June 2026 Featured Reviews

Check out some of our top picks from our June Newsletter.

Below you will find short reviews on 12 new releases for June of 2026. 

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Featured Reviews

 

Ready, Steady, Goal!

Author: Adam Jackson & Adrian Lloyd		Publisher: Little Book Press
Illustrator: John Barrett		Release Date: 26 May 2026
ISBN: 9781923141650		Reading Age: 3 to 6 years

Novel Insight Short Review: A fast-paced rhyming story about a young soccer team. Coach guides the players through drills, nurturing teamwork and community between players. With action-packed illustrations, this is a valuable story for young readers involved in team sport.

 

Where the Heart Is

Author: Shirley Marr		Publisher: Walker Books
Illustrator: Michael Speechley		Release Date: 1 Jun 2026
ISBN: 9781760659783		Reading Age: 3 to 6 years

Novel Insight Short Review: As winter starts, a mouse is left alone in the barley field while his friends migrate to warmer regions. He sets off on his own adventure, not wanting to be left behind, but the compass inside his chest soon points him back home. A sweet story about community and home.

 

Archie Can’t Sit Still

Author: Dani Vee & James Layton		Publisher: Larrikin Publishing
Illustrator: Davilyn Lynch		Release Date: 26 May 2026
ISBN: 9781923345348		Reading Age: 3 to 6 years

Representations: Archie is neurodivergent, likely with ADHD.

Novel Insight Short Review: In a world that prefers children to sit still, Archie just can’t do it! He can imagine many things at once, is full of energy, and just can’t sit still. This imaginative tale with uniquely engaging illustrations shows how a boy finds something to sit still for while still going fast.

 

Will Fin Win

Author: Jane Goodwin		Publisher: Affirm
Illustrator: Tom Jellett		Release Date: 24 Feb 2026
ISBN: 9781923419322		Reading Age: 7 to 11 years

Novel Insight Short Review: Fin wishes he could be like his friends and sister, and finally win a ribbon or trophy for once in his life. When he meets Lavendar and her troublesome dog, Fin’s wish finally comes true. A heartfelt story about friendship, family, and finding your place in the world. With relatable characters and an uplifting message about resilience and self-belief, this is a touching read for middle-grade readers.

 

Josie Mack and the MEGA Division

Author: Bethany Loveridge		Publisher: Wombat Books
Illustrator: Jade Goodwin		Release Date: 3 Jun 2026
ISBN: 9781761112829		Reading Age: 7 to 11 years

Content Insight: Contains magical elements.
Contains risk to animals.

Representations: Tilly is in a wheelchair.

Novel Insight Short Review: Josie Mack is in Grade 3 and during a visit to a zoo on a school trip, asks a wombat to be her friend. Last that night, a talking wombat visits her backyard, inviting Josie to join a mission for FUN, the Fellowship of Underground Nocturnals. Over the course of several nights, Josie and Ursula go on missions together to clean up the environment and save animals from disasters. This is a wholesome story about protecting Australia’s wildlife and the environment, with many valuable lessons about teamwork and conservation. This is the first book in the series and is ideal for junior fiction readers.

 

Kid

Author: Peter Carnavas		Publisher: University of Queensland Press
		Release Date: 2 Jun 2026
ISBN: 9780702269257		Reading Age: 7 to 11 years

 

Content Insight: Contains mild violence between animals.

Representations: Contains an adoptive family.

Novel Insight Short Review: In this heartwarming story of bravery and family ties, a young goat called Kid is growing up with stories about his parents who escaped the farm to live on the mountain. Kid decides to find them, despite knowing he is leaving behind the only family he has known and he’ll never be able to return. What he learns on his journey shapes his understanding of what family truly means.

 

The Clueless Guide to Solving a Mystery

Author: Samera Kamaleddine		Publisher: HarperCollins
Illustrator: Hykie Breeze		Release Date: 28 Apr 2026
ISBN: 9781460767443		Reading Age: 9 to 13 years

 

Content Insight: Contains reference to death from old age. 

Representations: Intergenerational friendships and relationships are highlighted. 

Novel Insight Short Review: While Claudia’s parents are on the cruise of a lifetime, Claudia finds herself stuck in a retirement home with her grandmother and a surprising number of other kids. She entertains herself by solving mysteries within the retirement home and learns that the elderly residents have more wisdom to impart than she’d assumed. This is a funny but real story that shows the value of the elderly with elements of mystery, friendship and much more.

 

Murder at Hotel Marvelo

Author: Ruth Lauren		Publisher: Piccadilly Books
Illustrator: Federica Frenna		Release Date: 30 Jun 2026
ISBN: 9781835870440		Reading Age: 9 to 13 years

 

Language Rating: None.

Content Insight: Contains fantasy themes. 
Contains reference to murder. 

Representations: Finnian and Juniper are step-siblings.
Teddy is non-verbal.

Novel Insight Short Review: Finnian, Juniper and Teddy are the children of Ida and Caspian, who run the Hotel Marvelo, where magical guests take a break from the outside world. When a guest is discovered dead and their parents are accused and taken away, Finnian, Juniper and Teddy set out to prove their innocence while avoiding their new carer, Mrs Weatherly. A magical murder mystery about working together for fans of intrigue and fantasy.

 

The Ghost Horse of Snowy River

Author: Stef Gemmill		Publisher: Wombat Books
		Release Date: 1 Jun 2026
ISBN: 9781761113543		Reading Age: 9 to 13 years

Language Rating: None

Content Insight: Contains animals being mistreated and threatened.

Representations: Georgie is half-blind having lost her the use of her eye in a horse-riding accident.

Novel Insight Short Review: After a tragic accident on her horse, Magic, Georgie is left half-blind and back in the city with her Mum, nothing left of Magic but a bracelet of his hair. Now, Georgie returns to her dad’s cattle farm, Stone Hill Station, in the High Country for the summer. Soon, Georgie will go with her family and their greedy neighbour Goldburn on a muster. Goldburn is obsessed with capturing a ghost horse for himself, but Georgie begins to suspect that his ghost horse is really her horse Magic. This is a heartwarming about a girl finding herself after a horrible accident for readers aged 8-12. Horse-lovers and those interested in mustering and life on cattle and horse stations will enjoy this story.

 

The Rebound

Author: Fiona Harris		Publisher: A & U Children
		Release Date: 30 Jun 2026
ISBN: 9781761182303		Reading Age: 11 to 16 years

 

Language Rating: Low

Content Insight: Contains adults drinking alcohol.

Representations: Single parenting after spouses have passed away.

Novel Insight Short Review: After his father dies suddenly, Harry misses the basketball try-outs for the school’s top team and is forced to join the struggling Redbacks instead. Angry and grieving, he believes he’s better than his teammates, but with the support of kind-hearted Coach Shea and a new friend who understands loss, Harry begins to change. This wonderful story teaches that success is about more than talent and skill—it’s about friendship, teamwork and enjoying the game.

 

Grand Opening

Author: Jacqueline Harvey		Publisher: Penguin Random House
		Release Date: 19 May 2026
ISBN: 9781761349430		Reading Age: 12 to 16 years

 

Language Rating: None

Content Insight: Contains ghosts. 

Novel Insight Short Review: Josephine and her family are preparing for the grand opening of their hotel, but things keep going wrong, and it’s getting harder to hide Louis from her family. Gabriel is also spending time with Maude, making Josephine wonder if her feelings are returned. This continues from the previous books in this series. A fun and enjoyable story with mystery, friendship and adventure, exploring young love and French history.

 

Rolls and Rivalry

Author: Kristy Boyce		Publisher: Penguin Random House
		Release Date: 23 Jun 2026
ISBN: 9780593899229		Reading Age: 14 to 18 years

 

Language Rating: None

Content Insight: Contains reference to fantasy creatures and violence in connection to the game Dungeons and Dragons.
Contains kissing.

Novel Insight Short Review: Hazel and Max were close friends when they were younger, but when Max returns to their school years later, he’s distant and rude, falling into the intense rivalry that exists between the percussionists and colour guard of the marching band. But as they’re forced to spend time together, both must reconcile their true feelings. A sweet and easy romance.

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Rochelle and the Novel Insight team

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