Earlier this month we published a short excerpt from Pieces of You, a major new YA novel from a debut Kiwi author. We asked Denis Wright, YA novelist and experienced high school English teacher to give us his verdict. Let…
Here Comes Mr Postmouse and Postmouse Goes on Holiday are charming creations from French-Canadian Marianne Dubuc, translated by Greet Pauwelijn. Book Island were based on the Kapiti Coast, but are now based in Brighton, UK. In Here Comes Mr Postmouse,…
Mary Walker reviews one British and three Kiwi non-fiction books for children of various ages and finds that, generally, they’re being done well. Here are books on biodiversity, space, sharks and feet! Books are big in our house. As a…
Poet and children’s writer James Norcliffe is a national treasure. He has been involved in the School for Young Writers in Christchurch for many years, and releases both poetry and junior fiction books regularly. Sarah Forster reviews his latest novel…
Today, Release, a new YA novel by Patrick Ness, hits the shelves of New Zealand bookshops. We asked a Wellington-based book club – adults who read a lot of YA, and fans of Ness’s previous work – to get together…
Soon after the 2015 banning controversy in New Zealand, Into the River was purchased by US publisher Polis Books, and will be released in paperback in the US this month. We had YA writer and renowned American book critic Michael…
Poet Hannah Mettner considers two international books aimed at inspiring a love of poetry in young readers. Like many other New Zealanders of my generation, I grew up with a hard-cover copy of Poems to Read to Young New Zealanders….
Mitch Marks reviews Moa, a collection of comics by James Davidson (published by Earth’s End), and makes a case for the importance of graphic novels in general. It’s well documented, and kind of a no-brainer, that combining words and pictures…
Elizabeth Knox finds a lot to praise about Laini Taylor’s inventive, lyrical and compelling new novel, Strange the Dreamer. Laini Taylor, author of the Daughter of Smoke and Bone trilogy, has another series. A duology, the first book of which…
Jack Gabriel gorges on six international picture books from Walker Books and Gecko Press, from France, the UK and the US, finding something to recommend about each and every one. Warning: get your wallet ready. Like any good smorgasbord, this…