Where do we usually get our recommendations for books to read? The bookshop, of course. We’ve asked people from five bookshelves to sell us our stunning array of junior fiction titles. Tunnel of Dreams, by Bernard Beckett (Text Publishing, 2020)…
By Leonie Agnew Leonie Agnew is back with a magical new title, The Memory Thief, following the unexpectedly heartwarming friendship between Seth, lonely troll, and Stella, a young girl going through a hard time. Enjoy this excerpt from chapter one…
Winter has finally come to Aotearoa, and it’s brought with it a fresh batch of junior fiction titles! Here’s librarian Dave Tucker’s takes on four recent releases, including a sports read for reluctant readers, a spooky adventure story, a relatable…
From the whimsy and sparkle to grim reality, you don’t have to be a pony obsessive to still love a good pony book! Librarian Chelsea Heap has read up on four recent books in the pony genre and shares her…
Discussion of self isolation and social distancing and mask wearing may all feel very 2020s – but for those not in the know, two titles from Aotearoa sitting on shelves with shiny new covers are not, in fact, products of…
Holy moly! We’ve got a Mahy Questionnaire from none other than the creator of Buttons McGinty, Rhys Darby! Of course, you may recognise him from the fact that he’s, well, world-famous in New Zealand AND beyond, but a whole lot…
James Norcliffe and Bernard Beckett are both—among other things—heavy hitters in the chapter book space, telling stories that are thought-provoking, engaging and eminently compelling to read. So with both these chaps releasing new junior fiction titles this September, we thought…
Reviewer and author Melinda Szymanik has reviewed a group of Aotearoa junior and middle fiction, with some highly illustrated titles mixing with some harder-to-read stories for the upper end of the age group. Flying Furballs: Nine Lives written and illustrated…
Way back in 2017, Cathy-Ellen Paul did a great list of Queer Books for School Libraries, and we thought it was about time to add to that list! Queer kids need books! And so do we all—books help us empathise…
As part of our coverage for the NZ Book Awards, we asked the publishers of the junior fiction finalists what it was about these particular stories that caught their imaginations, and why they seemed right for this format. These are…