We are pleased to present a regular series highlighting the work, expertise and enthusiasm of some of the greatest children’s booksellers of New Zealand. Here is Chicken and Frog children’s bookstore in Featherston, owned and curated by Joanna Ludbrook. Here…
By Helen Vivienne Fletcher Helen Vivienne Fletcher is back with Explosive, the fourth instalment in her fast-paced young adult ‘Reactive Magic’ series featuring a tried and true recipe for literary success: a magic school, spells and prophecies. Enjoy this excerpt…
How to help our kids understand consent and set (and respect!) boundaries? It’s a surprisingly controversial topic. Guest writer Bee Trudgeon reflects on this area of contention and sets out to find some books that can help facilitate this conversation;…
Tomorrow marks 108 years since the landings at Gallipoli in 1915. Editor Linda Jane Keegan tells us about some ANZAC-related books from the last few years, followed up with links to all of The Sapling’s previous book lists, interviews, and…
Bee Trudgeon reviews some mysterious new junior fiction and middle-grade titles that have something for everyone: from the new chapter-book reader who likes plenty of pictures to help break up and decode the text, to the progressing reader who likes…
Venice White finds lots to rave about with two new novels for the upper-YA audience, from veteran Kiwi authors Eileen Merriman and Leonie Agnew. Time’s Raven, by Eileen Merriman Time’s Raven is the second book in Eileen Merriman’s Eternity Loop…
In this batch of reviews, Charlotte Fielding shares her thoughts on a wholesome romance read and a spooky Stranger Things-style debut. The Stars Burn Bright, by Lynda Tomalin The Stars Burn Bright is a sweet YA romance, told from the…
In this edition of the Giselle Clarkson comic, Giselle explores a gripe she has in the children’s publishing industry: celebrities becoming authors. Her solution? Turn the authors into celebrities…
Vanessa Hatley-Owen is a librarian at Botany Downs Primary School, Auckland. Here, she tells us about the best aspects of her job, what challenges she’s come up against, and about her own book! Tell us about where you work and…
Leela Chakraborti (11) and Rajorshi Chakraborti are the daughter and dad co-authors of The Bad Smell Hotel, published by The Cuba Press. Rajorshi is the author of five novels and a short fiction collection for adults, and a young adult…