March 2025 Featured Reviews

Check out our favourite new releases from March.

Welcome!

Below you will find 12 of our favourite new releases from March 2025.
These short reviews are just a taste of our full review service.

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Featured Reviews

 

 

The Big Backyard Plan

Author: Kirsten Ealand		Publisher: Affirm Kids
Illustrator: Laura Stitzel		Release Date: 25/02/2025
ISBN: 9781922992444		Reading Age: 3 to 6 years

 

Language Rating: None

Representations: The children and their families are of different races and ethnicities.
Jack wears glasses.
There are different family structures. Jack lives with his grandfather (Gramps) and his Aunty Mae.

Novel Insight Short Review: Kids Azumi, Theo, Bree and Jack live in houses side-by-side and back-to-back. At Theo’s place, they swim in the pool; in Bree’s backyard they learn to skate; at Jack’s they explore the veggie patch; at Azumi’s they greet the hens in their chicken pen. One day, the kids come up with a plan to join their small backyards into a giant one for extra activities, but will the grown-ups be on board with their idea? A joyful story about community, ingenuity, and breaking down barriers for a shared goal suitable for young readers and their grown-ups.

 

The Humongous Humdingle Family and the Tiny House

Author: Michelle Wilson		Publisher: EK Books
Illustrator: PJ Reece		Release Date: 05/02/2025
ISBN: 9781922539922		Reading Age: 3 to 6 years

 

Language Rating: None

Novel Insight Short Review: The Humdingles are a family made up of two parents, two grandparents, five kids, two dogs, two cats and two chickens. They live in a tiny house with one couch, one car, one television, one table, one bicycle, one toilet and one bedroom. They lament that it is too crowded and noisy and Mama wishes a new humongous house would drop from the sky—when suddenly it does. But will they be able to adjust to a new home with too much space? A humorous story about home and family and appreciating what you have.

 

You Can’t Pat a Fish

Author: Ruth Paul		Publisher: Walker Books Australia
Illustrator: Ruth Paul		Release Date: 05/03/2025
ISBN: 9781760656973		Reading Age: 3 to 6 years

 

Language Rating: None

Novel Insight Short Review: When the pet you get is not the one you want, this story is great to share. A fish can’t have pats, cuddles or anything that a cat, dog, hamster or rat can do. But it isn’t as bad as it seems. Told with rhythm and rhyme from the perspective of a disappointed child, this sweet story encourages imagination and expresses what makes a pet fish special.

 

Hugs Still Feel the Same

Author: Kiralee Strong		Publisher: EK Books
Illustrator: Jenni Barrand		Release Date: 05/03/2025
ISBN: 9781922539960		Reading Age: 3 to 6 years

 

Language Rating: None

Content Insight: The family has to evacuate in the middle of a flood.

Novel Insight Short Review: When a little girl and her family find themselves in the middle of heavy rain and have to evacuate, she reflects that hugs still feel the same, no matter the situation. When they are forced to leave for their safety, so many things seem different, but there are some things that never change. A sweet book reflecting on the love of family in the midst of stressful situations.

 

Mavis: The Little Plane Spotter

Author: Angela Toniolo		Publisher: Wombat Books
Illustrator: Shannon Melville		Release Date: 05/03/2025
ISBN: 9781761111938		Reading Age: 4 to 7 years

 

Language Rating: None

Content Insight: Contains mention of war, including the bombing of Darwin, building air raid shelters, conducting air raid drills, and enemy planes.

Novel Insight Short Review: When World War II breaks out, ten-year-old Mavis is determined to help but is told she’s too young! When they ask for volunteers to spot enemy planes, she volunteers with her older sister Doreen. One Saturday morning, Doreen is sick and can’t go so Mavis goes by herself. She spots an enemy plane and reports it. Even though it turns out to be a captured plane being tested by the air force, she is still congratulated for her good work. A wonderful picture book with beautiful illustrations that transports the reader back in time to 1940s Australia and highlighting the true story of a young girl.

 

Ariana Treasure: The Missing Book

Author: Jacqueline de Rose-Ahern (AU)		Publisher: Wombat Books
Illustrator: Karen Eramus (AU)		Release Date: 05/03/2025
ISBN: 9781761111808		Reading Age: 5 to 8 years

 

Representations: Contains references to intergenerational friendship. Ariana remembers snuggling with her grandpa and reading together. Ariana’s mum now runs her grandpa’s thrift shop.

Novel Insight Short Review: Ariana Treasure loves her family’s thrift store, the Treasure Chest. It once belonged to her grandpa, but now her mum runs it. Ariana is very attached to the store because of the memories with her grandpa. While reading her grandpa’s favourite book, Ariana notices a note inside that says if it is lost, please return it to the Treasure Chest. Some new neighbours, Mrs Baker and her son, Alex, arrive at the store. Although Mrs Baker tries to get Alex interested in the shop, Alex is frustrated and bored. Ariana’s mum suggests that Alex look for some books to read. When Ariana leaves to find cushions so they can read on the floor together, Mrs Baker checks out and leaves. It turns out that Alex has bought Ariana’s book! A sweet story about the struggles of moving, losing precious items, and making friends. This is the first book in a new series, but it can stand alone.

 

Inkbound: Meticulous Jones and the Skull Tattoo

Author: Philippa Leathley		Publisher: HarperCollins GB
Illustrator: N/A		Release Date: 29/01/2025
ISBN: 9780008660956		Reading Age: 9 to 13 years

 

Language Rating: Low - hell x4

Content Insight: Contains fantasy themes. Characters practice magic.
Contains references to violence and death. 

Representations: Metty’s parents are divorced; she lives with her father and only sees her mother on rare occasions.
One of the main characters has a lesbian relationship briefly implied.

Novel Insight Short Review: Meticulous ‘Metty’ Jones is ten when she finds out her fate during a visit to the magical underground world of New London. She believes she is destined to a life of danger and worry, but before she can work out if she can change her future, her father is kidnapped. Metty finds herself thrown into a world of friendship, magic and adventure as she tries to track down and rescue her father and find out more about her fate and her future. A magical adventure about a little girl finding her place in the world for readers who love well-crafted fantasy stories.

 

Always Your Sister

Author: Frances Prentice		Publisher: Wombat Books
Illustrator: N/A		Release Date: 05/03/2025
ISBN: 9781761112065		Reading Age: 9 to 13 years

 

Content Insight: Contains infant death. Millie’s brother was a stillborn baby.

Representations: Contains a family impacted by the loss of a baby. Discusses anxiety.
Contains religious representation. 

Novel Insight Short Review: Millie writes to her baby brother Noah in her diary almost every day. For Millie, her sister Vicky, and her mum and dad, Noah is the angel baby they lost before he was born. Even as they go about their life at school and at home on the farm, Noah stays apart of their life, never forgotten. At school, Millie spends time with the Chaplain, Chappy Leeann. She talks with Millie about Noah, her best friends, Emma and Charlie, her family, and anything else on her mind. After school one day, Millie’s mum and dad have a big piece of news—her mum is pregnant. Millie is excited for the new baby, but she’s scared too. What if the new baby goes to heaven like Noah did?

 

Spirit of the Crocodile

Author: Aaron Fa’Aoso and Michelle Scott Tucker		Publisher: A & U Children
Illustrator: N/A		Release Date: 04/03/2025
ISBN: 9781743317099		Reading Age: 9 to 13 years

 

Language Rating: None

Content Insight: Contains scenes of pressure and risk taking: Ezra’s friend, Mason, challenges Ezra to risky ‘over and under’ dares.
Contains scenes of disaster, flood and peril.

Representations: This story is set within the Torres Strait Islands with representation of their culture and way of life. 
Contains cultural and spiritual elements. 
Representations of Christianity, church attendance, saying grace.
Contains intergenerational family units.

Novel Insight Short Review: Ezra is often in trouble, especially when best friend Mason challenges him to seemingly impossible ‘over and under’ dares. He dreads high school next year at Thursday Island, leaving his familiar Saibai Island home in the Torres Strait. The boys prove themselves by saving family and property when their fathers go missing in a dodgy boat during a fierce storm. An absorbing window into life on a Torres Strait island, where a community pull together during a freak storm amid rising sea levels, based on a true story, and appealing to adventurous boys.

 

Hidden Treasure

Author: Jessie Burton		Publisher: Bloomsbury Children’s Books
Illustrator: N/A		Release Date: 18/03/2025
ISBN: 9781526662897		Reading Age: 9 to 13 years

 

Language Rating: None

Content Insight: Contains supernatural elements

Representations: Billy is an orphan

Novel Insight Short Review: When twelve-year-old mudlark Bo Delafort finds treasure worth a fortune on the muddy foreshore of the River Thames, she hears the river speak to her. The solid silver circle encrusted with jewels, called the Eclipsing Moon, has a twin disc that Bo’s new friend, Billy Rivers has found. When the halves are matched together during a solar eclipse and thrown into the river, they hold unique powers to return the most precious thing they have ever lost. But Billy and Bo aren’t the only ones wanting to use the Eclipsing Moon. A spine-tingling gem of a book that takes treasure hunting to supernatural levels, especially appealing to those who seek treasure in unexpected places.

 

Thunderhead

Author: Sophie Beer		Publisher: A & U Children
Illustrator: N/A		Release Date: 29/10/2024
ISBN: 9781761180958		Reading Age: 12 to 15 years

 

Language Rating: None - Several songs featured in the chapter heading playlists contain explicit labels if people choose to look up the songs.

Content Insight: Contains superstition surrounding Luck. Characters within try to cancel out bad luck with coloured socks, numbers and songs. Thunderhead has a talisman necklace and keeps a four leaf clover. Thunderhead’s mother owns a stores that sell crystals and she reads tarot cards.

Representations: Thunderhead has a brain tumour and starts experiencing hearing loss during the book.
Thunderhead’s parents and another minor character’s parents are not together.
A gay relationship is referred to in one sentence.
Thunderhead refers to a ‘holy’ feeling on a number of occasions. She compares it to a ‘dorky Jesus, Sunday school, happy-clappy way’ of feeling.

Novel Insight Short Review: When 13-year-old Emma, known as Thunderhead online, is diagnosed with a brain tumour, she turns to the internet to blog about her feelings. Thunderhead often writes about song lyrics that match her emotions and the highlight of Thunderhead’s musical world is her favourite band, Bin Night. This book is Thunderhead’s journey through being a teenager, finding and making friends and exploring life with hearing loss. A unique, hopeful story of resilience and friendship.

 

We Did Nothing Wrong

Author: Hannah Jaye		Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Illustrator: N/A		Release Date: 25/02/2025
ISBN: 9781728262949		Reading Age: 14+ years

 

Language Rating: Low - sh** x 4, f**k x 2, b***h x 5

Content Insight: Contains discussions of true crime, including murder.
Contains kidnapping, injury, and danger to teenage characters.

Novel Insight Short Review: Diana and Delia (Lia) are best friends, Diana the beauty pageant winner, and Delia the science winner. Growing up together, they shared everything, but Lia always felt overshadowed by Diana. And now, they both like the same boy, Eli. Diana is dating him, but Eli is seeing Lia on the side too. Lia plans to admit this to Diana, but when Lia arrives to the meeting place, Diana is missing, and it soon becomes clear something is wrong. A fun but simple YA thriller.

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We hope you enjoyed these insights into some special new releases from November.

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