Young Adult or YA fiction is geared toward an audience of late teens and young adults. It can be sappy, romantic and cute at times. But the themes inside can hit just as hard as any adult novel. And Australian YA books delve into the weird, complex and wonderful parts of being an Australian young adult.
We’ve collected 11 Australian YA books that are a worthwhile read for a variety of different reasons. Why not try finding these in your campus library?
Obernewtyn, Isobelle Carmody
If you like: science fiction-fantasy, nuclear post-apocalypse, secret powers and toppling shady governments
Elspeth is an orphan, a rebel, marked as an outcast, unwanted by society and feared by the higher-ups. The powers that be discover Elspeth’s secret abilities and she is banished to the secret mountaintop school of Obernewtyn. She fights discrimination, abandonment, biochemical weapons and a cult-like secret society left over after the end of the world, armed only with her ingenuity, bravery – and of course super cool psychic powers.
Carmody started writing Obernewtyn at the age of 14 and a lot of the novel bears influence from her experiences as a young person throughout high school and university. It’s a story of sacrifice, courage and believing in yourself when all the world feels out to get you.
This Time It’s Real, Ann Liang
If you like: To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before, fake relationships and falling in love with exactly the wrong guy
When Eliza Lin publishes an essay about falling in love, it catapults her to a level of prestige she’d never expected. She’s top of her class, popular and well-liked, and has a once-in-a-lifetime internship opportunity at her dream job. There’s only one problem: she made the entire thing up. To maintain the illusion, she hires a famous actor in her class to play the role of the boyfriend in the essay. But when Eliza starts developing real feelings, will the whole thing come crashing down around her?
A sweet, romantic story about the ways our hearts often steer us in the complete opposite way we want them to. You’ll root for these two who are madly trying to pretend they don’t actually care about each other. It’s a juicy meet-cute that’s just enough for you to sink your teeth into and leave you floating on clouds all day long.
The Swan Book, Alexis Wright
If you like: climate post-apocalypse, the Dreaming and a cross-country journey of epic proportions
Set in a post-apocalyptic Australia ravaged by climate change and led by incompetent politicians, The Swan Book follows First Nations protagonist Oblivia as she navigates a land that no longer feels like Country to her. The myths she remembers and the stories her people tell bear no resemblance to the lands and waters of the modern world she lives in.
The novel deals with some difficult themes, and Wright’s dreamlike, introspective narration can be a little hard to follow at times. But just like Oblivia, if you follow the black swans and let the gorgeous, descriptive story flow over you, you’ll always find your way back home.
Tomorrow, When The War Began, John Marsden
If you like: Alternate future Australia, war stories, teenagers forced to grow up and unlikely heroes
Wirrawee’s a small town, and there’s not much to do there except leave it. That’s what Ellie and her friends do, going camping in a remote location. As they look up, they swear they can see black shapes moving silently against the stars. And when they get back to civilisation, it all makes sense. Australia, and Wirrawee, has just been invaded.
This is the first in a series of Australian YA books following a group of teenagers who stage a rebellion against a foreign invasion from their small town in the outback. The teenagers are resourceful and they won’t stop fighting until their home is free once more. But the series also asks the question: what happens to these child soldiers once all the fighting’s done?
Interested in reading more about the intersections of masculinity and femininity in international and Australian YA books? Check out this awesome research by one of our researchers!
Completely Normal (And Other Lies), Biffy James
If you like: high school romance, secrets and lies, turmoil in the teenage heart and the messiness of grief
Keeping secrets is hard. Nobody knows that better than Stella Wilde. She’s got a crush on Isaac, the hottest guy in school, and she’s pretty sure Isaac likes her back. Only thing is, he’s got a girlfriend. And when Isaac dies in a car accident, Stella realises that the grief she feels deep inside does not (and cannot) look like the feelings she displays on the outside.
An exploration into the politics of public declarations of affection and the messy intersections of grief, romance and friendship. This novel will really have you thinking about how secret your secrets need to be or whether it’s worth it to finally set everything free.
Royals, Tegan Bennett Daylight
If you like: Lord of the Flies, technological dystopia, fleshed-out characters and abandoned shopping centres
Six teenagers, abandoned and disconnected from the outside world, are trapped inside a sprawling shopping centre. They’ve got access to all the junk food and cosmetics they want, sweet! Until they discover they have to care for a baby – and each other.
With a diverse cast of characters each with their own strengths and flaws, Bennett Daylight asks one important question: what would it take for the teens to work together, trust each other and maybe come out on the other side? A warm, modern novel with a hope for a kinder, softer world. You’ll find yourself asking the same questions about your connections to the planet, to technology and to each other.
Liar’s Test, Ambelin Kwaymullina
If you like: The Hunger Games, First Nations rebellion and decolonisation, and finding out if it’s all worth it
Bell Silverleaf is a liar. She has to be, to survive. Her people have to be, ever since they were invaded. But now Bell has the chance to take them down. She’s been selected for the Queen’s Test. It’s a dangerous game with the prize of becoming the ruler of the Kingdom for the next 25 years. First she has to survive. Then she’s going to unravel the whole thing, piece by piece.
Lies and their power writhe their way throughout this Australian YA book. Little lies and big ones, the lies we tell others and the lies we tell ourselves. They all combine to make a dark, secretive world that’s filled to the brim with tension and surprises. In a genre that can be somewhat predictable, Liar’s Test will keep you guessing.
Sunburnt Veils, Sara Haghdoosti
If you like: Hijabi heroines, unpredictable romance, disdain at first sight and running for Student Union
Tara’s the kind of girl who brings a book along to the house party. She’s quiet, studious and spiritual, focusing on getting into medicine and not on boys. But when an anonymous stranger calls in a bomb threat when Tara leaves her bag in the lecture hall to take a call, she knows someone’s got to take a stand. And even though it would be easier to leave fighting to the characters in her books, that someone is going to be her.
A funny, heartfelt depiction of Islamophobia and the ways it manifests in modern Australia. Tara is a spunky protagonist with a lot of heart, and her story is written with empathy and humour. A perfect gateway to understanding that the way someone appears might not actually be the person they are.
What’s going on down under? If you’d like to read more about the ways that Australian YA books are contributing to portrayals of our culture worldwide, check out this amazing research completed right here at Charles Sturt.
On The Jellicoe Road, Melina Marchetta
If you like: Modern Australian The Outsiders, turf wars, serious heartbreak and boarding school drama
Taylor’s had it tough. Left at a 7-Eleven by her mum when she was 11 years old, she’s been living in a boarding school ever since. Still, she’s got the younger boarders to look after. And with the Cadets back in town, the turf war for the Jellicoe Road is on. But now her one parental figure has gone missing, and to top it all off, the new leader of the Cadets is the enigmatic Jonah, an old flame – and someone Taylor vowed she never wanted to see ever again.
Sometimes the people we tell ourselves we hate are the ones who can show us why we love, and the people who leave us are the ones who teach us why we should stay. Set against the backdrop of the unforgiving but beautiful Australian bush, On The Jellicoe Road tells two entwined stories of hope, betrayal, heartbreak and growing up.
Look Me In The Eye, Jane Godwin
If you like: a modern take on 1984, post-pandemic freedom and fighting the surveillance state
Where do you draw the line between being watched over, and being watched? With COVID-19 restrictions lifted Bella, Connie and Connie’s cousin Mish have the opportunity to get outside again. As children they used to run and play together in the paddocks out back. But now those huge fields are housing estates and there’s nowhere left to go. And is it really freedom when their parents are tracking them and even maybe secretly recording their conversations?
You’ll find a thought-provoking discussion in this novel that goes beyond just being a teenager and gets right to the heart of growing up in a tech-centric world.
Where You Left Us, Rhiannon Wilde
If you like: Gothic mystery-romance, coming to grips with it all and setting the playlist to Taylor Swift’s ‘Evermore’
With an ageing rockstar father, a missing Great-Aunt Sadie, growing anxiety and depression, and their own romantic woes, sisters Cinnamon and Scarlett have enough going on in their lives without having to worry about each other. But with the holiday season bringing them into close proximity, it catapults their issues into the spotlight. They’ll have to figure things out and learn to work together as this seaside family mystery-drama unfurls.
Where You Left Us asks the question: how do we accept our past without letting it define us? How do we determine the people we are now, without wallowing in what happened to us then? Inherited trauma and gothic mystery combine beautifully to bring a very real sense of personality to the sisters as they figure out just exactly what is going on with their great-aunt, with their dad, and with themselves.
For a deeper dive into the way Australian YA books can explore mental health and wellbeing, check out this thought-provoking Charles Sturt research.
Finished adding these Australian YA books to your TBR? Find out why the arts matter to regional Australia. Discover why being widely read is a valuable soft skill in the working world. Or even study arts or communication!
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