Notes on Infinity
Austin Taylor
Penguin Random House UK 2025

Notes on Infinity is a coming-of-age novel about two young scientists ready to change the world. Themes of love, ambition and ego weave their way through a narrative about Zoe and Jack who want to live forever, and think they may have the answer to how.  Described by Lucy Clarke as ‘Lessons in Chemistry’ meets ‘Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow’; this is such a perfect comparison, I couldn’t not mention it. Like in Gabrielle Zevin’s novel, I read this with the fascination of an outsider. It’s about a biotech startup, a topic with which I have no clue. Yet despite my ignorance, I was quickly swept into the Harvard science world and became completely invested in Zoe and Jack’s story.
​
I was beginning to have doubts as the story neared its end. At times I was confused about flashbacks and present time, unsure where I was in the timeline. As I reflect now, I feel that Taylor did this intentionally to reflect the disjointed and hopeless trajectory of the characters. I was still questioning the ending right up until the last six words, and in their simplicity, I felt relief. So yes, I would recommend this book.

I am not Jessica Chen
Ann Liang
HQ Young Adult US 2025

Jenna Chen is not Jessica Chen, she’s her cousin. And where Jessica gets top marks, has flawless skin and enrols in a multitude of extra curricula clubs, Jenna can only dream to be like Jessica. In fact, that is exactly what Jenna does. She dreams of having Jessica’s life, her wealth, her success and popularity. Nothing Jenna does, no matter how hard she works, ever seems to be enough. When Harvard’s acceptance and rejection letters arrive, Jenna is finally tipped over the edge. While agonising over her mediocre life, she wishes upon a shooting star.

The old adage ‘Be careful what you wish for’ is clearly the theme here. Jenna wakes up in her cousin’s house and her cousin’s body. Everyone else is oblivious to this strange event. If her soul is in Jessica’s body, then where is Jessica’s soul? And where is Jenna’s body? No one seems to know or care.
​
Over the course of the story, Jenna learns that her relationship with herself is troubled. Being someone else for a moment is fun, but the realisation that no one has a ‘perfect’ life is something Jenna will need to accept.
25 year old Ann Liang has seven published Young Adult and Adult books, with a rom-com on the way. I am not Jessica Chen would be an excellent pick for your teenager.
 
 

Hive
By A.J. Betts
Bolinda/Macmillan Australia 2019

When an impossible drip has Hayley questioning the world she’s ever known, the life she’s been told to live begins to spiral out of control. Hayley is fifteen. Her job is to tend the bees. When it is her turn, she will marry, produce a child and then return to her bees. If she is lucky, she is told she might marry twice.

The world Hayley knows is surrounded by walls. God provides the water from a fountain; God provides meats in the salty brine that the Netter Boys catch. So, when a drip appears from the ceiling of the only room that eases Hayley’s incessant headaches, she is curious to how. Curiosity leads Hayley to question reality and this is a sign of madness in her community.

HIVE is a YA science fiction dystopian novel. Betts writes the voice of a naïve fifteen-year-old with excellent accuracy, while Felicity Jurd’s voice perfectly embodies the youth and curiosity of Hayley. Hive was longlisted for the Australian Book Industry Award (ABIA) in 2019, longlisted for the Gold Inky Award 2019, and Shorlisted for the Indie Book Awards in 2019.
​
Hive is like The Handmaid’s Tale for a younger audience. It had me captivated throughout and excited to share it with my teenage daughters. The ending was surprising and perhaps a little abrupt; however, I have since discovered that there is a sequel. I look forward to reading it!
 

Love Overdue
By Ali Berg and Michelle Kalus
Allen and Unwin 2025

Lauren, AKA Wren, AKA Birdie, is the vice principal at a primary school in Melbourne with aspirations to be a writer. BAM! You’ve got me intrigued. It’s a rom-com, it’s my career choice and it’s set in my neighbourhood. So, with a bright playful cover, and a premise that promises to deliver, I bought the book. And what a perfect school holiday read it was.

This is a love story about a single, career focused woman who tries to bury her teenage trauma of losing a loved one and losing the love of her life. Now she believes that working hard in a rewarding career, albeit alone, will be enough. Everything is meandering in just the way she desires until her teenage heartbreak re-enters her life, now a parent of one of her students. The strange, and infuriating thing is, he doesn’t seem to recognise Lauren. Sure, she’s changed her name and grown older, but Lauren can’t understand how he could just forget her.
​
Lauren fluctuates between frustration, confusion, lust and grief. The reader is in for a ride. The story is light, fun and satisfying, just as the cover promises. Ali Berg and Michelle Kalus have four published romantic comedies all with a splash of cosy bookish drama. These co-authors are definitely ones I’ll be following.

The Bookbinder of Jericho
Pip Williams
Affirm Press 2023

Following on from the success of The Dictionary of Lost Words, Pip Williams continues her passion for historical fiction set in the early 1900s, England. In this story, we follow Peggy, an orphan and twin who works at the Jericho Press. Her sister, Maude, is likely (in today’s time) on the autistic spectrum. She is astute and wise, though struggles with communication. For this reason, Peggy feels bound to look after her.

As Belgium refugees disembark trains in Peggy’s hometown, and the men she works with enlist to fight in the war, women are asked to take on what was always considered ‘Men’s work’. Peggy, a seasoned bookworm, now more than ever wants to study and share the same rights that the more privileged of her gender, and all men, have access to.

In both The Bookbinder of Jericho and Williams’ companion novel, there are strong themes of equality, with regular mention of The Suffragettes. Williams gives voice to the women of the time who had none.
​
The Bookbinder of Jericho is both a romantic and fierce tale, that has you looking at books and literature in a new light.

Lessons
Written by Ian McEwan
Published by Jonathan Cape 2022

Roland Baines could be a true person. But he’s not. Lessons could be a true account. But it’s not. This is a fictional story that spans decades, following a boy into adulthood. Roland is a product of a love affair between a young, mistreated mother and a hard army Major. At the age of eleven, he is cast away from the girlish bosom of his mother and repositioned in an English boarding school. It is here that he learns his first lesson in piano, and his first lesson in love.

A love affair between a teacher and a fourteen year old student will leave a mark. And that it does. Roland will never know what could have become of his piano career, or his ability to form intimate relationships with others. And perhaps he doesn’t want to. He only knows that his adult self has been directly impacted by the fateful years when he was seduced and controlled by his irresistible piano teacher.

When his own son is seven months old, Roland’s wife mysteriously disappears, leaving only a note ‘Don’t try to find me.’ and ‘I’ve been living the wrong life.’ So we learn about Roland’s life alongside colossal moments in history such as the fall of the Berlin Wall. The book jumps back and forth in time, giving us perspective and understanding for why the story-present must unfold the way it does.

Ian McEwan writes a captivating and at times, bizarre tale. Like his other novels, his ideas are unique yet believable, and he sweeps you up in saga of love, life and family.

Libby Lawrence is Good at Pretending
Written by Jodi McAlister
Published by Wakefield Press

Libby Lawrence has left home with her best friend Ella. Ella is escaping her country life and farm-loving boyfriend, Libby is escaping her shy reputation. In a new share house, they both delve into their creative university courses. Libby discovers Uni Rep, a not-for-profit theatre company, and with encouragement from Ella, builds up the courage to audition.

Despite being a performer, Libby doesn’t believe she is truly seen by others until the day her understudy role allows her to take centre stage. Although she appears cool, calm and collected, no one, not even Ella, knows about the negative internal monologue that is constantly holding Libby back.

Ella, meanwhile is battling her own demons. Libby and Ella are inseparable; however, Ella feels deep guilt that Libby is the one always propping her up, when life becomes too challenging. Together, the girls navigate love, friendship and self-esteem.

Libby Lawrence is Good at Pretending is Jodi McAlister’s first contemporary romance for young adults. She is a senior lecturer in Writing, Literature and Culture, and has written a broad range of non-fiction, adult rom-coms and YA paranormal books.

The Secret of the Blood-Red Key
By David Farr
Usborne
UK 2023

Rachel and Robert Klein have bravely defeated a dreadful dictator that reigned misery on the country of Krasnia, the people have been freed and children can once again play and enjoy their childhood. So, now what? Life is good for Rachel and Robert Klein, but it’s not great. Although they are celebrated for being heroes, their dad still suffers from immense grief at losing their mother. For in order to cast the terrible Charles Malstain into the Hinterland, Rachel needed to destroy The Book of Stolen Dreams and close all access to this afterlife.

This becomes a problem when Rachel discovers that a young girl, Elsa, has been tricked by some elderly aristocrats to enter the Hinterland. Without The Book of Stolen Dreams, there will be no way for Elsa to leave the Hinterland, and besides, why do these elderly people want an innocent, healthy child to enter the afterlife anyway? Rachel is given a Blood-Red Key which will grant her access to the Hinterland for twenty-four hours. She must find Elsa, understand what evil lies behind this nasty scheme, and rescue her before the gate closes on Rachel and Elsa for ever.

Through a series of quirky adventures and fabulous world building, David Farr creates an action-packed mystery that will keep a reader up all night wondering how the story will end. The Secret of the Blood-Red Key is the sequel to Farr’s debut novel The Book of Stolen Dreams. The backstory of Book 1 is so expertly summarised in Book 2 that it could be read as a stand-alone story with equal enjoyment.

The Secret of the Blood-Red Key is a junior fantasy novel. Themes of death, grief and acceptance are gently explored. This is a book perfectly suited to a Year 5 or 6 student, but can also be enjoyed by brave younger readers and older readers alike. There is also a delightful interactive website that fans can explore: https://davidfarrbooks.com/#bookshop .
 
 

Hamlet is not ok
R.A.Spratt
Penguin Books 2023
 
Can’t get into Shakespeare? Not a problem. ‘Hamlet is not ok’ is a modern story with a modern character duo, dealing with literary questions that cross the ages. The book starts with a warning, “This book contains Shakespeare.” And that it does, but in such a way that it is completely manageable for a young teen who is being coerced into reading literature from the Elizabethan era.

This short novel follows Selby Michaels, a teenage girl who has no interest in reading or school. This is a disappointment to her book-loving, bookshop managing parents. Quietly defiant, Selby doesn’t read the books she’s supposed to for English, and ignores homework assignments. All this changes when her parents employ a tutor called Dan, and together Selby and Dan, get sucked into the world of Hamlet (literally- they get sucked in.).
​
Selby struggles with reading, but when she experiences the story in the flesh, she comes to appreciate how the plot in Hamlet is no more serious or ridiculous than the soap-operas that she loves to watch on T.V.
R.A. Spratt is a bestselling author and is well known for her Friday Barnes series. She has also written the Nanny Piggins series, The Peski kids series and some short story collations. Spratt has a witty tone which makes her stories easy to consume and highly enjoyable. This would be an excellent choice for Year 7 and 8 students.

Picasso and the Greatest Show on Earth
Anna Fienberg
Allen & Unwin 2023
 
Life has changed for Frances. She’s in a new home, a new school, her dad has gone to work overseas and her mum has bought her a dog named Picasso. But the most glaring change of all is that Henry is no longer there.
It’s a struggle for Frances, and although she loves art, all she can think to draw is bacteria- microscopic, intricate bacteria. Not something others are too keen to look at. Starting a new school is difficult to navigate, but then she finds Kit, a tall, awkward boy who also finds the social complexities of school a challenge. Frances discovers his love for art, and through their shared passion, the two become close friends.

But there’s a barrier. Neither Kit nor Frances is ready to share the heavy burden that they both carry day in and day out.

Picasso and Greatest Show on Earth is a beautiful tale of love, loss and trust. Through the eyes of two young people, we learn about grief and healing. Through the power of observation and nature, the two develop their relationship and learn to open up.

Anna Fienberg is a master of simile and description. Reading this book will plant you right in the scene, painting vivid colours, sounds and emotions, making it hard to put the book down. She has written numerous children’s and young adult fiction, and is most notably known for her series Tashi.

This is a wonderful novel for a mature upper primary school or lower secondary school student.