Many of our country's magnificent writers also have different day jobs, and chief among them are the teachers – or in this case, the principal. Fraser Smith, principal of Oturu School and author of Awatea's Treasure (and forthcoming Awatea and the Kawa Gang), provides his take on getting our tamariki reading. I can remember the two people who hooked me into the language of storytelling. One was my father reading to us at night, the other was a teacher. They were both passiona

Do you want to be sure you're getting top-shelf books for your favourite people this Christmas - or on any gift-giving occasion? We are making it easy for you! Here is our selection of the very best New Zealand books of 2017 for readers of junior and middle fiction. Junior Fiction Miniwings series by Sally Sutton Published by Scholastic New Zealand RRP $14.99 This new series from Scholastic hooks into an idea that we're sure most children have had at some point (we know we

School principal Fraser Smith writes about how his debut children's novel Awatea's Treasure went from idea to manuscript to published book. Awatea’s Treasure began on a School Camp, sitting around a fire on round rocks still warm from the sun, with the breaking swell rolling smaller rocks up and down the steep shoreline ten metres away. During a gap between stories, songs and jokes, my class of 30 Year Five students requested a story from me. I played a couple of minor chords