Prince of Ponies by Stacy Gregg

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2020 New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults Junior Fiction Finalist

Stacy Gregg is NZ’s answer to Michael Morpurgo. Stacy is a captivating storyteller who weaves the plight of animals and humans together with history, adventure and suspense. Prince of Ponies is one of her best.

Prince of Ponies has a duel storyline, one in the present and one in Poland during the Second World War. Mira is a Syrian refugee now living in Berlin. She is bullied at school and her mother appears to be busy working (she is not mentioned much). However, Mira’s life is changed when she meets a spirited pony while walking in the woods. The pony leads her to Zofia, an old woman with an astounding story to tell. Mira agrees to write down Zofia’s story in exchange for riding lessons. As we discover more about Mira and watch her bond with Zofia and her pony Emir grow, we also discover Zofia’s past and her childhood in a Poland ruled by the Nazis. Mira’s skill as a rider grows to which leads to her competing in her first competition.

There is something in this story for all readers – princely ponies, daring escapes, nail-biting competitions, history, and characters who you are routing for. Having read and loved The Princess and the Foal I really liked the cameo of Princess Jana. This was a nice connection between Stacy’s books. I also love the epilogue which connects the story to the history behind it. Stacy always makes this information accessible to her readers.

My only niggle about this book is the cover. Much like Stacy’s other books I really wish the covers were more neutral to encourage boys to read them.

#Tumeke! by Michael Petherick

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2020 New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults Junior Fiction Finalist

Plans for the Newtoun community’s Waitangi Day celebrations are well under way: Monty and Pete `The Deadly Icedagger’ plan a wrestling demo. Dreadflock needs to upskill her braiding technique. Constable Rutene is planning the biggest kapa haka event in suburban memory. Sauerkraut Burgers are gearing up for fierce battle with Carnivores Rule. And that’s not the half of it.

Flicking through Tumeke originally I didn’t think I would like it but after reading it in one sitting I completely loved it! It’s totally unique and has a real Kiwi flavour to it. The story is pieced together from notices on the community noticeboard at the library, text messages, emails, diary entries, social media posts and more. The design is so clever and visually appealing. I loved all the different personalities, from the local constable and his relationship with the teacher to the local Lord of the Rings and Beatles Appreciation Society and the owner of the goat who keeps causing havoc (and communicates using emojis).

I think, because of Tumeke’s uniqueness this will be the winner of the Junior Fiction category of the 2020 NZ Book Awards for Children and Young Adults.

Donut the Destroyer by Sarah Graley and Stef Purenins

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This graphic novel is so much fun! Who couldn’t like a story about a girl from a family of supervillains who just wants to be a hero.

Donut (middle name: The, last name: Destroyer) lives in a world where everyone is born with superpowers. You just have to decide how to use them – good or evil. Donut’s parents are two of the biggest supervillains ever but Donut has decided she doesn’t want to be a villain. Her best friend Ivy has been planning their supervillain careers for years so it comes as a shock that Donut wants to switch to the dark side. When Donut gets accepted to Lionheart Academy (the first step on her road to become a superhero) Ivy tries anything she can to get Donut kicked out. However, Donut’s new hero friends are by her side and will use their powers to fight evil.

I love Sarah Graley’s illustrations. One minute her characters look super cute, with their faces bursting with glee and the next they’re all angry, with scrunched up faces that are on the verge of exploding. Donut is a really cool character who stands up for herself and what she wants to do with her life, even in the face of her ex-best friend and her super-villain parents who want her to be super evil. My favourite characters are Donut’s parents. They made me laugh every time they popped up because they’re super supportive but committed to being supervillains.

Donut the Destroyer is going to fly off the shelves and be incredibly popular with kids.

Time Machine and Other Stories by Melinda Szymanik

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2020 New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults Junior Fiction Finalist

Like a lolly mixture or a surprise toy you never know what exciting things you’ll discover in a short story collection and this one has something for everyone. In this collection from Melinda Szymanik there’s a magical soup to help with maths, a messy monster under the bed, an extraterrestrial mum, a mysterious crocodile tooth, and a boy who gets kidnapped by pirates. There is a really good range of stories that kids could read themselves or a teacher could read them aloud to a class.

I like how Crocodile Dreaming and Time Machine II are separate stories but also interconnected and they gave me a classic Paul Jennings vibe. They reminded me of watching Round the Twist growing up. My absolute favourite story (and the one I keep thinking about) is The Gift. It’s a haunting story about the lengths a sibling goes to for their sister. It’s one of those perfect short stories that I know I’ll remember and come back to again and again.

Moonlight the Unicorn’s High Tea Hiccup by Sally Sutton and Kirsten Richards

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2020 New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults Junior Fiction Finalist

The Miniwings books are totally FABO! I’ve loved all of the books in the Miniwings series but Moonlight the Unicorn’s High Tea Hiccup is one of the best. Moonlight is the Miniwing who loves food and there are plenty of tasty treats on offer when Sofia and Clara are invited to a high tea with their great-aunts. Where the Miniwings go trouble follows and their mischief is super messy in this story.

As a librarian I love these books because they’re so perfect for young readers and as a parent I have loved reading them to my 5 year old. Sally Sutton has created a special language, Miniwingese, which makes the stories really fun to read and makes you laugh out loud. Each of the Miniwings have their own unique personality so it’s fun to make up different voices for them. They also really like to sing so there are songs throughout the story. Part of the appeal of these books is that they’re packed with colour illustrations. Kirsten Richards’ illustrations bring the cheeky Miniwings to life and she must have really enjoyed creating the mess in this book.

I love this series and I was excited to see that there is another book coming soon.

Doodleville by Chad Sell

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Imagine if all art was alive. Superheroes could move through the pages of a comic, a landscape painting could change depending on the time of day and Mona Lisa’s mood could change. This is a reality in Drew’s world in Chad Sell’s magical new graphic novel, Doodleville

Drew is a doodler and since she was little she has been doodling funny creatures that come alive. All art in Drew’s world is alive and when her Art Club visits the Art Institute she sees how amazing art can be. She sneaks in her own doodles though who create havoc in the paintings, including stealing a baby’s hat from one painting. Drew creates Levi, a dragon-like creature, for her art project but this cute, friendly creature turns dark and starts to hunt the other doodles. As Drew let’s her fear and uncertainty take over Levi wreaks havoc and it’s up to Drew and her friends to stop Levi.

The idea of art coming to life is so cool and Chad certainly makes it feel like his characters are alive and moving. The action of the story moves so smoothly through the illustrations and Chad doesn’t let panels limit how the story flows. I love the character designs as they’re cartoony but have really expressive faces.

My favourite thing about Chad’s stories is the diversity of his characters. In Doodleville, Ameer and Zenobia are black, and it’s possible that Beck and TJ are gender diverse. Zenobia’s doodles are the Magical Butterfly Boyfriends, two princes from warring kingdoms who are in love. It’s great for kids to not only see themselves in graphic novels but also to see other kids who are different from them.

Chad promises readers that this is just the start of Drew’s story so we’ll see more of her and the gang in the next book.

The Book of Chance by Sue Whiting

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The Book of Chance is a tense mystery story that had me furiously turning the pages to find out how it would end. Like Sue Whiting’s previous book Missing, this is the perfect book for hooking intermediate-age readers. It would make a great read aloud with Year 7-9 as the story is suspenseful and there are some good talking points about social media.

The story starts at the end, with police showing up at Chance’s house to question her and there is talk of foster care. We don’t get the full picture though as we don’t know why the Police are involved. Chance then takes us back a month to when her ideal life starts to unravel and we count down to the events of the first chapter. Chance’s mum gets chosen for a home makeover reality show, giving her the recognition she deserves for the work she does for refugees. However, a producer on the show shows Chance a photo of her mum that could prove her life is a lie. The more Chance learns the more her life falls apart.

With its combination of family mystery, friendship issues, and relatable characters The Book of Chance is going to be a hit the Year 7/8 girls at my school. Sue Whiting is certainly an author whose future books will be must-reads for me and a must-buy for my school library.

Stepping Stones by Lucy Knisley

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Fans of Raina Telgemeier and Shannon Hale rejoice! Lucy Knisley, creator of graphic memoirs about her adult life, turns her pencil to her childhood. Stepping Stones is based on Lucy’s experiences as a kid, moving from the city to the country and having to get used to a new family and a new life.

Jen didn’t want to leave the city and move to a farm but, being a kid, she just has to go along for the ride. She has to get used to her mum’s new boyfriend and sort-of step-sisters. Walter doesn’t understand her and keeps calling her Jenny (which infuriates her) and the older sister is smarter than her so she feels inferior. Every weekend the sisters come to stay and her family goes to the market. Things aren’t going back to the way they used to be so Jen has to figure out how to get along with everyone.

I loved Stepping Stones and I know kids will too. The story is relatable and is perfect for anyone from age 7+. This is going to be super popular.

Unipiggle: Unicorn Muddle by Hannah Shaw

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This is a truly magnificent book for young readers! It’s full of fun, it’s witty and it explodes with colour on every page. I read Unipiggle to my 5 year old daughter and we loved every minute of it. I love that it’s about two characters, who are different from everyone else, finding each other.

Princess Peony Peachykins Primrose Pollyanna Posh (or Princess Pea for short) lives in Twinkleland Kingdom and gets made to perform her princess duties by her parents, Queen Bee and King Barry. She would rather be climbing trees and getting dirty. Her parents decide to throw her a Unicorn Parade so that she can choose her favourite unicorn to have as the Royal Unicorn. Princess Pea finds the unicorns to be snooty and vain until she meets a unicorn pig. Although there are those who don’t believe a pig can enter the parade Princess Pea chooses Unipiggle and they become the best of friends. After all, who wouldn’t want a unicorn pig with very surprising magic powers.

This is the perfect book for parents and teachers to read aloud as I guarantee they’ll enjoy it just as much as the kids. I love that there are pixies for every possible situation (like the Marshmallow Clearance Pixie), that the king is called Barry, and that most unicorns are actually self-absorbed. Hannah Shaw is a brilliant storyteller and her illustrations fill you with joy. You can’t help smiling and having a bit of a giggle as soon as you pick the book up.

I can not wait for more Unipiggle books!

The Theory of Hummingbirds by Michelle Kadarusman

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The Theory of Hummingbirds is an uplifting story of a girl who just wants to be normal. Alba is born with a club foot, which she calls Cleo. She has had surgeries to correct Cleo and has had a cast for most of her life. At the start of the story the day that she gets her cast removed permanently is within sight and Alba really wants to be able to run in the school cross country. Her friend Levi is obsessed with space and he comes up with a theory that there is a wormhole in the school librarian’s office. She disappears from a locked room and Levi believes this is the explanation. Alba and Levi have been best friends forever but an argument pushes them apart. At a time when Alba needs her friend the most Levi won’t talk to her. When the day of the cross country arrives Alba is determined to prove that she can complete the course.

I loved Alba’s story. She wants to be ‘normal’ and she’s determined to prove that she can walk properly without crutches. I love her friendship with Levi and their shared love of hummingbirds. I also really love the school librarian character of Ms Sharma. This would make a great read aloud for Years 5-8, especially as it’s a short, engaging read. It’s perfect as a Wonder read-alike too.