How I Live Now was Meg Rosoff’s debut YA novel. I fell in love with Meg’s writing as soon as I started How I Live Now and I’ve read all of her books since then. Each one is incredibly unique and you never quite know what to expect when you pick up her next book.
How I Live Now is not due out until early 2014 in NZ but I can’t wait to see it.
The winners of the 2013 LIANZA Children’s Book Awards were announced in Wellington last night. The LIANZA Children’s Book Awards are awarded by librarians for outstanding children’s books by New Zealand authors and illustrators. There were some wonderful books on the shortlist again this year, including some of my favourite books of 2012.
I was really glad to see two of my favourites in the shortlist. Rachael King’s Red Rocks and Mandy Hager’s The Nature of Ash were the winners in their categories. They are both amazing books and it’s so good to see them get the recognition and awards that they deserve. Check out the full list of winners below.
LIANZA Junior Fiction Award – Esther Glen Medal
For the most distinguished contribution to literature for children aged 0-15.
Red Rocks by Rachael King, (Random House New Zealand)
LIANZA Young Adult Fiction Award
For the distinguished contribution to literature for children and young adults aged 13 years and above.
The Nature of Ash by Mandy Hager, (Random House New Zealand)
LIANZA Illustration Award – Russell Clark Award
For the most distinguished illustrations in a children’s book.
A Great Cake by Tina Matthews, (Walker Books Australia)
LIANZA Non Fiction Award – Elsie Locke Medal
For a work that is considered to be a distinguished contribution to non-fiction for young people.
At the Beach: Explore & Discover the New Zealand Seashore by Ned Barraud and Gillian Candler, (Craig Potton Publishing)
LIANZA Librarians’ Choice Award 2013
Awarded to the most popular finalist across all awards, as judged by professional librarians of LIANZA.
My Brother’s War by David Hill, (Penguin NZ)
Te Kura Pounamu (te reo Māori)
Awarded to the author of a work, written in Te Reo Māori, which makes a distinguished contribution to literature for children or young people.
Ko Meru by Kyle Mewburn, translated by Ngaere Roberts, illustrated by Ali Teo and John O’Reilly (Scholastic)
A boy named Seth drowns, desperate and alone in his final moments, losing his life as the pounding sea claims him. But then he wakes. He is naked, thirsty, starving. But alive. How is that possible? He remembers dying, his bones breaking, his skull dashed upon the rocks. So how is he here? And where is this place? It looks like the suburban English town where he lived as a child, before an unthinkable tragedy happened and his family moved to America. But the neighborhood around his old house is overgrown, covered in dust, and completely abandoned. What s going on? And why is it that whenever he closes his eyes, he falls prey to vivid, agonising memories that seem more real than the world around him? Seth begins a search for answers, hoping that he might not be alone, that this might not be the hell he fears it to be, that there might be more than just this…
More Than This is one of my most anticipated books of the year. Look all of Patrick Ness’s books it sounds amazing. September can’t come soon enough!
More Than This is released in Australia and NZ in September, from Walker Books.
The last person Zac expects in the room next door is a girl like Mia, angry and feisty with questionable taste in music. In the real world, he wouldn’t—couldn’t—be friends with her. In hospital different rules apply, and what begins as a knock on the wall leads to a note—then a friendship neither of them sees coming.
You need courage to be in hospital; different courage to be back in the real world. In one of these worlds Zac needs Mia. And in the other Mia needs Zac. Or maybe they both need each other, always.
Zac and Mia by A.J. Betts was the winner of the 2012 Text Prize for Young Adult and Children’s Writing. Text have published some fantastic books through their Text Prize and Zac and Mia sounds great.
Zac and Mia is released in NZ in August from Text Publishing.
Wearable Wonders is Fifi Colston’s fantastic new book that’s bursting with creativity, tips, tricks and ideas to help you make your own wearable wonder. Fifi has been in Christchurch this week, running workshops for children as part of the TV2 KidsFest, and I got the chance to have a chat with her. I’m a huge fan of Fifi’s books and I grew up watching her on What Now.
Thanks to the wonderful publisher of Wearable Wonders, Scholastic NZ, I have a special signed copy of the book to give away. All you have to do to get in the draw is enter your name and email address in the form below. Competition closes Wednesday 31 July (NZ only).
Thanks to everyone who entered. The winner is Sandra Worthington.
Are your kids crafty and creative? Are you looking for that perfect idea to keep your kids entertained for hours these school holidays? Wearable Wonders is Fifi Colston’s fantastic new book that’s bursting with creativity, tips, tricks and ideas to help you make your own wearable wonder.
What wonderful stories can petals, shells and stones tell?
What fantastic forms can fabrics, wire and cardboard take?
What out-of-this-world shapes can old cans and drink bottles make?
Mix them together, add a dash of drama and a splash of imagination and learn how to WOW the world with your very own wearable wonder!
As Fifi says in her introduction, this isn’t a book with patterns that show you how to make something in particular, it’s about showing you ‘how you can come up with an idea for something you’d never dreamed of making before.’ There are plenty of examples of wearable wonders that Fifi and others have created to show you what can be created from materials that you might have lying around the house.
Fifi has split the book up in to lots of sections so that you can work through your masterpiece from start to finish. The first section is all about how and where to find good ideas, and Fifi gives some great tips about tips to help inspire you. Once you have your idea, Fifi then takes you through how to plan your time, shows you the tools and materials that you might need to create your masterpiece, shows you how to construct it, looks at what other accessories you might need to complete your look, and how to paint it. The last section looks at staging a wearable art show and the things you need to pull it all together.
There is so much to like about Wearable Wonders. The information is clear, simple and easy to follow. I especially like the way that the text is arranged in small blocks, on pieces of paper that look like they’ve been pinned or taped to the page. The text is surrounded with lots of colourful diagrams and photos, with arrows matching photos and descriptions. It’s the sort of book that will appeal to kids, teens and adults because it’s so user-friendly. I’m not a crafty person but Fifi makes it look easy to create something wonderful from recycled materials.
Grab a copy of Wearable Wonders from your library or bookshop and create your own masterpiece. It’s the perfect way to spend the school holidays or a rainy weekend.
Scholastic New Zealand are publishing some wonderful new picture books in July, including books about birds, dinosaur dads, and a retelling of a piggy tale. The best part is that they’re all by New Zealand authors and illustrators! I’ll be reviewing them here on the blog throughout the month, but here’s your chance to get your hands on them.
Thanks to Scholastic NZ I have a pack of their wonderful new picture books to give away. The pack includes a copy of One Little Fantail by Anne Hunter and Dave Gunson, My Dinosaur Dad by Ruth Paul, and The Three Little Pigs retold and illustrated by Gavin Bishop.
Thanks to everyone who entered. The winner is Debbe.
It has been almost a year since one of our most treasured authors, Margaret Mahy, passed away. Since her passing there have been three wonderful new Margaret Mahy stories published. This month, Scholastic are publishing another new Margaret Mahy story, The Green Bath, illustrated by one of Margaret’s previous collaborators, Steven Kellog.
Sammy likes to have adventures of all sorts, but he could never have imagined the adventures that he would have when his father brings home a big, green bath. When Sammy takes a bath to clean up for his grandma’s visit, the bath escapes from his house with Sammy inside. The bath takes Sammy on an adventure on the seven seas, with mermaids, a sea serpent and pirates.
The Green Bath is a wonderfully-wacky Margaret Mahy story that will have kids imagining their own bath-time adventures. Margaret has let her imagination run wild with this story of a boy who’s bath tub comes to life. The story is full of Margaret’s wonderful language and characteristic wordplay. I especially like ‘ Sammy bewildered them with bubbles and baffled them with soapsuds,’ and the way that she describes the buccaneers as ‘beaten, bubbling and blustering.’ Steven Kellog’s illustrations are delightfully silly and perfect for this watery, bubble-filled adventure.
The Green Bath is the perfect bedtime book to share with your children, especially just after a bath. Just don’t go reading it before bath-time or you might find your bathroom covered in water and bubbles!
There are some wonderful books that have been published about New Zealand birds, especially Ben Brown and Helen Taylor’s picture books. There are very few, however, that are perfect for younger children and wonderful to read aloud. One Little Fantail by Anne Hunter and illustrated by Dave Gunson is one of those books that entertains and informs young children about New Zealand birds.
One Little Fantail is a collection of delightful rhymes that introduce children to a variety of our native birds. Anne Hunter’s rhyming text is a joy to read aloud and each poem rolls off your tongue. I love the way that Anne can describe so much about each bird’s characteristics in just eight lines. The short, rhyming text makes the book perfect for sharing with younger children, as they don’t get bogged down in detail. You could get children to pretend to be each bird, based on the description that Anne gives you of each one. For those inquisitive children, there are more interesting facts about each bird in the ‘Did you know…’ pages at the back of the book.
Each double page spread features a different bird, with their name in English and Maori. Dave Gunson’s realistic illustrations are stunning and he perfectly captures the characteristics of each bird. He captures the mischief of the Kea, the flitting of the Fantail, and the fierceness of the Kahu.
Book Design have done a brilliant job of designing One Little Fantail. I especially like the way that the names of the birds fade into the background, while also being quite prominent on the page, and the way that the sounds each bird makes stands out in bold lettering.
One Little Fantail is a book should be in every preschool and school around the country. Grab a copy and introduce your children to our magnificent native birds.
Years after a violent war destroyed much of the world, Kaspar has grown up in a society based on peace and harmony. But beyond the city walls, a vicious band of rebels are plotting to tear this peace apart. It is up to the Guardians – an elite peacekeeping force – to protect the city, without ever resorting to the brutal methods of their enemy.
When Kaspar joins the Guardians, he has a chance encounter with a rebel – a beautiful girl named Rhea. Haunted from that moment on by strange visions and memories – memories that could only belong to Rhea – he realises he hasn’t been told the truth about what the rebels really want, and what he’s really fighting for.
My Best Friends Are Books 