Donovan Bixley lets the cat out of the bag as he completes his Flying Furballs series. Why did you choose war and spies as the basis for your middle-grade series? Most of my books start from doodling things I love…
It’s October and boy do we have a treat for you! This month, Gecko Press is releasing an absolutely delectable Aotearoa title that will have your mouth watering and tastebuds tingling! Egg & Spoon, by chef and author Alexandra Tylee,…
James Norcliffe and Bernard Beckett are both—among other things—heavy hitters in the chapter book space, telling stories that are thought-provoking, engaging and eminently compelling to read. So with both these chaps releasing new junior fiction titles this September, we thought…
Children’s authors Matthew Cunningham and Susan Brocker caught up over email to talk story ideas, inspiration, and wrangling animals in text. Matthew is the author of the Abigail series, the most recent of which is Abigail and the Restless Raindrop…
Green MP Golriz Ghahraman made history as the first refugee to be sworn into the New Zealand parliament. She has just published her first book, Know Your Place, detailing her journey to, and life in, Aotearoa. Editor Nida Fiazi catches…
Eileen Merriman has published three books for young adults, and one for adults in the past three years, including her March release A Trio of Sophies. Pamela Morrow has just published her first book for young adults, called Hello Strange….
Last year two incredible books fell into our laps from titans of the New Zealand literary scene. Both have been recognised nationally and internationally as top talents, so naturally we wanted to see the magic of their two brilliant brains…
Gillian Candler and Janet Hunt are writers of factual books for children and adults about New Zealand nature. They have never met, but they quickly found plenty in common when asked by The Sapling to interview each other. We asked…
The Sapling has asked two first-time middle-grade authors, Felicity Williams and Weng Wai Chan, to interview one another about their first novels and how they went about getting them published. F: The route to publication is enormously difficult. ‘Take a…
Morris Gleitzman, acclaimed author of Toad Rage and many other books, is the 2018–19 Australian Children’s Laureate – the nation’s ambassador for children’s literature. The role is keeping him intensely busy, but Johanna Knox managed to speak with him by…