Simie Simpson reviews four books: Dig, Dump, Roll by Sally Sutton and Brian Lovelock; Granny McFlitter, The Champion Knitter, by Heather Haylock and Lael Chisholm; I am Jellyfish, by Ruth Paul and The Gift Horse, by Sophie Siers and Katharine…
While most of our reviews are of NZ titles, occasionally we check out what is being hyped overseas. Each of these titles are the stars of Christmas for their publishers, and they share similarities in their London-ish setting, and their…
Earlier this month, we treated you to an excerpt from Gareth Ward’s award-winning debut steampunk adventure novel, The Traitor and the Thief. Here’s an interview with the fascinating, hardworking author himself. Your bio notes read like an adventure novel of…
An excerpt from Gareth Ward’s debut steampunk adventure novel and winner of the 2016 Storylines Tessa Duder Award, The Traitor and the Thief. Orphan, urchin and thief, Sin, has just been chased through the streets of Coxford by a sinister old man, Eldritch … Secrets, spies and steampunk gadgets abound in this fantastic adventure story!
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…
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…
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….
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…
Briar Lawry reviews Maurice Gee’s latest, The Severed Land, as well as The Edge of Everything by Jeff Giles and Maybe a Fox by Kathi Appelt and Alison McGhee.