New Zealand author

Fast Five with Sharon Holt

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  • Why did you want to be a writer?

I was naturally good at it and I loved reading. I believe we are born with talents and gifts and that was one of mine. I am also very passionate about writing, reading and books.

  • What’s the best thing about being a writer?

The best thing is getting feedback that your hard work has made other people happy.

  • What’s your favourite New Zealand book?

Most things by Kate DeGoldi – at the moment, it’s The 10pm Question and The ACB with Honora Lee.

  • What do you love most about New Zealand?

Everything! The friendly people, green open spaces, positive can do attitudes and easy going lifestyle.

  • What do you love most about libraries?

Everything! I would live in one if I could! My happy place is sitting among piles of picture books. (Librarians are great people too!)

Sharon Holt is the author of novels, picture books and the wonderful Te Reo Singalong series.  Her books include two of the My New Zealand Story books, No Survivers and Sabotage.

Fast Five with Nikki Slade-Robinson

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  • Why did you want to be a writer?

Why not!  I think if the ideas are there, and the characters are demanding to be let out, you don’t get much choice really.  Writing and illustrating was always my dream.  And luckily my parents let me have plenty of paper so I didn’t have to draw and write on the walls.

  • What’s the best thing about being a writer?

Ooooh it’s soooo fun!  I put writing and illustrating together because I do both.  I can spend lots of my day playing with my imagination and not many jobs let you do that.  I love being self employed too, and having so much flexibility.   It’s also very cool when you see one of your books picked up and turned into something else like a show.

  • What’s your favourite New Zealand book?

Oh that’s not fair – there are so many wonderful NZ books, how can I choose just one?  Is it ok to list a few?  I do love Jack Lasenby’s ‘The Lake’ and his Seddon St gang ones.  Nobody can go past Margaret Mahy of course, horracapotchkin! (Oh dear – did I spell that right?)  And I use Andrew Crowe’s ‘Which NZ Insect?’ a lot.  Des Hunt’s books because they are set in areas I know… Joanna Orwin – oh there’s so many good writers here – sigh!  In terms of picture books, that too is really hard to choose.  I just really enjoy being able to read NZ stories.

  • What do you love most about New Zealand?

The environment.  We do live in paradise really, you only need to travel away from here to realise how good we really have it.  And our society, really it’s great.  I just hope we can all look after it and really cherish what we have.

  • What do you love most about libraries?

We’ve got this really old picture book about a little boy who can hold an elephant and a lion and a rocket under one arm.  He can hold anything you can think of under his arm.  And at the end you find out it’s because he can go to the library and get a book about anything out.  Libraries are like that – you can find so much there… and it’s free so nobody has to miss out.

Nikki Slade-Robinson is an author and illustrator whose books include Munkle Arvur and the Bod, That’s Not Junk! and Hannah Bandanna’s Hair.  Nikki has also illustrated books for other authors, including Mind Your Gramma and The Seven Stars of Matariki.

Fast Five with Sherryl Jordan

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  • Why did you want to be a writer?

I wanted to write books even before I could write. My first book, made when I was four years old, was a picture story about a little mermaid. I had to draw pictures to make the book, because I couldn’t write. The book doesn’t exist anymore (it probably went up the vacuum cleaner!) but my love of books and writing has never left me.

  • What’s the best thing about being a writer?

I get paid to day-dream.

Also, it’s an awesome thing to live in the world inside my head, the world of the imagination. While I’m writing a book, that imagined world is much more real to me than this world.  Another wonderful thing about being a writer is receiving letters from readers who love my stories. It’s amazing to realise that my dreams have been shared by someone else.

  • What’s your favourite New Zealand book?

Ah… a hard question. I have several favourite NZ writers – Margaret Mahy and Joy Cowley at the top — but no single book I love the best.

  • What do you love most about New Zealand?

Freedom of speech. The freedom to write what we want to write, and not be imprisoned for it.

  • What do you love most about libraries?

A library is like a cave full of treasure — every book another world to be explored, another dream to be shared. What riches! I always feel overwhelmed in a library, hoping I choose the right world for me, and don’t miss out on another one that I’d also love.  Mind you, books can be dangerous, too … a book could change your life.  My life has been changed several times, by books I’ve read.

Sherryl Jordan is the author of many wonderful books in her long career, including Rocco, The Wednesday Wizard, The Raging Quiet, Finnigan and the Pirates, and her latest book Ransomwood.

Fast Five with David Hill

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Throughout NZ Book Month I”ll be posting lots of mini interviews with New Zealand authors and illustrators.  My first Fast Five is with David Hill.

  • Why did you want to be a writer?
Became an author partly because i wasn’t much good at anything else. Also because I liked telling jokes and stories to people and making them laugh and listen. Also (No 2) because when our kids were born, I thought they were so special that I wanted the whole world to know about them – so i started writing stories about them for adults.
  • What’s the best thing about being a writer?
When you write a story / poem/ review, you’ve made something that never existed in the world before. It’s an amazing feeling, and it’s one of the special pleasures of being an author.
  •  What’s your favourite New Zealand book?
I’m a great fan of any of Maurice Gee’s books. I love the ways he mixes reality and fantasy. He turns our world into something strange and fascinating.
  • What do you love most about New Zealand?
I like the light of NZ. It’s bright and clear and very special. I also like the fact that so many of our museums, libraries, art galleries, places like that are FREE! It doesn’t happen in many other countries.
  • What do you love most about libraries?
Libraries are gyms for the mind and the imagination. You read books; your mind becomes fitter and more active. You go on trips that people who don’t read will never experience. Books provide you with this. Libraries provide you with those books!

My Brother's WarDavid Hill is the author of See Ya Simon, Aim High, Journey to Tangiwai, and My Brother’s War.

When We Wake by Karen Healey

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What do you think the world would be like if you fell asleep right now and woke up in 100 years time?  Would the world be incredibly technologically advanced or would it be ravaged by an apocalyptic event?  Would people be more tolerant of differences in race, ethnicity and sexuality? Karen Healey shows us her version of a future in earth in her latest book, When We Wake, about the first person to be cryonically frozen and successfully revived.

Sixteen-year-old Tegan is just like every other girl living in 2027 – she’s happiest when playing the guitar, she’s falling in love for the first time, and she’s joining her friends to protest the wrongs of the world: environmental collapse, social discrimination, and political injustice. But on what should have been the best day of Tegan’s life, she dies – and wakes up a hundred years in the future, locked in a government facility with no idea what happened.

Tegan is the first person to be cryonically frozen and successfully revived, which makes her an instant celebrity – though all she wants is to rebuild some semblance of a normal life … including spending as much time as possible with musically gifted Abdi, even if he does seem to hate the sight of her. But the future isn’t all she hoped it would be, and when appalling secrets come to light, Tegan must make a choice: Does she keep her head down and survive, or fight for a better future?

When We Wake has everything a great science fiction story should have – mystery, action, actual science, a future world, cool technology, and a main character who you route for right from the start.  Karen keeps you guessing and her writing is fast-paced so you want to keep reading so you can find out how it ends.

It’s a sign of a great character when you connect with them as soon as they start talking.  Karen hooked me in from the first paragraph and I wanted to know everything about Teegan and the insane situation that she finds herself in.  You empathise with her because you know how strange and difficult it would be to adapt to a different world. The more you find out about her and the sort of person she is, the more I liked her.  She’s the sort of person who won’t be pushed around and told what to do.  Even though she’s told by the army and various religious groups that her life doesn’t belong to her she does everything to prove them wrong.  She’s not concerned about making a spectacle, even when she’s being broadcast to millions of people around the world.  Other people try to force their morals and ethics on to Teegan, but she has her own strong opinions and no one is going to change those.

One of the things that really stood out for me in When We Wake was the way that Karen brought the future society’s moral and ethical views into the story.  Many science fiction stories (especially for teens) don’t delve into these aspects of future worlds so it made Karen’s feel fresh and different.  Through Teegan you see how the future society’s views of religion, ethnicity, and sexuality have changed, and how, even with massive climate change, people still aren’t looking after the planet.  Like today’s society, many of the people in charge of this future earth have questionable morals and ethics, and it’s these that shape the story.

5 out of 5 stars

When We Wake book trailer

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When We Wake is the fantastic new YA futuristic thriller from New Zealand author, Karen Healey. Cryogenics, questionable morals and ethics, government secrets, and a kick-ass character are only some of the things that make When We Wake stand out.

When We Wake by Karen Healey is available now at libraries and bookshops from Allen and Unwin.

Maddy West and the Tongue Taker by Brian Falkner

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Characters in Brian Falkner’s books have saved the world from a deadly virus, discovered the recipe for Coca-Cola, developed super powers, traveled in time, and been chased by black lions.  In Brian’s latest book, Maddy West and the Tongue Taker, an evil witch is stealing people’s ability to talk, and it’s up to Maddy and her friends to stop her.

Maddy West can speak every language in the world. When she is asked to translate some ancient scrolls, Maddy is excited. But the scrolls hide many secrets. Secrets that send Maddy on a wild adventure with a stowaway ninja, a mysterious monkey, a Bulgarian wrestler and a fiendish witch. And soon Maddy finds herself in deadly peril. Does Maddy have what it takes to save herself and her new friends?

Maddy West and the Tongue Taker is an action-packed, magic-filled adventure that has something for everyone.  There’s a girl who can speak every language known to man (some that haven’t been spoken for thousands of years), a very clever monkey, a ninja that can go invisible, a giant Bulgarian wrestler, a witch, ancient scrolls, magic, and lots of spiders and cockroaches. The story is full of twists and turns, so you’re not sure who to trust and whose side of the story to believe.

Maddy is a very cool character.  She has an amazing gift that she uses to help people, especially those who speak another language.  She helps her friend Kazuki and the giant Dimitar by translating for them so that others can understand them or so they can understand the horrible situation that they’re in.  Maddy is also very brave and isn’t afraid to stand up to the dangerous people she meets.  Kazuki is a funny character, who is a loyal friend to Maddy and a ninja who can make himself invisible.  He does his best to protect Maddy, including stowing away on her plane to Bulgaria.  Some of the adults in the story are really annoying, like Maddy’s mum who only seems to be interested in how much money she can make, but there are others, like Dimitar, who are friendly and do all they can to help Maddy.

I love Donovan Bixley’s cover and his illustrations throughout the book.  I’m a huge fan of illustrated novels for children and Donovan’s black and white illustrations add to the excitement and suspense of the story.  I love the way that he has brought Brian’s characters to life, especially Dimitar and Maddy.

Maddy West and the Tongue Taker is a great read for 9+, especially if you liked Brian’s last book, Northwood.  It’s perfect for anyone who likes adventure, mystery and magical stories.  Get it now from your library or bookshop.

4 out of 5 stars

You can enter my competition to win 1 of 3 copies of Maddy West and the Tongue Taker here on the blog.

Picture Book Nook: The Man from the Land of Fandango by Margaret Mahy, illustrated by Polly Dunbar

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Come to the magical land of Fandango!  There’s dancing and music, with bears, bisons, baboons, kangaroos and even dinosaurs.  Most amazing of all is the Man from the Land of Fandango himself.  He bingles and bangles and bounces, and he’s coming to give you a call.  Are you ready for the party?

Reading The Man from the Land of Fandango is like stepping into Margaret Mahy’s imagination.  You can imagine that all these wonderful things would have been flying inside her head.  When she describes the man from the Land of Fandango it’s like she is describing herself.  Someone who brings joy and excitement to children and ‘is given to dancing and dreams’ sounds exactly like Margaret.  Her wonderful poem is full of her characteristic wordplay, and the rhythm and rhyme bounces you along.  I especially love the alliteration, like ‘jingles and jongles and jangles’ and ‘he juggles with junkets and jam in a jar.’  This is the third book of Margaret’s that Polly Dunbar has illustrated and her style is just perfect for Margaret’s wacky poems.  Polly’s illustrations are magical and full of joy and laughter.  I love that the children never stop smiling from beginning to end.  Her illustrations make you want to jump right into the book and join in the fun with the bears, baboons, dinosaurs and The Man from the Land of Fandango.  Even the words on the page look like they’re having fun in this book, as they dance all over the place.

You won’t be able to stop yourself from reading The Man from the Land of Fandango out loud, because the words just roll off your tongue.  Just like Margaret and Polly’s other collaborations, Bubble Trouble and Down the Back of the Chair, this will certainly become a favourite that children will beg to be read again and again.

5 out of 5 stars

Picture Book Nook: Mister Whistler by Margaret Mahy, illustrated by Gavin Bishop

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Earlier this year we lost one of our national treasures, Margaret Mahy.  Margaret wrote many wonderful stories in her time, from picture books to novels, that are treasured by children all over the world.  October sees the publication of two of Margaret’s last stories, including the wonderful Mister Whistler, featuring gorgeous illustrations by Gavin Bishop.

Absentminded Mister Whistler always has a song in his head and a dance in his feet.  In a rush to catch the train, he is so distracted he loses his ticket.

Is it in the bottom pockets of his big coat or the top pockets of his jacket?  Perhaps he slipped it into his waistcoat…

Where is Mister Whistler’s ticket?

Mister Whistler is an absolute treasure.  It’s Margaret and Gavin’s first collaboration and I couldn’t imagine a more perfect pairing for this story.  Margaret’s story is delightfully old-fashioned and Gavin matches this with the styles and fashions of another era.  Mister Whistler is a rather distracted fellow, one of those people who would forget his head if it wasn’t screwed on.  He gets carried away by the music in his head, that makes his twitching feet long to dance.  While he is looking for his ticket he’s dancing out of his coat and tap dancing impatiently.  Children will love that they know something that Mister Whistler doesn’t – where his ticket is – and they’ll want to yell it out and tell him.

Gavin Bishop’s illustrations for Mister Whistler are my favourite of all of his work.  There’s so much joy and energy in the illustrations and you can see it bursting out of Mister Whistler, who is always smiling.  I love the way that Gavin has made the story flow from one page to the next, both my Mister Whistler’s dancing body and the musical notes which follow him.  Mister Whistler himself is quite gangly and I love the way that Gavin has him throwing his long limbs all over the place as he dances.  Gavin’s use of colour is spectacular, from Mister Whistler’s blue, checked trousers and very loud wall-paper, to the flaming sunrise in the background.  Gavin has added a real spark to Mister Whistler’s character too by giving him a crazy dress sense.

Once again, Gecko Press have produced an absolutely beautiful book that will be treasured by children and adults alike.  Mister Whistler is my favourite New Zealand picture book of the year and my pick for the winner of next year’s New Zealand Post Children’s Book Awards.

5 out of 5 stars

Newly updated Margaret Mahy books from HarperCollins NZ

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HarperCollins New Zealand have just released two newly updated Margaret Mahy books to celebrate her life and work.

Margaret Mahy: A Writer’s Life by Tessa Duder

This was first published in 2005 and it has now been fully updated and republished.  The updates include:

  • Updated introduction
  • New Epilogue which covers Margaret’s life between 2005 and 2012.
  • Updated notes
  • Updated Chronological Bibliography with Margaret’s books published from 2005 onwards.
  • Updated Awards and Honours (including the Hans Christian Anderson Award which Margaret won in 2006).
  • New photos.

The Word Witch by Margaret Mahy, illustrations by David Elliot, edited by Tessa Duder

This was originally published in hardback in 2009 (I have my copy in pride of place on my bookshelf) and is the ultimate collection of Margaret Mahy’s much-loved poems and stories in rhyme.  Each of the 66 pieces is accompanied by a poignant illustration by one of New Zealand’s best, David Elliot.

This new paperback edition includes a CD with recordings of Margaret reciting 12 poems, including favourites such as Down the Back of the Chair and Ghosts.  The CD is a delight to listen to and it’s wonderful to hear these poems read as Margaret heard them in her head.  If you already own a copy of The Word Witch it’s definitely worth buying a copy of this edition as well, just so you can listen to Margaret perform the poems over and over again.