Harriet Elworthy asked parents to read the young adult finalists in the New Zealand Books Awards for Children and Young Adults alongside their teens and tweens. Here are the reactions from these family read-a-thons. My kids’ recommendations have led me…
Elizabeth Heritage reviews Mary-Anne Scott’s latest novel for teens. We have rats in our house but it’s on purpose, as pets. In The Mess of our Lives, the new YA novel by Mary-anne Scott, there are rats in the house…
Denika Mead unpacks two (one updated and one new) YA titles in this latest batch of reviews. Blackmail & Lies, by Mary-Anne Scott In Blackmail & Lies, a tense YA novel by New Zealand author, Mary-Anne Scott, sixteen-year-old Finn must…
There are all manner of different YA titles hitting Aotearoa’s shelves this autumn, with a focus on real life storytelling and issues relevant to teen readers. Librarian Dave Tucker shares his take on four new books, including three authors already…
Here’s our first Mahy Questionnaire of the year, featuring author, musician, and columnist Mary-Anne Scott. She tells us tall tales about her spontaneously honking horn, and how she transforms into an electrical kitchen appliance. 1. Describe yourself in three words…
This set of reviews includes everything from kidnapping to faraway kingdoms, pig-hunting to the wilds of Fiordland. Three of the books reviewed are by OneTree House, who just this week won a prestigious award at Bologna Children’s Book Fair. The…