THE SAMPLING: Legacy
We’re pleased to present an excerpt from Legacy (Huia), a new YA novel by Whiti Hereaka (Ngāti Tūwharetoa, Te Arawa), the author of the multi award-winning Bugs (Huia).
Young Adult
LGBTQI+ Book List: See Us, Hear Us, Validate Us
Today Emmett Roberts, a consent educator, library studies student, and intern with InsideOUT, reflects on what kinds of books young people in the LGBTIQ+ community – and beyond it – need, and gives us some recommendations to check out, from…
Across the Ditch: Allison Rushby & The Mulberry Tree
Australian author Allison Rushby is a prolific children’s and YA writer with many well-known books to her name, including The Turnkey (2017). Publishing with Walker Books, Rushby’s The Mulberry Tree (July 2018) is a spooky tale aimed at intermediate readers….
Ant Sang, Helen and the Go-Go Ninjas
Adrian Kinnaird talks to Ant Sang about his career so far, and his magnificent new collaboration with Michael Bennett, Helen and the Go-Go Ninjas (Penguin Random House NZ). Over the last decade I’ve watched Ant Sang build an impressive career,…
Book Awards: the Young Adult finalists
As part of our coverage of this year’s NZ Book Awards for Children and Young Adults, we asked the five finalists of the Copyright Licensing NZ Award for Young Adult Fiction to interview each other. Here’s Erin Donohue, Eileen Merriman, Cally…
Book List: Experiences of disability
Disability consultant, activist and blogger Robyn Hunt suggests 21 books, from picture books to YA, that illuminate experiences of disability. Designing a book list for children and YA on disability is difficult. Such books are not usually at the top…
Author interview: The Hager-Hill Histories
In this fascinating insight into the minds of two of our best children’s literature writers, Mandy Hager and David Hill talk to each other about their new books, Ash Arising and Finding, and about writing for teens. David Hill: Mandy,…
Book Reviews: Two reality-based YA titles
Mandy Hager and Helen Vivienne Fletcher are both Wellington-based writers of YA and other things. Sarah Forster was excited to read Fletcher’s second YA publication, alongside a long-awaited sequel to The Nature of Ash from Hager. Underwater, by Helen Vivienne…
Tara Black and Chris Riddell: A Drawing Date
Illustrator and live-drawer Tara Black had a Skype date with Chris Riddell in advance of his appearance in New Zealand for the Auckland Writers’ Festival. They discussed his time as the British children’s laureate, his political cartooning, his inspiration for…
Dystopian YA Fiction – About the Children
YA dystopian fiction had a massive run a few years back and then everyone got dystopian-ed out. Not me. I love teens saving dismal worlds from horrible dictators and ridiculous laws. It’s all so relevant in today’s uncertain world. And…