New Releases by Richard Newsome

Conflict has engulfed the MENAAP region, exacting a serious human and economic toll and heightening geopolitical uncertainty. The closure of the Strait of Hormuz and damage to energy infrastructure have pushed up oil prices, increased financial volatility, and weakened the 2026 growth outlook. A prolonged conflict would intensify displacement, fiscal pressures, and losses in trade, tourism, and remittances, hitting a region already burdened by sluggish productivity, weak labor markets, and limited private sector dynamism. These shocks expose deeper structural weaknesses: limited diversification, weak productivity, and fragile labor markets. Against this backdrop, the report turns to industrial policy as a tool for long-term growth. Widely used across the region, often through sovereign wealth funds and state-owned enterprises, industrial policies can address market failures and foster growth—but only when aligned with country capabilities, implemented with accountability, and backed by capable institutions.

Hi! I'm Stella, and yes, I'll admit it. My undies are magic. Even though I can tell you don't believe me, they're truly the reason that my soccer team has ended its epic losing streak. These underpants are causing quite the stir, and sooner or later, someone's going to be after them... And then what?There's trouble brewing in my pants. Yes. No. Really.

Hi! I'm Stella and yes, I'll admit it. I am just a teeny tiny bit obsessed with winning the Camp Cup this year. Who wouldn't be? The winner gets a pizza party! Year Five camp only comes around once in a lifetime and it's going to be awesome. Except ... the campsite is on the edge of an old abandoned graveyard. And there's a rumour that a kid called Spud Riley went to camp and never came back. AND we're on a Camp Cup team with Lizzie Lawless, and the thing you need to know about Lizzie Lawless is - oh. Never mind. You'll see . . .It's going to be hectic. Yes. No. Really.

Stella's excess energy and a mishap with a fire extinguisher (and the class guinea pig) have caught the attention of Principal Hinchliffe. In a bid to channel some of that energy into less destructive areas, Stella is given the challenge of creating a play for the annual talent show. The result is a hilarious romp of misbehaving dogs, fart books, the musical CATS and Instagloat, the must-have app of the moment. This is HATING ALISON ASHLEY meets DORK DIARIES with a dash of MATILDA.

With the strange plans for an even stranger machine in his possession, along with a coded message from a long-dead castaway that could be the key to unlocking its secrets, Gerald finds himself at the centre of a web of mystery and danger. Masked gunmen have taken over his luxury yacht. His parents have been kidnapped. And one of his closest friends has betrayed him. His old enemy Sir Mason Green seems to be pulling all the strings. Or is he? Gerald, Ruby, Sam and Felicity take off on their final exciting adventure, from glaciers to jungles and the depths of the Pacific Ocean to an island teeming with the most bizarre creatures on earth.

A mysterious coded message. A search for a fabled perpetual motion machine. A horse ride from hell. And a night in the exclusive Billionaire's Club House of Puzzles. If Gerald thought his term in a Scottish Highlands school camp was going to be all snow-covered heather and tartan rugs he couldn't have been more wrong. With Professor McElderry in the clutches of Gerald's nemesis Sir Mason Green and a seemingly impossible task required to save his life, the stakes are high and the heat is on. In The House of Puzzles, the fifth book of the Billionaire Series, Gerald, Ruby Sam and Felicity face their greatest challenge yet. Richard Newsome lives in Brisbane with his family. He won the inaugural Text Prize for Young Adult and Children's Writing for The Billionaire's Curse, the first book in the acclaimed Billionaire series. Praise for the Billionaire Series: 'What do you get when you mix Tintin, James Bond, and The Famous Five together? You get Richard Newsome's Billionaire series...The Crystal Code is Richard Newsome at his best!' Christchurch Kids Blog 'Filled with secret passageways and deadly booby traps, you'll be on the edge of your seat!' K-Zone 'Weird dreams, kidnapping, attacks by bandits, hectic chases and eerie explorations in archaeological sites...slapstick humour, verbal wit and a pervasive spirit of youthful exuberance.' Magpies 'A rollicking good yarn.' Weekend Herald 'I loved this book. I really did. Ever since I got the first book in this series, I was on the lookout for more! The characters - Gerald getting tangled up in relationships - and the plots were just fantastic.' YAAR-A reviews Corinna, age 13, Canberra, Australia 'An irresistibly fun-tastic tale that's virtually guaranteed to keep youngsters reading, chuckling and desperately waiting for the next book in the series.' Independent Weekly 'It has humour that is just off centre enough to appeal to children as well as a few pearls of wisdom thrown into the mix. Fans of the series will lap it up and those who haven't read the earlier books will no doubt want to go back and read the rest. Good fun that could equally be enjoyed by anyone young at heart.' OrangeDale blog 'Plenty of plot twists to keep readers guessing and eager for Gerald's next adventure.' Magpies

Gerald Wilkins, the world's youngest billionaire, is about to get more than he expected for Christmas. Gerald, Ruby and Sam are meeting up with Alisha and Gerald's Australian school friend Ox for two weeks of snowboarding in the mountains of California. It's a dream vacation. But soon after they arrive - by helicopter, with Gerald's butler Mr Fry at the controls, of course - the private chalet is attacked. Gerald and the gang escape through a secret passage, only to be pursued on snowmobiles by men with guns across frozen lakes and into the path of a cascading avalanche. Could this be the work of Gerald's nemesis Sir Mason Green, recently escaped from prison? Or is someone else behind the attack? Does the old dry cleaning ticket Gerald found amongst Green's belongings hold the key? And how does an invitation to join the secretive Billionaire's Club land Gerald in so much trouble? Join Gerald and his friends in the USA, the Czech Republic and a tiny island in Sweden for a new thrilling adventure. After all, with all that money, there's got to be more to the story.

The life of Australian teen Gerald Wilkins changed forever when he inherited twenty billion pounds and a mystery to solve. In The Mask of Destiny, Gerald believes his enemy Sir Mason Green will be put in prison for murder. Instead, Gerald is accused of murder himself. He'll have to find the last of three emerald caskets to clear his name. The search takes him, Ruby, Sam, and Mr. Fry to Paris, Rome, Athens, and Delphi. They discover Delphi once held the greatest treasure on earth. It could still be there, waiting to be found by someone good. Or evil... Anthony Horowitz fans will love the extreme adventure, exotic locals, and illustrations in The Mask of Destiny, the rollicking conclusion to the Archer Legacy trilogy.

Book description to come.

It has only been a month since Gerald Wilkins be-came the richest kid on earth. One month since he found out his great-aunt Geraldine had left him all her fortune and, with it, a murder mystery, clues to a diamond heist, and a target on his back. One month since Sir Mason Green made off with the contents of the diamond casket, an object of unspeakable power. And you thought your school vacation was eventful. As book two of the Archer Legacy opens, Gerald, Ruby, and Sam come upon papers, drawings, and reams of research, all indicating that Gerald's family has been protecting a secret concerning nothing less than the fate of the world. Now Gerald and his friends are off to India to try to find out the truth. Friendships will be forged and broken. A city buried under the sea will be rediscovered. A whole mess of pigeons will be involved. And Gerald is going to have to make a choice between his love for his friends and the darkest desires of his heart. It's entirely possible that this month might be even more eventful than the last.

Gerald Wilkins never considered himself a particularly exceptional thirteen-year-old. But that was before he inherited twenty billion pounds, a Caribbean island, a yacht, and three estates from a great-aunt he never knew. With this fortune, however, comes a letter. One from his great-aunt Geraldine. One that tells Gerald that she was murdered, and that it's up to him to find out why. Along with his friends Ruby and Sam, Gerald embarks on a journey that will lead him from the British Museum to dodgy social clubs for the disgustingly rich to mansions in the English countryside to secret places far underground. Who was Geraldine Archer? And what secrets was she hiding? Unless Gerald, Sam, and Ruby can find out before the killer does, they may be next.