Leila Austin reviews two new novels and comes across adventurous kids, dragon poo and mysteriously vanishing pistachio cupcakes. Maddison McQueen and the Cupcake Mystery (Red Collie Mysteries: Book 1), by Kate Gordon-Smith (Relish Books) Maddison McQueen and the Cupcake Mystery…
Written by Tim Tipene and illustrated by Isobel Joy Te Aho-White The Sapling is running a Summer Excerpt Series showcasing the junior and young adult titles from the 2023 Storylines Notable Book Awards. Here is a short but tantalising snippet from Pipi and…
By Fleur Beale Fleur Beale—one of Aotearoa’s most prolific children’s authors—appeals to a younger audience with her latest offering, titled Once Upon a Wickedness. This magical adventure story, with its powerful messages, brave heroine, and familiar fairytale backdrop is sure…
By Jason Gunn and Andrew Gunn The Gunn brothers continue their action-packed, hilarious, and classically Kiwi junior fiction series with Jason Mason and the Flightless Bird Fiasco. It’s fast-paced, packed with local references, and spotlights an uber relatable protagonist—the perfect…
By Raymond McGrath Raymond McGrath’s delightful graphic novel series, Big Little Blue, is all about focusing on different facets of wellbeing to offer children valuable lessons on coping strategies, resilience, and understanding emotions – all wrapped up in a fun…
By J. L. Williams J. L. Williams’ gripping historical fiction novel, Holding the Horse, was a Best First Book finalist at this year’s NZCYA Awards. For the next installment of our Summer Excerpt Series, where we’re publishing extracts from the…
Join Fiona Giles as she unpacks the third and fourth instalments of Tim Tipene’s Pipi & Pou series in this latest batch of junior fiction reviews. Pipi & Pou and the Tentacles of the Deep (Pipi & Pou #3) &…
Leila Austin reviews two new junior fiction titles with a strong sense of place. Rarotonga (#4 Elastic Island Adventures), by Karen McMillan The Elastic Island series follows the adventures of Kiri, Jed, Emma and Ethan, who travel via an ‘elastic’…
Claudine Tapsell brings us this latest batch of junior fiction reviews, featuring a splendid standalone novel, a gripping sequel, and the finale to a (locally and internationally) well-loved series! Read on to see what she had to say about them….
Kay Morfett reviews two very different, yet equally intriguing, additions to Aotearoa’s junior fiction genre. Tim Tipene’s The Book That Wouldn’t Read is an inspiring tale that centres children who struggle with reading and Sally Sutton brings all the mayhem…