October has ended, and it’s time to share what I read. I got through 13 books, more than in previous months, partly because there’s a few picture books in there, but also because I spent time on aeroplanes, which is always a good chance to catch up on some reading. Anyway, here’s what I got through.
Books for Children
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Everywhere Babies 2, by Susan Meyers, illustrated by Marla Frazee (Harper Collins, 2001). Read for a project I’m working on at university. Such a lovely celebration of babies, and families all their forms.
Not cute., by Philip Bunting (Scholastic, 2020). Needed a funny book to share with my children’s literature class, and this one was it.
Play the Shape Game, by Anthony Browne (Walker Books, 2010). A gift from my gorgeous friend Tamara after my deep dive into Browne’s picture books earlier this year, and discussions we’d had about using this book in one of our units at university. A treasure.
Making the Shrine: stories from Victoria’s war memorial, by Laura J. Carroll (Crossley Press, 2024). A clever piece of history writing, with the use of graphic novel format to tell 25 stories that span the making of Victoria’s war memorial.
The Forest in the Tree: How Fungi Shape the Earth , by Alisa Wild, Aviva Reed, Briony Barr and Gregory Crocetti (CSIRO Publishing, 2024). Part of the CSIRO Small Friends series, this one tells the story of fungi and the vital part they play in forests and ecosystems.
Democracy!: A positive primer on people power. , by Philip Bunting (Hardie Grant, 2023). Bunting is such a clever author/illustrator – he has the power to make readers laugh but also to share complex and important topics with that humour blended with insight.
Song of a Thousand Seas, by Zana Fraillon (UQP, 2025). Read this in one setting because I just couldn’t put it down, falling in love with the voice of the octopus, Houdini, and Fraillon’s mastery of the verse form.
Books for Young Adults
The Realm of Possibility,by David Levithan (Alfred Knopf, 2004). Found this on my verse novel bookshelf when I was looking for something else and was surprised to realise I hadn’t read it. Clever use of multiple voices (20) while still weaving a strong narrative.
Long Way Down, by Jason Reynolds (Faber & Faber). Oh wow. A stunning verse novel that shows just how powerful the form can be. And, as you’ll see, I then sat down and read the graphic novel version, too.
Long Way Down (The Graphic Novel), by Jason Reynolds, with art by Danica Novgorodoff (Simon & Schuster). Reading this straight after the verse novel allowed me to see the text (literally) from a different angle, and to really engage with the depth of this story. So good in both forms!
The Poet X, by Elizabeth Acevedo (Harper Collins, 2018). And a fourth YA verse novel. From the US, and not new, but new to me, and excellent.
Drift, by Pip Harry (Lothian, 2025). And a fifth. The luxury of having such a deep dive into verse novels is partly in seeing so many different ways they are used. Dealing with some complex topics, including cyber bullying and self harm, this is also warm and touching.
Books for Adults
The Mademoiselle Alliance: Inspired by a true story, by Natasha Lester (Hachette, 2025). I was lucky enough to hear Natasha speak about this one earlier in the year. I love reading about the under-explored parts of history – especially when it profiles the women who, so often, are at risk of disappearing from memory.
That brings my annual total to 86, with only two months to go. How is it almost the end of the year?
What have you been reading?
