AustLit

'What does it mean to be the one left behind?

'When sixteen-year-old Yin Mitchell is abducted, the news reverberates through the whole Year Ten class at Balmoral Ladies College. As the hours tick by, the girls know the chance of Yin being found alive is becoming smaller and smaller.

'Police suspect the abduction is the work of a serial offender, with none in the community safe from suspicion. Everyone is affected by Yin’s disappearance—even scholarship student Chloe, who usually stays out of Balmoral drama, is drawn into the maelstrom. And when she begins to form an uneasy alliance with the queen of Year Ten, Natalia, things get even more complicated.

'Looking over their shoulders at every turn, Chloe and Natalia must come together to cope with their fear and grief as best they can. A tribute to friendship in all its guises, The Gaps is a moving examination of vulnerability and strength, safety and danger, and the particular uncertainty of being a young woman in the world.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'In the fifth episode of the Readings Kids Podcast, Leanne and Angela talk about what people have been reading during the Covid-19 lockdown and the realities of home schooling. This episode also includes a bonus interview with Jessica Miller about her new fantasy middle grade novel, The Republic of Birds. It was recorded online over Skype during the Covid-19 crisis.'  (Production summary)

'In the fifth episode of the Readings Kids Podcast, Leanne and Angela share book recommendations for staying at home and feeling calm - with kids!'  (Production summary)

'In the fourth episode of the Readings Kids Podcast, Leanne and Angela share books to help facilitate conversations about the recent Australian bushfires with kids, and also discuss the six books shortlisted for this year's Readings Children's Book Prize.'

Source: Soundcloud.

'In the third episode of the Readings Kids Podcast, Leanne and Angela do a whistle-stop tour of their favourite books of the past year. This episode also includes a bonus interview with YA author Will Kostakis about his new fantasy book, Monuments.'

Source: Soundcloud.

'In the second episode of the Readings Kids Podcast, Leanne and Angela chat about the rom-com boom in YA fiction, high concept board books for babies, and YA twitter.'

Source: Soundcloud.

'Children's bookseller and author Leanne Hall sits down with Readings Kids shop manager Angela Crocombe, to give us an insight into the wonderful world of kids' publishing and bookselling. They touch on representation and diversity in children's publishing, the success of Bruce Pascoe's Young Dark Emu, and give us some of their personal children's books recommendations.'

Source: Soundcloud.

'Kids bookseller Leanne Hall chats with Ambelin Kwaymullina about editing the anthology, Meet Me at the Intersection.'  (Production summary)

'Twelve-year-old Iris has been sent to Spain on a mission: to make sure her elderly and unusual aunt, Ursula, leaves her fortune – and her sprawling estate – to Iris's scheming parents.

'But from the moment Iris arrives at Bosque de Nubes, she realises something isn't quite right. There is an odd feeling around the house, where time moves slowly and Iris's eyes play tricks on her. While outside, in the wild and untamed forest, a mysterious animal moves through the shadows.

'Just what is Aunt Ursula hiding?

'But when Iris discovers a painting named Iris and the Tiger, she sets out to uncover the animal's real identity – putting her life in terrible danger.' (Publication summary)

'The dark is dangerous. So is the past. So are your dreams.

'For six months Nia—Wildgirl—has tried to forget Wolfboy, the mysterious boy she spent one night with in Shyness—the boy who said he'd call but didn't.

'Then Wolfboy calls. The things he tells her pull her back to the suburb of Shyness, where the sun doesn't rise and dreams and reality are difficult to separate. There, Doctor Gregory has seemingly disappeared, the Darkness is changing and Wolfboy's friend is in trouble. And Nia decides to become Wildgirl once more.

'The sequel to the 2009 Text Prize-winning This Is Shyness is about the difficulty of recreating the past—about how the Darkness no longer sets Wolfboy and Wildgirl free.' (From the publisher's website.)

'A guy who howls. A girl on a mission to forget.

'In the suburb of Shyness, where the sun doesn't rise and the border crackles with a strange energy, Wolfboy meets a stranger at the Diabetic Hotel. She tells him her name is Wildgirl, and she dares him to be her guide through the endless night.

'But then they are mugged by the sugar-crazed Kidds. And what plays out is moving, reckless ... dangerous. There are things that can only be said in the dark. And one long night is time enough to change your life.' (From the publisher's website.)