We are pleased to present a regular series highlighting the work, expertise and enthusiasm of some of the greatest booksellers of New Zealand. This month we're featuring the remarkable Paige's Book Gallery in Whanganui. Owner Lesley Stead tells us all about the history of the place and gives us her recommendations for some brilliant current and upcoming reads. Our book business began in 2004, but it was in 2006 we made the decision to step into the world of retail. We began i

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 her reckons about how we can achieve this. We are approaching the end of Ramadan, the Muslim holy month in which the first verses of the Qur’an were revealed, and I cannot help but notice that yet another year has gone by where Mus

We are pleased to present a regular series highlighting the work, expertise and enthusiasm of some of the greatest children's booksellers of New Zealand. Here's Green Dolphin Books, a second-hand bookshop in Auckland with a glorious dedicated children's section. Opo: A Secondhand Bookshop for Young Readers, is the cheeky little cousin to our Green Dolphin Bookshop. The two shops sit side by side in St Kevins Arcade on Auckland's Karangahape Road. We started The Green Dolphin

We are pleased to present a regular series highlighting the work, expertise and enthusiasm of some of the greatest children's booksellers of New Zealand. Here's Schrödinger’s Books, a vibrant new addition to the Wellington region's book scene. Schrödinger’s Books was born out of a conversation between Mary and Nicki (co-owners) outside the Lighthouse cinema in Petone in 2018. At the time it was a throwaway comment, one of those thoughts that might come true in a parallel univ

We are pleased to present a regular series highlighting the work, expertise and enthusiasm of some of the greatest children's booksellers of New Zealand. Here's The Twizel Bookshop. The Twizel Bookshop is a very very small (12 square metres) shop in a very small town (Twizel), very far from everything, but very close to the mountains, lakes and glaciers of New Zealand's Southern Alps. We opened in the winter of 2017 and never looked back! We are nestled in the wonderful Hydro

Here's a peek at three new non-fiction titles, as reviewed by Esther Kiernan (with a little input from her nine-year-old son). With two biographies – a palaeontologist and a sporting superstar – and one geology book, there's something for every variety of young fact fiend. Dinosaur Hunter: Joan Wiffen's Awesome Fossil Discoveries by David Hill and Phoebe Morris (Penguin Random House) This is the fifth picture book in a series of biographies of heroic New Zealanders, and it’s

Susette Goldsmith reviews four fascinating books for older readers: think steampunk shenanigans, paranormal romance, celebrity secret identities and the grim realities of life as a member of a persecuted populace. As different as they may be, it turns out that they'll all keep you at the edge of your seat... The Clockill and the Thief by Gareth Ward (Walker Books) Gareth Ward's first novel The Traitor and The Thief won the 2016 Storylines Tessa Duder Award, the 2018 Sir Juliu

Sarah Forster reviews current releases Harriet and the eye of the Bird, Bonjour Lucy Bee and The Invincibles: Power Up! She also reviews a final manuscript for Tūī Street Heroes, thanks to Wildling Books. This will release in September. The Invincibles: Power Up! by Peter Millett, illustrated by Myles Lawford (Scholastic NZ) I can hear the school librarians from here. Finally – a junior fiction series about rugby, written by a New Zealander. Instead of the All Blacks, we have

Board books including English and Te Reo Māori for basic concepts are being welcomed with open arms by young families all over New Zealand. Jane Arthur evaluates four, plus a tale with a tough princess at its centre. My Body for Kiwi Babies and Animals for Kiwi Babies, by Matthew and Fraser Williamson (Puffin) This pair of board books are simple and super-chic, with bold colour choices, lots of white space, a big, clear font and illustrations that are part-caricature, part-r

Each of these vibrant, colourful books comes from an independent publisher. Helen Vivienne Fletcher finds a lot to love about them. A Kaleidoscope of Butterflies & Other Such Collective Nouns, by Kate Hursthouse A Kaleidoscope of Butterflies & Other Such Collective Nouns is a beautifully unique book, featuring vibrant illustrations and gorgeous hand-drawn typography. The collective nouns featured range from the more commonly known “pride of lions”, to the less familiar “lovel

We are pleased to present a regular series highlighting the work, expertise and enthusiasm of some of the greatest children's booksellers of New Zealand. Here's Books for Kids in Hamilton. This delightful little independent children's boutique bookshop humbly began 48 years ago out of one of the first owners, Anne Healey's, home garage. Since then it has had seven 'custodians' and been relocated to several little old shops along Peachgrove Road. It has resided in its present

We are pleased to present a regular series highlighting the work, expertise and enthusiasm of some of the greatest children's booksellers of New Zealand. Here's a shop that was born in the same year as The Sapling's two founding editors: Marsden Books in Karori, Wellington. Marsden Books was first established by Trevor and Maxine Rose in 1981, and has remained at the same site in Karori, Wellington ever since. Roger Holyoake and Patricia Morrison took over in in 1991, and Ann

We are pleased to present a regular monthly series highlighting the work, expertise and enthusiasm of some of the greatest children's booksellers of New Zealand. Here's McLeods Booksellers of Rotorua, a shop that has existed in various forms since 1896! McLeods Booksellers is an independent, family-owned business that was formerly A.T. Coates Ltd, which opened in 1896 when Rotorua only had around 500 people. In 1943, Arthur Coates sold the shop to Ken McLeod and the shop was

We are pleased to present a regular monthly series highlighting the work, expertise and enthusiasm of some of the greatest children's booksellers of New Zealand. Here's a newborn on the block: Little Unity, a just-for-kids spin-off of the beloved High Street icon, Unity Books in Auckland. Little Unity opened on 1st September, 2018 as a result of the children’s section growing up and out and finally too big for its little back corner of Unity Books on Auckland’s High Street. T

We are pleased to present a regular monthly series highlighting the work, expertise and enthusiasm of some of the greatest children's booksellers of New Zealand. Here's a relative newcomer, Nelson's très chic VOLUME, which won the coveted title of Nielsen NZ Bookshop of the Year 2018 at the NZ Book Industry Awards (at the same time we, The Sapling, won the Special Industry Award). Winners! Photo by Amy Shattock VOLUME in Nelson was opened in November 2016 and is co-owned by T