Celebrating Aussie Authors!

With Australia Day coming up soon, I thought it might be a good time to celebrate a breed of authors little mentioned: Aussie Authors. 

Almost all of the English-based internet is aimed toward Americans. A large chunk of them will reference the UK. But you know which English speaking country is barely mentioned? Australia. And it's the superior country if you ask me. (Kidding, love all ya non-Aussie mates!)

Maybe it's just the sites I use, but it's not a big deal anyways. So here's a list of Australian authors that are either popular, authors I love, or both. 

Let's get to!

  

Picture Books 

I'm not a huge picture book reader. My memories of them are weak, so I can't say much about these authors. What I can say is that: if I've heard of them, they're probably really good.

1. Aaron Blabey - Most notable books are the Pig The Pug series and The Bad Guys series. 
2. Mem Fox - A lot of her works feature animals, particularly Aussie animals. 
3. Nick Bland - The Very Cranky Bear series is incredibly popular. I even have a bookmark with the art, haha! 
4. Pamela Allen - She has a distinct style and mood to her books.
5. Shaun Tan - I've only read Cicada. It was simple yet incredibly deep. Highly recommended. 

Middle Grade and Tween Books   

Most of these authors write for the very young of MG fiction. By "most", I mean all seven on this list except two. Nevertheless, they're talented and entertaining. 

1. Andy Griffiths - He's an award winning author that I reckon is one 99% of Australian kids will know. I've read two of his series: the Treehouse series with Terry Denton (an Aussie illustrator who has worked with many people on this list) and the JUST! series. 
2. Anh Do - I've only read part of his WeirDo series, but if Anh Do is known for anything, it's his humour.
3. Jacqueline Harvey - She writes simple, feel-good stories that often feature female protagonists. She has three series: Alice-Miranda, Clementine Rose and the Kensy and Max series. 
4. John Flanagan - He's written the Ranger's Apprentice and Brotherband series. I've talked about his books at least three times on the blog, so go check them out! 
5. Katrina Nannestad - One of my favourite authors. Her books are light and heartwarming. My favourite series is her The Girl, The Dog, And The Writer In series. I don't remember how many blog posts I've written about it now! 
6. Sally Rippin - Another super popular author. Her Billie B Brown and Hey Jack series used to be all the craze.
7. Tim Winton - I'm sad to say I haven't read any of his books. But so many people have talked about him and recommended his books, so he makes this list. 

Teen and YA Books

I'm not well versed with YA books. But that is rather rapidly changing. I've said previously that I'm more of a MG fan, but YA books are growing on me. Here's my favourites. They also happen to be the people to introduce me into the wonderful world of YA. 

1. Jackie French - She's another of my favourite authors. Almost all her books are centred in Australia, which is a huge plus. She has written picture books, MG and teen books, but I'm putting her in this category because of her The Matilda Saga, my favourite by her.  
2. Lynette Noni - Noni has received many awards with only two published series as of this date. This is one author I'm keeping my eyes on. 
3. Markus Zusak - He wrote The Book Thief. How could you not have heard of him? 

~ 

That's it for the list of authors. I know I'm leaving so many brilliant authors out. It's an injustice, but at least it gives me more for next time, right? 

Tell me which authors you have read or want to read down below! If I've missed anyone you like, be sure to let me know. I'm all for new book suggestions. 

 

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