By Graci Kim The first book in Graci Kim’s highly anticipated new Slinger series was launched over the weekend, and shot straight to the top of the bestseller’s list. We’re thrilled to share the first chapter with you. Chapter 1…
Annelies Judson attended the Storylines Awards Day and shares her reflections on the event. It is 10.45 am on a sunny Sunday afternoon. I am at the National Library in Tāmaki Makaurau. In the entrance area, people are given a…
Musician Kiki Van Newtown talks with writer and former musician Rachael King about playing in bands, opportunities for girls in the music scene and her new book, Violet and the Velvets: the Case of the Missing Stuff. When Rachael King…
Kiri Lightfoot, author of the young adult novel Bear, on how writing a book for teens reminded her how tricky the transition to adulthood can be. I spent nearly a decade writing a novel for young adults. Yes, it took…
Librarians Penny Walch and Julie Huggins have been sharing their enthusiasm for Aotearoa’s children’s books in podcast form since 2021. Here, Penny takes us through the highs and lows of podcasting. What do two librarians with verbal diarrhoea who are…
Kay Benseman shares insights on picture books featuring library books, giants, new babies and crabs. But Then… The Almost True Story of an Overdue Book, by Swapna Haddow, illustrated by Daron Parton This ‘almost true story’ is hilarious and delightful….
Annelies Judson reviews three picture books for older readers, and identifies a subgenre in NZ Kids Lit. I recently wrote a review where I talked about ‘Aotearoa Natural Disaster Animal Books’. Another strong subgenre in the Aotearoa children’s literature world…
Fiona Giles reviews new junior fiction books from James Russell and Fraser Smith. Children of the Rush: Book 3, by James Russell This rip-roaring adventure had me glued to my seat as I devoured it in one sitting. Book three…
Created by Booksellers NZ and CircleSoft, BookHub is an online collaboration with Aotearoa’s independent bookstores (the first of its kind in the English-speaking world)! Launched on National Bookshop Day (7th October), Bookhub lets readers browse and purchase books from over…
A conversation with Moira Wairama and Margaret Tolland Bee Trudgeon has a heartfelt and heartwarming kōrero with Moira Wairama and Margaret Tolland about the creation of their new book, Nani Jo me ngā Mokopuna Porohīanga—Nanny Jo and the Wild Mokopuna,…