October 2017 saw Sunshine Coast local Jessica Townsend hit the big time. Her children’s novel Nevermoor was the biggest-selling Australian children's debut since records began. It swept the world into a frenzy and propelled her into literary stardom. The second instalment, Wundersmith, has been eagerly anticipated and the magic and mystery will hold readers in its grasp until the very last page. Jessica Townsend at an Auckland school visit Having passed a series of dangerous

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 the ever-resilient Scorpio Books in Christchurch. Two Scorpio staff members, Rachel Eadie and Cassie Welch Dave Cameron, the owner of Scorpio in Christchurch, bought the business in the 1970s. After moving the shop into town, Dave changed the name from Pisces to his own star-sign, Scorpio. Before the earthquak

About 12 months ago, Rachel Eadie was asked for permission to film in the bookshop she manages, Scorpio Books in Christchurch, for a very special film: The Changeover. Margaret Mahy was a Christchurch native, and Kate Chant, the mother of the book’s heroine, Laura, was a bookseller. Rachel tells us more about it. Laura Chant talks to Kate Chant, in a scene filmed at Scorpio Books. Copyright Firefly Films, used with permission, all rights reserved. Almost a year after I had be