the last few years.

Check it out here, or wherever you get your podcasts!

While we’re on the topic of great contemporary Australian literature for classrooms, Reading Australia has some new and updated resources available now, including:

• Come Over to My House by Sally Rippin and Eliza Hull, illustrated by Daniel Gray-Barnett (Year 3)

• Aster’s Good, Right Things by Kate Gordon (Year 5)

• Growing Up Aboriginal in Australia (Year 9)

• The Surprising Power of a Good Dumpling by Wai Chim (Year 9)

I have also been copy editing an upcoming Reading Australia resource for Inkflower by Suzy Zail (Year 9-10). It’s an incredible novel that should be strongly considered for the classroom, especially in place of more common Holocaust texts like The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas and The Tattooist of Auschwitz, which, in the words of the unit writer, “have been examined for their misrepresentation of the Holocaust and the way in which they romanticise the experiences of prisoners in the camps.”

Finally on the professional front, next week I am in Hobart for the AATE/ALEA National Conference. I am so excited! I have already highlighted all the sessions I plan to attend, and it’s going to be a busy few days. Reading Australia has also listed some of the sessions with their staff and fellows, including me. I’m thrilled to be given the chance to speak about Teaching ‘Difficult’ Literature with Sensitivity and Depth and the thing I am always on a soapbox about, Contemporary Australian Alternatives for Your Classroom. I will certainly be referencing the recent VATE discussion paper by Joanne O’Mara, which states:

Many young people we work with do not feel in charge of their stories and feel alienated from our classrooms, the texts we study, our subject. Many of us feel alienated when we experience a lack of agency in our teaching. Many of the stories told about us are told on other people’s terms, but we can […] fly higher and be braver. We can rewrite the stories around text selection processes in our classrooms.

This week I came across an article about how children’s books on male friendship could combat toxic masculinity. Through the lens of this year’s Carnegie-winning titles, it shows a shift in publishing to more nuanced portrayals of young men. As someone who has also written a book that gives a more positive perspective of male friendship and coming-of-age, I liked reading about literature’s potential to foster empathy and counter harmful narratives about our teenage boys. If you know or work with young people and books, it’s worth a read.

The explosion in so-called toxic masculinity is taking place at the same time as statistics tell us that reading for pleasure, especially among boys, is on the decline. Novels are empathy machines: they invite you to imagine what it might be like to be somebody else. So they are, at least potentially, an antidote to the misogynistic influence of the manosphere and gaming culture.

And then, the main headline for today. Yesterday I went along to Nova Weetman and Amy Doak’s joint book launch at Readings Kids. It was such a nice event, and standing room only! Talking to some author friends afterwards, we reflected on how it can seem like such an effort to get along to an in-person event these days, but it always feels worth it when you do. Someone even said that after being out and about, they’re always inspired to write. I totally agree. Art inspires art. I always feel buoyed and more creative after seeing fellow writers speak, and celebrate their books.

And, onto the books themselves. I haven’t read Amy Doak’s new one, but it’s on the list. At the launch, I had just two chapters left of Nova Weetman’s Sonny & Tess left to read (I’ve since read them and cried my eyes out in happiness) but I felt confident to tell Nova that it is her best yet. Is that a weird thing to say to an author? It perhaps implies their past work was not as good, but the truth is she has set a very high bar for herself with all her work, and this latest one somehow managed to exceed even that. I just loved it.

Sonny & Tess is a charming and joyful middle grade romance that captures the complexities of early adolescence with warmth and humor. Set in Melbourne, the story follows Tess, who is eager to earn her own money and gain a bit more independence from her demanding family, and Sonny, a 13-year-old boy staying with his rellies above their fish and chip shop. Their paths cross when Tess applies for a job at the shop, leading to a sweet and relatable exploration of first jobs and first crushes. There is also some heavier stuff, like distant parents, friendship strains, and the loneliness of being a teenager, but these are handled with care, and put a solid sense of trust in the reader.

Nova is so talented at writing authentic adolescent experiences, dialogue and characters. The setting, with its very distinct Melbourne flavor, adds depth to the story, grounding the characters' experiences in a familiar environment. Many potato cakes are consumed.

If I had to make a comparison to a very popular American novel, it would be To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before. (I’d be giving it to kids that liked that but should read something more local, too!) It also reminded me of something like Drift by Pip Harry or When Rain Turns to Snow by Jane Godwin in that it was an upper middle grade novel that didn’t feel dumbed down, and one that takes its young teenage characters and their lives seriously. Sonny & Tess gives such contemporary insight into the challenges and joys of growing up, and especially being in early high school. It’s the kind of book young readers deserve because it gives teenagers credit where credit is due. A lot of the middle grade (even YA) I have been reading more recently feels like it's very deliberately trying to make sure its characters don't sound/seem too old. This is not the case with Sonny, nor Tess. They are both daggy and self-conscious in that beautiful way teenagers are, but also exceptionally cool, even if they don't quite know it yet. (The best.) They speak like teenagers do. A bit world-weary, a bit innocent, somewhere in-between figuring it all out, but also very perceptive in that very particular way that kids that age can be. They very much feel like real students I know from school.

I am also having trouble at the moment with some middle grade or YA in that I often don't know who exactly it is for. I can’t imagine the reader. I wrote about this a little bit here. However, I have a good feeling that Sonny & Tess will be a gift to so many readers. I know exactly the types of kids I would give it to, and there are plenty of them.

I honestly cannot say enough good things about this book. Buy or borrow it now, and put it in the hands of all the brilliant young people you know.

Me with Nova at the launch. Photo by another children’s literature superstar, Karen Comer.

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What I’m currently reading

This week, aside from being swept up in the world of Sonny & Tess, I had a lot of false starts—reading the first chapters of dozens of novels, feeling restless or unsatisfied, and moving on. I go through periods like this every few months! In the end, nothing really stuck, and so instead I listened to an audiobook by my all-time favourite podcaster, and enjoyed some picture books with my daughter. Sometimes you just have to accept a reading rut rather than try to force it. I wrote about this topic more extensively last year.

The picture books came courtesy of Bunjil Place Library, a library we don’t often visit but always enjoy. We were in the vicinity to check out Floribunda, an exhibition organised by Bunjil Place in partnership with the NGV, but arrived too early and had to spend half an hour in the library beforehand. The best place to kill time!

If I Had a Sleepy Sloth

A Rose, a Bridge, and a Wild Black Horse

The collection at Bunjil Place Library is very impressive, especially their extensive Vox Books. We probably could have stocked up much more, but instead showed restraint and only left with this little stack:

The Land Recalls You by Kirli Saunders, Noni Cragg and David Cragg

I’d been meaning to pick this up since it was shortlisted for the CBCA Award for New Illustrator. This moving picture book honors the Stolen Generations and their descendants, weaving a narrative of remembrance and reconnection with the land. With evocative poetry and vivid illustrations, it offers a powerful exploration of identity and heritage.

If I Had a Sleepy Sloth by Gabby Dawnay and Alex Barrow

We are enjoying this series! In each one, a young person imagines the joys and challenges of having a sloth, dinosaur, unicorn, or other fun creatures as pets. The sleepy sloth version highlights the importance of slowing down in a fast-paced world. Each story has playful rhymes and vibrant illustrations that make them super fun read-alouds. My daughter also especially liked that If I Had a Dinosaur can be spotted on the bedroom floor on one page of If I Had a Sleepy Sloth. Meta!

Luna Loves Books by Joseph Coelho and Fiona Lumbers

A delightful board book about book-loving Luna, and her chance to dress up as her favorite book character. This gentle story celebrates the joy of reading and getting to meet your favourite authors and illustrators.

The Grand Hotel of Feelings by Lidia Brankovic

There are so many books for kids about emotions and emotional regulation, but this is one of the better ones I’ve found. In The Grand Hotel of Feelings, a friendly and hard-working hotel manager welcomes various emotions as guests, teaching readers about the transient nature of feelings and the importance of understanding them. It’s very sweet and a bit Wes Anderson-y, too.

A Rose, a Bridge, and a Wild Black Horse by Charlotte Zolotow, reenvisioned by Crescent Dragonwagon, and illustrated by Julie Morstad

This reimagined classic explores themes of love, dreams, and letting go through the tender relationship between a mother and her child. This was my first time encountering the 1964 picture book, but it feels like a very timeless read to me. My daughter has been reading it over and over, and is very taken with the illustrations. They are dreamy and nostalgic, with delicate lines and muted colors that beautifully capture the story’s emotional depth and quiet magic.

Next week I’m planning to read:

• Ghosts by Fiona Dalwood (eagerly awaiting this picture book on a long library reserve queue)

• Detective Beans: Adventures in Cat Town by Li Chen (I’m a fan of this graphic novel series and have a feeling it might lift me out of my current reading rut)

• Catch by Sarah Brill (I’m reviewing this for Books + Publishing and love the sound of the concept!)

• Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry (sometimes a big trashy romance is the best cure for a slump and book-lovers can’t go wrong with Emily Henry!)

• Broken Brains by Jamila Rizvi and Rosie Waterland (I’ve been meaning to read this one for ages, and have been prompted to pick it up by listening to Jamila Rizvi and Rosie Waterland talk on The Wheeler Centre podcast recently)

• June in the Garden by Eleanor Wilde (a new release by Text Publishing that I’m really looking forward to)

Anything else you think I should pick up? Please comment below with any suggested reading for my winter book stack!

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And finally, I’ll see you in a few!

My little newsletter break starts right now. I’ve decided two holidays a year seems fair—a few weeks over summer and winter to regroup. I’ll be back in mid-July, hopefully feeling rested, less borderline SAD, and ready to share some great content including:

• A full report of the AATE/ALEA National Conference

• A Substack about Substacks, Part II (see Part I here)

• Bookish Gifts for Newborns (see the version for First Birthday Books here)

• Plenty of new Booklist Gems since it’s that time of the year (see past posts here and here)

• And, what else? You tell me! If there’s something you’d like me to write about, please get in touch:

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In case you missed it, last week I launched the I Read A Lot Book Club! Click here to read all about it and join in on the no-pressure fun of reading one great children’s book a month with us.

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Do you like what you read today? Then please recommend I Read A Lot to your colleagues and friends by clicking below!

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