Sally Murphy's Blog

What I Read in October 2025

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 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?

 

PETAA National Conference

How fortunate I am feeling after a whirlwind trip to the Gold Coast to attend the Primary English Teacher Association of Australia (PETAA) Conference.

The conference featured a line up of academics, educators and creators all passionate about building writing skills in and out of the classroom through pleasure, purpose and pedagogy. I filled notebooks, soaked up new learning, talked, laughed and made new friends while also spending time with long standing ones (including my big sister). Here I am, just before I spoke, trying to blend in with the Storybox banner in my fabulous Jericho Road dress.

I was tasked with delivering the closing keynote and shared the value of using verse novels as mentor texts and more. Although I used my own as examples, I hope I also got across the message that there are a plethora of gold standard verse novels educators can use.

I was particularly pleased that the analogy I used to talk about mentor texts allowed me to talk about my beloved Fremantle Dockers, and especially David Mundy. It isn’t a Sally Murphy presentation if I can’t sneak in some mention of Freo. I also managed to make people laugh, cry and nod their heads approvingly (not all at the same time).

I’m back at my desk today, filled with determination to keep doing what I do, to ensure that young Australians have books (and poetry!) in their hands, homes and classrooms, and that educators have the tools to make sure this happens.

To that end, if you’d like me to visit your school, festival or professional learning event, let me know.

What I Read in September 2025

What did I read in September? A LOT of manuscripts for a prize I’m a judge for and which, though book-length, don’t count for my total here.  So, only four books to report.

Books for Children Stuff I’m (Not) Sorry For: 99 more poems for young people, by Maxine Beneba Clarke (Hardie Grant, 2025).  The world needs more poetry, and fresh poetry for young people. This book delivers that in spades. Trapped, by Julia Lawrinson (Fremantle Press, 2025).  At least 10 years ago I started a file labelled with the name Varischetti.  I’d stumbled across  n old news story about a trapped miner, and thought one day I would write a book about him. I didn’t – but I am very glad that the tale has now been told, deftly, by a writer I admire, and in verse novel form. Bindi, by Kirli Saunders, illustrated by Dub Leffler (Magabala Books, 2020). Not my first read of this book, but it’s been a while. Loved rediscovering this one, when I taught a class about the wonders of verse novels.Books for Adults The Ghost Walk: A psychological medical thriller, by Karen Herbert (Fremantle Press, 2025). Went to the launch of this one and, of course, came home with the book which took a little while to get through just because of busyness, but glad I read it.

 

This brings my 2025 total to 73 so far, with more to come, especially as the judging comes to an end.

I’d love to hear what you’ve been reading.

What I Read in August 2025

August was crazily busy with Bookweek and a house move, and lots of reading for work thrown in, so I have only five books to report, and three of them being very short ones.  But hey, I made time for reading, and I’m pleased with that. Here’s what I read:

Books for Younger Readers

The Firework Maker’s Daughter, by Philip Pullman (Corgi, 1995). Been a while since I read any Pullman – reading this made me want to read more. Just lovely. Stick Man Early Reader, by Julia Donaldson & Alex Scheffler.  I don’t know how Stick Man managed to be in my to-read pile, but in the clean up to move house I found him, read him and smiled. I think my grandlings will do when I unpack at the other end.My Grandson Lew, by Charlotte Zolotow & William Pene Du Bois (Harper & Row, 1974). Another from the to-read pile, a lovely little offering about a child’s grief and love for his grandfather.Left and Right With Lion and Ryan, by Robert Littell & Phillip Wende (World’s Work, 1970). A third from the pile. A quirky book helping readers learn left from right.

Books for Young Adults

90 Packets of Instant Noodles, by Deb Fitzpatrick (Fremantle Press, 2010).  I love Deb Fitzpatrick as a human and as an author, so I’m not sure how I missed reading this one until now. But I’m glad I’ve read it – set in the bush not too far away from where I love.

 

That brings my total for the year to date to 69.  I am in the midst of unpacking the thousands of books that I moved, and this is making me want to read more and more and more, so hopefully that total will climb by the end of the year.

What I Read in July 2025

Another month has ended, and time to look at what I read.  I have been busily judging  the entries in a novel length writing competition, which of course I can’t share here, so the amount of published works I got through In July is limited, but here’s what I read.

How to Sail to Somewhere, by Ashleigh Barton (Lothian, 2025). I finished last month with a young adult book involving an hour, and started this month with a younger reader’s book also involving an island. Quite a coincidence and, although both involved two girls and an island, they are very different books.  I loved the gentle mystery of this one, and the themes of friendship, grief and belonging. The Letter With the Golden Stamp, by Onjali Q. Rauf (Orion, 2024). Unfortunately the cover image here isn’t the same as the one I bought, which called to me with its gold highlights, red mailbox and more.  Either way, I adored this book and its first person view of being a young carer trying to make sense of the world while also trying to help a sick mother and two younger siblings. In parts funny and whimsical, it is also just really touching. The Riding Gallery, by Sally Murphy, illustrated by Martina Heiduczek (Walker Books, 2024). Yes, I did read my own book, cover to cover for the first time in a while, in honour of its first birthday. The Story of Growl, by Judy Horacek (Brio Books, 2021).A delightful picture book which I think I brought back from a conference a few years ago, and hadn’t got round to reading. Whisper on the Wind, by Claire Saxby & Jess Racklyeft (Allen & Unwin, 2022). This one was sitting in my wardrobe with the one above and, while I know I read it when I bought it on that trip, I also had to reread and fall in love with it all over again before I could shelve it. Lovely.

Books for Adults

The Skeleton House, by Katherine Allum (Fremantle Press, 2024). I have bene meaning to get hold of this for a while, so glad that I finally did.

 

 

That brings my annual total (so far) to 64.  I’d love to hear what you’ve been reading.

 

What I Read in June 2025

Wow. I don’t think I remember a month where I only got through 4 books – but that’s what happened in June.  It doesn’t mean I wasn’t reading – I read a lot for work,  academic articles and book chapters. But I don’t count these here unless I ever read the whole book cover to cover.  So, four books it is.

Books for Children The Silver Donkey, by Sonya Hartnett (Walker Books, 2005).  I read this one some years ago, and was surprised to realise it first came out in 2005.  A beautiful story set in France during World War 2. A Little Piece of Ground, by Elizabeth Laird with Sonia Nimr (Haymarket, 2006). Another war story, this one set in Gaza. The location, and the terrible events happening there at present made this confronting, but it is good to be confronted, to see what life might be like for a child living in Gaza, or in any place under constant attack.Books for Young Adults A Wreck of Seabirds, by Karleah Olson (Fremantle Press, 2024). I couldn’t put this one down. Set on the West Australian coast, with gothic tones, mystery, grief and more.Books for Adults Inciting Joy : Essays, by Ross Gay (Algonquin Books, 2024). This book definitely incites joy. This is the second Ross Gay book I’ve read since he was recommended to me by my friend Sally.  Very readable essays, about how we find joy during hard times.

 

This brings my total for the year so far to 58. Here’s to more reading for pleasure in July!

What I Read in May 2025

Time for an update on what I’ve been reading. I read 11 books in May, with a mix of rereads, largely for my teaching, and new to me.  I bought more books than I read, owing to attending some lovely book events, so am eager to get through the remainder in June.  Anyway, here’s what I did read;

Books for Young Readers Willy The Dreamer, by Anthony Browne (Walker Books, 2000). The last of the Anthony Browne books I purchased in March to satisfy my thirst for a deep dive into his works. I think this is also the first of his books I ever read, most likely when it was new out. Not sure what happened to that copy – probably got loved to death – so am glad to have it back in my life. The Paperbark Tree Committee, by Karys McEwen (Text, 2025). A gorgeous middle grade novel about changing schools in early high school, identity, belonging and the bonds between brothers. The Truck Cat, by Deborah Frenkel & Danny Snell (Hardie Grant, 2024).  I bought this because I was asked to read it at the National Simultaneous Story Time Event at Curtin University (my workplace)  which meant that (lucky me!) I got to read it to my peers and my students at the same time it was being read by people all across Australia. What a beautiful book and what a joy to share it. Goodnight, Joeys, by Renee Treml (Puffin, 2024). Nawwwww.   This is a beautiful bed time book, which I bought and had signed for my newest grandbaby. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, by Michael Morpurgo, illustrated by Michael Foreman (Walker Books, 2004). A  retelling of the story of Sir Gawain, one of Arthur’s knights. Tawny Trouble, by Deb Fitzpatrick (Fremantle Press, 2025). The story of a family’s trip to the southwest and what happens when they rescue a tawny frogmouth. The Colt from Old Regret by Dianne Wolfer & Erica Wagner (NLA Publishing, 2025). This stunningly illustrated and a lyrical, insightful retelling of the Man from Snowy River from a different perspective – that of the colt. Bigfoot vs Yeti: A love story, by James Foley (Fremantle Press, 2025). Not ‘just’ a love story – the story of how a rift between two clans is finally mended. James Foley is very clever. Once, by Morris Gleitzman (Puffin, 2005).  It’s been quite a while since I first read this, so it felt a bit like the first time. Set in Nazi-occupied Poland, this is both touching and heart wrenching.Books for Young Adults Light Filters in: Poems, by Caroline Kaufman (Harper, 2018).  A heart wrenching, insightful,  poetry collection  from an Instagram poet (@poeticpoison), exploring the many facets of her teen experiences.  I loved this and went online to check on what Kaufman is now doing, which left me a little sad, as she seems to have not posted or published for several years. That shouldn’t stop you from reading her amazing work – but I do hope she is travelling okay.Books for Adults The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot, by Marianne Cronin (Penguin, 2022). I loved this even though it made me cry – or, perhaps, because it made me cry . Seventeen year old Lenni is in hospital facing the unimaginable, but, at the same time, making extraordinary friendships, including one with eighty-three year old Margot.

This brings my total for the year to date to 54. What have you been reading?

 

A Big Day of Birthdays

Happy birthday to you!

Happy birthday tooo you!

Happy birthday dear Pearl Verses the Wooorld 

Happy birthday to yoooooooooooouuuu!

Now, if you read this book when it first came out then you might be amazed to realise how very quickly time has flown because Pearl Verses the World is not one or two years old, and not even three years old. In fact (I CAN NOT believe this) Pearl Verses the World is 16 years old today!

16 years since this little book was published ( by the amazing team at Walker Books, and illustrated by the equally as amazing Heather Potter) and changed my writing world, winning awards, being read across Australia and around the world, and even being made into a stage play..  And, I am amazed and delighted to say, it remains in print and is still being read by young (and not so young readers).

But, May 1 is a verrry special day, because – can you hear the choir starting up again?

Happy birthday to you!

Happy birthday to you!

Happy birthday dear Looking Up!

Happy birthday to yoooooooooooouuuu!

You guessed it, May 1 is also Looking Up‘s birthday – a wonderful 8 years old today. Published by Fremantle Press  in 2017, illustrated by Aska,  a Notable Book in the CBCA Awards 2018, and still in print.

But wait – there’s more because (drumroll please) …..

Happy birthday to you!

Happy birthday to you!

Happy birthday dear Worse Things

Happy birthday to yoooooooooooouuuu!

That’s right, today is alsoWorse Things‘  birthday. Hard to believe that it has been out in the world for five whole years.

In  was an Honour Book in the CBCA Book of the Year Awards, and appears on reading lists and in bookstores  across the country. And I am forever grateful that Walker Books published it and that the absolutely amazing and awesome illustrator Sarah Davis illustrated it.

So happy birthday little book babies. I am inordinately proud of you and of the fact you both remain in print. Long may you remain out there filling hearts and minds with your tales.

And to you, amazing readers – a massive thankyou! Stories work because readers pick them up, digest them and make them their own.

Note: if you have not read one or both of these books, this thank you is still for you – because I am sure you have read other, equally loved books by other amazing authors. And that’s fine.

And, if three book birthdays is not not enough celebration, I have saved the most important birthday until last.

Happy birthday to you!

Happy birthday to you!

Happy birthday dear Muuuuuuuum

Happy birthday to yoooooooooooouuuu!

That’s right, it’s my darling Mum Verna’s  birthday today too. I’m pretty sure that sharing a birthday with her has  given my books a little magic boost, because Mum is most certainly magic herself.  So happy happy day Mum. Love you heaps.

What I Read in April 2025

It’s the end of another month, and time to share what I’ve been reading. I got through 15 books this month, that total helped my continuing dive into the picture books of  Anthony Browne. I also read, as usual, a fairly eclectic mix, from graphic novels, to inspirational reads, to thrillers and more. Here’s what I got through:

Books for Young Readers If I Could Choose a Best Day: Poems of Possibility, selected by Irene Latham & Charles Water, illustrated by Olivia Sua (Candlewick, 2025). Really delighted to get my hands on a copy of this, as it’s published in the USA and took some tracking down.  A large format picture book anthology with a difference – every poem starts with the same word – ‘If’. Hairy Holes: Book 2, by Brenton E. McKenna (Magabla Books, 2025).  I was lucky enough to be at the launch of this book at the Scribblers Family Fun Day in Kalgoorlie.  Although it’s Book 2, and I’d not read Book 1, I was able to pick up and follow the story and was left wanting to get my hands on Book 3, which is yet to come. My Strange Shrinking Parents, by Zeno Sworder (Thames & Hudson, 2022). I was also lucky enough in Kalgoorlie and the Goldfields, to work alongside Zeno Sworder, who is so talented as author and illustrator, but also an all round wonderful, wise human. And this book, which one Picture Book of the Year in the CBCA Awards 2023, is breathtaking. My Dad, by Anthony Browne (Random House, 2000). Continuing the deep dive into Browne’s work begun last month, I read several more in April, including this funny, but also heart warming look at Dads. The Shape Game, by Anthony Browne (Doubleday, 2003). It was my quest to get a copy of this book that led to my deep dive into Browne’s works. This one is a partly autobiographical story about a family visiting an art gallery and the way it shaped the narrator’s life as an artist. Little Bones, by Sandy Bigna (UQP, 2025). What a stunning verse novel about loss, friendship and more. Silly Billy, by Anthony Browne (Walker Books, 2006). Another Browne book – this one about a boy who can’t stop worrying, until his grandmother introduces him to worry dolls. A lovely blend of family, wisdom and humour. My Mum, by Anthony Browne (Random House, 2005). And another Browne title, this one celebrating mums. Ernest the Elephant, by Anthony Browne (Walker, 2021). One of Browne’s more recent books, this one follows the story of a little elephant who gets lost in the jungle, and the unlikely help that comes his way. Piggybook, by Anthony Browne (Walker Books, 1996).  A humorous take on what happens when a mother (Mrs Piggott) finds herself being overworked and unappreciated by her husband and sons.Books for Young Adults Brontide, by Sue McPherson (Magabala Books, 2018).  I picked this up on a visit to Paperbird Books in Fremantle which has an excellent, well stocked, section for books authored by first nations authors.   The format of this one is a little unusual – it reads as if the author is interviewing real teens in the town she is visiting – and recording the  stories of the three boys.  This makes for a really accessible format, and takes us on a journey through some heart warming but also devastating moments. How to Survive 1985, by Tegan Bennett Daylight (Simon & Schuster, 2025). I bought this based just on the title – having survived 1985 when it was, in fact 1985 and I was in highschool. This is a timeslip story where Shannon and her three friends find themselves thrust back from 2025 to 1985, where they need to figure out why they are there and how to get home.Books for Adults The Book of Delights, by Ross Gay (Coronet, 2019).  This book was recommended to me by a friend, also called Sally, and she was so very right – this is just beautiful.  A series of mini-essays as Gay finds a daily moment of delight to write about, even in the midst of hard times. We Will Rest!: The Art of Escape, by Tricia Hersey (Little Brown, Spark, 2024). This is delightful little book to hold but that delight is nothing compared to the very important rejoinder of the book – REST. Hersey speaks directly to the reader reminding us that rest is a right, a responsibility, and an act of resistance. I’ll be rereading. The Hush, by Sara Foster (Harper Collins, 2021). I went to an event for Sara’s latest book (which I’ll read in May), but had to also buy t is one, which I’d been meaning to get for ages. Not a comfortable read, but a gripping thriller set in an undefined future where society is a tipping point and pregnant females are especially vulnerable.

That brings my total for the year to date to 43, with, of course, more to come.  I’d love to hear what books you’ve enjoyed lately.

 

Busy (But Happy) Times

In the past month I have had SO much going on that I have sometimes felt a little overwhelmed. Fortunately, I have good friends and family, and furry companions, who remind me to regularly stop, take some deep breaths and enjoy what I’m doing.

And, today, I am taking some of those breaths as I share some of what has been keeping me busy.

Firstly, my friend and peer Rebecca M. Newman and I are busily working on a follow-up anthology to Right Way Down. We are delighted that Fremantle Press has asked us to produce a second anthology, which will be filled with poems from Western Australian poets, and again illustrated by the amazing Briony Stewart. Submissions have closed, Rebecca and I have finished the difficult job of narrowing down our selections and now we are working through the editing process. No title yet, but you will see this book in stores and on shelves in 2026 and we cannot wait.

Secondly, and staying with the topic of poetry, I had my first poetry publication for the year, in a brand new online magazine. You can read Freedom at the Nimblewitlit site and, if you want to hear my voice, can also hear me reading the poem.

Thirdly, an honour. As you may know, the Children’s Book Council of Australia is celebrating its 80th year, and I have been named one of the Western Australian branch‘s Ambassadors. This means I’ll be joining a bunch of other amazing creators in shouting from the rooftops (and here on my website, on Instagram, Facebook and at events) just how wonderful the CBCA is. Not a hard gig at all.

And, last but not at all least, I was fortunate enough at the start of the month to join other creators and hardworking Form staff to visit Western Australia’s Goldfields as part of Scribblers on the Road.  Working with Zeno Sworder, Brenton McKenna, Shane McCarthy, as well as creatives from the Goldfields, we visited:

Kambalda Primary SchoolCoolgardie Primary SchoolLeonora District high SchoolMenzies Community SchoolJohn Paul College, KalgoorlieKalgoorle-Boulder Community High SchoolSt Joseph’s School andEast Kalgoorlie primary School

as well as talking via video-link to students in remote communities at the Ngaanyatjarra Land School campuses, and running a writing workshop for adults at the Kalgoorlie library AND appearing at the Scribblers Family Fun Day at the Kalgoorlie Arts Centre.

Phew! If that sounds a lot, it was, but it was amazing – and you can see some of the fun in this photo reel which I shared on Instagram.

 

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Now I’m back at my desk, writing and smiling, and thinking how very lucky I am to get to do what I do.