Australian fiction highlight

Dust, steam, grit and wonder. I am very much a fan of the Australian children's and YA fiction that is published in the UK. Of the novels we've reviewed on We Sat Down, all of them immediately transport you to to a different place. You can feel the dust, or the steamy rain. You can feel the grit and you can feel the magical and lyrical wonder. The Australian fiction that I love is a whole sensory experience. Here's a recap of the ones We Sat Down has featured:


Most recently, are two from this year's Carnegie nominations:


The Stars at Oktober Bend by Glenda Millard: Lyrical and distinct voices, poetry, and injured subjects. A little gem.

And,

The Bone Sparrow by Zana Fraillon: Two more marvellous narrators, one in a refugee detention centre and one recovering from her mother's death. An exceptional story.

Going further back, there is: 

Alex As Well by Alyssa Brugman: One of the first YA novels I'd read that discusses the complexities of gender identities and assignment. Full of grit and rub.

The Midnight Dress by Karen Foxlee: Texture, texture, texture. You can feel everything about this story.

Yellowcake by Margo Lanagan: Fantasy short stories; visceral, beautiful and very rumbling. A must-look for those interested in inclusion and diversities. 

Friday Brown by Vikki Wakefield: the most mesmerising and shocking psychological thriller I'd read in  while. Beautiful and absolutely heartbreaking. 

And then, of course, there is Lyndon Riggall, the winner of the 9-12 category of Hot Key Young Writer's Prize 2013, the year I was on the judging panel.