Archives

Looking for Lost Wonders with Sarah Ell

As a nation, we like to think of ourselves as conservation-minded, but that hasn’t always been the case. Sarah Ell’s new book Lost Wonders highlights a range of the ‘vanished creatures of Aotearoa’, as well as bring our attention to…

Book Reviews: New YA from Mountains to Coasts

There are all manner of different YA titles hitting Aotearoa’s shelves this autumn, with a focus on real life storytelling and issues relevant to teen readers. Librarian Dave Tucker shares his take on four new books, including three authors already…

The Mahy Questionnaire: David Hill

Your favourite Mahy Questionnaire is back! Our second instalment of the year features author, playwright, poet, columnist, and critic David Hill. Read on for his takes on hauntings, witches and giraffes! 1. Describe yourself in three words Vague, methodical, surprised….

Damien Wilkins: The Books that formed me

Damien Wilkins has written over a dozen books for adults, including novels, short story collections, and poetry, and this month he releases his first novel for young adults, Aspiring (Annual Ink). Aspiring is set in a town in Central Otago…

Illustrator Feature: Laya Mutton-Rogers

One of the most exciting new artists to pop up on our radar in the last six months has been Laya Mutton-Rogers, the artist behind the beautiful illustrations in Tio Tiamu | The Smelly Giant, released late last year by…

Storylines Manuscript Award Finalists 2020

The NZ book awards season has really kicked off in earnest today, but alongside the grown-up awards (The Ockhams) generating a lot of talkonline, it’s also the day that both the Storyline Notable Books 2020 and the Storylines manuscript award…

THE SAMPLING: A Trio of Sophies

Eileen Merriman has been a constant fixture in the Aotearoa YA scene since the 2017 release of her debut, Pieces of You. Each of her books has taken an unflinching approach towards teenage lives and their associated challenges and issues.

Book Reviews: Picture Books to Look Out For

As a general rule, March is a delightful time in the book industry, New Zealand. New releases are winging their way through the doors, writers’ festivals abound, and local and international awards are cracking their knuckles and revving their engines….

Book Reviews: New Picture Books from Aotearoa

From forty years in print and still relevant to kids today to the latest picture books in Aotearoa. This selection of picture books is a line up that has something for everyone, as Simie Simpson’s tells us in these reviews….

School Librarians of Aotearoa: Paul Munnerley

Welcome to our first School Librarians of Aotearoa instalment for 2020! Here, we hear from Paul Munnerley, who has the double duty of overseeing the Hurunui College Library and Hawarden Community Library in North Canterbury. Hurunui College Library – also…