THE SAMPLING: If Only
Hawke’s Bay author, reviewer and bookseller Adele Broadbent is back with a new title for a young adult audience.
Features
THE SAMPLING: The Book of Overthinking
Last year we shared with you a Sampling from Gwendoline Smith’s bestseller The Book of Knowing. And this year, Dr Know is back with a follow-up title, The Book of Overthinking.
THE SAMPLING: Volcanoes and Earthquakes
There has been an enormous amount of amazing local non-fiction in recent months – and here’s a taster of one of those releases. Volcanoes and Earthquakes by Sarah and Gordon Ell is part of Oratia’s ‘The NZ Series’ and this extract is reproduced with permission.
Merry Christmas from Giselle & The Sapling
The editors of The Sapling all love a good kids’ Christmas book. This comic celebrates the books that Briar, Thalia, Kura, and Sarah have enjoyed in the past. We hope you all have a wonderful holiday! Meri Kihiramete!
The Great New Zealand Book Quote Quiz 2019
Here’s a fiendishly tricky one: can you match the quote to the 2019 middle reader or YA new release? For consistency – and marking the year of their publication – the quote is specifically from page 20, line 19 of…
The Reckoning: The death of YA fiction
“The death of YA – it’s a thing believe me. Google it.” It was a fleeting comment at a writer’s festival as we moved between venues and it filled me with dread. I did Google it on my phone in…
School Librarian of Aotearoa: Jude Armstrong
For our latest School Librarian of Aotearoa feature, we hear from Kowhai Intermediate’s Jude Armstrong, who shares the ins and outs of creating a welcoming environment for all types of readers, engaging staff in library activities and plenty more besides….
Be Prepared: An All-Age Disaster Book List
Children and young adults in Aotearoa are particularly attuned to natural disasters. In today’s book list, Miriam Hurst delves into disaster literature from here and other shaky, volatile places around our world. Then Snufkin said slowly: “It would be awful…
Book List: Verse Novels for Children and YA
Verse novels have been around for a number of years now and while they may never flood the market, their appeal is growing and becoming more and more a part of mainstream young adult literature. Desna Wallace introduces us to…
The Mahy Questionnaire: Helen V. Fletcher
Here’s a fresh instalment of the Margaret Mahy Questionnaire, featuring author, playwright, poet and creative writing tutor Helen Vivienne Fletcher! Read on for her takes on discombobulation, changeovers and sonsense nongs! 1. Describe yourself in three words Breathing. Persevering. Laughing….