The Giselle Clarkson Comic: Number 2
In which our illustrator attempts to preserve her childhood innocence by living in denial for a decade.
Archives
The Pony Book Club: a pre-teen respite
Nina Powles revisits her childhood obsession with The Saddle Club series and finds their appeal, though flawed, remains. There was one book in the school library that I got out so many times I knew its exact place on the…
The winner of the Storylines Gavin Bishop Award is…
The Storylines Gavin Bishop Award has been offered to a promising Kiwi illustrator since 2009. Set up by Gavin Bishop and Jenny Hellen, then Children’s Publisher at Random House NZ, they are administered now by Storylines Children’s Literature Charitable Trust….
The Ones We Follow: NZ kids’ book websites
One of the first things we did when considering The Sapling was sit down and think: now, what can we offer that nobody else can? There are a lot of wonderful book-focused bloggers in New Zealand, as well as quite…
How stories can help children with anxiety
Child psychologist Amy Wilson-Hughes gives some practical advice for using books and stories to help kids who are struggling with anxiety. Parents, caregivers and teachers: bookmark this one! There aren’t too many people who make it through life – especially…
School Librarians of Aotearoa: Desna Wallace
New Zealand’s school librarians are passionate, engaged professionals who know how to get students of all ages and reading levels into reading. This is the first of our monthly spotlights on inspirational school librarians. I am fortunate enough to be…
Across the Ditch: Illuminating Amie Kaufman
Bestselling YA author Amie Kaufman will appear at the Auckland Writers Festival, performing both in the schools’ programme and in a free public event on Friday, 19 May. This is the first interview in ‘Across the Ditch’, where we feature…
Ka pai! Cool stuff from around the internet
Every two weeks we compile, for your browsing pleasure, cool children’s book happenings (and peripherally related news) from around Aotearoa, the world and the internet. A little US-centric but here are some great ideas to get your whole family thinking…
Quiz: test your Margaret Mahy knowledge
Hooray, it’s a quiz! Test your children’s book knowledge every month – first up is a quiz to celebrate Margaret Mahy’s birthday. Answers are at the bottom of the page. Good luck… 1. What’s the name of the 14-year-old protagonist…
Three fantasy novels for teens and pre-teens
Briar Lawry reviews Maurice Gee’s latest, The Severed Land, as well as The Edge of Everything by Jeff Giles and Maybe a Fox by Kathi Appelt and Alison McGhee.