End of Year Shopping List 2023

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The Sapling editors have compiled a list of our favourite books from the last year or so for when you’re doing your Christmas/New Year/birthday/graduation/end of year/just because shopping. Don’t forget to check out BookHub for buying from your local independent bookstores!

Picture Books

A sweet and fun story of two cousins on opposite sides of the world sharing the differences between their winter and summer Hanukkah experiences.

This delightful board book can be enjoyed by both kids and the adults reading to them. Lift-the-flap fun is to be had with art piece selections from the Christchurch Art Gallery accompanied by rhyming text and numbers in numerals, English, te reo, and NZSL. A special gift for the folks with littles in their lives. A more detailed review is forthcoming, so watch this space!

“Queenstown writer and illustrator Laura Shallcrass, and the team at Beatnik Publishing, have produced a lush, artistic book that is lovely to immerse yourself in. Produced in rich matte tones of blue and peach, each page is new and a little unexpected.” Read the rest of Thalia Kehoe Rowden’s review here.

A 2023 Storylines Notable Book. “Pick any page in this book and you’re going to be hit with a feast for the eyes. Each page is either a riot of colour, with rainbow swirls and stars and sparkles, or contains a multitude of hilarious facial expressions from the main characters. The writing too has a shimmy and a shimmer.” Read the rest of Annelies Judson’s review here. Also published in te reo Māori as Ringakāreko!

This new edition of Annie & Moon is now bilingual in English and te reo Māori. Linda Jane Keegan says she will always have a soft spot for this book because when she was a kid she thought her sister looked like Annie (and her sister also loves cats).

“My Mum Is The Queen Of The Road is a wonderfully written story about a woman who controls the stop-go sign as part of a road work team. […] It’s also fantastic to see a book covering a woman doing manual labour. The story doesn’t have an overt feminist message, and in a way that is the joy of it. The mother being a road worker is presented as just a natural part of the boy’s life. Similarly, there is a strong sense of the mother being Māori, both physically, and with the mention of pūhā, a pounamu koru being given as a birth gift, and the red, white and black kowhaiwhai blanket.” Read the rest of Annelies Judson’s review here.

“Abigail and the Making of the Moon is a bright and lovely story of curiosity and science. Abigail has a big question, which her father answers by way of a story. In the literature world we would call this creative non-fiction, but in the world of bedtime reading it’s a beautifully told tale of how the moon came to be.” Read the rest of Linda Jane Keegan’s review here.

Winner of the Picture Book Award at the 2023 NZCYA Book Awards and a Storylines Notable Book. Read what some primary school students thought about it here.

A 2023 Storylines Notable Book. “This is a book with appeal across the board. I’m sure all kids (and probably some adults) can relate to a fear of the dark, but even without that, it’s a well-told story with fantastic illustrations, and that’s the kind of thing that should appeal to anyone.” Read the rest of Annelies Judson’s review here.

“The brilliant Kyle Mewburn has once again written a sensitive story for little ones that prompted kōrero of gratitude in my whānau. Have You Seen Tomorrow? won’t disappoint anyone who has loved Kyle’s other beautiful books…” Read the rest of Kay Benseman’s review here.

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Junior & Middle Grade Fiction

Winner of the Wright Family Foundation Esther Glen Award for Junior Fiction at the 2023 NZCYA Book Awards and a Storylines Notable Book. “This book takes you underground and leaves you there, gasping for breath until the very end. It is pure David Hill, warts and all, with a pacy plot that will satisfy young readers.” Read the rest of Sarah Forster’s review here.

“I think this is a must-read novel for anybody who wants a vision of how the future might be better, and it’s a worthy companion to Bren’s earlier novels. The storytelling and characterisation are superb, and this book has all the hallmarks of a new middle-grade favourite.” Read the rest of Sarah Forster’s review here.

“Graci Kim has cast a spell over me with her debut fantasy trilogy. I cannot rave enough about the richly imagined world she has created. Inspired by Korean mythology, Kim deftly weaves ancient deities, forbidden spells, and magical creatures into a contemporary Los Angeles setting.” Read more of Claudine Tapsell’s review of The Last Fallen Realm here.

“I think this would be a great novel to study with year 5 and 6 students, as it includes themes of environmentalism, living within nature, and animal rights—while being pacy, funny, and engaging. I can’t wait for the next one…”,Read the rest of Sarah Forster’s review here.

Fans of K. O’Neill and their Tea Dragon series will love this graphic novel story of magic, hope, and friendship. Unfortunately we couldn’t find any local booksellers with it in stock so our link above takes you to The Nile, or if you are outside NZ you can buy direct from the publisher or other international outlets.

“These imaginative and absorbing reads perfectly continue the series. Read aloud or read alone, the adventures of Nana, Pipi and Pou will captivate younger readers. Both books deal with difficult topics such as the destruction of the environment while maintaining a hopeful tone. They end on a note of optimism, reminding the reader that the joining of voices can be a force for positive change.” Read the rest of Fiona Giles’s review of #3 and #4 here, and Hannah Marshall’s review of #1 and #2 here.

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Young Adult

Winner of the YA Fiction Award in the 2023 NZCYA Book Awards and a Storylines Notable Book. We have this in the YA section but it is also well-placed for the middle-grade reader. “What an astonishing achievement by Philippa Werry, one of our best authors of history for children. And what a way to tell a story! It’s extremely unusual to see a verse novel published in Aotearoa, but Werry has done it and shown some serious poetic chops in the process.” You can read the rest of Sarah Forster’s review here.

“It takes you into that moment on Christmas Eve 1953 and brings it to life vividly and horrifically. But as George’s journey progresses after she survives the crash, the challenges of what comes after eclipse that initial trauma. […] When I finished the book, sitting in my school library during a non-contact, I had a smile on my face, and raced over to my wonderful head librarian friend to rant about how much I loved it and how she needed to make sure she had it coming in.”  Read the rest of Briar Lawry’s review here.

Another 2023 Storylines Notable Book: “Hannah’s self-awareness and observations had me laughing out loud more than once, and I was grinning at the page even more frequently. […] Overall, Hannah Kemp’s impossible story was thoroughly enjoyable and sparked my imagination. My younger self would have loved to read a book like this, set in Aotearoa while feeling very Jacqueline Wilson-esque.” Read more of Venice White’s review here.

“I could rave about Lore Olympus for hours, but I think it’s best shared with others in the know. If you love the old myths and retellings, gorgeous art, important conversations, and a huge cast of interesting characters, then I can definitely recommend this series.” Read the rest of Cassie Hart’s review on volumes one to three here.

“[Tsunami is] a a powerfully human coming-of-age story, and one of the best representations of New Zealand life I’ve seen in comics. Highly recommended.” Read more of Eddie Monotone’s review of this graphic novel here.

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Non-Fiction

As well as being a Storylines Notable Book, we think Patu is probably on every recommended list out there. It’s in the Listener Top 50 Kids’ Books, The Booksellers & Coalition for Books/Kete Summer Reading Guide, The Spinoff Aotearoa books of the year… actually that’s probably true of a few of the books on this list (The Observologist is EVERYWHERE! And so it should be). We have a review of Patu coming soon, so watch this space!

Selina Tusitala Marsh does it again! The perfect follow up to Mophead and Mophead Tu—and a Storylines Notable Book—Mophead’s Guide to Life is for anyone (and not just kids) who wants to work through a knotty problem. A review is coming soon so watch this space!

“Te Rā is a stunning blend of visual art and poetic storytelling, elegantly wrapped in a hardcover book that unfolds like a museum pamphlet. Its pages deliver parallel stories, hinting at readers to explore it from both ends, creating a purposeful and captivating reading experience.” Read more of Maraea Henare’s review here.

A 2023 Notable Book in the Non-Fiction category. “Giselle has exquisitely merged science and whimsy with her characteristic cartoon style accompanying richly detailed text. The writing is like a delicious snack; so sweet and palatable and easy to digest. […] The whole book is a delightful piece of writing, illustration, science, and design—a carefully curated museum for all ages.” Read more of Linda Jane Keegan’s review here.

“A New Dawn by [the late] Emeli Sione is a personal account of Emeli migrating to Aotearoa and her experience of the Dawn Raids. It is a beautifully written and personal story that humanises a really tough time in the history of Aotearoa, and Pacific peoples’ place within it.” Read the rest of Emmaline Pickering-Martin’s review here.

Winner of the Elsie Locke Award for Non-Fiction and Margaret Mahy Book of the Year at the 2023 NZCYA Book Awards. “Tait’s retelling leans into the inherent lyricism of te reo Māori and takes that feeling into the English phrasing. That’s not to say that it’s over-the-top or florid; on the contrary, it’s cleanly and carefully written in both languages. But there’s an oratory quality about it. Tait may be known as an illustrator, but he knows what he’s doing with language—English and Māori alike.” Read the rest of Briar Lawry’s review here.

“This is a beautifully produced and well-written information and activity book rooted in te ao Māori. I see a lot of self-published titles and this is one of the best designed ones I have seen. The typesetting and layout gives the text and illustrations (which are also excellent) the due credit they deserve.” Read more of Linda Jane Keegan’s review here.

Do your kids want to bake and brush up their reo Māori? Well now they can do both! You can also check out some other recent books published in te reo here.

“As a long-time fan of the radio segment, I was excited to see that it had been turned into a book. Each spread features a critter, information about it, and its attractiveness rating (the ‘critter attractiveness-ometer’). The writing is engaging and digestible, and filled with fascinating facts and easy to visualise descriptions such as lamprey using their jaws to climb up waterfalls “almost like a reverse slinky.”” Read more from Linda Jane Keegan’s review here.

“Tuatara is a perfect example of a creative non-fiction narrative well done. Written in prose, it’s a poetic read interspersed with fact boxes that don’t feel like interruptions. Its lyrical language, spacing between phrases, and way of asking and answering questions within the narrative make it a delight to read aloud. The illustrations work in harmony with the text and their earthy palette is a feast for the eyes.” Read more from Linda Jane Keegan’s review here.

When Linda Jane Keegan shared this with the Project Jonah educators they said they couldn’t wait to share it on their school visits. You can read more about it in Annelies Judson’s not-an-interview, or listen to Linda Jane Keegan and Isobel Joy Te Aho-White talk with RNZ’s Kathryn Ryan about it here.

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More Book Lists to Check Out

• 2023 Storylines Notable Books
• 2023 NZCYA Book Awards
• 2023 NZCYA Book Award Finalists
• The Aotearoa books of the year, The Spinoff, 5 Dec, 2023 (includes books for adults)
• New Zealand 2023-24 Summer Reading Guide (includes books for adults)
• 2023 PANZ Book Design Awards Finalists—Children’s
• 2023 NZ Booklovers Awards (includes books for adults)
• National Library’s best children’s and YA books for 2023
• The Year in Books: 50 top children’s books, The Listener, 28 Nov 2023 (paywalled)
• Browse children’s and YA books on BookHub

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