The ceremony for this year’s New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults is creeping ever closer, with the big event taking place on August 6. So as we did last year, we thought we ought to test your shortlist knowledge…
Every answer is the title of a finalist book – except for question 7, which has two titles as the answer – and answers are at the bottom of the page. If you need to do a little revision before you check your marks, our coverage of the 2019 awards began with our finalist announcement.
CATEGORY: PICTURE BOOK AWARD
1. This book’s title shares a word with the name of the children’s imprint it was published by.
2. The illustrator of this book won this category last year!
CATEGORY: WRIGHT FAMILY FOUNDATION TE KURA POUNAMU AWARD FOR TE REO MĀORI
3. The illustrator of this book is a celebrated New Zealand artist who has also illustrated beloved books by Patricia Grace like The Kuia and the Spider.
4. The author of this book is a familiar face to anyone who watches TVNZ 1 on Sunday nights.
CATEGORY: YOUNG ADULT FICTION AWARD
5. The author of this book was a finalist in this category last year too, for Catch Me When You Fall.
6. This book’s author recently co-edited a collection of Māori myths (for adults) with Witi Ihimaera.
CATEGORY: ELSIE LOCKE AWARD FOR NON-FICTION
7. A two-for one question: the author of Mystery Book 1 and the author/illustrator of Mystery Book 2 have collaborated on several other fauna-focused books for their publisher. So what are the two finalist books in question?
8. This book features gorgeous artwork by nine different female Kiwi artists.
CATEGORY: RUSSELL CLARK AWARD FOR ILLUSTRATION
9. This book started out life as a film script!
10. The author/illustrator of this title won the Margaret Mahy Book of the Year award in 2017 for another magnificent book.
CATEGORY: WRIGHT FAMILY FOUNDATION ESTHER GLEN AWARD FOR JUNIOR FICTION
11. This book is one of two simultaneous debut books that its author released last year, both published by the same company.
12. This book’s author won two categories at last year’s awards – one under her real name, one under her pen name.
Answers
1. Puffin the Architect
2. Mini Whinny: Happy Birthday to Me!
3. Te Haka a Tanerore (The Haka of Tanerore)
4. Ngā Whetū Matariki I Whānakotia (The Stolen Stars of Matariki)
5. Invisibly Breathing
6. Legacy
7. New Zealand’s Backyard Beasts and Whose Home Is This?
8. Go Girl!
9. Helen and the Go-Go Ninjas
10. Oink
11. Whetū Toa and the Magician
12. The Dog Runner