Sapling co-founder Sarah Forster brings us this latest batch of reviews of junior fiction titles, all featuring animals in some capacity (yes, even extinct ones)! Odd Wolf Out (#1 Faelan the Wolf), by Juliette MacIver I was delighted to see…
We asked Jane Arthur, co-founder of The Sapling and co-owner/manager of GOOD BOOKS, to sell us the junior fiction finalists, and if you haven’t already read them you’ll be running to bookshops and libraries to add them to your and…
It feels like everywhere we look, Isobel Joy Te Aho-White’s illustrations are gracing the covers and insides of some of New Zealand’s best picture books. By our count, she illustrated at least 13 books released in the last 18 months….
By Feana Tuʻakoi Check out the opening chapter of Leana Tuʻakoi’s latest junior fiction novel, Lopini the Legend. It was awarded a 2023 Storylines Notable Book, and forms part of our 2023-24 Summer Excerpt Series. Chapter 1: Taha “Ugh!” yelled…
Bee Trudgeon reviews some mysterious new junior fiction and middle-grade titles that have something for everyone: from the new chapter-book reader who likes plenty of pictures to help break up and decode the text, to the progressing reader who likes…
Leela Chakraborti (11) and Rajorshi Chakraborti are the daughter and dad co-authors of The Bad Smell Hotel, published by The Cuba Press. Rajorshi is the author of five novels and a short fiction collection for adults, and a young adult…
Sarah Forster reviews three recent junior fiction reads from some of Aotearoa’s most accomplished writers. Below, by David Hill This book takes you underground and leaves you there, gasping for breath until the very end. It is pure David Hill,…
RARGH! Whether you like your creatures loud and scary with mouths full of pointy teeth, or small and magic and flittering around your head—or somewhere in-between—the kids-lit canon of Aotearoa has plenty to offer. But how’s your existing knowledge? 1….
This round of junior fiction reviews is brought to you by Lucy Black, featuring a non-fiction graphic novel, a new gold rush-era read, and a story for horse lovers. Moko To The Rescue: Heroic Dolphin of New Zealand, written by Matthew…
If you, like our quizmaster, live in a part of Aotearoa affected by the floods, you too may have found starting off February with seaside swimming a bleak prospect. Luckily the world of Aotearoa literature for kids has plenty of…