Young Adult

Ted Dawe’s Into the River, an American view

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…

A review of the latest YA fantasy by Laini Taylor

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…

The Sampling: Flight Path

An excerpt from David Hill’s Flight Path, a YA novel about 18-year-old Jack who wanted to escape boring little New Zealand – but soon finds that flying in a Lancaster bomber to attack Hitler’s forces brings terror as well as excitement.

Across the Ditch: Illuminating Amie Kaufman

Bestselling YA author Amie Kaufman will appear at the Auckland Writers Festival, performing both in the schools’ programme and in a free public event on Friday, 19 May. This is the first interview in ‘Across the Ditch’, where we feature…

Pounamu Pounamu: Miriama Kamo’s first crush

Miriama Kamo is one of New Zealand’s foremost broadcasters. She looks back on her book-loving childhood, and that time she tried to get Witi Ihimaera to adopt her. It was a watershed, Pounamu, Pounamu: the book that was the growing…