Of the hundreds of children’s books featuring our national bird, here are some all-stars that will help children and adults alike get to know these fascinating creatures better. One of my very favourite books when I was little – I…
Each of these three action-packed books has a great cast of characters, some daredevil heroes and is written for kids aged 7+. Sarah Forster found them to be page-turning fun. Lily Max: Sun, Surf, Sea, by Jane Bloomfield (Luncheon Sausage…
Each of these three new non-fiction titles presents fascinating information in an engaging and imaginative way. Coincidentally, they all deal with themes of journeys and/or exploration. Gillian Candler wrote a Reckoning about factual books, while Maria Gill had some thoughts…
While most of our reviews are of NZ titles, occasionally we check out what is being hyped overseas. Each of these titles are the stars of Christmas for their publishers, and they share similarities in their London-ish setting, and their…
If there is a trend right now in YA publishing, it has to be toward gritty teen drama, usually including the death of somebody close and plenty of angst. Beautiful Mess, by Claire Christian won the 2016 Text Prize, and…
Today we say ‘Happy Birthday!’ to Paula Boock’s ground-breaking novel for young adults, Dare Truth or Promise, published on this day, twenty years ago. Today Gem Wilder remembers how important it was for her to read as a teenager, and…
In the fourth of our features in celebration of Te Wiki o te Reo Māori, award-winning writer Steph Matuku battles clichés, stereotypes, and the voice of the internal critic, as she wonders if her work is ‘Māori enough.’ I’m a…
Ko tēnei Te Wiki o te Reo Māori! Today we have a love letter to Te Ātea, a futuristic Young Adult story about a nuclear holocaust and space travel, all in te reo Māori, by the acclaimed author Dame Katerina…
Ko tēnei Te Wiki o te Reo Māori! All week, our guest editor Nadine Anne Hura (Ngāti Hine, Ngāpuhi) will bring us literary insights and treasures from Te Ao Māori. First up, she draws back the curtain on the production…
New Zealand Young Adult fiction is as good as any in the world. So why doesn’t it have a higher profile with young readers in Aotearoa, and what can be done about that? Writer, reviewer and teacher Eirlys Hunter tells…