A stellar lineup of Australian children’s authors and illustrators is joining forces to bring the joy back to reading for young Australians, with the launch of a bold new junior fiction series Your Next Read.
Announced last weekend at the 2025 Sydney Writers’ Festival, Your Next Read is a creative collaboration between Affirm Press and the founders of Your Kid’s Next Read (YKNR), a trusted literacy resource and podcast community boasting over 38,000 members. The series is designed to re-energise young readers and make reading feel fun, accessible, and irresistible.
Simon & Schuster Australia and Affirm’s Publishing Director for Children’s, Tash Besliev, is spearheading the project alongside YKNR creators – award-winning teacher librarian Megan Daley and accomplished children’s authors Allison Tait and Allison Rushby. Together, they are curating two age-based series designed to inspire delight and foster a lifelong love of reading, and will be written and illustrated by some of Australia’s most celebrated names in children’s literature.
Your Next Read will combine quality storytelling, entertaining content, and engaging illustrations from a talented lineup of creators, including Peter Cheong, Jane Godwin, Jade Goodwin, Anita Heiss, Kylie Howarth, Tom Jellett, Maddy Mara, Jasmin McGaughey, Katrina Nannestad, Cheryl Orsini, AL Tait, Kate and Jol Temple and more.
“Along with this extraordinary group of creators, we’re turning belief into action,” said Besliev. “We want every child to experience the joy of reading and the confidence that comes with it. Your Next Read is about meeting kids where they are—and giving them stories they’ll love coming back to.”
The series also draws inspiration from findings by Australia Reads and Monash Universtity, which identified key barriers that keep ambivalent teen readers from engaging with books—such as difficulty finding stories they connect with or staying motivated to keep reading. With a variety of genres, themes and perspectives, Your Next Read will offer every child the chance to find something that they love to read from an early age, and in turn will be more likely to reach for the next book, and the next, and the next.
Your Next Read connects the foundational skills of learning to read—often taught through phonics—with the crucial next step in a child’s reading journey: developing the desire to read independently and for enjoyment.
The Silver Series, for readers aged 5–8, will be released in March and July 2026, with the Gold Series, for ages 7–9, to follow in October 2026. A further 24 titles are planned for release in 2027.
The YKNR team said ‘We are thrilled to be part of the development of this incredible series, which offers a wide reading experience for young readers from creators whose work we love and admire. Your Next Read will provide adults with a one-stop shop for quality books for junior readers, while offering young readers books that are fun, exciting, and aimed at building a love of literature.’
Key Facts:
Your Next Read is a bold new junior fiction series launching in March 2026.
A partnership between Your Kid's Next Read and Affirm Press
Research, reports, and NAPLAN results continue to indicate worrying low levels of reading engagement amongst our young.
A who's who of kid's literature are jumping into action!
Much to their relief, parents are discovering Your Kid's Next Read via their website and poscast. This series marks the next milestone in their efforts to help.
About us:
Founded in 2017, YKNR continues to support families, educators, and young readers through expert recommendations and literacy advocacy, championing Australian voices in children’s literature and helping kids discover their perfect next read.
Contact details:
Jennifer Kean, Publicist
E: [email protected]
M: 0413 711 389
