The finalists in the 2015 New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults were released this morning. Having been part of the judging panel for last year’s awards, releasing the list of the finalists is a huge pleasure for the judges. They’ve chosen a great list with a few surprising finalists (including a picture book I hadn’t heard of). You can read the press release below and check out the finalist list. The Children’s Choice Awards are bigger and better this year too. You can also read about the revamped Children’s Choice Award and the finalists in this category here on the blog.
Pirates, orcas and penguins leap from the pages of the 22 books picked as finalists in the 2015 New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults.
In the 25th year of these venerable awards, New Zealand authors have once again produced beautifully written and illustrated books that are wonderful to hold and read, showing that publishing for New Zealand children is in very good heart.
One hundred and forty nine books were submitted for the Awards. A panel of three judges (judging convenor and children’s book reviewer and literary consultant Bob Docherty; author and children’s bookshop owner, Annemarie Florian; and teacher-librarian Fiona Mackie), with the assistance of Te Reo Māori language adviser, freelance Māori writer and editor Stephanie Pohe-Tibble, have spent months reading, analysing and enjoying all entries.
The finalists in the New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults are selected across four categories: Picture Book, Non-Fiction, Junior Fiction and Young Adult Fiction, and there is an additional award for books written in Māori, for which there are finalists for the first time.
Judging panel convenor Bob Docherty says the judges were very pleased with the high quality of this year’s writing. “We likened the process to a vintner looking forward to tasting this year’s vintage. Having tasted, we all were delighted with this year’s production of titles – not only in terms of the actual writing, but also the fantastic quality and style of the illustrations and the actual presentation of the books. It’s heartening to see that book production in New Zealand is getting better and better. We’re pleased that publishers continue to put as much emphasis on the look and feel – literally – of a book as well as its content.
“The Picture Book category gave the judges the most difficulty – in the best possible way. With a whopping 75 entries, there was fierce competition to pare these down to five finalists. This indicates that New Zealand is producing its fair share of wonderfully strong visual stories – stories with simple integrity yet with expressive characters, where both author and illustrator work together to capture our interest on every page,” says Bob.
“All books submitted in the Non-Fiction category were particularly impressive – almost in defiance of the trend for some libraries to dispense with their non-fiction collections in favour of online sources. The judging panel believed all the Non-Fiction entries contained material that was far superior to any online source, and all entries deserved to be finalists, says Bob.
There were 35 entries in Junior Fiction category. “All these books were a delight to read. This year’s finalists have combined comic book illustrations with the traditional novel format, and four of the five books have an historical connection. Fantasy and adventure also figure, and there is a strong anti-bullying link within the finalists’ titles in this category.
The judges agreed that all 21 entries in the Young Adult Fiction category were stunning. The high standard of writing reflects the calibre of New Zealand’s world-class writers. The human condition and teenage relationships were intimately discussed, and dialogue was a strong feature of all of these novels.
Two finalists for the Māori language award
Seven books were submitted in the Māori language award, with two selected as finalists. Te Reo Māori language adviser, Stephanie Pohe-Tibble, says that all of this year’s entries had something for every reader – from beginning speakers of Māori to children and whānau involved in kōhanga reo and kura kaupapa Māori. The two finalists both stood out with their innovative approach to translation, wonderful text and illustrations, and creativity of storylines. Stephanie says, “I hope that all parents wishing to enrich their children’s lives with the Māori language will get to spend some special time with their children reading and enjoying these books.”
Picture Books
- Construction, Sally Sutton and Brian Lovelock, Walker Books Australia
- I Am Not a Worm, Scott Tulloch, Scholastic New Zealand
- Jim’s Letters, Glyn Harper and Jenny Cooper, Penguin Random House
- Keys, Sasha Cotter and Joshua Morgan, Huia Publishers
- Little Red Riding Hood . . . Not Quite, Yvonne Morrison and Donovan Bixley, Scholastic New Zealand
Non-Fiction
- Ghoulish Get-Ups: How to Create Your Own Freaky Costumes, Fifi Colston, Scholastic New Zealand
- Māori Art for Kids, Julie Noanoa and Norm Heke, Craig Potton Publishing
- Mōtītī Blue and the Oil Spill, Debbie McCauley and Sarah Elworthy, Mauao Publishing
- The Book of Hat, Harriet Rowland, Makaro Press/Submarine
- Under the Ocean: explore & discover New Zealand’s sea life, Gillian Candler and Ned Barraud, Craig Potton Publishing
Junior Fiction
- Conrad Cooper’s Last Stand, Leonie Agnew, Penguin Random House/Puffin
- Dragon Knight: Fire!, Kyle Mewburn and Donovan Bixley, Scholastic New Zealand
- Monkey Boy, Donovan Bixley, Scholastic New Zealand
- The Island of Lost Horses, Stacy Gregg, HarperCollins
- The Pirates and the Nightmaker, James Norcliffe, Penguin Random House/Longacre Child
Young Adults
- I Am Rebecca, Fleur Beale, Penguin Random House
- Night Vision, Ella West, Allen & Unwin
- Recon Team Angel: Vengeance, Brian Falkner, Walker Books Australia
- Singing Home the Whale, Mandy Hager, Penguin Random House
- While We Run, Karen Healey, Allen & Unwin
Māori Language Award
- Hoiho Paku, Stephanie Thatcher and Ngaere Roberts, Scholastic New Zealand
- Nga Ki, Sasha Cotter and Joshua Morgan, Huia Publishers (translation of Keys, a finalist in the Picture Book category)
Wanted: Dead or Alive! (Or smashed into little bits and delivered in boxes.) Causing chaos wherever they sail, the robotic Steampunk Pirates are roaming the high seas, hunting for gold!
Rory Rooney likes to be prepared for all eventualities. His favourite book is Don’t Be Scared, Be Prepared, and he has memorized every page of it. He could even survive a hippo attack. He knows that just because something is unlikely doesn’t mean it won’t ever happen . . .
The city of Midgard is terrorised by Hob, a terrifying, evil creature who tortures at will and has the rulers of the city completely under his control.
When eleven year-old Nelson’s beloved big sister goes missing on a school trip, he is devastated – he’s not that good at making friends and his sister is the only person he can talk to. In the dark catacombs of St Paul’s cathedral Nelson stumbles across a strange and ancient machine, designed to extract the seven deadly sins and Nelson accidentally extracts seven deadly monsters from his own little soul. Nelson and the Deadly 7 set out on a quest across the globe to find and rescue his big sister and on the way they have an adventure beyond Nelson’s wildest dreams, and he learns that good friends come in all shapes and sizes.
So, you think you know about zebras, do you? They’re handsome, eat lots of grass, and um … always getting eaten by lions.
Meeting David Walliams at the Auckland Writers Festival
My Best Friends Are Books 