August 2026 Featured Reviews
Novel Insight on 4th Aug 2026
August 2026 Featured Reviews
Check out some of our top picks from our August Newsletter.
Below you will find short reviews on 12 new releases for August of 2026.
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Featured Reviews
The Picture-Perfect Present
| Author: Bethany Loveridge (AU) | Publisher: Wombat Books | |
| Illustrator: Amie Sabadin (AU) | Release Date: 1 Aug 2026 | |
| ISBN: 9781761113215 | Reading Age: 3 to 5 years |
Language Rating: No language concerns.
Novel Insight Short Review: Follow Meg as she plots to find the perfect present for her dad. A sweet story told through charming illustrations as she discovers that sometimes the perfect present doesn’t cost money but comes from the heart.
How the Fish Got Their Bones
| Author: Sam Thaiday (AU) | Publisher: Allen & Unwin | |
| Illustrator: Tori-Jay Mordey (AU) | Release Date: 4 Aug 2026 | |
| ISBN: 9781761182716 | Reading Age: 4 to 7 years |
Representations: This is a story passed down by Torres Strait Islander people.
Novel Insight Short Review: This colourful picture book tells a Torres Strait Islander story of how fish got their bones. In the beginning, fish and fishermen abided by a rule—one fish for each man. One day, two boys caught themselves a feast and refused to share. From then on, everyone was punished by bones in their fish. This story holds a powerful message about greed with a call to care for our environment, highlighting the power of storytelling.
Race Day
| Author: Mary Fowler & Jasmin McGaughey (AU) | Publisher: Penguin | |
| Illustrator: Cate James (AU) | Release Date: 7 Jul 2026 | |
| ISBN: 9781761356278 | Reading Age: 5 to 9 years |
Content Insight: Contains a child who tries to exercise through an injury.
Representations: Written by soccer star Mary Fowler and featuring herself as the main character. She has Papua New Guinean heritage.
Novel Insight Short Review: Mary, or Maz, as her friends call her, is getting ready for the school athletics carnival. She does some warm-ups before she goes to school but twists her ankle in the process. She decides that the carnival is too important to miss so she convinces herself that her ankle is just fine. An early reader about knowing when not to push yourself, complete with black and white illustrations.
Ella and the Call of the Wild
| Author: Cassy Polimeni (AU) | Publisher: UWA Publishing | |
| Illustrator: Hykie Breeze (AU) | Release Date: 28 Jul 2026 | |
| ISBN: 9781760803360 | Reading Age: 6 to 10 years |
Novel Insight Short Review: Follow Ella as she sets off on a journey to protect the banana box frog as they smuggle themselves into fruit shops. An environmental and wildlife story that raises awareness and teaches young readers to care for our environment and the creatures within. With tips on how to care for this frog and small illustrations throughout, Ella is an inspiration to all young readers as they learn about our world.
The Adventures Of Squidape
| Author: John Stanton (AU) | Publisher: Riveted Press | |
| Illustrator: John Stanton (AU) | Release Date: 28 Jul 2026 | |
| ISBN: 9781923676046 | Reading Age: 9 to 13 years |
Content Insight: Contains themes of grief and anxiety.
Representations: Roland shows signs of neurodivergence.
Novel Insight Short Review: Roland Bickering-Jones loves order, lists and the niche comic series, Squidape. But after an unexpected tragedy shakes his world and the order of it, his father decides a holiday is due, and they arrive at Yumpy-on-Sea, where Roland stumbles onto a potential antique smuggling ring. Together with an assortment of elderly antique collectors, Roland and his dad set out to uncover the truth of Yumpy, while healing from the grief that still wracks them. A fun and wacky adventure that touches on grief and neurodivergence.
Joey And The Junjardy
| Author: Allison Rocca (AU) | Publisher: University of Queensland Press | |
| Illustrator: Brenton E McKenna (AU) | Release Date: 30 Jun 2026 | |
| ISBN: 9780702271137 | Reading Age: 9 to 13 years |
Content Insight: Contains mild bullying.
Contains mildly spiritual/mystical moments.
Representations: Joey and his family are Indigenous Australians.
Joey’s friend Beth is in a wheelchair.
Novel Insight Short Review: Following an incident at his last school, Joey Gibbs and his family moved to Coolibah Creek for a fresh start, but he soon discovers that outrunning the past is more difficult than he thought. A strange creature, known as a Junjardy, appears in his life, set on causing mischief for Joey, who must navigate a new town, school bullies and the Junjardy’s antics. An engaging story about a young Wakka Wakka boy who has started at a new school to escape a troubled past. Amidst school bullies, new friends and strange goings on, Joey learns more about what it means to be a good person throughout hardships. This book is sure to appeal to tweens and young teens looking for a light-hearted story with Indigenous representation and silly antics.
The Smuggler’s Curse
| Author: Norman Jorgensen (AU) | Publisher: Fremantle Press | |
| Release Date: 28 Apr 2026 | ||
| ISBN: 9781760996703 | Reading Age: 9 to 13 years |
Language Rating: Low
Content Insight: Contains frequent references to violence and murder with pirates.
Contains smoking and alcohol.
Representations: Religious diversity and cultural differences in the late 19th century are showcased. Christianity and Muslim characters are featured.
Novel Insight Short Review: Set in the late 19th century, young Red Reed’s life is turned upside down when his mother sells him to the feared smuggler Captain James ‘Black’ Bowen. Aboard the Black Dragon, Red quickly adapts to life at sea, learning to navigate seasickness and face pirates, violent storms and colonial conflict across Southeast Asia. As the adventure draws to a close, Red returns to Broome, but his adventures are far from over. An action-packed high-seas adventure incorporating historical and cultural references in a rich narrative.
The Nardi Puzzle
| Author: Gabriella Page (AU) | Publisher: Rhiza Edge | |
| Release Date: 5 Aug 2026 | ||
| ISBN: 9781761112966 | Reading Age: 9 to 13 years |
Content Insight: Contains mild threat from someone stalking Sebastian.
Representations: Features a broken family.
Novel Insight Short Review: Sebastian has had a hard life, but when an employee of his favourite game developer offers him an invitation to Italy, it seems like a brilliant opportunity. Despite his mother’s protests, Seb travels to Italy, where he and other invitees from countries across the globe compete for a grand prize if they’re the first to escape from Elisabetta Nardi’s latest game. In a fierce puzzle competition, Sebastian must decide if keeping his new friends or winning the prize and helping his family is more important. A brilliant story about hardship, endurance and cleverness for readers who love a good puzzle. It’s ideal for middle fiction readers.
The Stolen Bairn
| Author: Katrina Macdonald Roe (AU) | Publisher: Riveted Press | |
| Release Date: 26 May 2026 | ||
| ISBN: 9781764256773 | Reading Age: 10 to 15 years |
Content Insight: Contains mild imprisonment.
Contains use of faery magic.
Representations: Death of a parent.
Scottish legend and culture are central to the story.
Novel Insight Short Review: Katie Skea knows that when she was a baby, she was stolen by faeries and her mother made a trade to get her back. When her mother marries a wonderful man who accepts Katie as his own, Katie finds both a sister and a best friend in his daughter, Lady Kate. But after an accident injures her new sister, Katie takes her to find the only people who might help—the faeries. Set in the magical lands of Scotland, this is a captivating tale of mystery, legend and unexpected twists.
Miles Thorne and the Forbidden Magic
| Author: Rebecca Ahola (AU) | Publisher: Rhiza Edge | |
| Release Date: 1 Aug 2026 | ||
| ISBN: 9781761113390 | Reading Age: 10 to 15 years |
Content Insight: Contains magical themes.
Contains violence and description of battle.
Novel Insight Short Review: Twelve-year-old Miles Thorne has just been kicked out of Nox College, a wizard school, for not having sufficient magical ability. He moves in with his grandfather and meets new friends at his new school, as well as new bullies. His new friends Eric, Colter and Freya convince him to join them and make the first mixed-magical-race team for a competition called the Battle Games, so the bullies will leave Miles alone. But Miles is worried that not being able to do magic will hurt the team. A magical story about a young wizard finding his place, for juniors trying to find where they belong in the world around them. It’s ideal for junior high readers.
Eleanor Jones is Not Drowning
| Author: Amy Doak (AU) | Publisher: Penguin | |
| Release Date: 30 Jun 2026 | ||
| ISBN: 9781761357305 | Reading Age: 13+ years |
Language Rating: Low.
Content Insight: Contains threats and murder.
Contains corruption of government bodies.
Novel Insight Short Review: Eleanor is just trying to live happily in Cooinda and not have any more mysteries come her way. But a girl at school, Letisha, asks Eleanor to prove that her boyfriend didn’t die in an accident or kill himself. Convinced there is something else going on, Eleanor agrees. Thus begins another mystery in the Eleanor Jones series, an exciting teen mystery book.
Shadow Reaper
| Author: Lynette Noni (AU) | Publisher: Penguin | |
| Release Date: 2 Jun 2026 | ||
| ISBN: 9781761350986 | Reading Age: 14+ years |
Content Insight: Contains fantasy violence and battles.
Contains kidnapping.
Contains character death and graphic depictions of grief.
Novel Insight Short Review: Viri is a skilled fighter, hunting down reapers like those who killed her family so that they can be charged according to her city’s justice system. But when an old friend, now a reaper, is captured, Viri begins to see that the truth isn’t quite what she thought. An intriguing and twisting start to a new dark fantasy duology.
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Enjoy!
Rochelle and the Novel Insight team
Thank you for supporting us, these authors, and the publishers by reading this newsletter.
We hope you enjoyed these insights into some special new releases from November.
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