Reviews: Two Junior Fiction Stories
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) &…
Junior Fiction
Reviews: Two New Junior Fiction Titles
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’…
Reviews: Three New Junior Fiction Releases
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….
Reviews: Two Junior Fiction Books
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…
Reviews: Three Junior Fiction Books
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…
NZCYA 2023 Wright Family Foundation Esther Glen Award for Junior Fiction Finalists
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…
Q&A with Isobel Joy Te Aho-White
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….
The Sampling: Lopini the Legend
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…
Reviews: Two Junior Fiction and One Middle Grade Book
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…
Interview: Leela Chakraborti & Rajorshi Chakraborti
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…