It’s Vaiaso o le Gagana Samoa / Samoan Language Week! Sisilia Etuati reviews three recent picture books that incorporate Samoan stories and culture and are great for reading in Samoan with your kids. The struggle is real when you are…
Emmaline Pickering-Martin reviews two stunning middle-grade books written by Pasifika authors. Mata Lulu, written by Lani Young and illustrated by Bella Young The novelty of laying in bed reading to my children wore off quite early for me as a…
Leila Austin reviews five picture books bursting with brightness, colour, and energy. Boingo and the Golden Balloon, by Dylan Coburn Storyboard artist and art director Dylan Coburn’s first solo picture book sets out to introduce young children to the concept…
There are some cracking YA reads in the NZCYA finalists this year; there’s realness, drama, history, fantasy and just some downright good storytelling. We love hearing about the process, characters and inspiration, so we have asked our finalists some probing…
There’s never a bad time to be a young adult reader, because the world is full of wonderful treats, whether new or old. But it’s an especially good time to be a young adult reader when there are new titles…
Lani Wendt Young is back with a new title, Fire’s Caress – the second in her Telesā World series for teens. Enjoy this excerpt from pages 32–35 of the book, describing antagonist Marc Gold’s villain origin story…
As part of our coverage of this year’s NZ Book Awards for Children and Young Adults, we’ve asked the authors of the young adult fiction finalists to explain the story behind their respective stories, and why they had to be…
Susette Goldsmith reviews four fascinating books for older readers: think steampunk shenanigans, paranormal romance, celebrity secret identities and the grim realities of life as a member of a persecuted populace. As different as they may be, it turns out that…
You know it, you love it – it’s the Mahy Questionnaire! This month we are very lucky to be able to feature Lani Wendt Young, who as we publish this piece, is on the Storylines Story Tour in Auckland. Lani…
‘What’s very clear is that the author is writing what she knows, that this place is in her bones.’ Catherine Woulfe devours, reviews and raves about the Sāmoan teen romance trilogy, Telesā by Lani Wendt Young (OneTree House). On the…