Middle Grade

Review: Into the Ice

Rebecca Priestley reviews a beautifully illustrated Antarctic miscellany. What’s your South Polar seadog name? I can’t decide whether mine is Phytoplankton Stinker or Aurora Moondog. Or perhaps it’s Snotsicle Albatross? No, I’ve got it—it’s Iceblink Stormcatcher.  You can find your…

From the Shop Floor: bookseller recommendations for Christmas

Eight year olds to teens edition. Avid book collectors know that some of the best informed opinions on books are found over the counter at your local bookstore, so we’ve asked Aotearoa’s specialist children’s booksellers what they’re recommending for Christmas…

Book Launch: Charlie Tangaroa and the God of War

Tania Roxborogh held launch events for the sequel to Charlie Tangaroa and the Creature from the Sea at Te Kura Toi Tangata in Hamilton on Thursday evening and Scorpio in Christchurch last night. In her launch speech she explained the…

Across the Ditch: Inda Ahmad Zahri

Australian author Inda Ahmad Zahri finds a moment between writing, illustrating, being a doctor, campaigning for social justice and parenting to answer some questions about what inspires her diverse work and just where she finds the time. Nida Fiazi (NF):…

Monsters and Chaos Walking – thirty minutes with Patrick Ness

Patrick Ness, the revered author of the Chaos Walking trilogy, visited New Zealand last week for events at Verb Wellington and Auckland Writers Festival. Sarah Forster watched his Wellington events and spent thirty minutes having him sign her sizable collection…

Interview: Stacy Gregg on Nine Girls

2024 judge of the NZCYA awards Belinda Whyte in conversation with Margaret Mahy Award winner Stacy Gregg. I’ll be honest with you, I had never read a Stacy Gregg novel before reading Nine Girls for the judging of the 2024…

Interview: Claire Mabey on The Raven’s Eye Runaways

Claire Mabey is one of the busiest people in Aotearoa literature: founder of the Verb festival, books editor at The Spinoff, and now novelist, with an outstanding debut, The Raven’s Eye Runaways. Thalia Kehoe Rowden had a thousand questions for…

Reviews: Two Middle-Grade Historic Narratives

Joanna Grochowicz adds another Antarctic exploration journey under her belt and Pauline Cartwright’s re-released story of the Otago goldfields is back with a fresh face. Denika Mead reviews. Mawson in Antarctica: To the Ends of the Earth, by Joanna Grochowicz…

Interview: Jane Arthur on Brown Bird

The intimidatingly-talented author of two acclaimed poetry collections, owner of the best fringe in New Zealand lit, and all round book-ish Good Sort sat down with Rachael King to talk about making the leap from poetry to kidlit and the…

Reviews: Three More For Middle Grade

Claudine Tapsell reviews three recent middle grade reads from two well-known authors and one on-their-way to being well-known winner of the Storylines Tom Fitzgibbon Award. These pukapuka are spine-tingling, slow-burning, and heart-warming, with richly written and endearing characters. Koro’s Star,…