YA Book Stack

This episode features a conversation with Torres Strait Islander and African American author and editor Jasmin McGaughey about her debut YA novel Moonlight and Dust . Jasmin discusses writing First Nations speculative fiction, the importance of representation in Australian classrooms, and how genre can create space for stories of culture, family, identity and belonging. The discussion references r...

This special IDAHOBIT episode includes a discussion with educator and writer Ernest Price about the importance of queer representation in classrooms and practical ways teachers can create more inclusive, engaging reading experiences for all students. It references reading and text recommendations such as: Good Young Men by Gary Lonesborough Highway Bodies and Euphoria Kids by Alison Evans Will Kos...

This episode includes a discussion of This Dream Will Devour Us by Emma Clancey, a young adult fantasy thriller that blends the author's passions for magic and medicine. It also references other reading and text recommendations such as: The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien Deltora Quest by Emily Rodda Ranger's Apprentice by John Flanagan Books by Leigh Bardugo Books by Laini Taylor Th...

his episode includes a discussion of summer reading recommendations that includes: Tenderfoot  by Toni Jordan  Gary Lonesborough Graham Akhurst Jared Thomas Salt River Road  by Molly Schmidt Over This Backbone  by Ya Reeves Arborescence  by Rhett Davis Dusk  by Robbie Arnott Andrea Nekic Is NOT Fine by Violeta Bagia We Saw What You Started  by Carla Salmon Gus and the Burning Stones  by Troy Hunte...

This episode includes a discussion of This Stays Between Us by Margot McGovern, a contemporary young adult horror novel that explores friendship, fear, and power. It also references other reading and text recommendations such as: Neverland  by Margot McGovern Northern Lights  by Philip Pullman Frankenstein  by Mary Shelley Blade Runner  (1982) The Chosen Vessel  by Barbara Baynton (short story) Pi...

This episode includes a discussion of Desert Tracks , a time travelling novel about young people in central Australia, the historical legacy of racist policies and the relationship between history and the present. Also discussed are: Using time travel as a genre to connect past and present, allowing for a powerful entry point for exploring history; Working as a writing team, blending different bac...

This episode includes a discussion of How to Be Normal , as well as reading recommendations including: Someone Like Me: An anthology of non-fiction by Autistic writers Obernewtyn by Isobelle Carmody   Little Women  by Louisa May Alcott Looking for Alibrandi  by Melina Marchetta The Complete Dramatic Works by Samuel Beckett Vikki Wakefield How It Feels to Float  by Helena Fox Living on Hope Street ...

This episode includes a discussion about booklisting with Prue Bon, and focuses on these titles: The Year the Maps Changed  by Danielle Binks Rabbit, Soldier, Angel, Thief  by Katrina Nannestad Outlaw Girls  by Emily Gale and Nova Weetman The Paperbark Tree Committee  by Karys McEwen The Grandest Bookshop in the World  by Amelia Mellor Please Don't Hug Me by Kay Kerr Future Girl  by Asphyxia...

Chemutai Glasheen is a sessional academic at Curtin University, as well as a teacher and author. She writes fiction aimed at young readers, drawing inspiration from her background and passion for human rights and education. Her short story collection I am the Mau and Other Stories was published by Fremantle Press in 2023. Her creative work has appeared in various publications: Unlimited Futures ,...

Erin Gough is a fiction writer living on Gadigal land in Sydney, whose award-winning work has been published globally. She is the author of three books for young adults: The Flywheel , which won the Ampersand Prize, Amelia Westlake, winner of the Readings Young Adult Book Prize and the NSW Premier’s Ethel Turner Prize for Young Adult Fiction, and Into the Mouth of the Wolf , recently shortlisted f...

This episode includes a discussion with Dr Lilly Brown, CEO of Magabala Books , as well as reading recommendations including: My Place by Sally Morgan Love Unleashed  by Melanie Saward Dr Anita Heiss Story About Feeling  by Bill Neidjie Desert Tracks  by Linda Wells and Marly Wells Bindi by Kirli Saunders Black Cockatoo by Carl Merrison and Hakea Hustler Hairy Holes 2  by Brenton E McKenna Also di...

Kay Kerr is an autistic journalist and author who writes fiction and non-fiction that explores the oftentimes surreal life experiences of neurodivergent young people. She has published two Young Adult novels, and a narrative non-fiction book. Kay has a new novel coming out this year (2025) with Pan Macmillan called Might Cry Later , as well as an essay in the UQP anthology of autistic writers: Som...

Solli Raphael is an award-winning author, poet, advocate, and acclaimed keynote speaker. His latest book, Starlight , aims to guide self-discovery and expression in kids and teens. This episode includes a discussion of Starlight by Solli Raphael , as well as reading recommendations including: Window by Jeannie Baker Morris Gleitzman Deborah Abela Limelight by Solli Raphael Spotlight by Solli Rapha...

In this episode of YA Book Stack, Karys is joined by Keshe Chow (she/her), a #1 Sunday Times bestselling author of fantasy, romance, and speculative fiction. Born in Malaysia, Keshe moved to Australia when she was two years old. Currently she resides in Naarm (Melbourne) with her husband, two kids, one cat, and way too many house plants. They discuss Keshe's novel, The Girl with No Reflection...

Karys McEwen is a school librarian, children’s author, bookseller, vice president of the Victorian branch of the Children’s Book Council of Australia, and education advisor for the Melbourne Writers Festival. She is passionate about the role libraries and books can play in the wellbeing of young people, and she is currently writing a Substack newsletter for educators and parents called I Read A Lo...

Robyn Dennison joins Emma for YA Book Stack to chat about her debut novel, Blind Spot . Blind Spot was shortlisted for the Text Prize in 2021. 'Intense' seems to be a fitting word to describe the novel but Blind Spot is not without moments of celebration and light. At its core, Blind Spot follows Dale, the male protagonist, who witnesses but doesn't intervene in the sexual assault o...

In the first YA Book Stack interview for 2023, Will Kostakis shares his inspiration for his new novel, We Could Be Something . The book is marketed as a ‘rollercoaster’ about two young men, each on their own journey of discovery. The novel is just that – a heartwarming, fun and funny read for high school students following the lives of two young people, two decades apart in Sydney's Darlinghu...

Holden Sheppard 's The Brink doesn't shy away from delving into material that is relevant to the lives of young people. From mental health, masculinity, family and friendships to sexuality and love, each page of the The Brink is laden with Holden's trademark gritty and honest depiction of the relationships and lives of young adults. In this YA Book Stack interview, Holden elaborates...

Listen in to Emma and Malla Nunn’s chat about her new YA release, Sugar Town Queens . Set in South Africa against the backdrop of a community grappling with the last impacts of apartheid and deep economic disparity, watch the friendship between three fiercely independent and uniquely individual young women blossom. Sugar Town Queens celebrates what it means to be empowered when the odds are stacke...

YA Book Stack is back for 2022! Poppy Nwosu, editor of the recently published horror tales anthology, Hometown Haunts: #LoveOzYA Horror Tales , joins Emma to traverse through what is scary and what makes a tale especially horrific. Emma (a scaredy-cat) and Poppy (a genre-fiction aficionado) hone in on some of their favourite stories from the publication; chatting about the ways in which these shor...

Peta Lyre is far from typical but she tries hard to appear so by following a series of well-crafted rules and routines dictated by her psychologist to assist with blending in. Through Peta Lyre’s Rating Normal ’s stream-of-consciousness narrative, we accompany Peta as she navigates life seeking to be ‘normal’. As readers, we explore what it means to be normal, who and what is normal and ultimately...

On the Mish, Jackson’s Aunty and his annoying little cousins spend another hot Australian summer. This time, his Aunty brings a mysterious boy with a troubled past, Tomas, to stay. Jackson and Tomas’ friendship evolves over the summer as they spend time together, work on an art project and bond over their shared cultural history and connections. For Jackson, spending time with Tomas forces him to...

Rawah Arja's The F Team follows ‘The Wolf Pack’ as their school is threatened with closure due to poor enrolment numbers and a declining reputation. Tariq Nader and his friends are required by their new school principal to assist with cleaning up the school’s image through the participation in a rugby tournament. But there’s a catch. They must cooperate and work in a team with boys from a sch...

Leanne Hall’s recent publication, The Gaps , pries into the vulnerability, strength, safety, danger and uncertainties that young women face in the world. When sixteen-year-old Yin is abducted, the news shocks the community of Balmoral Ladies College. A gripping feminist novel about the racism, sexism and privilege that exists in the world of young adults, The Gaps is a perfect text for the middle...