The Sapling

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.

Book Quiz: Food in New Zealand Picture Books

How well do you remember the tasty morsels in the illustrations of your favourite picture books? See if you can get 12/12 in our food quiz! Test yourself, share with a friend, and let us know on Facebook or Twitter…

THE SAMPLING: Wynter’s Thief

We’re delighted to share our latest Sampling with you – a brand new fantastical young adult novel from the beloved Sherryl Jordan, published by OneTree House. Our extract from Wynter’s Thief starts right at the beginning of the story, drawing you in with a bang.

THE SAMPLING: Te Rātaka a Tama Hūngoingoi

‘He kino ra te noho a te tamariki. Ko Greg Heffley tetahi e mohio pai ana ki tenei.’ Te Rātaka a Tama Hūngoingoi is the first Diary of a Wimpy Kid book, translated into te reo Māori.

KA PAI! Cool stuff from around the internet

I tēnei wiki kua hoki mai a Ka Pai: He tohu mai kei hea ngā rauemi ipurangi whakamiharo mō te wiki o te reo Māori. This week sees a special return of Ka Pai: What’s Cool on the internet for…

The winners of the 2019 Book Awards are …

Fresh off the ceremony at Te Papa Tongarewa, the results are in and your New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults winners are… The Margaret Mahy Book of the Year and the Picture Book Award The Bomb Written…

Book Awards: The Young Adult Finalists

The Young Adult finalists in the NZCYA Awards encompass a variety of approaches to fantasy, a touch of dystopia, political intrigue and coming of age storytelling. The Young Adult category also happens to be one where the target demographic is…

Book Awards: the Non-Fiction finalists

Another week, another category of NZCYA Award finalists to highlight! Today, it’s the Elsie Locke Award for Non-Fiction finalists, answering questions about the hows and the whys of their fabulous books. From backyards, burrows and biographies to legends and linework,…

Book Awards: the Junior Fiction finalists

As the next instalment in our coverage of this year’s NZ Book Awards for Children and Young Adults, we asked the five finalists of the Wright Family Foundation Esther Glen Award for Junior Fiction to interview each other. Here’s Philippa…

THE SAMPLING: The Invincibles – Power Up!

The Invincibles: Power Up! is the first book in a super-charged new junior fiction series. Regular old rugby practice turns into something more when five kids are zapped by lightning and find themselves in possession of a range of different super powers!