The Reckoning – Opinion Pieces

The Reckoning: Teaching Stories From This Land And Beyond

Here’s a new instalment of The Reckoning from writer and teacher Tania Roxborogh. She considers the use of Māori in classrooms and stories from here in Aotearoa and beyond – and she discusses her new book Charlie Tangaroa and the…

The Reckoning: David Hill on ‘Gentle Readers’

We’re always interested to see what David Hill has to say – whether it’s his novels, his picture books, or his reviews. In this latest instalment of The Reckoning, David talks through his experience of the struggle to please everyone……

The Reckoning: Are we really one?

How many books have you read about Muslims since the Christchurch mosque shootings? How many have you read in your lifetime? In this instalment of The Reckoning, Sapling editor Nida Fiazi argues for more books with Muslim representation, and offers…

The Reckoning: Is it fair to pass on our despair?

We grew up watching the world end – at least on-screen. Our children are growing up watching it happen in real time. How do we prepare them to inherit a world that’s (supposedly) about to end? Today Elizabeth Kirkby-McLeod, an…

The Reckoning: The death of YA fiction

“The death of YA – it’s a thing believe me. Google it.” It was a fleeting comment at a writer’s festival as we moved between venues and it filled me with dread. I did Google it on my phone in…

The case for quitting social media

Love it or hate it, social media is a part of our life. But does an author really need it? Elissa Weismann swore off Facebook and Twitter at the start of this year, and it has given her pause to…

The Reckoning: Cook & Ethical Remembering

TUIA250 is the government-funded programme to mark 250 years since Captain James Cook first visited Aotearoa. Tina Ngata asks how parents and teachers can help children engage in ‘ethical remembering’ of this event. The 2019 Cook commemorations are New Zealand’s…

The Reckoning: Redefining hero-worship

Joanna Grochowicz’s second Antarctica-focused non-fiction book for young people has recently been released, and in this installment of The Reckoning, Joanna gives her take on hero-worship, using the protagonist of her new book – Roald Amundsen – to illustrate her…

The Reckoning: Taking Children's Books Seriously

Eileen Merriman has just published her third YA book, but it is the impending publication of her first adult novel that has her acquaintances impressed. She makes an argument against the false pedestal upon which adult writing sits. Most bookstores…

The Reckoning: Why Bologna Matters

Angela Keoghan kicked off her international children’s book career by visiting Bologna Book Fair in 2015, and she has been going there every year since. She makes the argument for NZ illustrators to go to the other side of the…