2026 CBCA Book of the Year - NotablesUnpublished

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A brutal war between demons and humanity has raged across Europe for over a century. At its heart are two elite soldiers- SELENE ALLEVA, a powerful exorcist trained at the prestigious Vatican Academy, and foot soldier, JULES LACROIX, unrivalled in battle.

What makes a good man? Morgan Pickford isn't sure yet, but he's doing his best to find out, even though it's complicated. A life-affirming YA novel about fractured families, tough talk, masculinity, finding friendship and overturning expectations from an internationally acclaimed, bestselling...

I play around with the colours for a few minutes, mixing them with the white. The colours I end up with aren't perfect, but they'll do. I don't know why I like pastel colours so much. My life would be easier if I could get into dark colours, but what can I say? My heart is made of pastel...

Andy and three other kids wake up in a locked room. The room has no windows, but it has a locked door, with a countdown clock above it. They have less than an hour to figure out how to get out of this room. But when they do . . .? There's another locked room, and more...

A brilliant and hilarious cosy YA crime from the author of My Family and Other Suspects, with a mystery that will keep readers guessing to the very last page. For fans of Karen McManus and Holly Jackson.

An instant New York Times bestseller! From the author of the instant New York Times bestseller I Hope This Doesn't Find You comes another hilarious and romantic romcom, this time following a former model determined to get revenge on the boy who ruined her...

An Indie Next Selection! * "Using lyrical prose that hums with tension and chemistry, Clipstone crafts an immersive and captivating queer gothic romance." --Publishers Weekly, starred review Perfect for fans of Saltburn, A Study in...

Set in the year leading up to the AFL Draft and following the experiences of six teenagers who are in its orbit, this YA novel is unique, compelling, authentic and full of footy. Perfect for sporty kids.

Four girls share a cabin in an abandoned town where the ghost of Smiling Jack haunts isolated campers. Shelley is the new girl with her own haunted past. Mack made things awkward by kissing her best friend. Priya thinks she's ready to take the next step...

DARK ACADEMIA...WITH DEMONS. After a deadly incident at her old school, Page enrols in Agathion College, an exclusive boarding school, only to find that it's built over centuries of secrets - including an ancient society potentially linked to demonic magic. Perfect for fans of Lynette Noni and Leigh...

A contagiously funny graphic novel from bestselling creator Remy Lai. Abby and her four younger siblings are itching to escape their house - literally. Perfect for fans of Raina Telgemeier.

What do you do with a sick dragon, a concussed troll, or a unicorn with a broken horn? You take them to the only place that can help: Creature Clinic! From Super Sidekicks creator and New York Times-bestselling cartoonist Gavin Aung Than comes this...

Relish in mischief, adventure and the most unusual family ever, with the bestselling and multi-award-winning Katrina Nannestad. Frances Bloom lives all alone in a cottage by the sea. She's having a marvellous time until her nasty teacher, Ms Thistle, learns there is no-one...

Jake Jensen wants to become a guitar hero. Instead, he's stuck in detention. As he cleans out the creepy old school attic, he accidentally summons a teen ghost band. They need Jake's help to escape a terrible demon who has trapped...

'Mum said when I turned twelve, things would start to change. I didn't think she meant EVERYTHING.' Melody Moss is starting high school and EVERYTHING is going WRONG! Her BFF has forgotten the Forever bit and has found New Friends (aka The Clones). ...

★ The bestselling new-release Australian graphic novel of 2025! ★ For fans of Remy Lai's Pawcasso and Raina Telgemeier's Drama comes this hilarious enemies-to-besties graphic novel, about a kid who just wants to blend in...

A funny, life-affirming graphic novel from award-winning Australian creator Gus Gordon. Best friends Luis and Pablo spend their days wandering through nature, playing songs on the guitar, and eating pinecone porridge.   But Luis wonders if there's more to life...

From acclaimed author Nathan Luff - new middle grade adventure full of action, danger, creepy crawlies and lots of laughs! Dear Evolution, If the bird you have made is too big to fly, it is TOO BIG - FULL STOP! Yours, Branson Hawthorne Esquire...

Engaging, heartfelt and imaginative - magical realism from the award-winning author of Evie and Rhino Since her father sailed away, Uncle Isaac is the only family Pippy has left. Together they spend their days fishing off the coast, until one day Pippy is knocked into...

Since the accident, eleven-year-old Bones spends her time drawing animal skeletons and scavenging for dead things to add to her collection. She's drifted away from her friends and doesn't want to make new ones, especially not with her chatty new neighbour, Tenny. One night, under a full...

Martha Mayfield has always been the quiet kid. Martha is, after all, her mother's daughter. The shy child of an even shyer mum. And she likes it this way. That is, until Martha's mum loses her job. And Martha's teacher overlooks her at school. And soon, Martha realises something has to...

An exciting timeslip novel from the bestselling author of The Boy Who Stepped Through Time, featuring a present-day girl hurtling back to the time of the 1969 moon landing.

A gripping middle-grade mystery from Australian author Sue Whiting, in which a small coastal town is torn apart by more than just a bushfire One year on from a devastating bushfire, the small coastal town of Wangaroo Bay is still reeling. Fletch's family lost their home, and...

For fans of Tristan Bancks and Katherine Rundell comes this electrifying middle-grade novel about a twelve-year-old called Cas, who runs away to avoid a reunion with his estranged father. Cas soon finds himself lost in the wilderness, completely alone and without help. Or is he?<...

Dribble and laugh your head off with the super-popular Funny Kid series! Every kid wants to laugh, but Max is the boy who can make it happen. When Max discovers that everyone is more interested in watching soccer than his stand-up routine, he needs to come up with a...

Moonie lives in Melbourne and dreams of designing dresses for movie stars. Eight thousand kilometres away, on Chongming Island in China, peasant boy Little Dipper cares for the silkworms on his family's farm and hopes to learn English. On the day Moonie's beloved Ma Mi goes away, Little Dipper...

Goosebumps meets The Treehouse in this wonderful first instalment of a hilarious new series, Something Terrible. Tim Mulligan lives at 25 Rufus Street. You might be surprised to know that is his name, because most people think his name is Tim Tie-your-shoelaces. But no...

All day long we can hear that Sea howl prowling wild inside our brains and every part of us is straining to feel it taste it twirl it whirl it swirl it inside our body again. Houdini the octopus lives in an...

In the hilarious first story from the A Little Bit Lola series, Lola has a BIG plan to get rich quick - and to buy the most beautiful pair of roller skates she's ever seen!  Everyone in Lola's family has wheels except Lola. So,...

Our street is perfect! Well, it would be perfect if we didn't have a BIN MONSTER! The Bin Monster flaps and clacks and squawks all night, and throws our rubbish everywhere! I've had enough! I've got a plan to get rid of this Bin Monster once and for all. I...

Bonnie knows how to build sandcastles best, but her friends insist on building their own castles every way but Bonnie's way. They sift and sculpt and burrow in the soft, white sand, happily playing by their own rules. No-one listens to Bonnie. Soon, her anger boils over and she storms off...

Philip Bunting - author illustrator of award-winning titles Mopoke and Not Cute - introduces the most enigmatic creature in the Australian bush. They say Dropbear is mean, Dropbear is savage . But They are the gossips ... Meet Dropbear, if you...

A joyful story celebrating the natural world, the sharing of culture through Noongar language and the awe that comes from seeing, hearing and feeling how elemental forces shape the earth.

A CBCA NOTABLE EARLY CHILDHOOD BOOK OF THE YEAR 2026 A wondrous and richly illustrated reimagining of an ancient Chinese folktale about integrity, courage and patience from the creator of Pancakes for Plum. 'I wonder what kind of creature will...

Follow this playful family of giraffes as they splash and laugh through their bedtime routine with jokes, songs and bathtime bubbles. This hilarious story and rollicking rhyme is bound to have your little one giggling all the way to the tub!

My father's arms are magic. They tell me he loves me. In my father's arms is my favourite place to be. From bestselling Australian creators Toni D'Alia and Mimi Purnell comes a joyous celebration of all the tender,...

Brilliant rhythm and rhyme and building chaos make this the perfect read-aloud story. It starts with a witch, a dragon and a potion. It ends with a commotion! Prepare to be charmed by this story of a spell gone wrong and the whirlwind of magical mayhem that...

Exploring all the things babies love to do as they get ready for bed - from bedtime stories to massages from mum - the simple, high-contrast illustrations feature many recognisable words, like mum, dad and pyjamas.

2026 CBCA NOTABLE EARLY CHILDHOOD BOOK OF THE YEAR What is a dot when a dot is not? Is it a swish? A sweep? Or a swirl? Is it a scurry? A wave? Or a pearl? Explore the joy of drawing in this lively book where a dot can be...