What makes a great family read-aloud novel? "You're looking for something that will appeal to a range of ages, and something that will appeal to the adults as much as it will to the children," says Megan Daley, award-winning teacher-librarian and co-host of the Your...
The first book in The Mapmaker Chronicles series turns 10 today. Double figures. A Big Kid by anyone's standards. Ten years ago today, Race To The End Of The World was published – my first experience of the joy and confounding ambivalence of publication day as a...
It's been a year of beginnings and endings for me. I've started and completed one full middle-grade novel, picked up one I started last year and completed it, and started and put down another that I hope to pick up again soon and complete early next year. For me, the...
With National Science Week starting on the 10th of August, it seemed a pertinent moment to consider the art of science and nature writing – and it is an art. Taking the study of, and research for, any aspect of science and drilling down into its essence to present it...
'Tis the season of school visits and I'm lucky enough to have been invited by the NSW Branch of the Children's Book Council of Australia (CBCA) to visit four local schools who are participating in the CBCA Sun Project: Book Of The Year Shadow Judging program. The...
I've been busy. Noticing a trend in the Your Kid's Next Read Facebook (YKNR) community of members looking for 'short middle-grade novels', I set out to write an article for the YKNR newsletter's paid subscribers about what might be driving the interest, some...
What's it really like to be a debut children's author? When I think back to my own experience (ten years ago now!) I remember excitement, trepidation, confusion, consternation, celebration and more. But everyone's experience is different – or is it? Over the last...
As usual, I'm late to my own party because the Your Kid's Next Read podcast celebrated 150 episodes on March 27th and here I am sharing the news right before episode 152 drops tomorrow. You can listen to episode 150 here. I'm sure you'll be unsurprised by this...
I'm excited to announce that I've signed a contract with Scholastic Australia for a new A. L. Tait novel, to be published in 2025. I can't wait to work once again with publisher Laura Sieveking and the rest of the Scholastic team – the same team who fell in love with...
