December Shopping Extravaganza

The Little Bookroom is thrilled to present an incredible line up of some of our favourite authors (and yours!) so you can get all your gifts all sorted by the first weekend of December, in time for Christmas! At this 'meet-and-greet' style event, come along and have a chat to the creators while they sign and dedicate their books for everyone on your list, making them extra special! Here's the schedule: 10am-11am: Jo Dabrowski / Leigh Hobbs / Lucinda Gifford / Sarah Jane Lightfoot / Marc Martin / Jess Racklyeft 12pm-1pm: Felice Arena / Fiona Harris / George Ivanoff / Maddy Mara (Hilary Rogers and Meredith Badger) / Sally Rippin 2pm-3pm: Tigest Girma / Manuia Heinrich / Amie Kaufman / Will Kostakis If you're unable to attend, but would like signed copies for yourself or for gifting, please shop online ahead of the event and let us know in the 'Cart Notes' who you'd like your books signed for. You can browse all the books by these authors on our website HERE Also, the 3rd book in Tigest Girma's Immortal Dark series, INFERNAL VOW, is released on January 5th! Pre-order with us and Tigest will sign a book plate so that when we deliver your copy it's a special, personalised edition (a perfect 'it's in the post' Christmas Gift for any fan!) Contact us if you have any questions about availability of specific titles. About the Authors: Jo Dabrowski is a children’s author and bookseller who is passionate about children’s literacy. Her titles include the middle-grade novel Get Your Act Together, Doris Kozlowski, (shortlisted for the 2024 Readings Prize) and The Making of Martha Mayfield (CBCA Notable 2026), as well as the hugely popular picture book, Dear Broccoli (CBCA Shortlist 2026). Her latest picture book is the very entertaining The Good Decision. Jo lives in Melbourne with her husband and two boys in a very colourful house filled with books. Lucinda Gifford is the author and illustrator of many well-loved and award-winning books for kids. She has illustrated over 50 books, ten of which she has also written. Her books have been translated into numerous languages, are widely read in schools across Australia and have featured on ABC's Play School. Her popular picture book ‘Whitney and Britney Chicken Divas’ was chosen for the 2020 Australia Library and Information Association's (ALIA) National Simultaneous Storytime (NSS). Her latest picture book is about the intrepid lost doggie, Valerie: Australia's Bravest Sausage Dog. Lucinda works from her studio in Melbourne and especially enjoys making books about chickens, dogs, cats, wolves and magical creatures. Sarah Jane Lightfoot is a Melbourne-based author and illustrator whose stories celebrate the everyday magic of neighbourhood life, encouraging readers to slow down and discover beauty in the familiar. After studying Textile Design at RMIT, she spent more than a decade as a textile and graphic designer before swapping fashion prints for picture books. Her work combines lyrical storytelling with warm, detailed illustrations, often inspired by nature and family life. When she’s not sketching on her iPad or painting in her studio, Sarah is chasing after her daughter and dreaming up new stories to share with young readers. Marc Martin is an artist, illustrator, and picture-book maker based in Melbourne, Australia. His work is a world of dense colour, rich textures and the odd scribble. He is the author and illustrator of internationally award-winning books, including A Forest, The Curious Explorers Illustrated Guide to Exotic Animals A-Z, Max, A River, Lots and Masters of Disguise. Jess Racklyeft creates a variety of illustrated things – picture books, paintings, prints, pins and cards. She works from her studio at the Abbotsford Convent, not far from a little farm and the river. Her art often combines collage – either on paper or digitally assembled, experimentation and lots of watercolour. Jess worked in publishing sales for almost a decade before making the leap to full-time illustration, and since then illustrated and written over 40 picture books and has won several illustration accolades including CBCA Picture Book of the Year for Iceberg (written by Claire Saxby) and an Eve Pownall Honour Award for Australia: Country of Colour. Her work can now be found in bookshops and libraries across Australia, and her days are happily spent in a messy studio or on school visits. Felice Arena is one of Australia's best-loved children's writers. He is the author and creator of many popular and award-winning children's books for all ages, including the acclaimed historical adventures The Boy and the Spy, Fearless Frederic, The Great Escape and The Unstoppable Flying Flanagan, which was longlisted for the ARA Historical Novel Prize. His series include the bestselling Specky Magee books and the popular Besties and Sporty Kids series with Tom Jellett. He is the author and illustrator of My Big Secret. Fiona Harris is the author of many books for children and young readers, published by some of Australia’s leading publishing houses, including Affirm Press, Allen & Unwin, Scholastic Australia, Walker Books and Echo Publishing. Her work spans middle-grade novels, adult fiction, picture books and junior fiction, with stories that combine humour, heart and relatable characters. From bestselling series and sports-themed adventures to laugh-out-loud school stories and inspiring collaborations, Fiona’s books encourage young readers to embrace friendship, resilience, confidence and creativity. With new titles continuing to be released, her growing collection of books has earned a loyal following among readers, teachers, librarians and families across Australia. George Ivanoff is a Melbourne author who's written more than 100 books for kids and teens, including the interactive You Choose series, the non-fiction Survival Guides, the RFDS Adventures and the Other Worlds series. George's books and stories have been shortlisted for numerous awards and he is thrilled that You Choose: The Treasure of Dead Man's Cove won the 2015 YABBA for Fiction for Younger Readers. Maddy Mara is the pen name of Australian creative duo Hilary Rogers and Meredith Badger. Their much loved children's books are published around the world. Hilary is a writer and former publisher; Meredith is a writer and tutor of English as a second language. Together they have written or created many bestselling series for kids. Their series include Dragon Girls, Jet Set Pets, Forever Fairies, Dragon Games, and Itty Bitty Kitty. Maddy Mara also writes picture books such as Brave in Every Which Way, The Greatest Mistakes that Went Right, and The Wonders of Never Giving Up. The authors live and work on the lands of the Wurundjeri people in Melbourne, Australia. Sally Rippin is a best-selling and beloved author for children, and the eighth Australian Children's Laureate. Her most popular series include Billie B Brown, Hey Jack! and School of Monsters, and she has over 10 million books in print worldwide. She has also written one book for adults: Wild Things: How We Learn to Read and What Can Happen If We Don’t. Tigest Girma is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Immortal Dark. After graduating with a Bachelor of Education, she splits her time between writing and teaching. Passionate about exploring East African characters and myths, her work weaves Black stories with the dark and fantastical. In her free time, she can be found rewatching her comfort shows where the villain gets the girl. Originally from Ethiopia, she is now based in Melbourne, Australia. Manuia Heinrich is a Tahitian Chinese writer based in Aotearoa, New Zealand. She holds a PhD in Pacific studies from Te Herenga Waka-Victoria University of Wellington; she also cofounded Pacific Islanders in Publishing and was a We Need Diverse Books mentee.