Better Read Kids

Better Read Kids Better Read Kids is a specialty children's bookshop located in the heart of Newtown. We stock a cura

Better Read Kids is a part of Better Read Than Dead, a book store located in the heart of Newtown. Better Read Than Dead has bee which has been a firm favourite of Newtown locals for nearly twenty years. We pride ourselves on having the best range of books for kids and adults across all genres and topics. This, together with a collective passion for books and reading, provides the ideal environment for us to excel at providing you with our special brand of service and range of titles.

📚 This week’s Top Ten is here! Our book of the month , ‘The House That Walked Away’ sets the stage for this week’s top t...
12/06/2026

📚 This week’s Top Ten is here!
Our book of the month , ‘The House That Walked Away’ sets the stage for this week’s top ten bestsellers. Following is a plethora of titles that charter mystery maps to brave bunjis, moonlit adventures, cheeky cheetahs and very selfish sisters, this week’s bestselling kids’ books are full of imagination, humour and heart. This week’s stack is fabulous but we wanted to take a moment to give a special congratulations to a very young local author, Sol Rosen, who’s handmade and illustrated comic ‘The Funny Bird Big Book’ has made this week’s top ten!

Featuring:
‘The House That Walked Away’ by Simon Howe
‘Is This a Plum?’ by Dan and Finn Ojari
‘Raised by Wolves’ by Tristan Bank
‘Detective Beans and the Map of Mystery’ by Li Chen
‘Brave Like Bunji’ by Jake Gablonski and Samantha Campbell
‘Life on the Moon’ by Matthew Swanson and Rabbi Behr
‘Trickshot: Harri the Cheetah World Beater’ by Adam Jackson, Adrian Lloyd and Jake A Minton
‘The Funny Bird Big Book: Series 2’ by Sol Rosen
‘The Selfish Sister’ by David Sedaris and Ian Falconer Staake
Come in-store and see what young readers are loving this week 💫

Last week’s top ten bestsellers celebrated identity and growth, and we thought that they fit perfectly with our antholog...
09/06/2026

Last week’s top ten bestsellers celebrated identity and growth, and we thought that they fit perfectly with our anthology theme for 2026, ‘metamorphosis’. We were inspired and now present to you a few more titles that we think fit our ‘metamorphosis’ theme!

Our first pick is Huw Aaron’s picture book, ‘Monekeypig’. Fundamentally it is a story about being proud of who you are, told through the hilarious journey of Molly the pig who so desperately wants to be friends with the monkeys that she pretends to be one!

Up next for a junior fiction pick is ‘Cleopatra’, by bestselling author, Jackie French. This book is the first instalment in the new ‘Heroes of the Ancient World’ series and follows Cleopatra in her tween years as she steps up and into her inner queen. So luckily for you if yours kids love this then there will be plenty more to come.

For young adults we’re leaving ancient Egypt and brining it local with Meg Caddy’s, ‘A Flash in the Dust’, a gripping historical thriller set in 1899, Freemantle Asylum, Western Australia. Think of it as the bushranger version, with a dash of q***r, of ‘Fingersmith’ by Sarah Waters. We love this book because its a gorgeous story of identity, found found family and self-determination that heroes historical q***rness and gently lifts it from the margins of the archive to land firmly in the Oz YA canon.

Yesterday author Jake Gablonski visited to sign his debut picture book, ‘Brave Like Bunji’, a big-hearted story about id...
05/06/2026

Yesterday author Jake Gablonski visited to sign his debut picture book, ‘Brave Like Bunji’, a big-hearted story about identity, belonging and wearing your true colours with pride.

When Bunji runs away from school, he doesn’t realise that a rainbow lorikeet is about to take him on an incredible adventure. As he soars over Nitmiluk Gorge and feels the rhythms of the environment supporting him, Bunji discovers that he can be brave if he shows his true colours with pride.

Brave Like Bunji is a story written from the heart by Wiradjuri man Jake Gablonski, beautifully illustrated by acclaimed Dagoman artist Samantha Campbell and set on the traditional lands of the Jawoyn, Dagoman and Wardaman people of the Katherine region of northern Australia.

It’s wonderful to witness the arrival of so many titles hot off the press making their mark in this week’s top ten bests...
05/06/2026

It’s wonderful to witness the arrival of so many titles hot off the press making their mark in this week’s top ten bestsellers. We’re thrilled that numerous talented authors have recently come by to sign or unveil their works! Please excuse our enthusiasm captured in the second photo; we’re just eager to showcase this week’s selections!

This collection includes delightful options for children of various age groups, spanning from Alison Lester’s board book for babies, ‘Kissed by the Moon’, to Kai Ash’s young adult story, ‘The Boy Maeve’.

While there’s something to suit everyone’s taste, a prominent theme weaves through these titles—adventure, exploration, and self-discovery. We invite you to explore these books in-store and see for yourself!

Our Top Ten:
The Prime Minister Problem - Brenton Cullen
The Boy Maeve - Kai Ash
Brave Like Bunji - Jake Gablonski and Samantha Campbell
The Perfect Match - Chris Becker and Dan Taylor
The House That Walked Away - Simon Howe
Kisses by the Moon - Alison Lester
Seahorse is Furious - Morag Hood
Squash the Cat - Sasha Mayer
Crow Thief of Magic - Fiona Dixon
How to Survive an Apocalypse - Cameron Hardy
picturebooks

It's wonderful to witness the arrival of so many titles hot off the press making their mark in this week's top ten bests...
05/06/2026

It's wonderful to witness the arrival of so many titles hot off the press making their mark in this week's top ten bestsellers. We’re thrilled that numerous talented authors have recently come by to sign or unveil their works! Please excuse our enthusiasm captured in the second photo; we're just eager to showcase this week's selections!

This collection includes delightful options for children of various age groups, spanning from Alison Lester's board book for babies, 'Kissed by the Moon', to Kai Ash's young adult story, 'The Boy Maeve'.

While there’s something to suit everyone’s taste, a prominent theme weaves through these titles—adventure, exploration, and self-discovery. We invite you to explore these books in-store and see for yourself!

04/06/2026

Thank you for visiting and sharing what ‘Brave Like Bunji’ is all about! ‘Brave Like Bunji’ is a beautiful and empowering children’s picture book, written by Jake and illustrated by , that everyone needs to come check out in-store or online!

04/06/2026

Thank you Jake Gablonski for visiting and sharing what ‘Brave Like Bunji’ is all about! ‘Brave Like Bunji’ is a beautiful and empowering children’s picture book that everyone needs to come check out in-store or online!

Mohammad Awad has just dropped by to sign copies of 'Floating by the Clouds', a new and gorgeous picture book about embr...
02/06/2026

Mohammad Awad has just dropped by to sign copies of 'Floating by the Clouds', a new and gorgeous picture book about embracing our complex emotions.

Using metaphors from the weather, this beautiful picture book for young readers showcases accepting both the highs and lows of our emotions, with a reassuring message that the dark clouds do move on and that rainbows follow storms. 🌈🌈🌈

After last week’s awesome launch of Kai Ash’s ‘The Boy Maeve’, we’re happy to see Kai back in store to sign some copies ...
01/06/2026

After last week’s awesome launch of Kai Ash’s ‘The Boy Maeve’, we’re happy to see Kai back in store to sign some copies of his awesome new book!

One of your artworks could be the next cover of the 2026 Better Read Kids Anthology! Create an artwork that follows our ...
31/05/2026

One of your artworks could be the next cover of the 2026 Better Read Kids Anthology! Create an artwork that follows our anthology’s theme ‘Metamorphosis’!

For more information visit our Better Read Kids site through our link in bio.

Address

265 King Street
Newtown, NSW
2042

Opening Hours

Monday 9:30am - 9pm
Tuesday 9:30am - 9pm
Wednesday 9:30am - 9pm
Thursday 9:30am - 9pm
Friday 9:30am - 9pm
Saturday 9:30am - 9pm
Sunday 9:30am - 9pm

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