YA Book Stack
YA Book Stack is an in-conversation podcast with Australian authors who discuss the application of their text in the middle years English classroom and the ways their text is reflective of the experiences of young adult readers and the world they engage with. Through a focus on the text in the classroom, YA Book Stack aims to encourage educators to embrace the flexibility of the middle years and explore a broader range of texts in their curriculum.
YA Book Stack
Summer Reading with Mark Smith
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Victorian Association for the Teaching of English
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Season 4
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Episode 12
his episode includes a discussion of summer reading recommendations that includes:
- Tenderfoot by Toni Jordan
- Gary Lonesborough
- Graham Akhurst
- Jared Thomas
- Salt River Road by Molly Schmidt
- Over This Backbone by Ya Reeves
- Arborescence by Rhett Davis
- Dusk by Robbie Arnott
- Andrea Nekic Is NOT Fine by Violeta Bagia
- We Saw What You Started by Carla Salmon
- Gus and the Burning Stones by Troy Hunter
- Catch by Sarah Brill
- This Stays Between Us by Margot McGovern
- Three Boys Gone by Mark Smith
- Diary of a Young Doctor by Ezzideen Shehab
- The Hiding Place by Kate Mildenhall
- I Am Nannertgarrook by Tasma Walton
- Pictures of You by Tony Birch
- Southsightedness by Gregory Day
- Seed by Bri Lee
The episode also contains discussions around:
- Teachers benefit from reading YA themselves, not just for curriculum use but to stay connected to student interests, identify engaging texts, and model genuine enthusiasm for reading.
- Reading for work vs reading for pleasure, and how hard it is to balance the joy of reading with the obligations of reading for reviews, panels, writing, or teaching.
- YA in Australia is growing in diversity but still needs more representation, especially stories that reflect the rapidly changing demographics of Australian schools.
- Teachers should prioritise student engagement when selecting texts. Page-turners matter, reluctant readers need accessible books, and educators sometimes overthink “how to teach” a book before considering whether students will actually read it.
- Reasons why Three Boys Gone, Mark Smith's debut adult novel, will resonate with anyone working in schools today, and having to navigate the near-impossibility of perfect duty of care.