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Book Quiz: Do You Know Your Te Reo Māori Titles?

How’s your reo Māori looking? Can you pick which is MEKA (true) and which is TEKA (false) when figuring out the correct translation of a title? Test yourself, share with a friend, and let us know on Facebook or Twitter…

THE SAMPLING: Awa and the Dreamrealm

Some mysterious middle-grade reading for you today, in the form of a new Sampling! Here’s the prologue and first two chapters of Isa Pearl Ritchie’s first book for young people, Awa and the Dreamrealm.

Illustrating a Classic with Sarah Greig

Earlier this year, Hachette New Zealand ran a unique competition: seeking new illustration concepts for Margaret Mahy’s classic The Boy With Two Shadows. The competition was open to artists and illustrated who were not yet published – and the winner…

The Mahy Questionnaire: Tim Tipene

The latest addition to our growing collection of Margaret Mahy Questionnaire responses comes from the amazing Tim Tipene! Tim has written a deeply thought-provoking Reckoning for us in the past – as well as an ever-growing number of his own…

Across the Ditch: The talented Davina Bell

Australian author and editor Davina Bell is an exceptional storyteller for kids aged 2 to 12. Her broad range of books include picture books like Under the Love Umbrella (Scribble) and her most recent All of the Factors of Why…

Giselle Clarkson & Sarah Laing: A comic interview

We love comics, and we love the artists behind them! So for this month’s Giselle Clarkson comic, we have something a little different for you: an illustrated interview! Sarah Laing – author/artist/designer extraordinaire – has a new book out with…

The case for quitting social media

Love it or hate it, social media is a part of our life. But does an author really need it? Elissa Weismann swore off Facebook and Twitter at the start of this year, and it has given her pause to…

Book Reviews: New Chapter Books And Novels

Chapter books and novels are order of the day in our reviewing neighbourhood, with three new books targeted at the junior/middle fiction space, and special guest appearance by the latest Philip Pullman. Teacher and former bookseller Annelies Judson shares her…

From the Shop Floor: The Twizel Bookshop

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’s The Twizel Bookshop. The Twizel Bookshop is a very very small (12 square metres) shop in…

Book Reviews: New Children’s Titles in Te Reo

This month we have a new te reo Māori title reviewer, Mihi Henare (Ngāti Porou, Ngāti Hine, Te Whānau-ā-Apanui), reviewing a new batch of te reo Māori books released during Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori in September. Whakarongo ki…